Autumn Urban Gardening and the New York Botanical Garden's Green-Up Program

Drew Garden, located off the West Farm's stop in the Bronx, is an oasis surrounded by urban sprawl. The Bronx Green-Up is supporting the gardens fall maintenance, which includes pruning trees, cleaning up dead brush and composting.

Structure Overlooking the Bronx River at Drew Garden

Drew Garden Overlooking the Bronx River

Tool Shed at Drew Garden

Ursula Chanse, Clearing out Dead Leaves and Branches

Compost Pile

Volunteer Gardner

Cherry Tomatoes

Cleaning up the Dead Brush

Kale

Drew Garden

1280 Shakespeare Ave. Bronx,  off of 170th Street, is Roberto Clemente Gardens, where NYBG's Sara Katz instructed a pruning workshop.

Roberto Clemente Community Garden

Roberto Clemente Garden

Horticulture Student Pruning Tree

Green-Up's Sara Katz, instructing Volunteer

Bronx Beer and Beverages at Mott Haven Bar

Bronx Beer

Mott Haven Lager Beer

Mott Haven Brunch

Champagne Brunch in Bronx

Brunch, All You Can Drink, Mimosas

Karaoke at Mott Haven Bar and Grill

Mott Haven Bar and Grill, Formerly the Bruckner Bar

Owner, Rosa Garcia at Her 2 year Anniversary Party

Mott Haven Mural on Bruckner

Off the 6 line, is Mott Haven Bar and Grill offers a vintage NYC vibe,  one stop out of Manhattan.  

                                  

End of the Summer Tomato Salad at Spice Acres

 

Heirloom Tomatoes

Charlotte

Located in Cleveland's Cuyahoga Valley National Park, lies Spice Acres:  The Countryside Conservancy farm which supplies farm-to-table food to Spice Kitchen at Gorden Square.   Here, I spent the morning, with the Gates Mill's garden club, admiring the pigs and chickens, in addition to, learning a chopping technique from Spice Kitchen's Chef Ben Bebenroth's.

Ingredients for Salad Dressing

Finely Chopping Herbs

Chopped Herbs with Vinegar

Salad Dressing Pour

Tomato Salad with Cucumbers, and Red Onions

Chef Ben Bebenroth finely chops and crushes the fresh herbs, so the oils release and the flavors of ginger, basil, garlic, and mint merge together.  He then adds a vinegar, which he made from remnants of left over beer to the mix, along with oil and salt.   The dressing is poured it over ripe, end of the summer tomatoes, cucumbers and red onions.

Compost

Charlotte the Pig Finishing her Meal
 

The left over scraps from the meal were were used to both fortify the dirt and give Charlotte,
the pig. an afternoon snack.