Our latest exhibition had a great run, there’s no doubt there. Wild Medicine: Healing Plants Around the World has drawn thousands of visitors to its collections of botanical remedies, historical herbals, and unique Renaissance collections. But all good things… well, you get the gist. This weekend, we’re ringing the closing bell on what’s been an immense joy for us to host, and doing so with the help of Wild Medicine‘s lead curator—Dr. Michael Balick. On Saturday, September 7, he’ll take to the stage in the Ross Hall with a presentation on a topic that sits at the heart of this entire exhibition: the global landscape of medicinal botany, from traditional plant knowledge to medicine in the modern world.
Dr. Balick’s work as an ethnobotanist has taken him around the planet. He’s shown the potential of traditional knowledge and practices in the modern world, and dedicated himself to preserving the biodiversity upon which the survival of that knowledge depends. But with ecosystems being destroyed and the knowledge of these traditions fading, the work of scientists like Balick is often a race against time.
The aphorisms all say that it’s taboo through and through to lead a post with mention of the weather, but it’s so spring-like outside that I couldn’t help it if I wanted to. The sun is up, the breeze is cool, and the Greenmarket‘s been hopping since I walked in this morning. A quick scout around the vendor tents made it clear why, too: the tables are practically overflowing with plump late-summer fruits and vegetables.
From Migliorelli Farm, you’ll find ginger gold apples, Seckel and Bartlett pears, cantaloupe, delicious tomatillos (try them in a cooked salsa dish—you may have to take a hiatus from tomatoes), and mountains of corn. And from Red Jacket Orchards, there’s no dearth of donut peaches, plums, fresh Concord grapes, and sunset apples. Gajeski Produce is keeping the savory side of things covered with parsley, beets, yellow squash, cabbage, corn, and my personal favorite: peppers. Think sweet, cayenne, and jalapeno varieties. You can finish your shopping trip with a stop at Meredith’s Bread, whose cookies, macaroons, muffins, scones, rugelach, and pies make for the perfect dessert. Or just grab one of their savory breads (they’ve got organic and gluten-free varieties, for those curious).
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.
There are only a few more strolls around the fountain to be had as we close in on our bon voyage to Wild Medicine this weekend. Where will you be on Sunday?
I think this is our first (and hopefully last) Afternoon Eye Candy, thanks to my forgetfulness when it comes to holidays. Though they say good things come to those who wait, right..? In the meantime, a very uncitylike scene unfolds in a desert house of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory.
Of all the terrible Bogart references on all the blogs in all the world, you clicked into mine. Still, I hope this Peruvian lily makes up for it! You’ll find it brightening the Ladies’ Border on this summer Sunday.
Alstroemeria ‘Casablanca’ — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
For the last few months, Wild Medicine: Healing Plants Around the World has awed thousands of visitors with its exotic medicinal specimens, ancient botanical texts, and unique tasting experiences. We’ve watched The Italian Renaissance Garden shift with the days as the species in the Conservatory have cycled through. And after dark, we’ve lit up the night with Cocktail Evenings & Summer Concerts. But even with a little under two weeks to go on the exhibition schedule, we’re still not winding down!
This being the penultimate weekend for Wild Medicine, it’s all too fitting that it lands on a holiday. So we’re stretching the weekend straight into Labor Day Monday with a packed schedule of Conservatory tours, family-friendly jaunts through the music and dance of the Renaissance, and casual home gardening demonstrations to pique your palate.
With only a short time left ahead of the September 8 curtain call, we’re also readying for our closing presentation, a long-awaited lecture by NYBG ethnobotanist and Wild Medicine curator Dr. Michael Balick. On Saturday, September 7, Dr. Balick’s Ancient Wisdom and Modern Medicine opens a door to the relationships between plants, people, and culture, a core theme of our exhibition and a study he’s pursued in locales around the world. Tickets to this exclusive event are limited, so it’s best if you register sooner rather than later.
Again, we’re opening our gates for this special holiday Monday and we’re just 20 minutes from Grand Central. Don’t miss out on the closing window to see one of the most celebrated NYC exhibitions of the summer!
