Inside The New York Botanical Garden
The New York Botanical Garden
Posted in Mario Batali's Edible Garden on September 14 2011, by Ann Rafalko
From August 27 – September 25, families can explore Mario Batali’s Edible Garden in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden and enjoy daily gardening activities and cooking demonstrations showcasing kid-friendly recipes with the chance to sample and search for ingredients in the garden. We are posting the recipes from Mario Batali’s Edible Garden here on the NYBG blog, Plant Talk, so check back often.
Shaved Turnip Salad with Parmigiano-Reggiano and New York Botanical Garden Honey
Mark Ladner, Executive Chef, Del Posto
1 bunch smallish turnips, with tops
1 ounce New York Botanical Garden honey
2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano, for shaving
1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 ounce extra virgin olive oil
Coarsley ground black pepper
Remove tops from the turnips. Wash and dry both the tops and the bottoms very well. Discard discolored, holey, wilted, or rotted parts.
Mix honey, lemon juice, olive oil, and pepper in a medium bowl. Using a Japanese mandolin, shave turnips into mixing bowl. Add turnip tops and a generous shaving of cheese.
Gently toss, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and serve immediately.
Posted in Photography on September 14 2011, by Ann Rafalko
Soft Focus
Sharp Focus
Photos by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Behind the Scenes, Science on September 13 2011, by Sandy Wolkenberg
Ed. note: Sandy Wolkenberg is a Citizen Scientist who has been working in the Thain Family Forest for three and a half years. Over the course of a week on Plant Talk, Sandy will share a five-part series of posts on The New York Botanical Garden’s Citizen Scientist Tree Phenology Program. If Sandy’s experiences motivate you to want to know more about becoming a Citizen Scientist, check out the Garden’s Volunteer Program page.
As volunteer phenologists, we are tasked with observing and entering data on ten different trees in the Thain Family Forest, usually two or three trees on each of the three Forest trails: The Spicebush, Ridge, and Bridge Trails. We monitor these trees weekly for three seasons, winter being the exception. It was all very new and a little intimidating. Sometimes even finding the trees can be daunting after spring leaves reach full size and each tree’s marker becomes obscured. Each tree in the Citizen Scientist Tree Phenology program is marked with a tag about 6 feet from the ground–these tags correspond to the tree’s numbers on the data entry sheets.
So here, come and meet tree #95, Acer rubrum, the Red Maple:
Posted in Photography on September 13 2011, by Ann Rafalko
Photos by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Behind the Scenes, Science on September 12 2011, by Sandy Wolkenberg
Ed. note: Sandy Wolkenberg is a Citizen Scientist who has been working in the Thain Family Forest for three and a half years. Over the course of a week on Plant Talk, Sandy will share a five-part series of posts on The New York Botanical Garden’s Citizen Scientist Tree Phenology Program. If Sandy’s experiences motivate you to want to know more about becoming a Citizen Scientist, check out the Garden’s Volunteer Program page.
On June 16, 2011, volunteers in the Citizen Science Tree Phenology program received the following email from Jessica Arcate Schuler, Manager of the Thain Family Forest:
Hi Everyone!
I hope you are all enjoying this late spring, soon-to-be summer. I have an update on the Spicebush Trail. Unfortunately, Tuliptree #98 had to be removed this week. As many of you know, it has been struggling these past two years as a result of a severe lightning strike in summer 2009. We were hoping that it would come out of winter okay, however, it did not. The arborists felled the tree on Tuesday. I just counted the rings and it seems to be just under 150 years old. We will plan to find a healthier tuliptree to add to the project starting in spring 2012 to replace this lost tree on the Spicebush Trail. In the meantime, just ignore #98 on your datasheets for the remainder of the season.
Alas! How shall we ignore Tuliptree #98? Citizen Science Phenologists who chronicle the Spicebush Trail have lost an old friend–a tree friend, to be sure–but a friend we have been observing since the Citizen Science Tree Phenology program began in 2008. This program grew out of a long-term phenology study started by Dr. Charles Peters with the help of students and Garden staff. In 2008, the Citizen Science Phenology Program was initiated with an email to Docents from Volunteer Services. A small, curious group of Docents met to hear about this intriguing new venture. The program was quickly opened to all volunteers and soon training sessions and on-site support followed.
