Briefings from the Field, a short lecture series featuring updates from the fieldwork of various Garden scientists, is open to the public Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Arthur and Janet Ross Lecture Hall
Mario Batali’s Edible Garden in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden features the celebrity chef’s favorite ingredients. In Batali’s Berry Patch; the Otto Pizza Garden; and the Babbo Beets, Beans, Garlic, and Greens Garden, kids and families can learn all about the benefits of vegetable gardening and using fresh produce in daily meals. We asked the chefs at Mario Batali’s restaurants to give us some insight into how they love using the ingredients being grown at the Garden. First up, Anthony Sasso Chef de Cuisine at Casa Mono tells us how he likes to use strawberries (as featured in Batali’s Berry Patch), and Chiogga beets (as featured in the Babbo Beets, Beans Garlic and Greens Garden) in a simple summer salad.
In New York, we get pretty excited about the first culinary signs of the season. Winter, spring, summer, and fall are pretty well defined in the Northeast. So as soon as a fruit or vegetable makes its debut at the local farmers market, chefs are instantly motivated to come up with new ideas and get their hands on what’s in season before anyone else. In the spring, after long cold months of winter squash and mushrooms and potatoes (brown, brown, and brown), that means we get to look forward to ramps, asparagus, snap peas, and anything else green!
Similarly, there are a few things that offer hints that summer has arrived (besides ice cream trucks on every corner), like strawberries. Strawberries have a way of popping up (especially the wild ones) after the first few consecutive days of really warm weather. In New York, that means towards the middle or end of June. And I think I speak for most chefs when I say that we have a hard time coming up with unique ways to use them creatively in savory dishes. Strawberries are sweet and tart, beautiful to look at, juicy, and small enough to use whole, yet they are usually given to the pastry kitchen to be used as a topping for sundaes, as a condiment to shortcake, or cooked down with sugar until they become jammy for cheesecake. I have used them before by pureeing the fruit into a sauce to dress poultry, or simply mixing them with balsamic and sherry vinegar as an accompaniment to our house-made charcuterie.
This year though, we wanted to leave them uncooked and intact, so I started to play around with raw strawberries. I sprinkled them with just a touch of sugar (this lets the berries sweat out their juicy interior) and lemon juice and paired them with our baby beet salad, in which we use Chioggia beets as the main ingredient. This heirloom beet variety has that same great earthy taste as red beets, but tend to be a little bit sweeter and are quite a sight to behold when peeled and cut in half. Inside they have a colorful swirl pattern that best resembles a trippy Grateful Dead bumper sticker (sorry, I’m from Woodstock). Their greens are really delicate and can be cooked down as a nice side dish. The stems are crunchy and make a great snack, or a surprise addition to a crudité platter. They’re easily one of our favorite vegetables at Casa Mono because of how versatile they are. I suppose beets embody the “nose to tail” ethos of the garden, meaning you can use every part in the kitchen.
So when you taste the two together, the match is pretty surprising. The beets are firm and rich and the juicy strawberries lend great sweetness. We pair them with a thickened Greek-style yogurt spiced up with Shiso (Perilla) leaves and garnish it all with summer squash blossoms and basil leaves. A trip to the garden can turn into the perfect summer lunch.
If you come to the Garden to glean inspiration for your own home garden, then why not plan your trip around our highly informative weekend gardening demonstrations, aimed solely at the home gardener? Sonia Uyterhoeven, Gardener for Public Education, and author of Plant Talk’s weekly gardening tips blog posts, leads these informative discussions.
Here’s a look at the demos we have planned for the rest of the summer.
July 9 and 10 at 1:30 p.m. What’s at Stake?
In the Home Gardening Center
Learn about important summer chores such as staking perennials, an effort that pays dividends in the fall.
July 16 and 17 at 1:30 p.m. The Tao of Wet and Dry
In the Home Gardening Center
The right plant in the right place is part of the natural order of any garden. Discuss the yin and yang of the gardening world—ideal plants for wet and dry sites.
July 23 and 24, 1:30 p.m. Water Gardens: Waterlilies and the Alhambra
Meet at the entrance of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory
Walk through the exhibition Spanish Paradise: Gardens of the Alhambra to explore the design and plant choices at this monumental treasure where water features are highly regarded. Learn about the incomparable waterlilies and lotus in the Botanical Garden’s Conservatory Courtyards.
