Boston Flora

Month: December 2014

  • Monday, January 19, 6:30 pm – Whole Grains and the Mighty Chickpea

    Sofra Bakery will present Whole Grains and the Mighty Chickpea on Monday, January 19 beginning at 6:30 pm at their store located at 1 Belmont Street in Cambridge. Whole grains are currently popular on the American culinary scene and in the vocabulary of home chefs. They have long been a staple in the cuisines of the Eastern Mediterranean. Hailed for their nutritional value, fiber, and protein content, whole grains provide rich sustenance and can stand on their own in entrée dishes. We add to the mix one of our favorite legumes – the chickpea. Chickpeas can make appearances in so many formats: whole, ground into flour, or pureed into dips. In this class, Chef Ana Sortun will demonstrate Cauliflower Gratin with Fried Quinoa & Nigella Seeds and Pork Belly with Ribolitta & Grano. She will also feature a dish created by Sofra’s new Chef de Cuisine, Didem Hosgel: Potato Kofte with Chopped Radish Salad. To finish off the evening, Chef Ana will conclude with three different styles of Hummus – with bread, Syrian-style & “Taverna-style” with lamb. Please note that this class may end slightly later than 9:00 PM. Place your name on the waitlist at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/whole-grains-and-the-mighty-chickpea-tickets-14609771219. Fee: $110.

  • Wreath of the Day – Happiness

    Wreath of the Day – Happiness

    Happiness is working at The First Lutheran Church of Boston.  The space is simply ideal for our purposes – a semi-sheltered outdoor space for keeping the wreaths fresh but protected in inclement weather, a large workroom with attached kitchen, and a friendly and tolerant staff who put up with our noise and commotion for 4 1/2 days. Our special gratitude and thanks go to Pastor Ingo Dutzmann, who welcomes us each year with joy and love.

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  • Wednesday, January 7, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm – Tools and Equipment for the Management of Invasive Species in Natural Areas

    Steven Manning will open the toolbox and outline examples of many effective treatments for integrated management of invasive plants in this Ecological Landscape Alliance Webinar on January 7 from 1 – 2 pm. Steve will highlight the good the bad and the ugly learned from more than 20 years of on the ground experience controlling invasive plants in the United States. This includes equipment highlights, effective and ineffective selective and non-selective control methods, the consequences of proper hiring practices, and associated costs and will cover herbicide application methods, manual, mechanical and cultural control.

    Steven Manning has spent the past 24 years working on invasive species. He is founder and President of Invasive Plant Control, Inc. (IPC). IPC was created to extend internationally its dedication to the control of invasive species utilizing a revised Integrated Pest Management approach and has successfully controlled hundreds of invasive species for a wide variety of land managers including federal, state, municipal and private landowners throughout the world. Mr. Manning also designs and implements multiple training courses and workshops worldwide with topics ranging from “Invasive Species in Ports of Entry” to “On the Ground Control Techniques.” IPC invests heavily in educational and awareness activities annually. Mr. Manning’s knowledge of environmentally and economically sound control techniques offers a unique perspective not readily found in this field. Mr. Manning is also heavily involved with local, state and international industry development projects including Volunteer Based Early Detection Networks. In 2012 IPC introduced a suite of software and web based tools dedicated to environmental needs. His 2010 publication, Miller, J.H.: Manning, S.; Enloe, S.F. 2010 A Field Guide for the Management of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests was recently published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Southern Research Station. (http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/36915http://wiki.bugwood.org/Invplantmgmt). He is the acting President of the Pacific Northwest Invasive Plant Council current Vice President of the Mid Atlantic Invasive Plant Council, co-chair of the National Military Fish and Wildlife Association’s Invasive Species Working Group and serves on the board of the North Carolina Invasive Plant Council.
    See more at: http://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/webinar-tools-and-equipment-for-the-management-of-invasive-species-in-natural-areas/#sthash.oAx61WJU.dpuf.

  • Wreath of the Day – Stress Abatement

    Wreath of the Day – Stress Abatement

    In 2013 we bit off a bit more than we could chew, and by the end of the fourth decorating day we were exhausted.  We also worried that some of the last few wreaths we created were nothing more than perfunctory, and that our volunteers might re-think their future participation in an activity that was becoming quite stressful. This year we decided not to offer the “fully decorated large wreath” option, since those orders took the most time and skill to produce.  As a result, the number of our fully decorated orders decreased to a reasonable level and each wreath was a joy to create.  We thank all our customers for their understanding, and hope that the wreaths they received more than met their expectations.  The example below is one of a set of four, with cream bows and all natural accents.

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  • Sunday, March 22 – Thursday, March 26 – Gardens Thriving in the Desert

    The Polly Hill Arboretum Board of Directors is sponsoring a trip to Phoenix, Arizona March 22 – 26, 2015, and has a few spots available for interested garden tourists. Outside of New England, one of their favorite places is Arizona, especially in the spring. The Sonoran desert vegetation is surprisingly lush and the sunsets can be fantastic. Join them for this special tour featuring four different public gardens. They will be based in Old Town Scottsdale at the Hyatt Place Hotel, a perfect location for walking to nearby restaurants, shops, and boutiques. Gardens include: The Desert Botanic Garden, Tohono Chul Park, The Sonoran Desert Museum, and the Boyce Thompson Arboretum (pictured, courtesy of www.mustseephoenix.com.)  For more information visit http://www.pollyhillarboretum.org//srv/htdocs/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Gardens-Thriving-in-the-Desert2.pdf.

