The Edible Garden Festival Weekend
Posted in Around the Garden on September 21 2012, by Matt Newman
As much as hearing the phrase rattled off might tap dance on your last nerve, good things really do come to those who wait. And that’s especially true for gardeners. During the first balmy weeks of summer the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden buzzed with activity as Mario Batali‘s top chefs planted nostalgia left and right, each seedling and young tomato plant a piece of their culinary history–a vegetable that inspired a recipe, or a memorable fruit from childhood. Their potential was nurtured and encouraged through months of careful tending, and now, with fall upon us, the Edible Garden‘s harvest is ready to take the spotlight.
The fanfare begins this Sunday in Mario Batali’s Kitchen Gardens, where gourmands–young and old alike–can pick up a few new recipes while exploring the bounty planted by each of Mario’s chefs. Decorate a harvest bag, make your own chef’s hat, or sample your way through organic goodies. Whatever makes you and your kids happy! The Edible Garden Festival is set to continue into the afternoon with cooking demonstrations by NYBG staff, capped off by a master lesson from none other than Mario Batali himself. Afterwards, he’ll set to stunning tastebuds with his four-course, garden-to-table dinner event in the famed Garden Stone Mill.
While tickets for the garden-to-table dinner event and Saturday night’s Monet Evening are currently sold out, those interested are welcome to contact an NYBG representative to be put on a waiting list for any further releases. Head below for information. In the meantime, tickets are still available for the Edible Garden Festival, it’s the opening weekend of Manolo Valdés: Monumental Sculpture, and there are plenty of other activities to go around as we head into this packed weekend schedule. It’s the first one of the fall, so you might think to celebrate the autumnal equinox in a place where nature’s seasonal colors are a main event!
Saturday, September 22
![The NYBG Weekend](https://www.nybg.org/blogs/plant-talk/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Weekender-bar-104.jpg)
Bird Walk – 11 a.m.
Meet at the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center
The diverse habitats of the Botanical Garden offer visitors a chance to see dozens of species of birds throughout the year. Bring your binoculars and walk the Garden grounds with an expert. You might even catch sight of our Red-tailed Hawks, Great Horned Owls, or the elusive Pileated Woodpeckers.
Rose Garden Tour – 12:30 p.m.
Meet at the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden
Immerse yourself in the fragrance, color, and beauty of the award-winning Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden on a tour with a Garden Tour Guide. Learn the differences between Heritage and Modern roses and between floribundas and hybrid teas as well as facts about rose history, cultivation, and folklore.
Monet’s Garden Tour Guide Q&A: Secrets of this Incredible Exhibition – 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Meet in the Conservatory Courtyard, Hardy Pool
Ask one of the Garden’s Tour Guides about this stunning recreation of Monet’s iconic garden at Giverny. See the artistry of the great Impressionist in the galleries of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory and in the Conservatory Courtyard pool, where a display of water lilies dazzles.
Home Gardening Demonstration: Dividing Perennials – 2 p.m.
In the Home Gardening Center
What do you do when one of your perennials starts to take over or when its flower power starts to dwindle? Join Gardener for Public Education Sonia Uyterhoeven for a primer on how to divide your perennials.
Monet Evenings Featuring Water Lily Concerts – 6 to 9 p.m.
In the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory and in the Conservatory Tent
Concert begins at 7 p.m. with City Chamber Music Collective.
Experience Monet’s Garden in the waning evening light. Purchase a glass of wine or cocktail and light refreshments, admire the collections and enjoy the live concert. Each evening will feature a different style of music–jazz, cabaret, or classical–with a French theme, ranging from old world to new, from charming to glamorous. Each ticket includes one complimentary cocktail ($30 Non-members, $20 Members, $12 Children).
Sunday, September 23
![The NYBG Weekend](https://www.nybg.org/blogs/plant-talk/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Weekender-bar-106.jpg)
Edible Garden Festival – 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
In the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden
Take part in a day-long festival of Edible Garden fun exploring “Mario Batali’s Kitchen Gardens,” cooking demonstrations by NYBG staff, gardening activities, and food sampling in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden.
