Spring is such a wonderful time for outdoor entertaining.
You may have seen my photos on my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48. I recently hosted a Kentucky Derby Party at my Bedford, New York farm benefitting the Bedford Riding Lanes Association (BRLA), which maintains and develops the historic system of riding trails and dirt roads in this area of Westchester. The event was held in my stable, the adjacent Carriage House and the cobblestone courtyard just outside. The day before and the morning of the affair were very busy - it takes a lot of planning and forethought to host a gathering of 200, but we got it all done and the weather was absolutely perfect.
Enjoy these photos.
Leading up to this party, I decided to use tree stumps as tables around the courtyard. These are natural and very heavy – they definitely wouldn’t fall over. We cut them from a neighbor’s tree that fell down.
We cut each to just under waist-high – all the same height and completely smooth on top. We later placed them randomly around the courtyard.
Large televisions by Samsung were also placed in the courtyard and in my Carriage House.
Here, Sebastian is creating a racetrack themed table centerpiece. It will be placed in my Carriage House with lots of small bites surrounding it.
Silver is taken out and photos of what will fill each piece is placed on top. This kind of planning saves time later – assign plates and platters to the appropriate foods to avoid scrambling for the pieces later.
Everything is also shined perfectly. Always try to do these chores days ahead, so you can focus on more time sensitive tasks closer to the event.
This platter is for our crudités. Crudités are French appetizers consisting of sliced or whole raw vegetables which are served with a dipping sauce. Crudités usually include celery sticks, carrot sticks, cucumber sticks, bell pepper strips, broccoli, cauliflower, fennel, baby corn, and asparagus spears.
Outside, chairs are pulled from storage and brought to the courtyard where they are dusted and placed in the Carriage House.
Lorna and Sebastian paint a buffet table my favorite color – “Bedford Gray.”
Copper cocktail cups are washed and placed on a table for our mint juleps. The mint julep became the official drink of the Kentucky Derby during the 1930s, when Churchill Downs started serving it in souvenir julep cups, which it ordered for the first time in 1937.
Pitchers were also taken out for serving water and sweet tea.
Sustainable, reusable, shatterproof wine glasses by Govino are displayed in tidy rows for our cocktails.
Container ferns decorate our cheese buffet table. We called on the help of tastemaker, recipe developer, and food stylist Romilly Newman to help with our “table scapes” – she and her team did a wonderful job.
Here is the racetrack centerpiece in the Carriage House. I had the miniature steeple fencing already, but we used crushed Biscoff cookies for the track.
And the miniature horse figurines are from Schleich.
Our brown sugar and bourbon glazed hams from Loveless Cafe are taken out and ready to be cut for our mini sandwiches.
Bottles and bottles of my wine are put on ice in the giant stone sink inside my stable. “If you play hard, drink Martha’s Chard.”
The episode of "Martha Gardens" showing the huge garden transformation at my Bedford, New York farm is now available on the Roku Channel!
You may have seen glimpses of my new vegetable garden on my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48, or on themarthablog.com. Earlier this year, I decided to create a new vegetable garden closer to my Winter House in a large half-acre space previously used as paddock for my five donkeys. The first step was to draw up a very precise map showing the box frames measuring from 5' by 10' to 8' by 70'. We removed the sod from those areas, rototilled the soil, returned the sod pieces upside down, constructed the boxes out of white oak planks, fertilized each bed, and then filled them with nutrient rich soil. It took a few weeks to complete the project, but the end result is fantastic - and we've already planted so many delicious vegetables!
Here are some photos and be sure to watch "Martha Gardens" on the Roku Channel to see this garden come alive.
If you follow my blog regularly, you may recognize this fenced in pasture. Although I had long used it for my five dear donkeys, I decided it would be a wonderful location for my new vegetable garden – close to my home, easy to access, and filled with nutrient rich soil. It was perfect.
Before we could start any construction, I first did a lot of measuring with my team. Here, we measured 15-feet from the fence on the inside, so my Polaris Ranger off-road vehicle would fit when I toured the garden.
Here, we spray painted lines indicating where the boxes would go. We followed a very detailed drawing – I planned exactly what would grow where and how big each bed would be.
Next, my outdoor grounds crew foreman, Chhiring, cut the sod around every outlined space. This is our new Classen Pro HSC18 sod cutter – it cuts so precisely in so little time.
Here is one area where we removed the sod.
The sod was rolled up and neatly placed to the side – nothing would be wasted at all, wait and see.
Here is what the garden looked like when all the sod was removed showing the exact size of the raised bed frames still to be made. The areas matched our map perfectly.
Then, we called in Phurba – our resident rototilling expert here at the farm. Phurba rototilled every bed twice, going down at least eight inches of the existing soil.
Here is the soil of one beds completely rototilled. A rototiller can help break up soil and turn it over for fresh planting. It is also good for working in compost and other soil additives.
For the wood, I called our friends from New England Antique Lumber. Mauricio Guevara is a skilled lumberer, master woodworker and restorer. He and his wife, Patricia, own New England Antique Lumber Inc., in Mount Kisco, New York – and specialize in salvaging reclaimed timbers, and creating custom wood pieces. They found lots of beautiful white oak that was perfect for this project.
