Children and adults alike are invited to get their hands dirty at the New York Botanical Garden’s newly opened Edible Academy, a major expansion of its garden-based, hands-on education program.
The three-acre indoor-outdoor campus, designed by architecture firm Cooper Robertson, is built around the existing Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden. It includes a classroom building with a demonstration kitchen and technology lab; a teaching greenhouse; two outdoor pavilions for programs; a terraced amphitheater; and spacious gardens where visitors can learn about, grow, and harvest their own produce.
Through Nov. 4, hands-on gardening activities encourage children to help tend the gardens—including digging the soil, sowing seeds, and watering seedlings—and harvest fresh produce. Themes change with the seasons; “Pickle Me!” is the theme through Aug. 10, to be followed by “Pollinator Pals” from Aug. 14 to Sept. 9.
Meanwhile, hands-on cooking demonstrations take produce from garden to table. Edible Academy staff present new healthy, family-friendly recipes each week, featuring seasonal vegetables, fruits, and herbs grown in the Edible Academy gardens.
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