  • Wreath of the Day – The Importance of Holly

    Wreath of the Day – The Importance of Holly

    We love to use holly on outdoor wreaths (it dries out too quickly to use indoors) but many years our holly supplies are meager.  Some holly bushes produce berries prolifically every other year, some years available holly bushes have been pruned at an inopportune time for our purposes, and some years our members with available holly have simply not been home at wreath time.  When a member who lives in Maine arrived on Thursday of wreath week with a bag of splendid holly, the decorators pounced.  She arrived around lunch time, and by the time most of us had grabbed a sandwich, the holly was gone – used beautifully in wreaths such as the one below.

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  • Matt Landry Named as Executive Chef at Tower Hill Botanic Garden

    As a champion of locally-sourced food, Matt Landry is an ideal fit as the new executive chef of Tower Hill Botanic Garden’s restaurant. Landry’s determination to provision his kitchen with produce from local farms – and even from Tower Hill’s own vegetable gardens – dovetails with the organization’s longtime commitment to horticulture and to Worcester County. Now, after a month on the job, Landry is welcoming new and returning patrons to sample his new menus in the re-energized Twigs Café overlooking the Wachusett Reservoir in Boylston.  Landry, a Johnson & Wales culinary arts graduate, began his professional career with the Ritz Carlton in Boston and at Henrietta’s Table in Cambridge before opening Chloé, an American bistro in Hudson, Mass. During his decade as the chef-owner of Chloé, the popular restaurant often received rave reviews.

    Kathy Abbott, the CEO of Tower Hill, said it was Landry’s commitment to using local produce in his dishes that made him the ideal candidate to recommit Twigs Café to the sustainable food movement. Landry, a Berlin resident, brings with him a preexisting partnership with the owners of Indian Head Farm in Berlin. Since taking over Tower Hill’s kitchen, he’s also used ingredients from Tougas Farm in nearby Northborough and from Tower Hill’s own vegetable garden. There will be many more local collaborations to come, he said.

    For Landry, cooking is about building community and supporting local businesses. Local ingredients are fresher, he said, and provide both challenges – such as New England’s relatively short growing season -– and opportunities, such as a hearty sausage and kale soup to warm visitors on these ever cooling fall days.
    “They care about their land,” Landry said of local farmers. “And they care about the community they are serving. I see that making a difference every day.”
    Twigs Café is open to any admission-paying visitors Tuesday through Sunday and holiday Mondays, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and on Wednesday evenings from 4:30 p.m. until the last seating at 8 p.m. In December, the restaurant is open extended hours on Mondays, Wednesday, and Thursdays, in conjunction with Tower Hill’s Holly Days festival of outdoor lighting, holiday programming, and indoor decorations. Visitors can check www.towerhillbg.org for more information.
    After all these years crafting menus of New England specialties, what motivates Landry to take on new challenges and to continue to cook for the masses?
    “I like making people happy,” said Landry. “At the end of the day, that is what this is all about.”  For more information on events presented by the nonprofit Tower Hill Botanical Garden at 11 French Drive in Boylston, Mass., please call 508-869-6111.

  • Wreath of the Day – Expanding the Concept of All Natural

    Wreath of the Day – Expanding the Concept of All Natural

    Many customers request all natural accents on their wreaths.  Most of our material is gathered in yards, forests, and parks, but we do purchase some glass balls and glittery materials to give some wreaths “lift,” and we do spray paint when appropriate.  All natural wreaths, however, will not have painted elements.  The wreath shown below actually does have some artificial elements – the tiny pears on wires and the shiny red berries, which the designer felt added to the rhythm of the wreath.  Since these decorations are low gloss, we felt the customer would approve.

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  • Saturday, December 27, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm – Guided Trail Walk through Fruitlands

    Explore nature in early winter in this hour-long ramble across fields and glens at Fruitlands on Saturday, December 27 beginning at 1 pm. Museum interpreters will lead participants in a guided walk along Fruitlands’ most notable features – a glacial beach, archaeological sites, scenic vistas of the Nashua River Valley and a thriving forest – as we watch for signs of winter. This walk covers a mile of varied terrain and should be considered moderately easy. Trail shoes, walking stick and warm hats recommended. No registration required. For directions to the Museum (102 Prospect Hill Road in Harvard, Massachusetts) visit www.fruitlands.org. Image from www.louisamayalcottismypassion.files.wordpress.com.

  • Wreath of the Day – Happy Hanukkah

    Wreath of the Day – Happy Hanukkah

    Hanukkah, the eight-day festival of light that begins on the eve of the 25th of the Jewish month of Kislev, celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, of purity over adulteration, of spirituality over materiality.  We create a number of Hanukkah wreaths each year, and one of the best is the wreath pictured below.  Today is the first day of Hanukkah, and we wish one and all a joyous season.

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