Look how gorgeous these planks are. I was very fortunate to find someone who had all this wood.
Here, Mauricio guides Pete to where the planks would stay until the it was time to bring them into the garden.
My property manager, Doug White, measures and cuts the wood for each bed.
Meanwhile, the sod is returned to the beds upside down. That’s right, the grass will die without the light, and eventually, everything will mix into the soil.
As each plank was cut, it was placed into position where it would be used to build the box frames. Some have already been built in the background.
All the building is done by Doug, Fernando and Pete. They worked very hard.
Here’s Pete hammering in the corner stakes to ensure all the sides are secured properly.
Fernando helps to hold each piece in line. This day was cold and rainy, but the crew persevered.
Here is the soil – Scott’s Organic Soil, which is mixed in combination with my own composted soil made here at the farm.
All the beds were thoroughly fertilized.
And the bags of soil were emptied into the beds.
This machine was also brought in to help install a rubber hose under the ground for irrigation. I added three hose bibs in this space for watering.
Look at all the beautiful beds ready to be planted.
Here I am with the Classen Pro HSC18 sod cutter after the entire garden was completed – I am so pleased with how it all turned out. What do you think?
And here is the garden on the first day of planting. I am so excited to see the magnificent vegetables this garden grows. It will be a fantastic harvest. Stay tuned.
Fresh, delicious vegetables will soon be growing in my garden.
Planting is in full swing here at my farm. My new vegetable garden is looking excellent this season and my gardeners are busy filling each and every bed. We've already planted many crops including the brassicas, asparagus, rhubarb, artichokes, onions, leeks, shallots, and potatoes. Yesterday, we also planted cilantro, dill, and parsley. Everything I grow is shared with family and friends, used for video and print shoots, and saved for making my daily green juice. Whatever is left over goes to my beloved birds - the chickens, the peafowl, and the geese. I am looking forward to a very bountiful season.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
The weather this week here at my Bedford, New York farm has been excellent for gardening. Ryan McCallister and Brian O’Kelly have been so busy getting more of our crops in the ground. Here are just some of the herbs ready to plant.
A few weeks ago, I planted some lettuces – look how beautiful they are now. I can’t wait to try them.
And remember our asparagus? We already have many stalks growing, but since this is its first year, we cannot harvest it. Asparagus needs a couple of years to get fully established.
On this day, Brian planted lots of curly parsley. Curly parsley is an easy-to-grow type of parsley with round, curly leaves. In general, it is milder than the flat leaf variety.
Brian digs the holes as he plants. Parsley should be spaced about six to eight inches apart in an area with full sun and nutrient-rich, well-drained soil.
Before planting, Brian always teases the roots – gently pulling them apart with his fingers.
This is what the root ball looks like from the bottom. Loosening or teasing the roots before planting stimulates the roots and enables them to spread out and grow, forming a good foundation for the plant.
The young plant is now ready to be placed into the hole at the same depth it was in its container.
Once in the ground, Brian lightly tamps down around the plant to ensure good contact.
Here is a close look at the top of the curly parsley. Notice it has thicker ruffled, “curly” leaves. This is a very healthy plant.
And here is a row already planted. If well-maintained, we’ll be harvesting parsley in just a few weeks.
Here is a crop of dill in pots already placed where they will be planted – about a foot apart. Dill is an annual herb in the celery family Apiaceae. It is native to North Africa, Chad, Iran, and the Arabian Peninsula. Its leaves and seeds are often used as a herb or spice for flavoring food.
Brian uses a garden trowel to dig the holes. Herbs should be grown in soil that’s at least four to five inches deep.
Brian removes the dill plant from its pot, teases the roots and inserts it into the hole like the others.
And then lightly presses the soil around the plant.
Here, Brian plants younger dill plants in a row between more mature dill plants. We always plant in succession. Succession planting is a practice of seeding crops at intervals of seven to 21 days in order to maintain a consistent supply of harvestable produce throughout the season. This dramatically increases a garden’s yield, while also improving produce quality.
Dill grows well in full sun or partial shade. Dill is also a cool weather herb and will bolt in hot weather.
Do you know what these tiny sprouts are? Cilantro. Cilantro, Coriandrum sativum, is also known commonly as coriander or Chinese parsley. Coriander is actually the dried seed of cilantro. Cilantro is a popular microgreen garnish that complements meat, fish, poultry, noodle dishes and soups.
Cilantro is not for everyone – some truly abhor it. Interestingly, those who dislike cilantro tend to have a gene that detects the aldehyde part of cilantro as a soapy smell and taste. What’s your opinion on this herb?
I like cilantro and plant lots of it every year. Brian places our crop of cilantro in another bed where it will get full sun.
Once all the cilantro, dill, and parsley are planted, Brian gives them all a good watering. Everything in the garden looks great! Be sure to visit my blog tomorrow when I share photos of the building of my newest vegetable garden. You can also watch the process on “Martha Gardens” starting tomorrow, exclusively on Roku.
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