Boston Flora

Category: benefit

  • Sunday, September 8 – American Conifer Society Northeast Region Rendevous and Open Farm Day

    John O’Brien of O’Brien Nurserymen and Display Gardens has volunteered to host a Rendezvous to benefit the American Conifer Society, Northeast Region.  The fun starts at 10 a.m. We plan to include verbal & silent plant auctions and a raffle to benefit ACS. An annual event called ‘Granby Farm Days’ coincides with this date. John currently has commitments from Bethlehem Nursery, Perran Nursery and others who will provide plants. Please indicate your interest and ideas by contacting Suzanne Mahoney: misue150@verizon.net.

     Open Farm Day (www.granbyag.org) offers a glimpse behind the scenes at about a dozen farms in Granby, Connecticut: See the fields where your food grows and the facilities where milk turns into cheese. Watch a horse-training clinic and a sheep-shearing demonstration. Take a wagon ride, taste a new wine or the first apples of the season, try out spinning some wool, or take your photo on a tractor.

    Experience the variety of agriculture in Granby, with stops that showcase veggie farms, horse farms, orchards, a landscape nursery, and a vineyard, plus a cattle farm and a dairy.

    Catch exhibits, demonstrations, tastings, and tours of areas of the farms not usually open to the public. Special events are scheduled all day; there is truly something for everyone.

    Participating Farms include:

    Briarwoods Farm – will have a display at Shinder Family Farm
    Clark Farm – the store will be open, apple picking
    Fiddlehead Farm – Free pony rides, farm tours, feed the chickens, participate in the Perennial Swap
    Hemlock Knoll, LLC – visit us at House of Hayes
    Holcomb Farm – Holcomb Farm produce will be available in our Farm Store from 9-4. Chef Chris Prosperi of Metro Bis will give a cooking demonstration at 10 AM, The Granby Horse Council will give a drill demonstration at 11, our Farmer tour will run at 11:15, and you can also join us for a guided hike at 2PM.
    Horse Central Stables – will have farm tours all day, with Western Riding Games at 11AM and 2PM
    Lost Acres Orchard – come have lunch on our porch and visit the farm store
    Lost Acres Vineyard – Come sample our newest wine, take a self-guided vineyard tour or hike. At 10AM, you can meet the winemaker and take a tour of the wine cellar.
    Maple View Farm – Farm tours with storytime, meet Jellybean the Pony and learn how to groom him, watch our Open Ride demonstration, and be there at 3 for the Haybale Throwing Contest! Winners receive a gift certificate to the Maple View Farm Store.
    O’Brien Nurserymen – Hosta dividing demonstrations at 10:30 and 1:30, plus a tour of the display gardens at 3. Test your plant knowledge in our ID Quiz (and yes, there will be prizes!)
    Old Beech Farm – Walking tours of the pasture, view the cows and calves as well as our modern and antique tractors! Joan Palmer of Real Food Matters will also be with us.
    Schoolhouse Farm – spinning demonstrations from 10-12
    Sepe Farm – We’ll be at Lost Acres Vineyard for Open Farm Day! Come watch a sheep shearing demonstration at 11, 1, and 3. All day, we’ll have a kids’ demo where you can make your own felt necklace.
    Shinder Family Farm – Meet Mario the bull and watch our firewood processor make quick work of the winter’s heating fuel.
    Sweet Pea Cheese at House of Hayes – Farm tours at 11, 12, 1, and 2 – come meet the goats and cows and sample our cheese, milk, and yogurt. Plus, the corn maze will be open – come get lost!
    The Garlic Farm – Join us for a farm tour or demonstration each hour: 50 Ways to Stuff a Pepper, Make a Garlic Braid in 15 Minutes or Less, Tips on Growing Your Own Garlic
    The Granby 4-H Clubs – will have displays of the year’s projects at Holcomb Farm all day. Come see quilting, knitting, sewing, baking, as well as watch our cooking demonstrations in the beehive oven. There will also be rabbits, chickens, goats to visit.
    The Granby Horse Council – watch our drill demonstration at Holcomb Farm (11 AM)
    plus the historic Granby Grange – will host its Annual Agricultural Fair (all day). Come tour the cooperative garden project shared with the North Congregational Church.

