Over 75 Juried Artisans will display and sell their American made works; including Fine Jewelry, Seascape Photography, Watercolor Paintings, Personal Care, Hair Accessories, Shell Craft, Ceramic, Pet Accessories, Soy Candles, Furniture, Fine Art, Pottery, Oil Paintings, Burnt Wood, Leather, Home Décor, Sports Apparel, Pillow Quilts, Doll Clothes, Metal Sculpture, Decorative Painting, Country Wood Crafts, Garden Decor, Puzzles, Fabric Totes, Pine Cone Creations, Laser Wood Decor, Live Edge Furniture, Fleece Mittens, Shell Craft, Whimsical Pins, Florals, Glass Chimes, Resin Coaters, Pet Gifts, Stone and more. The two day event will take place at Linscott Park, 17 Monument Avenue in Swampscott. Free admission, rain or shine, friendly pets on a leash welcome. For more details visit https://castleberryfairs.com/11th-annual-swampscott-arts-and-craft-festival-2022/
Explore the gardens and fields of Long Hill, 572 Essex Street in Beverly, to find plants that can be used for making teas that are both tasty and nutritious. Learn about safety and resources for identifying plants. We make will make a tea with 3 to 5 local plants for teas, and talk about how to prepare teas, whether to use fresh or dried plants, the benefits of the plants harvested, and how to dry them for later use. A handout with plants and a couple of recipes will be included.
Please dress appropriately for the weather. Sturdy shoes are recommended. This program, sponsored by The Trustees of Reservations, is $24 for Trustees members, $30 for nonmembers. Register at https://thetrustees.org/event/78491/
Hollister House Garden, 300 Nettleton Hollow Road in Washington, Connecticut will hold its Annual Rare Plant Sale in September. Enjoy cocktails, hors d’oeuvre and a special opportunity to purchase plants suitable for fall planting from many of New England’s premier nurseries before the sale is open to the public on Sunday.
Participating vendors include:
Atlock Farm (Saturday only) Broken Arrow Nursery Cricket Hill Garden David Burdick Bulbs & Botanical Obsessions Falls Village Flower Farm Green Spot Issima Mc Cue Gardens Meadowbrook Gardens Tiny Meadow Farm
HHG Members $50 Non-members $65. Buy tickets in advance HERE.
Join the Boston Public Library Documentary Club as we screen the film Eating Our Way to Extinction. This film, narrated by actress Kate Winslet, explores the connections between the food industry and climate change. Starring globally renowned figures and the world’s leading scientists, the movie will take you on a journey – a powerful cinematic feature documentary that opens the lid on the elephant in the room no one wants to talk about. Alarming and entertaining, this compelling feature documentary will make you never look at your food or the food industry in the same way again. The film will be screened at the beautiful contemporary Mattapan Public Library Branch, 1350 Blue Hill Avenue. Registration required. Register for event
On Sunday, September 11 online, join plants and gardens historian, Dr. Toby Musgrave, as he holds a botanical prism to world history and offers a fresh perspective. From your morning cup of tea to the spark of the Opium Wars, plants play a remarkable role in our daily lives and our politics. During our time together we will explore the role that cash crops such as corn, cotton, coffee, palm oil, tobacco, sugar cane, and others play in the global economy.
Together we will discover the eight ”Founder Crops” which facilitated the Neolithic Revolution and the start of civilization. Spices were the driving force for the Age of Discovery, the resultant post-Columbian colonization of the Americas, and the arrival in Europe of the potato, which played such a tragic role in the story of Ireland. And another Mesoamerican plant – tobacco – shaped the emergence of the United States.
Sugar and cotton gave rise to and supported the transatlantic Slave Trade and the resultant oppression, exploitation, and death of so many million Africans. Cotton stimulated both the British East India Company’s acquisition of India and the Industrial Revolution and was a causal factor of the American Civil War.
