Dahlias!

Dahlias may not be edible, but they do brighten a table.  At dahlia farms (free range, every one) outside of Seattle, one can stroll through aisle after aisle of these flowers, and never see the same variety twice.  Some specialty growers have over 300 types in one several-acre garden; and you would hardly guess that all of them belong to the same category of flower.

At the West Seattle farmers market, a hint of this diversity was represented in the bouquets for sale.  In my head I heard the voice of Ann Lovejoy, the first time I ever met her.  As I put fresh-cut dahlias into coffee cans of water on dinner tables in a rustic cafeteria, I heard a woman exclaim happily, "Dahlias! Nothing subtle about them."

And indeed, they nearly shout, "Look at me!" from any venue - field, florist's stand, or even a coffee can vase. They never whisper seductively, like a rose or scented vine. And they never ever attempt to be overlooked, like a few of the shy edible flowers.

Their brilliance attracts pollinators, to whom all of us who like to eat are deeply indebted. So perhaps in their own outspoken way, dahlias are tied to the table as more than just decoration.