Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Posted in Around the Garden on November 26 2013, by Matt Newman
Once more unto the crisper drawer, dear friends, once more. As with all good things, the Greenmarket has a beginning and an end (at least as far as 2013 goes), meaning Wednesday, November 27 is your final chance this year to stock up on fresh fall flavors picked from the best farms in our neck of the woods. And with winter peeking in on us here in New York, now’s as good a time as any. Whether you’re planning to replenish your surplus of fruits and vegetables used for Thursday’s Thanksgiving feast or you’re still looking for a few choice items to top off your cornucopia, we’ll have you covered.
The autumn harvest highlights the heartiest stick-to-your-ribs edibles of the year, including all sorts of root vegetables—potatoes, breakfast radishes, turnips—and familiar favorites like broccoli, cauliflower, and winter squash. Fruits are still a big draw, as well, with apple varieties like Shizuka, Golden Russet heirloom, Margil, Braeburn, and Keepsake leading the pack. You might even get lucky and find some end-of-season Seckel pears. There are greens in abundance, and no shortage of seasonal pies, savory breads, cookies, and other baked goods to fill out your holiday table. And did I mention ciders and juices of all kinds? Yeah, we’re not about to miss out on hot toddies.
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Posted in Photography on November 26 2013, by Ann Rafalko
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Shop/Book Reviews on November 25 2013, by Joyce Newman
Joyce H. Newman holds a Certificate in Horticulture from The New York Botanical Garden and has been a Tour Guide for over seven years. She is a blogger for Garden Variety News and the former editor of Consumer Reports GreenerChoices.org.
Visitors to Stone Barns Center’s farm and food gardens in northern Westchester were treated to an engaging interview with Alice Waters this past weekend, as well as the 200 new recipes in her latest vegetable-focused book, The Art of Simple Food II: Recipes, Flavor, and Inspiration from the New Kitchen Garden, out this month from Clarkson Potter ($35.00) and available in the NYBG’s Shop in the Garden.
Ms. Waters, a kind of legend in her own time, has authored something like 14 books, launched the Edible Schoolyard Project all over the world, and is a chef and owner of the famous Chez Panisse restaurant and cafe, which she founded with others in 1971. She pioneered the cooking philosophy that today we call “farm-to-table.” Her restaurant, located in Berkeley, California, uses only fresh, flavorful seasonal ingredients that are shopped for and produced locally and sustainably.
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Posted in Photography on November 25 2013, by Ann Rafalko
While the Conservatory is currently dedicated to the Holiday Train Show other parts of the Garden are already thinking about The Orchid Show.
Paphiopedilum ‘Pinocchio’
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Posted in Photography on November 24 2013, by Ann Rafalko
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Photography on November 23 2013, by Ann Rafalko
There is no train in the Holiday Train Show more likely to elicit squeals of glee than this little ladybug trolley.
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden on November 22 2013, by Ann Rafalko
Next week is a busy one, with Thanksgiving and Hanukkah occurring simultaneously. So why not relax a bit ahead of it? Come stroll our grounds, visit the Holiday Train Show, let the kiddos blow off steam at Holiday Adventures in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, and wander amid the train-themed works of former United States Poet Laureate Billy Collins along our Holiday Poetry Walk.
The lights are glittering, the trains are running, there’s a nip in the air, and we couldn’t be more thrilled about it! After exploring the wonders of the Holiday Train Show, be sure to visit the rest of the Conservatory’s sultry galleries where you’ll find beautiful and fascinating plants aplenty. Our new, limited-run Holiday Dining Pavilion: “Streets of New York” has treats for everyone in your family, and plenty of comfy seating.
Outside, the Thain Family Forest is the epitome of fall, with plenty of leaves to crunch, even if they have fallen to the ground in many places. The Native Plant Garden and Azalea Garden are also worth a visit this time of year!
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Posted in Photography on November 22 2013, by Ann Rafalko
A highly decorative pine tree in the Benenson Ornamental Conifer Collection.
Pinus strobus ‘Contorta’ (photo by Senior Plant Recorder, Kristine Paulus)
Posted in Holiday Train Show on November 21 2013, by Ann Rafalko
One step into the magical world of the Holiday Train Show should convince you of its heartwarming magic. It is a delight for children of all ages! But, should you have an interest in enjoying the Train Show‘s many splendors alongside children above a certain age, we have you covered there, too. Bar Car Nights are an adults-only way to see the Holiday Train Show at night, when the lights are twinkling and the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory‘s domes are aglow, cocktail in hand.
And this year, due to the overwhelming popularity of these delightful evenings, we are offering more Bar Car Nights than ever! Bar Car Nights are the perfect date night, or, come as a group and celebrate the season as a unique alternative to a more formal holiday party! Bring your friends, your adult children, or just come as a couple and enjoy a festive evening out. Bar Car Nights are the perfect way to indulge in the spirit of the holidays as an adult!
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Posted in Adult Education on November 21 2013, by Lansing Moore
Visitors to the Adult Education classrooms on Garden grounds may have noticed a recent addition to the walls of the Watson Building in a series of framed, vintage botanical posters. These treasures were discovered in storage while refurbishing the botany lab, and we could not bear to dispose of such a colorful glimpse into the history of botanical science. While the paper had begun to yellow, the ink was flaking, and a few of the posters were beyond saving, Center Art Studio in Manhattan graciously took on the challenge of restoring ten of these double-sided instructional posters as a gift to the NYBG.
This series was originally the work of Father Hilary Jurica O.S.B., as published by A. J. Nystrom & Co., Chicago. Born in 1892, Jurica was a monk and a priest who earned a doctorate degree in biology from the University of Chicago in 1922. He was also the first monk of St. Precopius Abbey to attain this academic honor and the first American Benedictine to receive a doctorate from a secular university. Partnered with his young brother Fr. Edmund, a zoologist, Fr. Hilary the botanist spent forty years traveling around the country to gather many of the specimens on display in the Jurica Nature Museum in Illinois.
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Once more unto the crisper drawer, dear friends, once more. As with all good things, the Greenmarket has a beginning and an end (at least as far as 2013 goes), meaning Wednesday, November 27 is your final chance this year to stock up on fresh fall flavors picked from the best farms in our neck of the woods. And with winter peeking in on us here in New York, now’s as good a time as any. Whether you’re planning to replenish your surplus of fruits and vegetables used for Thursday’s Thanksgiving feast or you’re still looking for a few choice items to top off your cornucopia, we’ll have you covered.