This major, institution-wide presentation examines the art and science of foods and food traditions through the years. Walking through the historic Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, this show features expansive displays of living edible plants - from dietary staples to culinary flavor providers. Throughout the NYBG's 250 acres, there are also art and science installations, family programming events, and artist-designed tables highlighting notable food plant histories and cultural traditions. It's an interesting way to appreciate the many plants that are grown for the dishes we consume and love.
Enjoy these photos. And, if you cannot make it to this show, perhaps you can attend the NYBG's next exhibit - KIKU, a spotlight on Japanese chrysanthemums that have been expertly trained over the past year into modern and ancient styles. It runs October 1st through October 30th.
There’s always something beautiful to see at The New York Botanical Garden. This is the magnificent Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, where many of the indoor plant exhibitions are held. As the nation’s largest Victorian glasshouse, it is among the grandest indoor spaces in the world.
The building is a series of large glass pavilions that are all very open on the inside, much like any greenhouse. The separate pavilions allow for any necessary variations in temperature and humidity.
Originally constructed in 1902, the steel and glass Conservatory includes a 90-foot tall domed Palm Gallery and 10 attached glasshouse galleries. Here is the view looking up at the dome from the inside.
Just inside the front entrance is the Reflecting Pool located below the Conservatory’s Palm Dome. It is used to display a variety of water loving plants, some specific the exhibition being shown.
These sculptures at one end of the pool represent some of the types of foods consumed around the world, and how much. It also shows the estimated carbon footprint that is made by the production of each food category.
Off to one side is this giant Triangle Palm, Dypsis decaryi. This palm is endemic to the southeastern most part of Madagascar, and it thrives in poor, dry soils. In the United States, triangle palm is found in southern Florida, southern Texas, and the Hawaiian Islands. It can reach heights of 25 to 35 feet with a crown spread of 15 feet. Fronds grow from the top portion of the trunk in three distinct rows, creating the shape of a triangle as petioles stack on top of one another. Seeds from its black fruit are edible.
Nearby is this Jelly Palm, Butia capitata. It is native to the states of Minas Gerais and Goiás in Brazil. The jelly palm can reach heights up to 10 to 20 feet. This plant blooms in the summer with small yellow, white, or red flowers that have a delightfully fruity scent. The tree produces edible pindo fruit that can be eaten fresh, used to make jellies and jams, or fermented into wine.
You may have seen one of these potted up in my greenhouse, or displayed outdoors in summertime at my farm. I grow it for its ornamental beauty, but Colocasia esculenta is a tropical plant also grown for its edible corms, a root vegetable most commonly known as taro. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, and petioles.
Ornamental pepper, Capsicum annuum var. annuum ‘Sangria’, is a compact ornamental pepper that produces clusters of colorful, cayenne-type fruit. Ornamental peppers add a splash of color in the garden, and in containers.
This is one of the giant leaves of the banana tree. Its leaves are large, oblong, and bright green. Banana plants take around nine months to grow up and produce banana tree fruit, and then once the bananas have been harvested, the plant dies.
Here is a large leaf of the Breadfruit tree, Artocarpus altilis, a species of flowering tree in the mulberry and jackfruit family. Its large fruits are a staple food of the South Pacific and other tropical regions.
Pearl millet, Cenchrus americanus ‘Purple Majesty’ features three- to five-foot-tall plants, purple strap-like leaves, and one-foot-tall purple flower spikes. The flower spikes make excellent cut flowers, or if left to mature on the plant, a great seed source for birds. The nutritious seeds are also edible to humans and can be eaten raw, ground into a flour, roasted, or steamed for use in fermented and non-fermented breads, porridges, snack foods, and beverages.
Red Amaranth, Amaranthus cruentus, is a flowering plant species that’s a great example of root to stem cooking. The stalks, leaves, stems, flowers and seeds are all edible, and packed with nutrition. The amaranth seeds are a grain substitute, similar to quinoa.
