Three children throwing tomato's in the air at the Edible Academy

Totally Tomatoes Weekend

August 20–21, 2022

12–5 p.m. | At the Garden

Celebrate Summer Flavor All Weekend Long

Tip your garden hat to this favorite summer fruit as we celebrate all things tomato with a delicious menu of hands-on gardening and culinary education activities. Roll up your sleeves, don your apron, and dig into fun and enriching workshops all weekend long throughout the Edible Academy.

Gardening Activities

Ongoing; 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m.

Enjoy drop-in, hands-on activities throughout the gardens of the Edible Academy.

Pot up basil
Tomatoes and basil are famous garden friends! They taste great together on a plate and grow well together in the garden, too. Pot up a basil seedling to take home and protect your garden’s tomatoes. Learn more about the many types of basil from our own green thumbs.

Dig, Plant, and Water
Green Thumb Gardens
Help us plant and tend the crops in our garden.

Meet our Global Gardeners
Global Gardens
Meet the Global Gardeners and learn about what they are growing in their gardens.

Photo of a kid watering plants at the Edible Academy

Maker Station

Ongoing; 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m.

Explore hands-on activity stations in the Solar Pavilion.

Decorate an Apron
Decorate a chef’s apron with tomato-inspired stamps.

Bruschetta Blend Station
Measure and combine dried herbs to make a delicious herb mix for your summer tomato harvest.

My Tomato Story
Everyone has a favorite way to prepare and eat tomatoes. What’s yours? Craft a tomato story to share as an heirloom for years to come.

Culinary Demonstrations

11:30 a.m., 1:30, & 3:30 p.m.
Pauline Gillespie Gossett Overlook Pavilion

Join ongoing culinary demonstrations by local chefs and culinary educators, focused on seasonal crops from the garden that will inspire chefs of all ages. Be sure to take recipes to try at home following each workshop!

Totally Tomatoes Adventures

From sampling various heirloom tomatoes to face painting, seed saving, games, and more, the weekend is full of activities for tomato lovers of all ages.

Face Painting with Sarah Manton
Garden Yoga with Yogi from the Bronx, Dionne Presinal
The Tale of the Tomato: Learn the history of the tomato and illustrate your own part of the story by contributing to our tomato timeline.
Cooking Tomatoes over Time: Explore NYBG’s collection of cookbooks that focus on this beloved and tasty crop.
Tomato games: Celebrate tomatoes with puzzles, drawing, photo ops, and more.
Taste Tomatoes! Try various heirloom and hybrid varieties, and learn more about the differences between tomato types and cultivars.
Seed Saving with Tomatoes: Get your hands dirty by learning how to squish and save tomatoes for their seeds!

Photo of tomatoes from the Edible Academy

Tours & Family Fun

Celebrate Totally Tomatoes Weekend with tours of NYBG’s vegetable gardens in the Edible Academy.

Tours of the Edible Academy and Barnsley Beds
11:30 a.m., 2:30, & 4 p.m.
Meet at the Niarchos Foundation Entry Plaza

NYBG Tour Guides lead tours of the campus, sharing information on the sustainable building practices incorporated into the facilities and innovative programming offered. Tours include the Barnsley Beds, a collection of intensively planted edible gardens, sharing tips on organic gardening techniques, and plant selections.

Entertainment
12:30, 2, & 3:30 p.m.
Susan P. and Coley Burke Amphitheater

Join musical guests for a singalong.

Drone photo of the Edible Academy from overhead