Inside The New York Botanical Garden

Archive: August 2013

This Weekend: Bees, Butterflies, Deer and Demos

Posted in Programs and Events on August 23 2013, by Matt Newman

The NYBG WeekendSummer’s stint on the calendar may be dwindling, but if you were to spend an hour wandering our 250 acres you’d think the landscape had yet to take notice. Everything is so lush! Even in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, where our Wild Medicine exhibition is winding into its final weeks, the peak of summer’s growth is still very much in vogue. You can also thank our dedicated staff of horticulturists for that one—they haven’t missed a beat all season with their plantings in the Italian Renaissance Garden, and they’ll be keeping everything primped and perfect through the end of the show.

Soaking up as much of the season as you can before the leaves blush is a perfectly good reason to be here. And so is keeping your home gardening skills sharp! On both Saturday and Sunday, we’ll be holding demonstrations in the Home Gardening Center focusing on that ever-present challenge to your backyard’s beauty: deer. Their incorrigible appetites may seem impossible to trump, but our experts have a few tricks they’re willing to share that just might minimize the hassle.

We’ll also be holding cooking demonstrations in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden, enjoying the butterflies and bees with Pollinator Pals, and just plain chilling out this weekend. Hope you’ll join us!

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Birds of Prey

Posted in Wildlife on August 21 2013, by Matt Newman

Red-tailed HawksPat Gonzalez is back this week with a fresh highlight feel from her adventures in the Garden, something I always eat up. As both a guest and a Visitor Services Attendant with the NYBG, Pat has spent the past five years documenting the lives of our raptor residents through the lens of her camera, creating a timeline of activity among the Great-horned Owls, Red-tailed Hawks, Cooper’s Hawks, Kestrels, and other winged wildlife that crosses her path. While I’m sure she’ll laugh off the comparison, I like to think of her as our very own Jane Goodall of the bird world.

Debussy’s “Clair de Lune” is a nice touch, I think, that highlights the streamlined elegance of these birds. Though a brief look back into Pat’s Plant Talk postings will show you just how well it belies their hilarious clumsiness at times. There’s something about seeing a young hawk divebomb a park bench in its efforts to figure out hunting that I can’t help but laugh over.

For the birders and animal lovers out there, Debbie Becker’s long-running Bird Walk returns from its summer hiatus on Saturday, September 7, giving you ample time to prep your notebooks, binoculars, and cameras for some time wandering the Garden. It’ll go a long way toward helping you understand the joy that Pat feels each time she happens across one of her feathered friends.


Photo and video by Patricia Gonzalez.

This Week at the Greenmarket: Summer Corn Festival!

Posted in Programs and Events on August 20 2013, by Matt Newman

The NYBG GreenmarketWe’re into the waning days of summer now, and the Greenmarket‘s weekly offerings are heaped ever higher with fresh fruits and vegetables. This week should be no exception! So if you’re in the area (or happen to be near the Metro-North), feel free to stop by and load up on armfuls of the latest pickings from local farms.

Wednesday’s star produce is certainly corn (as anyone with a grill will tell you). And to give it the recognition it deserves, we’re holding the Greenmarket Corn Festival from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. You’re welcome to come and sample a few corn dishes, or take hope the recipes for yourself—they’re prepared fresh right here! Afterward, get hands-on with the corn husk shucking competition, and the kids can make corn husk dolls from the results.

Last week’s cornucopia featured apples, pears, white nectarines, peaches (like donut and Saturn), and heirloom tomatoes, as well as sunflowers, cantaloupe, basil, beets, tomatoes, purslane, blueberries, sugar plums, and cilantro. We’re expecting to see a lot of these return this week. And you shouldn’t head home without picking up something from Meredith’s Bread, like their savory breads, pies, cookies, muffins, or carrot cakes.

The NYBG Greenmarket runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each Wednesday through November 27, with free short-term parking for Greenmarket shoppers. The market accepts food stamps, EBT, WIC/FMNP, and Senior coupons, in addition to cash and credit or debit cards. Learn how to use EBT, WIC and FMNP at the Greenmarket. And head below for a recipe from our staff at the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden.

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Garden News: Behind the Grill with Mario’s Chefs

Posted in The Edible Garden on August 19 2013, by Matt Newman

TomatoI’ve done a lot of talking about the sensational culinary experiences to be had during this summer’s Family Dinners with Mario Batali’s Chefs, but until now I had few ways of showing you first-hand just what goes on in the garden, behind the grills, and at the table. Thankfully, Kevin Character was on hand during last week’s evening event to take a spin around the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden and talk to some of the talent in attendance.

In talking with Andy Nusser, Executive Chef at Tarry Lodge, it’s clear that this hefty undertaking is nonetheless carried out with all the care and attention to detail that have made Mario Batali‘s restaurants havens for modern gourmands. There’s definitely more to come during this ongoing MasterCard Priceless series, but for now, have a look at how we’re doing things during the summer harvest. It might pique your palate!

Our next Family Dinner events take place on September 21 and 29, so there’s plenty of time to pick your date. But keep in mind that tickets have been going quickly, and we expect the trend to continue. MasterCard holders can visit Priceless NY for more information or to register for the events. We’ll have more on upcoming menus as we get closer to September, so stay tuned!