Activity lineup:
– Take a drop in tour of the chefs’ plant beds in “Mario Batali’s Kitchen Gardens”
– Decorate a harvest bag and use it to shop for fresh ingredients
– Make a chef’s hat to wear when practicing your culinary skills
– Solve Mario’s Menu Mystery to help you explore the chefs’ plant beds
– Sit in on cooking demonstrations by Family Garden chefs at 11 a.m., 1, and 3 p.m
– Enjoy food sampling by vendors offering snacks and organic goodies
Edible Garden Festival ticket includes all Festival activities and All Garden Pass access.
Non-Member Adults $25, Student/Senior $22, Kids $10/Members Free (ticket does not include Mario Batali cooking demo).
Cooking Demonstration with Mario Batali – 4:30 p.m
In the Conservatory Tent
Enjoy all Edible Garden festival activities in the Family Garden, plus join Garden friend Mario Batali at the Conservatory tent for a demonstration of fresh, seasonal family dishes inspired by “Mario Batali’s Kitchen Gardens.”
Festival ticket with Mario Batali demonstration includes all Edible Garden Festival activities, All-Garden Pass access, and a seat at the cooking demonstration.
Non-Member Adults $30, Student/Senior $27, Kids $15/Members Adults $10, Kids $5.
Get your tickets!
Garden-to-Table Dinner with Mario Batali – 5:30 to 8 p.m.
Online tickets for the Garden-to-Table Dinner are sold out, but additional tickets may become available. To be put on a waiting list and to speak with a Garden representative, please call 718-817-8551.
Join celebrity chef and Garden friend Mario Batali for a truly unique garden-to-table experience! Enjoy all of the Edible Garden festivities, plus special preferred seating at Mario’s cooking demonstration at the Conservatory tent, followed by cocktails in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden and an intimate garden-to-table dinner at the Lillian and Amy Goldman Stone Mill. Mario will enjoy the meal with you and share anecdotes, memories, inspirations, and background information about the four-course menu he has designed.
All ticket proceeds support the Garden’s essential Children’s Education programs.
Garden-to-Table Dinner Schedule
4:30 p.m. Cooking demonstration in the Conservatory tent
5:30 p.m. Garden-to-table festivities begin in the Family Garden
6:30 p.m. Dinner is served
8:00 p.m. Evening concludes
Rose Garden Tour – 12:30 p.m.
Meet at the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden
Monet’s Garden Tour Guide Q&A: Secrets of this Incredible Exhibition – 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Meet in the Conservatory Courtyard, Hardy Pool
Home Gardening Demonstration: Dividing Perennials – 2 p.m.
In the Home Gardening Center
Ongoing Children’s Programs
![The NYBG Weekend](https://www.nybg.org/blogs/plant-talk/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Weekender-bar-105.jpg)
Hands-On Gardening Activities for Families — Pollinator Pals: Bees and Butterflies
Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden, through October 5
Daily, 1:30 to 5:30 p.m.
The Family Garden is buzzing in late summer! Join us to learn about important pollinators: our honeybees and the monarch butterflies passing us by on their way to Mexico. Get buzzy doing the honeybee dance, observe up-close the workings of a beehive, and sample honey from different nectar sources. Meander through our meadow to find the beautiful monarchs’ favorite snack-spots for fueling up before their long flight.
Cooking demonstrations at 2 and 4 p.m. on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
Children’s Outdoor Nature Explorations: Observe and Create
Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, through September 30
Weekdays 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. / Weekends 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Let your inner Monet run wild and be inspired by nature to create art in all its different forms. Movement, music, drawing and painting abound in this outdoor studio for children. Stop by Inspiration Station to play our outdoor marimba. Paint with water and experiment with colors in our Color Clash Studio. Step inside to experiment with the engineering behind aquatic plants. Nature is art–discover it at the Adventure Garden. Also on view: an exhibition by students from Studio in a School.