Cucumber

10/22: Cucumber, oil on canvas panel, 4x5 in.

I'm trying to remember to use more neutrals throughout, instead of picking up pure ochre or a red earth. I think I either 1) like the pure color, or 2) have just been lazy.

Old English word of the day:

eorþæppel [ĕərTH'-ăp-pəl]: literally, earth-apple.

No doubt due to the wave of Christianization entering Britain, this term would be replaced by Latin cucumis (and evolve further under French influence). But it appears in the Old English version of the Book of Numbers 11:5, speaking of the foods in Egypt: "cucumeres, ðæt synd eorþæppla," "cucumbers, which are earth-apples." It's funny because the earth-apples I'm used to are the much more recent pommes de terre, potatoes.