Newton and Darwin wish you the very happiest of Bun … er, we mean, Mondays!

Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen

As a California native who was raised in the agricultural belt of that state, I never thought about food in terms of being local, seasonal, or sustainable. Local, in-season fruits and vegetables were always within reach; at roadside farm stands, and in my own backyard. Sustainable was another issue. My father cared for ten plus fruit trees in a backyard the size of ten parking spaces. Throughout my childhood, I plucked softball-sized oranges from our tree; I could not eat them faster than they fell. I later learned this was not a common childhood experience for most; I had no idea.

Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen

During my teaching days at a charter school here in New York City, I remember asking a student of mine casually, “What did you eat for breakfast?” She replied, “Chips and a soda.” She was in the seventh grade. This was not an uncommon answer among my students and that disturbed me. I do not believe it was a choice on their part to eat this way, but rather a matter of access. The school did not have any patches of green space (prior to leaving California, I had never heard the term, “green space”) designated for the students, and school lunches consisted mainly of processed foods. The closest businesses to the school were fast food establishments and a convenience store that sold products in the same category as my student’s breakfast. Like millions of other New Yorkers, my students did not have private or shared backyards, balconies, or terraces in their homes. Growing up in a city, this poses a very serious question for children, where will they learn about food?

Photo by Sabrina Lee

The New York Botanical Garden is an oasis within the concrete neighborhood where it resides. The Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden is an oasis within that oasis. When I first entered the Family Garden, I instantly felt the participatory nature of the space and the imprint of the individuals who have gardened there: in the composting bins, the hanging dried gourds, and the hand painted signs with the names of the vegetables and the names of the young gardeners. This adds to the communal feeling. Food education is paramount to one’s well-being and sets the stage for one’s relationship to food for a lifetime. City children need the opportunity to nurture and grow their own food, and they need to be aware of how their food is grown for them. When you cultivate and care for a garden, your appreciation for food is heightened. The physical labor becomes knowledge in your body. The Family Garden provides city children an opportunity to participate in the full cycle of growing food: sowing seeds, transplanting seedlings, maintaining a garden, harvesting the bounty, collecting seeds, and composting. Children not only gain knowledge and empowerment, but they also gain the sensory experience of working with their hands. It is a wonderful place to visit; I wish I were one of the two rabbits, Darwin and Newton that live there, preferably Newton, his hutch has a succulent rooftop.

Are you a NYBG Member or visitor who would like to share your experiences at the Garden like Sabrina? Consider writing a blog post for Plant Talk! Learn more.

Japanese Autumn Adventures Offers “Passport” of Fun

Noelle V. Dor is Museum Education Intern in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden.

As the Northern Hemisphere inches away from the sun and life turns inward, The New York Botanical Garden is under way with Kiku in the Japanese Autumn Garden, a celebration of autumn and Japanese culture. While Kiku pays homage to Japan’s annual Festival of Happiness, which honors the fall bloom and seemingly perfect beauty of the chrysanthemum flower, the Everett Children Adventure Garden’s Japanese Autumn Adventures highlights an equally important plant in East Asian cultures: Camellia sinensis, commonly known as tea.

Of course, tea is immensely popular in the United States, too. Many people, however, know very little about tea such as the fact that “herbal teas” are not truly tea at all, or that white, green, black, and oolong teas are all derived from a single plant species.

Delving into the world of tea during my research and preparation for this program has deepened my fascination for the myriad ways in which plants and society intertwine over time. My interest in traditional Japanese culture—inspired and nurtured by various school projects and courses—made me even more excited to have this amazing opportunity to help others explore and enjoy a unique mixture of nature, art, and social customs.

During Japanese Autumn Adventures, in addition to learning all about tea and participating in a simulated tea ceremony, young visitors and their families get to do classic Japanese crafts such as fish printing (gyotaku) and paper-folding (origami) to create maple samaras that really spin!

At the beginning of their adventure, children will make their own field notebook, or “passport,” granting them access to different “cities” (activity stations) and allowing them to keep a record of their experiences as they “travel” through Japan. Before departing, everyone should stop by the wishing shrine and leave an ema (Japanese for “wish”).

My wish is for all hearts to be filled with love and joy. What’s yours?

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