Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden
Posted in Around the Garden, Programs and Events on August 1 2012, by Matt Newman
The Family Garden is changing gears for the foodie crowd, jumping from Sweet and Stinky to an equally (and pungently) delightful delicacy. You’ve probably been there: the corner deli clerk plucks a zeppelin-sized pickle from that greenish jug of brine on the counter, you set into it with a crunch, and your pastrami sandwich is suddenly transcendent. You’re likely thinking it would take a family history in the pickling business, not to mention a wealth of time, to make something so delicious. But, with a little practice, you’ll prove yourself wrong!
Putting together the perfect balance of spices and other flavoring blends is where time and imagination come into play. Otherwise, the brining process is about as easy as packing up leftovers! A few clean jars, a selection of fresh cucumbers, and a handful of other easily-attainable ingredients. It’s so simple you can pick it up during an afternoon “Pickle Me!” session, now running through August 17 in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden, from 1:30 to 5:30* p.m. daily. You won’t even need your grandmother’s chilly cellar to let your pickles prepare; with our recipe, the refrigerator will suit just fine.
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Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on July 26 2012, by Matt Newman
Were we to hold a seasonal award ceremony for the Garden’s regulars, our brightest stars, the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden would handily win the summer crown. This year, that holds especially well. It’s the home of not only our most deliciously practical plantings, but the site of Mario Batali’s Kitchen Gardens and our Whole Foods Market seasonal tastings. It is, without doubt, a must-see stop for our visitors, with big plans in the works for the future of this one-acre cornucopia.
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden, Mario Batali's Edible Garden, Programs and Events on July 23 2012, by Ann Rafalko
Part of The Edible Garden, ‘Mario Batali’s Kitchen Gardens‘ in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden is an interactive space filled with beds of vegetables and herbs used in the restaurants of chef Mario Batali. The whole family will love exploring these beautiful gardens using an audio tour and Mario’s Menu Mystery game (you can pick it up in the Family Garden).
On Thursday, July 26 join two chefs from Mario Batali’s restaurants, Cruz Goler of Lupa Osteria Romana and Frank Langello of Babbo Ristorante, for the second of four Family Dinners with Mario Batali’s Chefs in the Family Garden.
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Posted in Around the Garden, Programs and Events, Video on July 19 2012, by Matt Newman
Skip your morning affair with the everything bagel and get to the root of summer’s freshest garlic and onions! As Assistant Manager of the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden, Annie Novak’s got a direct line to the most basic of foodie cravings–a knack for not only raising all things allium, but putting them through their paces in the kitchen. So if you happen to catch a whiff of this pungent pair as you wander the NYBG between now and the end of the month, simply “follow your nose” to our Sweet and Stinky events.
That’s just what we were doing when we found Annie hard at work in the Family Garden yesterday, tending to the herbs and alliums that star in this flavorful summertime activity. But she can explain the fun of Sweet and Stinky far better than I can, as you’ll see below. Just think of it as a double whammy: you’ll have something to engage your kids while they’re out of school, and they’ll be trying new things in our one-acre vegetable garden to boot.
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Posted in Around the Garden on July 13 2012, by Ann Rafalko
‘Mario Batali’s Kitchen Gardens‘ in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden features vegetables and herbs used in the restaurants of chef Mario Batali. An audio tour and Mario’s Menu Mystery game help children of all ages explore these verdant garden plots.
On Sunday, July 15 join two chefs from Mario Batali’s restaurants, Andy Nusser of Tarry Lodge and Anthony Sasso of Casa Mono, for the first of four Family Dinners with Mario Batali’s Chefs in the Family Garden. Here’s a sneak peek at what’s growing in their patches!
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Posted in Programs and Events on July 9 2012, by Ann Rafalko
What did you have for dinner last night? Did you whip it up from scratch, or were there boxes involved? Did you sit at the table, or in front of the TV? I’m not one to judge. I don’t even own a dining room table (my apartment is so small, I declared victory when I found a suitably sized TV tray), and my husband and I can often be found rooting on the Yankees over a bowl of pasta and a glass of New York’s finest.
