There's always something new to see during tours of my Bedford, New York farm.
Yesterday, I opened my gardens for a private autumn showing to a group of passionate horticulturists from the New York Hortus Club, a prestigious group of professional and semi-professional plants experts, which has been going strong for more than 60-years. This exclusive organization is made up of 35-members - many of whom are, or have been, employed in positions at public gardens, grand estates, and universities. The Hortus Club meets once a month - in winter, at the National Arts Club in Manhattan for horticultural lectures and discussions, and from April through October, at various outdoor public and private gardens. I was honored to welcome them to my Cantitoe Corners Farm.
Here are a few photos taken during the tour, enjoy.
Every now and then I agree to a handful of private guided walks to show visitors what is happening in my gardens at the time and to share how we care for all the many plantings. On this beautiful autumn day, the visiting group from the New York Hortus Club was able to see all a lot of the fall colors around my home, my new and developing living maze, the allées and groves, and my greenhouses.
Here, my head gardener Ryan McCallister welcomes everyone to the farm and walks them through my allée of lindens. I was in my Winter House kitchen making a delicious apple crisp.
The group was fascinated by the peafowl perched in their enclosure. During this time of year, the peacocks are without their long, lustrous tail feathers, but they will regrow their plumes longer and fuller by February when breeding season begins.
Among the first stops – my stable, to see the Friesians, my Fell pony, and the five Sicilian donkeys. Bond seems to enjoy meeting everyone who stops by his stall.
Next, Ryan walked the group past the extended azalea garden. Along both sides of the carriage road leading from my Summer House to the stable, we planted hundreds and hundreds of azaleas. They will look so stunning in spring.
The group saw my long tree peony border planted in a semi-shade of giant maples near my Summer House. These tall trees are showing off amazing fall color.
The garden behind my Summer House is always a favorite stop. Ryan pointed out the tall, old Ginkgo tree at the back – the focal point of this garden.
Next, everyone was led to the courtyard behind my Winter House, where the group stopped for refreshments. We have not yet had a hard frost, so most of my potted plants are still outdoors including these topiaries – Australian Brush Cherry trees, Eugenia myrtifolia, also now known as Syzygium paniculatum. I also have several sago palms displayed here.
Here, I addressed our guests and we all enjoyed refreshments and conversation – all about plants, or course.
On one side of my courtyard, we set up cups for warm coffee, butter and homemade jams for croissants.
… And glasses for homemade apple cider pressed by myself and my granddaughter, Jude, from apples grown right here at the farm.
Here’s the apple crisp fresh from the oven. I always like to make a homemade treat for those who visit my farm.
Moises served each guest a piece of warm apple crisp – some even came back for second helpings.
After our refreshments, I guided the group to my newest project here at Cantitoe Corners – my new living maze. I wanted to create a maze of interesting hedges, espaliers, and shrubs in the three-acre pasture across the carriage road from my Winter House terrace. I started with European beech, European hornbeams, boxwood, and a variety of espaliered apple trees. I designed the maze with different plantings to add texture and interest. All of these specimens will grow tall enough to prevent walkers from seeing the paths ahead. We’ve planted so many in just a couple of months – and the entire crew is having so much fun planning all the different turns.
I led the group past the grove of bald cypress, or Taxodium distichum – a deciduous conifer. Bald cypress is a large tree with gray-brown to red-brown bark. It is popular as an ornamental tree because of its light, feathery foliage. These trees have grown so much over the years – and look, they are now changing to their fall colors.
Across from the bald cypress is my long and winding clematis pergola. I explained to the group how all the boxwood shrubs started as small root cuttings which were nurtured in a garden bed here at the farm for three years before being transplanted. The boxwood continues to thrive along this border.
Nearby is my Stewartia garden – filled with perennials and of course, Japanese stewartia trees – lovely, slow-growing, woodland trees native to Japan, Korea, and the southeastern United States. And do you know why I love these trees so much? My name is Stewart, after all.
We walked to my soccer and party lawn where my grandson, Truman, loves to play when he is here. On one side are six weeping hornbeams, Carpinus betulus Pendula.
