Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Posted in Photography on August 21 2011, by Ann Rafalko
The allium harvest in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden–where all things garlic, onion, and shallot–were celebrated during Sweet & Stinky month. Do you get a similarly massive bounty from your own garden? Consider some of these simple, family-friendly recipes from the Family Garden for using them up!
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Photography on August 12 2011, by Ann Rafalko
NYBG staffers and a group of visitors get into the spirit of this month’s Dig! Plant! Grow! theme in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden, Pickle Me! Want your own pickles? Come visit the Family Garden daily after 1:30 p.m. and get in on the briney action.
Pickle Party (photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen)
Last month’s theme was Sweet and Stinky. Didn’t make it to the Garden to sample the recipes full of alliums? Never fear! Here are the delicious recipes. We’ll post the pickle-tastic recipes here soon!
Posted in Photography on August 10 2011, by Ann Rafalko
This mama duck decided that one of the beds in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden would be a perfect place to start a new family, so she built a nest right in the middle of one!
Mama Duck says “Quack!” (photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen)
Posted in Photography on August 3 2011, by Ann Rafalko
The kids in the Garden’s Summer Children’s Gardening Program in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden learn a plethora of lessons about gardening, food, health, and teamwork. Go kids!
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Learning Experiences on July 21 2011, by Ann Rafalko
The Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden is a New York City treasure. It’s an amazing one-and-a-half acre site where children and families can learn about plants and the natural world through hands-on gardening. Each afternoon children–with help from their parents, volunteers, and staff–are encouraged to dig, weed, compost, plant, tend, and harvest in garden plots. These ongoing gardening activities are complemented by a changing roster of programs that encourage children to explore seasonal garden-related themes.
This month’s theme is Sweet and Stinky! Aromatic alliums such as onions and garlic, and herbs such as basil and oregano love the summer heat. Follow the “sweet and stinky” smells to the Family Garden to discover these culinary champions. Savor the scents and tickle your taste buds at our cooking demonstrations or try these delicious recipes at home!
Posted in Photography on April 18 2011, by Ann Rafalko
Newton and Darwin wish you the very happiest of Bun … er, we mean, Mondays!
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Members on April 11 2011, by Sabrina Lee
| Sabrina Lee is an artist, community gardener, blogger, and NYBG Member. |
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.
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?
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.