Boston Flora

Month: October 2014

  • Sunday, October 19, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Wild Fruits

    Spring and summer flowers produce a bounty of wild fall fruits that we will discover in this hands-on workshop on fruit form, function, and diversity, taught by Judith Sumner at Garden in the Woods, Framingham, on Sunday, October 19, from 10 – 4. We will study the significance of fruits in the flowering plant life cycle and then examine and dissect diverse fruit types, from capsules and follicles to pomes and drupes. You will learn fruit terminology and practice constructing and using dichotomous keys to sort out the remarkable variety of fruits produced by flowering plants. We will look at seed-dispersal mechanisms, the connection between fruit and seed forms, and strategies for seed dispersal. You are encouraged to bring fruit specimens from your own gardens for dissection and identification. Pack a bag lunch. $80 for NEWFS members, $96 for nonmembers. Image of serviceberry from Christian Science Monitor. Register at http://www.newfs.org/learn/our-programs/wild-fruits.

  • Monday, October 20, 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm – Are You Nuts?

    Nuts and seeds form the basic foundation of many Middle Eastern recipes – both savory and sweet. On Monday, October 20, from 6:30 – 9, Sofra Pastry Chef Emily Weber will illustrate how to use nuts more fully in your pastry dishes by experimenting with nut flour. Learn how to make Persian Love Cake: a moist, gluten-free Almond Rose Cake; spice up your house parties with Sweet and Smoky Pecans, and wow your dinner guests with a Sofra favorite – Black Walnut Baklava. Emily will finish off the evening with Fig and Almond Biscuits. Registration: $85. Picture from www.images.meredith.com. Class takes place at Sofra Bakery, 1 Belmont Street in Cambridge, and you may register on line through Eventbrite at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/are-you-nuts-tickets-12225684351.

  • Saturday, October 18, 9:30 am – 11:30 am – Tastes of the Garden: Pickling and Fermentation

    Save your root vegetables throughout the winter with homemade sauerkraut and pickles! Learn how to pickle anything from beets to turnips and turn your cabbage into delicious sauerkraut. Pre-registration required for this free Boston Natural Areas Network class, to be held Saturday, October 18 from 9:30 – 11:30 at the Future Chefs Office and Teaching Kitchen, 560 Albany Street in Boston. Contact BNAN at 617-542-7696 or email info@bostonnatural.org.  Image from www.garlicfarm.ca.

  • Saturday, October 11, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Wild Plants in the Not-So-Wild Garden

    Many North American native plants have been selected and cleverly repackaged for use in ornamental gardens. Often given charming names like ‘Pow-Wow Wild Berry,’ ‘Chocolate,’ or ‘Running Tapestry,’ they are barely recognizable as the cousins of the plants so familiar in the nearby wild landscape. These glamorous cousins can be lovely indeed, and in some cases are particularly well-suited for use in modern gardens. But sometimes the native plant, neither repackaged nor altered, is the perfect choice. Join Joann Vieira on Saturday, October 11, from 10 – 12 at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Drive, Boylston, for a presentation and garden walk to look at North American plants used in formal garden settings and cultivated using sustainable gardening practices.  Co-sponsored with the New England Wild Flower Society.  $20 for members of sponsoring organizations, $30 for nonmembers.  Image of ‘Pow-Wow Wild Berry’ echinacea from White Flower Farm. Register at http://www.newfs.org/learn/our-programs/wild-plants-in-the-not-so-wild-garden. 

  • Wednesday, October 8, 6:30 pm – Kale, Glorious Kale

    With the guidance of bestselling cookbook author Cathy Walthers and the stunning photography of Alison Shaw, every home cook can explore the multitude of ways this most healthy of foods can be made into delectable and satisfying meals. From Baked Eggs Over Kale in the morning to kale snacks and appetizers, salads, soups, side dishes and main courses like Pork Braised with Kale and Cider for dinner, Kale, Glorious Kale will be your complete guide to the greatest of green vegetables.

    Catherine Walthers is an award-winning journalist and food writer. She has worked for the past 15 years as a private chef and cooking instructor in the Boston area and on Martha’s Vineyard. She is food editor of Martha’s Vineyard Magazine, and the author of Raising the Salad Bar, as well as co-author of Greens, Glorious Greens.

    This event takes place at Kickstand Cafe, 594 Massachusetts Avenue in Arlington. Porter Square Books in Cambridge is  delighted to partner with Kickstand, cousin to Cafe Zing here in the store. Watch for more PSB at the ‘Stand events in 2015!