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Inside The New York Botanical Garden

This Week at the Greenmarket: Garden-to-Table Treats

Posted in Around the Garden on August 6 2014, by Lansing Moore

gazpacho
Photo via Bon Appétit

Wednesdays mean free grounds-only admission to the Garden, and of course the return of the NYBG Greenmarket. This week our specialty vendors are offering okra, purple basil, red amaranth, eggplants, cantaloupe, potatoes, and more! Just in time too, because we have really been working up an appetite reading the special menus that have been announced for our series of Family Dinners with Mario Batali’s Chefs. These visiting luminaries of Italian cuisine are using the freshly grown produce of the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden to prepare some garden-to-table recipes that sound absolutely delicious.

Tickets are still available for those who would like to enjoy one of these special evenings of cooking demonstrations and activities for the whole family! For us amateur cooks, we have chosen a simple recipe that still makes the most of the Greenmarket’s bounty. Gazpacho, that Spanish staple of summer, can be a speedy and refreshing treat that would taste outstanding with the fresh tomatoes and cucumbers available today! Read on for the recipe.

tomatoes greenmarketSpeedy Gazpacho
by Bon Appétit

Ingredients

1 English hothouse cucumber (about 12 ounces), peeled, cut into large chunks
1 large red bell pepper (about 8 ounces), halved, seeded, cut into chunks
2 cup (or more) bottled tomato juice
1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
1 12 1/2-ounce container refrigerated fire-roasted tomato salsa
1 cup roasted red peppers from jar
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Preparation

Working in 2 batches and using on/off turns, finely chop cucumber and bell pepper in processor. Add 2 cups tomato juice and remaining ingredients; blend to coarse puree. Season to taste with salt. Transfer to bowl. Cover and chill 2 hours for flavors to develop. Mix in more tomato juice by 1/4 cupfuls if too spicy. For a main-course soup, top with grilled shrimp and cubed avocado.

This week, in addition to all the fresh fruits, vegetables, and baked goods available from our specialty vendors, Montefiore Community and Population Health is providing free body mass index (BMI) screenings to visitors! Along with nutritional counseling, they can help you make the most out of your Greenmarket visit. The Hispanic Federation will also be back this week, as they are every Wednesday, providing visitors with information to enroll in a low-cost health plan and their eligibility for financial assistance. Today’s NYBG Greenmarket is the best place to get healthy!