This is painted bamboo, Bambusa vulgaris ‘Vittata’ – a large tender clumping bamboo with a maximum height of 50 feet. Large arching golden-yellow culms have green vertical stripes that look like drip marks. Branches are often striped as well. Bamboo shoots or bamboo sprouts are the edible shoots of many bamboo species including Bambusa vulgaris. They are used as vegetables in numerous Asian dishes and broths.
Vanilla planifolia is a species of vanilla orchid. It is native to Mexico and Belize. It is one of the primary sources for vanilla flavoring. Common names include flat-leaved vanilla, and West Indian vanilla.
And this is the cassava plant. Cassava Manihot esculenta. Cassava has a sweet and nutty taste, and can be eaten after it’s been boiled. It’s a major source of carbohydrates with a little bit of protein.
I am sure you recognize this fruit. The pineapple, Ananas comosus, is a tropical plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuries. The fruit is edible, either eaten raw, cooked, or preserved. It is sweet, very succulent, and aromatic.
This is the Wine Palm, Jubaea chilensis, whose sap is used to make palm wine.
Jubaea chilensis a slow-growing evergreen palm with a huge and massive gray trunk supporting a dense crown of 40 to 50 gracefully arching featherlike leaves.
Outside the Conservatory is a field of sorghum bicolor, commonly called sorghum and also known as great millet, broomcorn, guinea corn, durra, imphee, jowar, or milo. I have also grown this at my farm. It is a grass species cultivated for its grain, which is used for food for humans, animals, and ethanol production.
Sorghum bicolor a heat-tolerant plant and is popular in parts of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East regions. Sorghum is the world’s fifth most important cereal after maize, rice, wheat, and barley.
If you’re in the New York City area this week, try to stop by to see this interesting exhibit. And go to the NYBG web site for information on other upcoming events and displays.
I hope you've had the chance to listen to my latest podcast, "The Beginning of Living with Isolde Motley and Gael Towey." It's a very special hour reminiscing about the creation and development of the magazine that launched my brand. If you haven't, please do - it's available now on Apple Podcasts, the iHeart Media App, and wherever you get your podcasts.
Earlier this summer, I invited Isolde and Gael to join me at my Bedford, New York farm, to recount some of our fondest memories - how we crafted each shoot, tested each recipe, and chose each cover. Living put an emphasis on beautiful visuals and timeless ideas. It was a huge effort, and I had a team of extraordinarily talented individuals to help make it all happen.
Here are just a few photos showing some of our past Living covers and behind-the-scenes moments over the years, enjoy. And please take some time this holiday weekend to listen to "The Beginning of Living with Isolde Motley and Gael Towey."
This was our very first issue of Living. It was on newsstands in the winter of 1990. This photo of me was taken on my porch at my Westport, Connecticut home, Turkey Hill.
Here I am with Gael and Isolde holding that very first issue of the magazine. Isolde was Founding Editor-in-Chief, and Gael was our Founding Creative Director. At the time, there was no guarantee anything would last, but it did, and it got better and better every year.
And here is a black and white image me with a group of employees standing in front of a wall displaying the pages of the first issue at the offices of Time Inc. We talk about these early days on my podcast – there are so many fun memories.
Here’s the cover of another early issue – this one from April and May 1992.
And the fall Living issue of that same year – October and November 1992. Many of our first magazines were released by season.
This is a summer issue from June and July 1993. So many of you loved our entertaining and decorating stories. We wanted all of our readers to know they could incorporate all our projects and ideas into their lives.
This cover is from our October 1994 autumn issue. The magazine was growing and thriving. Martha Stewart Living was different from other publications because of its honesty and clarity.
December 2000 was one of our favorites, and the best selling issue in the first 10 years of the magazine.
Here’s another beautiful cover from March 2001. We made sure every photograph was real and beautiful.
We used story boards to create every issue – illustrations and images displayed in sequence so we could closely visualize what each issue would look like.
Then we took Living abroad. In this 2010 photo, we show all the international titles in publication at the time. Our magazines were loved around the world.
This spring 2012 issue of Living is from Germany.
And here is one from Indonesia in August 2013.