And just behind them is my new pavilion, where I have this long table made from yew trees cut down at my former home in East Hampton. The hanging plants are staghorn ferns, Platycerium – a genus of about 18 fern species in the polypod family, Polypodiaceae. Ferns in this genus are widely known as staghorn or elkhorn ferns due to their uniquely shaped fronds.
Guests admired the staddle stones at the end of the pool. Staddle stones were originally used in the 17th and 18th centuries as support bases for granaries, hayricks, and game larders. They typically looked like giant stone mushrooms, but mine are square – a more rare and unique version.
The group was guided past the Equipment Barn, these fall colored parrotias, toward my hoop house and vegetable greenhouse. Fall colors could be seen everywhere.
The group then walked down the Boxwood Allée, past the stable courtyard where they saw this grouping of potted cycads. Very soon, these will be tucked away in their greenhouses for the long winter ahead. Thanks for coming, New York Hortus Club – I hope you enjoyed your visit to my farm.
Here in the Northeast, the plants and trees continue to show off their gorgeous fall colors.
This time of year, because of the changes in temperature and length of daylight, the leaves stop their food-making process. When this happens, the chlorophyll breaks down and the green color disappears, making way for all the shades of autumn. Here at my Bedford, New York farm, we're still waiting for a hard frost, but the colors across the landscape are beautiful - various shades of orange, yellow, brown, red, and evergreen.
Enjoy these photos, and be sure to check out my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48 to see what fall activity I did with my granddaughter this past weekend.
There are leaves everywhere this time of year. Some trees change early, others late – usually from mid-October to mid-November here in the Northeast.
Autumn leaf color is a phenomenon that affects the green leaves of many deciduous trees and shrubs.
At my farm I planted many different types of trees in hopes that they would shade, provide climate control, and change color at different times, in different ways. It’s so beautiful to see them change through the seasons.
What a difference a couple of weeks make. I photographed this maple earlier this month when it was just starting to turn. Now, it’s golden leaves are falling off its branches. This tree is just across the carriage road from my tropical hoop house not far from the chicken yard.
This path is between my vegetable garden on the left and a horse paddock on the right. It was just freshly mowed – no leaves on the bold green grass.
I like to plant climbing hydrangea at the base of some of the large trees. These plants are true climbers, using the suckers on their branches to climb. These large plants sometimes reach 50 feet tall or more at maturity. They look so pretty under the changing leaves above.
The perimeter around my paddocks displays such wonderful shades of amber, brown, orange and green. I also get many compliments on the fencing – it is antique spruce fencing I bought in Canada, and it surrounds all my paddocks for the horses, pony and donkeys.
Here is the winding road leading to my hayfields and woodlands. This is always a popular viewpoint – in every season.
Another popular view is this linden allée that runs from the pergola to the Boxwood Allée. I loved it so much, I extended it all the way down to the chicken coops in the opposite direction.
The stand of giant white pines is majestic. Pinus strobus, commonly known as the eastern white pine, white pine, northern white pine, Weymouth pine, and soft pine is a large pine native to eastern North America.
This is one side of my allee of pin oaks, Quercus palustris. They are starting to turn a gorgeous russet brown.
Here is a look through the woodland – so beautiful with its palette of gold, green and auburn.
And this is what one sees driving out of the woodland on the carriage road to the back hayfield – what a glorious sight of colors.
At the edge of the back field is the giant sycamore tree – the symbol of my farm. The foliage of American sycamore trees is a vast crown of large leaves. In autumn, sycamore tree leaves turn shades of yellow and brown.
I love the layers of color created by the changing leaves. Although some autumn coloration occurs wherever deciduous trees are found, the most brightly colored foliage is found in Canada, the northern United States, Scandinavia, northern and western Europe, the Caucasus region near the Black Sea, Russia, eastern Asia, Argentina, Chile, southern Brazil, Korea, Japan and New Zealand’s South Island.
Just outside my kitchen on the terrace parterre is this weeping katsura, one of my favorite trees. Cercidiphyllum japonicum f. pendulum has pendulous branches that fan out from the crown and sweep the ground. Caramel-scented foliage emerges bronze or purple-red, turns blue-green, then fades to golden-apricot in autumn.
