Clients bound for a New York City vacation have no shortage of commanding attractions, among them the spectacular New York Botanical Garden (NYBG), which has just opened a new $28 million Edible Academy.
The Edible Academy features a 5,300-sq.-ft. classroom building with a demonstration kitchen and a teaching greenhouse; two outdoor pavilions for programs, including one at treetop level with vistas of the Garden’s old growth forest and the Bronx River; and spacious gardens where children, educators and all visitors will learn about plants, as well as grow and harvest their own product. The indoor-outdoor campus is at the cutting edge of sustainable technology and will allow the NYBG’s Edible Gardening program to operate year-round.
For visiting families, a day trip to the New York Botanical Garden offers kids of all ages the chance to experience hands-on gardening activities, and next year, weeklong summer camps that are focused on art, sustainability and culinary themes will make their debut. Under hands-on activities, for instance, children are invited to roll up their sleeves and help tend the gardens at Edible Academy. With expert guidance, they will dig in the soil, sow seeds, water the seedlings, and harvest ripe produce. Each season offers new themes to investigate through hands-on activities and take-home projects.
Through Nov. 4, 2018, the Edible Academy will host Fresh-from-the-Garden tastings, as well as cooking demonstrations, presented by Whole Foods Market. New recipes featuring plants grown in the Academy are offered each week, and Academy staff will demonstrate family-friendly recipes using seasonal vegetables, fruits and herbs. Come October, Harvest Weekend is a special event being held Oct. 6-8.
For visitors, the Garden and the Edible Academy are just 20 minutes from Midtown and opens up a new range of year-round workshops, courses and camps that add an experiential learning vacation component to urban adventures. And by the way, The NYBG has a very appealing neighbor: the Bronx Zoo.
For more information, visit nybg.org, and be sure to check out New York City Ups Its Game to learn more about new offerings in the Big Apple.