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  • Sunday, September 15, 3:00 pm – 7:30 pm – Downton Abbey-inspired Garden Party

    You’re invited to join The Massachusetts Horticultural Society for a Downton Abbey-inspired Garden Party at the Gardens of Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley, from 3 – 7:30 pm. This festive event will support the Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s Garden to Table program.

    Spend the afternoon strolling through the exquisite Gardens at Elm Bank, admiring a handful of vintage cars, watching a professional cricket match at “tea time”, and more. At 5:30pm, the doors to the historic Hunnewell Building will open to a Pimms cup, beer & wine, and delicious hors d’ouevre from the Catered Affair. Join our best costume & best hat contests and win luxury prizes.  Post-Edwardian era attire encouraged.

    Tickets are $125 each. This highly-anticipated event is expected to sell out quickly so be sure to register now. We look forward to seeing you there!  You may register on line at http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e7v6rol93c8bc522&llr=kzaorjcab, or call Event Volunteer and co-hostess Leslie Mann at 508-904-4967.

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  • Friday, September 20, 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm, and Saturday, September 21, 8:00 am – 12:00 noon – Middlesex Conservation District Fall Plant Sale

    The Middlesex Conservation District will hold its annual Fall Plant Sale on Friday, September 20 from 3 – 6 pm, and on Saturday, September 21 from 8 am – noon at the 4H Fairgrounds, 51 South Chelmsford Road in Westford.  All items may be ordered in advance through August 30, including tulips, daffodils, specialty bulbs, perennials and garden supplies.  All proceeds support the District’s environmental programs protecting soils and waters in Middlesex County.  If you would like a sales brochure, please  visit www.middlesexconservation.org to obtain an order form and view selections.  Photo from www.burpee.com.

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  • Thursday, September 12, 5:30 pm – Tower Hill Anniversary Event

    Save the date.  On Thursday, September 12, beginning at 5:30 pm – Tower Hill Botanic Garden invites you to an Anniversary Event featuring Director of Horticulture Joann Vieira.  Join them for a fun-filled evening of blues, good food, and great friends as they celebrate 25 years of growth and horticultural excellence.  For a mailed invitation, or for more details, call 508-869-6111, ext. 114.  Tower Hill is located at 11 French Drive in Boylston, Massachusetts, and you may find directions at www.towerhillbg.org.

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  • Fruitlands Museum – Bricks, Benches and Blacktop

    In 2014, Fruitlands Museum would like to improve physical accessibility on site by focusing on the “3 Bs” – Bricks, Benches, and Blacktop. The goal is to make it easier for all guests to navigate and enjoy the campus.

    This initiative will allow the Museum to:

    Reinstall the brick walkway that leads into the Museum store and cafe.
    Offer more places to rest on campus by purchasing new benches.
    Repave the blacktop from the entryway down to the Farmhouse.

    Yes, these are big projects – which is why they are asking for your help today. The 3 “Bs” are part of a larger facilities improvement plan which they hope to have complete by the end of 2015.

    The first project is the brick walkway. They are halfway to their fundraising goal of $10,000 and hope to complete this challenge by the end of October.

    Can you help? Donate now to invest in the future of your museum community!

    Visit http://www.fruitlands.org/BBB to help Fruitlands pave the way to a smooth future.

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  • Saturday, August 17, 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Brew at the Zoo

    Don’t miss the Fourth Annual Brew at the Zoo on Saturday, August 17, beginning at 5 pm at the Columbia Road Entrance to the Franklin Park Zoo. Brew at the Zoo is a “beer tasting” event that features stations hosted by local breweries and restaurants – as well as an opportunity to stroll amongst the animals in the zoo’s signature Tropical Forest Pavilion, which is home to ring-tailed lemurs, ocelots, Baird’s tapirs, a pygmy hippo, free-flight birds and many other species. Guests will also have the opportunity to visit Aussie Aviary, a seasonal free-flight exhibit featuring brightly-colored budgies.