Nearby is this beautiful Nyssa sylvatica, or black tupelo. Its summer leaves are a dark green, but in the fall its foliage turns yellow, orange, bright red, purple or scarlet – all colors that may appear on the same branch. It’s just starting to transform.
But look closely, and one can see many of its berries. The fruit is a black-blue, ovoid stone fruit, with thin, oily, sour tasting flesh. These berries are very popular with small birds.
Here’s my handsome Emperor Han enjoying the fresh fall air and guarding his home.
This time of year is always so magical. Here’s my Fell pony Banchunch grazing in his pasture surrounded by the beautiful foliage. I hope you are able to enjoy some of these autumn colors where you are.
Did you see the post and story on my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48? We cooked up another great dish from Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon, the Parmesan Dutch Baby with Ricotta, Mushrooms & Spinach.
If you haven't already, you really must try our time-saving meal-kit delivery service - it features so many of our delicious recipes and cooking ideas. After a busy day at work, it’s nice to know one can prepare a beautiful and healthy dinner without the added stress of shopping for the ingredients. As with all our Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon meal kits, every chilled recipe box is delivered with pre-portioned ingredients from local purveyors and growers. This cuts down measuring time and food waste. And, every recipe is developed to be cooked and ready to serve in 40-minutes or less.
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This is what comes in the box for the Parmesan Dutch Baby. Everything is pre-portioned, well-packaged and labeled, so there’s absolutely no confusion in the kitchen. The kits are designed to feed two or four people. It’s a superior, money saving meal kit delivery system. Just have on hand the salt, pepper, olive oil, eggs and butter – items you probably already have at home.
The first step is to preheat the oven to 425-degrees Fahrenheit and then place a large cast-iron ovenproof skillet in the center to heat up while all the ingredients are prepared.
Meanwhile, Elvira transfers the mascarpone to a liquid measuring cup and adds enough water to make a total of 3/4 cup. Mascarpone is a soft Italian acid-set cream cheese. Mascarpone has a looser, velvety texture than American cream cheese, and a rich mouthfeel similar to a double-crème brie. And in comparison, American cream cheese contains about 55-percent butterfat, while mascarpone contains 75-percent.
In a mixing bowl, she combines three large eggs with the mascarpone.
She also adds half a cup of flour…
… a teaspoon of salt.
… and a few grinds of pepper.
And whisks it all up until the batter is very smooth and few bubbles are visible on the surface. This takes about one minute.
While the batter is set aside, Elvira finely grates all the Parmesan cheese provided. What’s so great about our meal kits is that all the ingredients are pre-portioned, so nothing is wasted.
Elvira pours the batter into the skillet. If you’re not familiar with Dutch Baby pancake, it is sometimes called a German pancake, a Bismarck, a Dutch puff, or a Hootenanny, or a large American popover. And, unlike most pancakes, Dutch babies are baked in the oven, rather than being fried.
And then tops the Dutch baby with half of the grated Parmesan and places the skillet back into the oven until the Dutch baby is puffed and browned in spots. Depending on the oven, this can take anywhere from 15 to 27 minutes.
Elvira thinly slices the mushrooms.
She also chops the parsley leaves.
And finely chops two teaspoons of garlic – about two cloves.
In a small bowl, she combines the ricotta, olive oil, and half of the chopped garlic along with some salt and pepper.
In another skillet, she adds the mushrooms until tender and browned…
… and then the spinach, half the parsley, the rest of the garlic, and two tablespoons of butter.
It is all cooked until the spinach is wilted – about two minutes.
And just in time – look how beautiful the Dutch baby is fresh from the oven after 19-minutes.
Here, one can see it is nicely puffed with light brown spots.
Elvira spoons the ricotta into the Dutch baby and covers the bottom…
… and then tops it with the mushrooms and spinach mixture.
And finally it is garnished with the remaining Parmesan cheese and parsley. The Parmesan Dutch Baby with Ricotta, Mushrooms & Spinach… another easy-to-make meal you and your family will love. Order your Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon meal kits right now! Just click on the highlighted link and enjoy our menu offerings!
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