July 30 and 31 at 1:30 p.m. Fabulous Floral Forms
In the Home Gardening Center
Explore effective color combinations and the intricacies of floral forms. Learn tips and techniques for cutting and arranging flowers.
August 6 and 7 at 1:30 p.m. Butterfly Bonanza
In the Home Gardening Center
Learn how to create colorful habitats that will attract butterflies. Find out which plants will entice these magnificent creatures into your garden.
August 13 and 14 at 1:30 p.m. Vegging Out in Style
In the Home Gardening Center
August is the time when much of your hard work in the vegetable garden comes to fruition. Enjoy the rewards of the season now while continuing to tend the garden.
August 20 and 21, 1:30 p.m. The Alhambra in Retrospect
Meet at the entrance of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory
Discuss Islamic gardens on a walk through the exhibition Spanish Paradise: Gardens of the Alhambra during its final weekend, while exploring the design and plant choices at this influential treasure.
August 27 and 28 at 2 p.m. Grow Your Greens
In the Home Gardening Center
While you are busy harvesting tomatoes, remember that it is not too late to plant fast fall crops such as lettuces and Asian greens. Spend an afternoon in the vegetable garden planning the last push for the season.
Mario Batali was at the Garden on April 12. But he wasn’t here to see the cherry blossoms or to catch a glimpse of José and Justin. Nope, Mario was here for one very good reason: To promote children’s gardening through the launch of Mario Batali’s Edible Garden at the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden. The gathering also celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Family Garden and its role as an important place to educate the public on the benefits of vegetable gardening and using fresh produce in daily meals.
Mario Batali & kids dig in alongside Annie Novak, Assistant Manager of the Ruth Rea Howell Family GardenGarden President Gregory Long, Councilman Joel Rivera, Mario Batali, Bronx community activist Karen Washington, and Toby Adams, Manager of the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden
The day was a bit gray and drizzly, but the profusion of Batali orange and a cheerful group of schoolchildren from the Bronx’s own C.S. 211 made the day feel sunny and bright. Mario and the kids were joined by local officials and community gardeners, Garden employees, and Garden board members in preparing the beds and planting the first seeds and plants.
There’s another photography contest afoot … but not ours this time.
IGPOTY: The International Garden Photographer of the Year contest is getting set to announce their overall winner, which is a really big deal (the winner of the top prize for a single image receives £5,000 or more than $8,000). In the run-up to the big announcement, IGPOTY is posting the finalists in several categories including Plant Portraits, People in the Garden, and Garden Views. Commendations are also being given for finalists in the Portfolio Category, and to the YGPOTY (Young Garden Photographer of the Year). But it’s the two special awards: the Best Image of Kew (IGPOTY’s partner) and the Spirit of the American Garden that we’re really keen on. The photograph of Kew is simply stunning, and one of the finalists in the Spirit of the American Garden was shot just across the city at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden!
Bluebells in Brooklyn - photograph by Ben Miflin
We think IGPOTY is a great contest, and that the quality of photographs is simply amazing! Entries are being accepted now for the fifth IGPOTY contest. There is a fee to enter, but the prizes and advice (all contestants are able to request professional feedback about their images after the end of the contest), the opportunity to see your photo in a professional exhibition and in a book are totally worth the price! We’re hoping to announce a fun partnership with the IGPOTY folk soon, so until that time take a look at this contest’s winners, and keep snapping!
Travis Beck, Landscape and Gardens Project Manager, The New York Botanical Garden
Every time I’ve spoken to a landscape architect or nursery grower about taking an ecological approach to landscape design–something I’ve been doing a lot throughout the planning and development of the Garden‘s new Native Plant Garden–I keep hearing the same phrase repeated over and over: “You should talk to Colston Burrell.”
Up until this point I’ve known Burrell mostly through his writing. Of recent note is his American Horticultural Society (AHS) award-winning Hellebores: A Comprehensive Guide. This is the time of year when I really start looking forward to the blooming of the Lenten Rose and other garden hellebores, but Burrell’s knowledge goes far beyond the mere beauty of these harbingers of spring. Another book of his that won an AHS book award is A Gardener’s Encyclopedia of Wildflowers. Wildflowers . . . Now isn’t that just a friendly term for native plants? Burrell is deeply involved with using and promoting native plants, whether he’s lecturing on plants and ecology at the University of Virginia, getting his hands dirty in his own garden, or working on designs through his firm Native Landscape Design and Restoration.
