The Children’s Gardening Program at the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden gives kids ages 3-12 a chance to team-up to plant, tend and harvest their very own plot in the Garden. But that’s only half of the story — of course the most fun part is eating all of that homegrown produce!

Stop by the Family Garden to enjoy cooking demonstrations throughout the week, offering simple but delicious ideas on how to take advantage of our garden’s bounty. Our hands-on activities will help you to remember that growing, preparing and eating good food needs to be FUN!

All this month, the gardening fun in the Family Garden focuses on plants that are pickled. Enjoy the harvest of fresh cucumbers by making your own pickles to take home. For a rundown of what’s happening now, check the “plan your visit” section of our website.

Here’s a short video featuring two of the amazing staff members in the Family Garden, Rachel and Annie, showing you one of the easiest dishes around – a simple herb confetti. But as you’ll see, harvesting and preparing the dish is almost more fun than eating it!

In case you’ve missed some of the previous installments, NYBG photography instructor Rich Pomerantz has a series of how-to videos specifically designed for garden photographers. In this episode, Rich talks about the age-old technique known as the “Rule of Thirds”.

Rich has an upcoming class that will be based out of our Midtown Education Center but will take photo trips to the High Line Park. Be sure to sign up while spots are still available. The flora should be amazing in May!

Do you have a burning question garden photography question that we can pose to Rich? Maybe your question will turn into the next tutorial! You can leave your suggestions in the comments.

Sonia Uyterhoeven Shows How to Preserve Summer’s Bounty for Winter

Rustin Dwyer is Visual Media Production Specialist at The New York Botanical Garden.

Rustin Dwyer is Visual Media Production Specialist at The New York Botanical Garden.

Instructor Ken Norman Shows How to Make a Centerpiece

NYBG Continuing Education — Flower Arranging with Ken Norman, A.I.F.D. (Full version) from The New York Botanical Garden on Vimeo.

Take a Class

Rustin Dwyer is Visual Media Production Specialist at The New York Botanical Garden.

Download printed instructions on maintaining your pruning tools.

Rustin Dwyer is Visual Media Production Specialist at The New York Botanical Garden.

Friends of The New York Botanical Garden, Barbara and Bill Friedrich, demonstrate their vintage-style apple press to make some delicious, fresh apple cider to share.

Cider Pressin’ from The New York Botanical Garden on Vimeo.

Botanical Crafts with Madeline Yanni — A Centerpiece for All Seasons from The New York Botanical Garden on Vimeo.

Madeline Yanni is an instructor of Botanical Crafts in NYBG’s Continuing Education program.

With autumn and the holidays at hand, it’s an inspiring time to bring the outdoors inside by creating botanical centerpieces, topiaries, wreaths, gifts, and more. Handmade items can save you money and even time—I like to make crafts that, with some interchangeable elements such as candles or ribbons, can be used in more than one season.

The Continuing Education program offers a number of hands-on crafts courses to help you decorate your home with your own creations throughout the year, including this Saturday’s Holiday Crafts all-day program. Even if you’ve never done this before, don’t be inhibited. No experience is necessary. Come take a class or two.

I want to draw out your creativity and whet your appetite for this fun way to decorate with a step-by-step guide to creating a simple, inexpensive, wreath for your table. It can be changed from season to season and can also be used on your wall. It is made from a grapevine wreath adorned with parchment roses, seeded Eucalyptus, other botanicals, and pillar candles—materials available at a crafts store. Feel free to improvise and use other types of botanicals.

As with any crafts project, first read the instructions and collect the necessary materials.

Are you ready? Let’s begin!

See the materials checklist and detailed, step-by-step instructions for creating this seasonal holiday table wreath after the jump.

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Rustin Dwyer is Visual Media Production Specialist at The New York Botanical Garden.

Sonia’s Garden — Attracting Wildlife to Your Garden from The New York Botanical Garden on Vimeo.