Whether that’s tap water or a pint of local brew, I’ll let you decide.
New York City is a tough place to indulge in the idyllic family dinner; our apartments are small, our kids are as busy as we are, and especially in the summer, it can get so hot that it makes it seem perfectly reasonable to splurge on dinner out–if only to soak in someone’s air conditioning while they feed us. Like I said: no judgment. So wouldn’t it be nice not only to sit down with your entire family, but to sit down with a community of like-minded families for a three-course meal prepared by some of the city’s best chefs, in one of the city’s best gardens? Yeah, I think so, too. And that’s just what you can do–twice this July and twice again in August in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden.
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Posted in Around the Garden on June 22 2012, by Matt Newman
I read in the paper (I’ll give them up the minute subway tunnels offer 4G) that Wednesday’s thermometer topped out at 110 degrees Fahrenheit in Times Square, placing New York City’s temperatures almost on par with those of Dubai. We’re better off at the NYBG, of course; lush grass and acres of shady trees tamp down the heat some. But don’t get me wrong, Manhattanites–it’s not like I’m trying to rub it in or anything. Not really.
There’s an upside to summer in the city beyond fruity cocktails and flip-flops, and it’s none other than “Sweet and Stinky,” launched just this week to celebrate the passing of the solstice. As an amateur chef, albeit one paradoxically awful and ambitious, I feel like this is the kind of hot-weather activity every cook-out fan should get in on. This stuff smells heavenly with some heat behind it.
“If you’re walking around the Garden and you smell sauteed onions, you’ll know it’s us!” said Annie Novak, Assistant Manager of the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden.
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Posted in Around the Garden on June 20 2012, by Ann Rafalko
The Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden is a New York City treasure. No hyperbole–just ask anyone who has spent 10 minutes in this verdant acre. The Howell Family Garden has been the backyard garden for generations of New Yorkers. In the mornings it plays host to hundreds of schoolkids on a daily basis, and in the afternoons it is open to everyone. Just drop in, slow down, and enjoy. Pick a pea. Pull a weed. Plant a seed. It’s a bucolic oasis!
So I wanted to let you know about two opportunities available in July that will allow you to more fully enjoy the Family Garden in the height of summer.
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Posted in Around the Garden on June 15 2012, by Matt Newman
A herd of us, myself included, skipped out on our desks yesterday to spend the morning in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden, picking our way through the planted rows and soaking up the spring weather. We’re not truants so much as curious and hungry, really. After a few minutes chatting with the Family Garden’s Assistant Manager, Annie Novak, we can’t think of a better place to let loose with your kids over the weekend.
I’m not just saying that because Annie kindly let us pluck a couple of sugarsnap pea pods to munch on, either. (After much whining and pleading on our part, though totally worth the effort considering how crispy-delightful they were).
More than an oasis of everyday New York staples, this foodie bonanza is also the host of Global Gardens, where five international green thumbs are tending plots that represent the home-grown veggies of their countries’ cuisines: Italian, Irish, Korean, Chinese, and Caribbean. And (perfect timing, I know) this weekend marks their Summer Harvest Celebration!
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Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on June 7 2012, by Matt Newman
The Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden may pique your appetite with its rows of arugula, fennel, and newly-settled tomato plants, but even the most practical plot benefits from a touch of border brightness.
Spiraea japonica ‘Anthony Waterer’ — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
The Family Garden is changing gears for the foodie crowd, jumping from Sweet and Stinky to an equally (and pungently) delightful delicacy. You’ve probably been there: the corner deli clerk plucks a zeppelin-sized pickle from that greenish jug of brine on the counter, you set into it with a crunch, and your pastrami sandwich is suddenly transcendent. You’re likely thinking it would take a family history in the pickling business, not to mention a wealth of time, to make something so delicious. But, with a little practice, you’ll prove yourself wrong!
