Fun Fearless Foodie

Summer has brought more than hot weather to New York City, the sunshine has also welcomed The Edible Garden exhibit at the New York Botanical Gardens (NYBG) in the Bronx.  The Botanical Garden has transformed portions of its spectacular 250-acre landscape into The Edible Garden, featuring numerous vegetable gardens and multiple displays, demonstrations from food and gardening experts, celebrity appearances during four festival weekends, and exciting programs that demonstrate the bounty, economy, and nutritional value of edible plants.

I ventured uptown to the Bronx last Wednesday to explore the celebration of growing and preparing great food and was mesmerized by both the simplicity and beauty of the exhibit.  The Container Garden outside of the Haupt Conservatory (which is closed until November) featured a number of fruit and vegetable plants that were full of fresh produce.  There was also a Culinary Herb Garden, created by Martha Stewart, which filled the air with fragrances from herbs like curry plants, basil, and sage. Kids can also get in on the fun at the Children’s Vegetable Garden where they can learn how food goes from farm to table.

Wednesdays also happen to play host to a Greenmarket at the NYBG featuring fresh, locally grown produce and baked goods. While the number of vendors is nothing to compete with the Union Square Greenmarket, there was a nice variety of fruits and vegetables available for purchase. I picked up a bag full of produce, but my favorite vendor was hands down John King from Millport Dairy in Lancaster County (pictured below).  After nibbling on his assortment of cheeses I settled on the Monterrey  Hot Jack and have been enjoying it all week.

The serenity and fresh scents that surround you as you explore the gardens is something that must be experienced first hand, but I did my best to capture some of the beauty on display in the photo’s below for you to enjoy.  Understanding where our food comes from provides us with a sense of security about what we are eating, but seeing how it grows and what it’s like in the rawest of forms helps us as cooks to know how the flavors of fresh food work together.

Click on any photo below to open up the slide show:

If you are in the New York City area I highly recommend visiting this exhibit before it closes on October 17, weekday admission is less expensive than on the weekends ($10 vs $18), but you will find an impressive lineup of celebrity chef’s stopping by their kitchen stage on saturdays and sundays. To learn more about the exhibit, the NYBG, and how you can purchase tickets, visit their website at www.nybg.org/eg