Learn what phenology means below.
Posted in Mario Batali's Edible Garden on September 12 2011, by Ann Rafalko
From August 27 – September 25, families can explore Mario Batali’s Edible Garden in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden and enjoy daily gardening activities and cooking demonstrations showcasing kid-friendly recipes with the chance to sample and search for ingredients in the garden. We are posting the recipes from Mario Batali’s Edible Garden here on the NYBG blog, Plant Talk, so check back often.
Chioggia Beets and Strawberries with Shiso Yogurt
Anthony Sasso, Executive Chef, Casa Mono – Read a blog post Chef Anthony wrote about this recipe.
2 bunches of Chioggia beets (about 2 quarts)
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 cup water
1 head of garlic, cut in half
6 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs rosemary
2 lemons
1 pint strawberries, washed, stemmed and cut in half
1 tablespoon sugar
1 lemon, juiced and zested
A pinch of salt
16 ounces strained Greek yogurt
6 leaves shiso (if you cannot find shiso, you can substitute basil), julienned
2 shallots, peeled and finely sliced into rings
Basil leaves (if you can get a hold of opal basil, it makes for a great presentation)
12 squash blossoms
Preheat oven to 375ºF.
Toss the beets with the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, thyme, and rosemary. Season with salt and place in a roasting pan. Pour 2 cups of water over top. (The water will help create steam in the pan, making the beets easier to peel later on.) Cover the pan with aluminum foil and roast for 45 minutes. To check if the beets are cooked and tender, pierce with a knife. If the knife slides in and out with ease, the beets are fully cooked.
While the beets are in the oven, prepare the strawberries by tossing with sugar, salt, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Set aside.
Combine yogurt with the shiso (or basil) and season with salt. Set aside.
While the beets are still warm, peel them using a kitchen towel. Cut the larger beets into quarters and the smaller beets in half. Dress with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the juice of 2 lemons, and taste for seasoning.
To plate, spread the yogurt on the bottom of a large platter, to about 2 inches from the edge of the plate. Combine the beets, strawberries and the shallot rings. Spoon mixture on top of the yogurt. Using the remaining juices from the beet and strawberry mixture, make a vinaigrette by adding olive oil and stirring gently. (Create a “broken” vinaigrette rather than a well whisked, emulsified one.) Drizzle dressing around the outside of the plate.
Garnish with squash blossoms and basil and serve.
Posted in Photography on September 12 2011, by Ann Rafalko
… Morning Glory?
Photos by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden on September 10 2011, by Ann Rafalko
Hibiscus ‘Fantasia’ (photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen)
Posted in Around the Garden on September 9 2011, by Ann Rafalko
This afternoon I had the delightful task of taking one of my colleagues from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew around our Garden (they had treated me to such a nice day when I visited them, I just had to return the favor). We were strolling along in the Conservatory Courtyard, marveling at the amazing lotuses and waterlilies, when I looked up and gasped in wonder: They were washing the whitewash off of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory!
Head below to see the Conservatory getting a wash.
Posted in Mario Batali's Edible Garden on September 9 2011, by Ann Rafalko
From August 27 – September 25, families can explore Mario Batali’s Edible Garden in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden and enjoy daily gardening activities and cooking demonstrations showcasing kid-friendly recipes with the chance to sample and search for ingredients in the garden. We are posting the recipes from Mario Batali’s Edible Garden here on the NYBG blog, Plant Talk, so check back often.
Roasted Cippolini Onions in Balsamic Vinegar
Frank Langello, Executive Chef, Babbo
2 quarts cippolini onions, cleaned and peeled
1 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 425ºF.
Season the onions with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Place the seasoned onions in a roasting pan and cook in the oven for about five minutes. Remove the onions from the oven, add balsamic vinegar and replace in the oven to cook for another ten minutes, until tender.
Season with salt and pepper and serve warm as an antipasto.
1 bunch smallish turnips, with tops