There are a lot of reasons to use native plants. They’re also commonly misunderstood, both by those who overestimate their powers, and those who underestimate their potential. I’m looking forward to getting a real plantsman’s perspective on how to use native plants in the landscape, the perspective of someone who loves wildflowers and hellebores with equal passion. That’s why I’ll be in the front row on February 17, when Colston Burrell speaks as part of NYBG’s 2011 Winter Lecture Series. I hope to see you there!
It may seem hard to believe, but signs of spring are all around us here at the Garden. The Chinese witch-hazel has unfurled its sunny, yellow streamers, the Magnolia kobus near the Visitor Center is covered in buds, and there’s still a faint glow in the sky when we all head to Botanical Garden station to catch the 6:04 p.m. train back into the city. But, this is not to say that we all couldn’t use another assurance that spring is on its way. And isn’t the promise of being taught how to arrange the most gorgeous, fragrant spring flowers–lilies of the valley, muscari, lilacs–by two of Brooklyn’s most sought-after florists the very thing to raise your spirits?
Arrangement from the class Spring Flowers 101, photo courtesy of the Little Flower School
The first class, Fragrant Flowers, will be held on Wednesday, May 16 from 6-9 p.m in Manhattan at our Midtown Center. The class will focus on the art of layering flowers, not just to form a pleasing arrangement, but also to create an amazing aroma.
On Saturday, June 4, from 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. join Sarah and Nicolette at the Garden for From Garden to Vase. The class will begin with a curator-led tour of the Garden, and then after a break for lunch students will head inside to make wild, lush arrangements inspired by the Garden and featuring some very special cuttings from the grounds!
From Garden to Vase will be repeated on Sunday, September 11 from 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. to take advantage of fall’s beautiful flowers, fruit, and foliage.
We are so excited to have Sarah and Nicolette joining us for these amazing classes at the Garden! Space is limited, so be sure to register for one, two, or all three soon.
Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education.
The Garden will be screening A Sea Change: Imagine a World Without Fish on Saturday, January 22 at 2 p.m. to be followed by a moderated discussion with the director and narrator. Admission is free to all Garden visitors. Stop by any ticketing booth on-site to pick up your complimentary ticket.
I watched a new documentary recently that was a powerful and beautiful tutorial on how we educate, how we learn, and how we inaugurate change on a personal level. It was close to my heart since the topic was environmental stewardship.
A Sea Change: Imagine a World Without Fishis a movie about how the increase in carbon emissions and the raising level of acidity is affecting ocean life. It is a movie that will be enjoyed and should be seen by everyone.
The film is the story of a man, retired history teacher Sven Huseby, who is touched by Elizabeth Kolbert’s New Yorker article*, ”The Darkening Sea.” Kolbert’s article spurs Huseby to go on a quest to investigate what is happening to our oceans. Woven into Huseby’s journey is the tale of his relationship with his grandson and a concern for future generations. It poses several important questions: What is our connection with the natural world? What kind of world will our children inherit? What kind of values can we instill in young minds?
Children of all ages, including their parents, will be inspired to learn more. Young adults, especially those with an interest in social responsibility, will be fascinated by the breathtaking images of the sea. Grandparents will contemplate legacy as they join Huseby’s journey with his grandson into the natural world.
A Sea Change: Imagine a World Without Fishdoesn’t proselytize; it is personal and positive with a strong message of social responsibility. It focuses on the wonders of the natural world and how we need to plan for the future as it examines the implication of increasing pollution.
Please join us for an inspiring, enjoyable afternoon.
*To view the entire article by Kolbert, a digital subscription to the New Yorker is required.
Larry Lederman, photographer and friend of the Garden (he’s a member of our Advisory Board), has a beautiful exhibit of large-scale tree photographs up right now in the lobby of the amazing Four Seasons restaurant in Manhattan. Stop by when you need a break from all your Christmas shopping!
Larry Lederman at The Four Seasons (photo (of the photo) by Ivo M. Vermeulen)
Saturday and Sunday, August 27-28, 2011
Every time I’ve spoken to a landscape architect or nursery grower about taking an ecological approach to landscape design–something I’ve been doing a lot throughout the planning and development of the 