Simple opium plants sparked the international Opium Wars – sales to China made the British Government the biggest drug cartel the world has seen. Quinine enabled the colonization of Africa, while rubber was key to the advance of the automotive industry. Most of these plants continue to play a major role on the global stage and have been joined by others including corn and palm oil. When we pause to consider the impact, the wider worldwide scope of influence these plants have had is substantial.
Led by an expert on plants and garden history, Dr. Toby Musgrave, this interactive seminar is designed to inform curiosity as well as future travels. Participants will come away with increased knowledge and understanding of the power of plants in shaping the landscape of human history books.
Dr. Toby Musgrave is a foremost authority on the subjects of garden and plant history and design, about which he has authored or co-authored 18 books. Most recently The Garden: Elements and Styles and The Multifarious Mr. Banks. He is a part-time Faculty Lecturer at the Danish Institute of Studies Abroad in his adopted country, Denmark, where he teaches American study abroad students. Between semesters he works as a gardens tour leader and as a lecturer aboard small, expedition cruise ships. Additionally, he acts as a consultant to various garden restoration projects and has written numerous articles for a range of magazines and newspapers including The Garden, Gardens Illustrated, The English Garden, Country Life, The Times, The Telegraph, Haven, and Jyllands Posten. His own garden is one of the de Runde Haver. For more information about Toby and his work please visit www.TobyMusgrave.com.
This Context Learning webinar is $26.50, and if you can’t make this time, a video recording will be sent after the seminar to enjoy later. Register at www.contextlearning.com
Cyanotypes are a compelling and simple way to capture botanical forms and create compelling pieces of art. Learn about the history of the cyanotype process and the work of botanist Anna Atkins, who created the first photographic book Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions in 1853. Led by Madge Evers, students will observe the mixing of the light-sensitive emulsion used to create cyanotype and its application to paper. Students will create their own cyanotype prints to bring home. Pressed plants will be provided, but participants may also bring their own.
Madge Evers lives in western Massachusetts where her art often begins in the garden. She began making mushroom spore print art in 2015, and since 2016, her work has been shown throughout the Northeast, including at the International Print Center, the Vermont Center for Photography and the Fitchburg Art Museum. She is a 2021 finalist for a Mass Cultural Council fellowship in photography. Madge forages for fungi and plants in fields, on roadsides and in the woods. She recently stepped away from teaching high school after 25 years, so when not composing spore prints or cyanotypes, Madge usually can be found somewhere in the garden.
Perfecting the balance of color, aroma, and taste are the hallmarks of Chinese cuisine. Chinese chefs know that presentation of a dish is of utmost importance because the visual composition of a dish is the first thing perceived by the diner. Because of this, the Chinese often incorporate edible flowers into their meals to enhance visual enjoyment. In this class we’ll learn how to cook with edible flowers and make eye-catching dishes with common vegetables. In this Cambridge Center for Adult Education class taught by Jade Li on September 10 at noon, we will be making Daylily Flower Salad, Bok Choy Fried with Glass Noodle, and Cauliflower Fried Rice.
Jade Li is from Zigong, a big city in Sichuan Province known for its dinosaurs, salt mines and flavorful dishes; there’s a traditional Chinese saying, “Eating in Sichuan, taste in Zigong.” Zigong cuisine is called Yan Bang Cai, known as Dishes of Salt School. The main concept is “fragrant, spicy and fresh” . Beware, the locals love extra spicy food prepared as hot pot, dry pot, or stir-fried. Jade cooks recipes perfected by her family over many generations, and loves to share her food with friends from across the world who have same passion to try new, exotic cuisines. Jade Li also offers authentic Chinese catered experiences for small groups or events, as well as private lessons for those wanting to develop their Sichuan cooking skills. Book your Chinese food adventure with Jade Li at: Li.yucancook@gmail.com or follow her on Instagram @yucancook for more information.
The class is $85. Register at www.ccae.org This class will meet in-person at CCAE with a limited student capacity. Please note that COVID-19 proof of vaccination is required. Please view our In-Person Class Guidelines prior to enrolling.
