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Plant Talk

Inside The New York Botanical Garden

Get Heart Smart at Garden’s Greenmarket

Posted in Exhibitions, The Edible Garden on August 3 2010, by Plant Talk

New Program Features Health Screenings, Cooking Demos, Walking Trails

Sarah Bolson is Associate Director of Foundation Relations.

Editor’s note: The USDA has proclaimed this week, August 1–7, National Farmers Market Week.

I recently visited the Greenmarket, as I do on most Wednesdays, to pick fresh fruit for the remainder of the work week. In the past, my visits lasted no more than the handful of minutes it took to find whatever items I craved. I left the endless supply of herbs and vegetables—many with names I did not recognize—untouched for a braver and more skilled chef than I can profess to be. But what I found on this particular Wednesday was a deeply enriching experience.

This is because now the Garden’s Greenmarket is about more than simply food. If you visit the market, you will find a host of free activities and programs designed to teach visitors how to lead a heart-healthy lifestyle. The Heart Smart Program, which is supported in part by an American Heart Association New York City Community Impact Grant and the MetLife Foundation, encourages participants to connect the foods they eat to their well-being through activities designed to improve cardiovascular health.

At the market I watched as neighborhood residents received health screenings from a local hospital and as a chef led visitors through the market, pointing out heart-healthful ingredients that she would use later in the day in a cooking demonstration at the Conservatory Kitchen.

I also picked up a free map that outlines two walking routes—one 3 miles in length and the other 1½ miles—around the Garden’s grounds. (The map is also available by clicking here.) The walks take you throughout the Garden’s beautiful living collections, making it easy to forget that you’re exercising!

The Cooking for Your Health cooking demonstration, presented by Trish Sebben-Krupka (pictured), Corporate Chef for the Viking Culinary Center as part of The Edible Garden, was filled with useful information on how to incorporate “heart smart” ingredients into delicious, seasonal dishes—simple to follow, even for a novice “chef” such as myself. For example, Chef Sebben-Krupka recommended using kosher salt instead of iodized salt; kosher salt measures at twice the content of iodized salt, greatly reducing the amount of salt you need in your dish. Another way to reduce salt content in any meal, she informed the audience, is to add a drop of hot sauce, which in very small quantities enhances flavors without overcoming them with too much heat. (Chef Sebben-Krupka will be presenting cooking demos at the Conservatory Kitchen again on Saturday, August 14, at 1 and 3 p.m.)

But perhaps my favorite tip was what do with corn cobs after they have been significantly de-kerneled (Chef Sebben-Krupka used the kernels in a panzanella, i.e. bread salad.) Rather than add dairy to the soup she was preparing, the chef ran the flat side of a knife down each cob to remove the creamy part of the kernel that still remained. This added a creamy consistency and fresh flavor to the soup without any of the harmful fats that are associated with dairy products.

The Greenmarket at the Garden is open every Wednesday through November 24. Heart Smart activities include:

  • Cooking demonstrations at the Conservatory Kitchen on Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m. during The Edible Garden, with heart-healthful ingredients and free recipes in English and Spanish
  • Health screenings and information provided by St. Barnabas on August 11, September 8, October 13, and November 10 and by Montefiore Medical Center on August 25, September 29, October 27, and November 24.
  • Free walking map with designated loops of 3 miles and 1½ miles, distributed at the Greenmarket information booth. Exercise while touring the Garden’s collections; a cell phone audio tour enhances your experience.
  • Audio updates on with what’s fresh at the market each week. Call 718.362.9561 and press 406#. Text “nybg recipe” to 56512 for a link to healthy recipes!

The Heart Smart Program, a part of the MetLife Healthy Families Program at The New York Botanical Garden, is funded in part by the American Heart Association.

The MetLife Healthy Families Program is made possible through the generous support of MetLife Foundation.