Aromas at Meijer Gardens

Allspice Tree

I came across this tree after it was pointed out to me in the Tropical Room by my Professors. This was the most potent aroma I smelled on this day. In order to smell the allspice we had to break off a leave and bend it in half. Every time we bent the leaf it smelled like something different! It smelled of fresh baked pumpkin pie, fresh mint, and cinnamon. It reminded me of Christmas and Thanksgiving with my friends and family back home. I was amazed that all of those smells could be wrapped up into one plant! It seems as if all the smells of Christmas had been bottled up into one tree. The smell was extremely strong when we sniffed it in. However, you could not smell the aromas unless you broke a branch off of the tree, which was rather fascinating to me. The smell did seem to persist as I continued on my way. However, the smell seemed just as potent when I smelled it a second time. The smell seemed to correlate directly with my original perception of its strength.

My Holiday Spice Vial

At the end of my time at Meijer Gardens I took the time to smell the aroma of my vial. It smelled just as potent as when I had first opened the vial in our classroom. It was extremely strong and I did not particularly like the smell. It reminded me of a harsh spice that one would use in spicy cooking. It reminded me of visiting a Thai restaurant where they use a lot of spices and potent smells. It reminded me of cooking with my dad and throwing in a plethora of different salts and seasoning agents. I believe that my spice was cloves. It was a harsh smell but did not seem to change my perception of the displays. I believe that many of the aromas I smelled throughout the day were much sweeter and more delicate than this vial.

Overall, I really enjoyed my day at Meijer Gardens. I feel that I got to take time to experience some smells I would not readily come into contact with. I was amazed to learn where many of our spices come from. I was amazed at how many memories were evoked by these smells and how vast God's plant creation really is. I look forward to smelling and experiencing more aromas during this class and getting to cook with some of them as well!