    Participating breweries include Peak Organic Brewing Company, Blue Hills Brewery, Long Trail Brewing Co., Samuel Adams, Dogfish Head Brewery, Foolproof Brewing Company, Harpoon Brewery, Smuttynose Brewing Company, Cambridge Brewing Company, Clown Shoes Beer, Slumbrew, Watch City Brewing Company, Narragansett Beer, Mayflower Brewing Company, Bantam Cider Company, Woodchuck Hard Cider, The Traveler Beer Company, Brooklyn Brewery, Lagunitas Brewing Company, Brewery Ommegang, Down the Road Brewery, Battle Road Brewing Co., Beer Works, 3 Beards Beer Company, Do Can Brewery, Newburyport Brewing Company, Paper City Brewery, and Rapscallion. Food will be provided by American Flatbread, Amir’s Natural Foods, California Pizza Kitchen, Food Should Taste Good, Harrow’s Chicken Pies, Maggiano’s Little Italy, Ole Mexican Grill, Olecito, Popeye’s, Upper Crust Pizzeria, Utz Quality Foods, and Costco Wholesale. Music will also be provided by DJ BK.

    Given the popularity of Franklin Park Zoo, Brew at the Zoo promises to one of the most unforgettable beer tasting events in Boston! Proceeds from Brew at the Zoo will support the operation and continued growth of Franklin Park Zoo, its education programs and conservation initiatives.  $60 fee.  See www.zoonewengland.org for more information.

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  • Tuesdays in August – Not Your Average Joe’s Garden to Table Program Benefit

    The Garden to Table Program at Massachusetts Horticultural Society has been chosen to receive Not Your Average Joe’s 15% community donation. What this means is that every Tuesday night in August, 15% of your restaurant tab will be donated to our program.

    Not Your Average Joe’s has been a generous supporter of the program this year. Come see the garden they sponsored titled “New and Unusual” which includes Flower sprouts, Indigo Rose Tomatoes, Lunch box Peppers and something called a Tomato Berry. Enjoy some great food and help support Mass Hort.

    Not Your Average Joe’s has locations in the following communities: Acton, Arlington, Beverly, Burlington, Dartmouth, Hyannis, Medford, Methuen, Needham, Newburyport, Norwell, Randolph, Seekonk, Watertown, Westborough.

    Here’s how it works:
    Print and present the certificate to your NYAJ’s waitstaff and the Garden to Table Program will receive 15% of your total purchase.  Click here for a certificate!

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  • Tuesday, August 13, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Summer Harvest Farm to Fork Dinner at Verrill Farm

    You’re invited to join the Culinary Guild of New England and the AIWF (American Institute of Wine and Food) for a very special Summer Harvest Farm to Fork Dinner on Tuesday, August 13 at Verrill Farm, 11 Wheeler Road in Concord!

    Our guests will be treated to a pre-dinner tractor drawn hayride will take people through the fields to get a look at the crops. This will be followed by a dinner that showcases the seasonal and fresh produce grown on the farm and will be prepared Verrill Farm chefs Guida Ponte and Jennifer Verrill, along with Guy Crosby of Cook’s Illustrated.

    Please note, our dinner will be held rain or shine and we will be sitting outside – so please remember to dress for the weather! Tickets are just $40 for the dinner and there will be a cash bar available. There are a limited number of spaces – so be sure to register now to confirm your space! You may respond now by clicking http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e7vqm6iz1f6ff1e9&llr=d9a6hicab.

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  • Saturday, August 10, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Estuaries, Oysters and Art

    The Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve will be celebrating its 25th anniversary with a gala fundraiser, “Estuaries, Oysters and Art,” from 6 to 9 p.m. August 10 at the reserve, 131 Waquoit Highway (Route 28), East Falmouth. The event will feature art inspired by the estuaries, live music, hors d’oeuvre, an oyster bar, an open bar and silent auction.
    Tickets are $60 per person. Reservations can be made by calling 508-457-0495, ext. 155, or online at www.waquoitbayreservefoundation.org.

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  • Sunday, August 11, 6:30 pm – Pop-Up Dinner at Flour Back Bay for Save Our Strength

    To celebrate the second Flour book, FLOUR TOO, Joanna Chang is hosting her first pop-up dinner on Sunday, August 11 at 6:30pm at Flour Back Bay at 131 Clarendon Street. Joanne and the Flour chefs will create a summertime family-style farm menu inspired by the new book. All proceeds, every last dollar, will go to Share our Strength to support their No Kid Hungry campaign. For more information and to reserve tickets, email Peter at peter@flourbakery.com. Tickets are $65 per person or $85 per person with wine pairings. Books will be available for purchase and signing.  For a sneak peek at the menu, visit http://www.flourbakery.com/news/our-first-pop-dinner.

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