The Edible Garden

July–October, 2012
Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden

The Edible Garden returns to the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden, bringing plenty of fun for adults and kids alike, with cooking demonstrations in the Whole Foods Market® Family Garden Kitchen, daily, family-friendly activities, and hands-on gardening.

As a Garden friend and chef extraordinaire, Mario Batali has a featured role during The Edible Garden. Visit "Mario Batali's Kitchen Gardens," an interactive space filled with beds of vegetables and herbs where you can pick up recipes for his popular dishes, and learn how to create fresh, seasonal family meals.

Mario Batali’s Kitchen Gardens

Open daily 1:30-6 p.m. Included in any All-Garden Pass. Closes at 5 p.m. on July 15, July 26, August 2, and August 12 due to the Family Dinner events.

"Mario Batali’s Kitchen Gardens" in the Family Garden feature favorite vegetables from nine of his restaurant’s kitchens. An audio tour and Mario’s Menu Mystery game help you explore kitchen gardens from:
- Babbo
- Casa Mono
- Del Posto
- Eataly NYC
- Esca
- Lupa
- Otto Enoteca Pizzeria
- Tarry Lodge
- Felidia

Hands on Gardening Activities in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden

Open daily, 1:30-6 p.m. Guided Activities end at 5:30 p.m. Included in any All-Garden Pass. Activities end at 4:30 p.m. on July 15, July 26, August 2, and August 12, 2012 due to the Family Dinner events.

Plants and imaginations grow at the Family Garden, where kids are allowed--no, encouraged!--to play in the dirt. Display gardens such as the Global Gardens and the Breakfast Bowls, and daily interactive gardening activities delight and inspire. Cooking demonstrations take place every Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2 and 4 p.m. at the Whole Foods Market Family Garden Kitchen.

Dig! Plant! Grow! activity themes:
- Sweet and Stinky, June 19 - July 27
- Pickle Me!, July 28 - August 17
- Global Gardens Harvest Celebration Weekend, August 18 - 19
- Pollinator Pals: Bees and Butterflies, August 21 - October 5
- Scarecrow Weekend, October 6 - 8 (Columbus Day Weekend)
- Goodnight, Garden, October 9 - 28

Past Events

Edible Garden Festival

Sunday, September 23, 10 a.m.- 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 chef beds in ''Mario Batali’s Kitchen Gardens''
- Decorate a harvest bag to use to shop for fresh ingredients for your favorite Mario Batali recipes
- Make a chef’s hat to wear when practicing your culinary skills
- Solve Mario’s Menu Mystery to help you explore the chef beds in ''Mario Batali’s Kitchen Gardens''
- Sit in on cooking demonstrations by Family Garden chefs at 11 a.m., 1, and 3 p.m. at the Whole Foods Market Family Garden Kitchen
- Enjoy food sampling by vendors offering snacks and organic goodies

Edible Garden Festival with Cooking Demonstration with Mario Batali

Sunday, September 23, Edible Garden Festivities in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden: 10 a.m.- 5 p.m.; Mario Demonstration in the Conservatory Tent: 4:30 p.m.

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."

Garden-to-Table Dinner and Cooking Demonstration with Mario Batali

Sunday, September 23, activities begin at 4:30 p.m.

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 Menu

First Course
Bruschetta of White Beans and Broccoli Rabe with Shaved Cacio

Second Course
Ricotta Ravioli with Fresh Tomato and Basil Salad/Sauce

Third Course
Chicken Thighs with Snap Peas and Agliata

Fourth Course
Gina's Blueberry Crostata

The Peak Pick: Seasonal Cooking & Tasting with Whole Foods Market

The last Wednesday in June, July, August, 1:30p-3:30p

Join Whole Foods Market Culinary Demonstration Specialists for cooking demonstrations and tastings featuring the season’s best picks!
June 27 - Strawberries
July 25 - Cherries
August 29 - Stone Fruit

Family Dinners with Mario Batali’s Chefs at The New York Botanical Garden

A MasterCard® Priceless New York Event

July 15, July 26, August 2, August 12.

A series of al fresco dinners featuring chefs from Mario Batali’s restaurants in NYBG's Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden. Each dinner featured a three-course family-style menu designed by one of Mario’s chefs. Families also spent time exploring "Mario Batali’s Kitchen Gardens," a robust and interactive space filled with beds of vegetables and herbs used at Mario’s restaurant kitchens; participated in hands-on gardening and craft activities; and enjoyed live cooking demonstrations by Mario’s top chefs in the outdoor Whole Foods Market Family Garden Kitchen featuring recipes with fresh, seasonal ingredients like those grown in "Mario Batali’s Kitchen Gardens." Programming geared for kids 4-12.

Chef appearances
July 15 - See the Menu
Casa Mono - Chef Anthony Sasso
Tarry Lodge - Chef Andy Nusser

CANCELLED July 26 - See the Menu
Lupa - Chef Cruz Goler
Babbo - Chef Frank Langello

August 2 - See the Menu
Eataly - Chef Alex Pilas
Otto - Chef Dan Drohan

August 12 - See the Menu
Del Posto - Chef Mark Ladner
Esca - Chef Dave Pasternack