Remember this? We were the first to release our magazine online in 2010. Our digital magazine cover of Boundless Beauty, was rated by Time Magazine as one of the top 10 covers of the year. We worked tirelessly to create, what we felt, was a stunningly spectacular digital version filled with original content and many innovative concepts. This digital issue celebrated our 20th anniversary of Living.
Here’s a photo of me and Gael at one of our 10-year+ employee celebrations. We worked with an incredible staff of smart, creative and enthusiastic individuals.
To prepare for my podcast, more than 30-years after creating our first issue, my team and I looked through hundreds of back issues and pulled all our favorites – there were so many. These stacks of magazines are about 25 high.
Gael and Isolde visited me at my farm – it was a lovely reunion. We only had a couple of hours, but we could have sat for days…
We talked about those first days of shooting, when we did everything ourselves – I even did my own makeup.
We also talked about the long shifts working to get the issues out. Isolde even purchased a crib for her young child for the office because she was working such long hours. I don’t want to tell you everything – you’ll just have to listen, but the podcast is filled with stories, and behind-the-scenes memories.
And here’s a photo of the three of us after our show. What a fun time. Thank you for joining me Gael and Isolde. And please listen to my special podcast this weekend. “The Beginning of Living with Isolde Motley and Gael Towey” on Apple Podcasts, the iHeart Media App, or wherever you get your podcasts. You will love it.
If your schedule is as busy as mine, your car is probably your home away from home. I spend a lot of time in my car, so it's very important that it be comfortable, roomy, economical, and environmentally appropriate. Not long ago, I got my second electric car - the new Mercedes-Benz EQS 580, a battery electric full-size luxury lift back sedan, and it's great.
Electric vehicles offer so many advantages - among them, excellent performance and handling, less maintenance, and of course less pollution. Plus, charging can be done right at home. My Mercedes EQS plugs into my ChargePoint Home Flex station and it's ready to go in 20 to 40 minutes. If you're looking for a new car, consider going electric - you'll be glad you did.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
This is my Mercedes-Benz EQS 580+ sedan in obsidian black. My drivers and I love its maneuverability and comfort. Here I am with Andres. We’re leaving the farm for a long, busy day of meetings at our New York City offices.
This electric car performs so well when it comes to torque and acceleration. It’s also quiet and fast. It can go from zero to 60-miles-per-hour in less than six seconds.
This Mercedes is equipped with excellent 20-inch tires and 4MATIC all-wheel drive, so it’s good in all kinds of weather.
In the front, full-LED and digital LED state-of-the-art headlights for safety.
And inside, it has an all-engaging dashboard with dual touch-screen capabilities.
The front seats feature adjustable lumbar supports, side bolsters, and shoulder supports -all great for those long rides. And, guess what? It also has a built-in massager.
The heated seat and window controls are easily accessible from the door panel.
Andres places a towel on the floor of both the driver’s side and the front passenger side seats – with the ends tucked under the car’s floor mats. Towels keep the area clean and are easy to pick up and throw in the wash at the end of the day.
I like to keep a supply of bar towels in the car as well – the under-console space is perfect for these 12-inch terrycloth squares. I often place one on my lap while reading the paper, so the ink doesn’t get on my clothes, but they’re also good for wiping up accidental spills or wiping anything that gets wet in the rain.
The back is also very roomy, with wireless charging areas for phones. On the back seat, I like to have a couple of pillows and a good car blanket – just in case…
Fortunately, I can get a lot of reading done in the car – papers, documents, and all those emails. It is important to have the best light. This Mercedes-Benz EQS has ample interior lights in the front and in the back.
And look at the storage space in the car’s trunk.
ChargePoint Home Flex works with any electric vehicle model and is a fast flexible Level 2 home charger, meaning it uses a 240-volt circuit. We called in our electrician to install the station just outside my Winter House.
The entire installation process takes less than an hour to complete. The first step is to select a location – this wall next to my carport is perfect because it is convenient to reach and close to the entrance of my home.
Next, the ChargePoint Home Flex is hardwired and connected to a proper socket.
The outlet socket is then screwed into the box along with the weather protective cover. The ChargePoint is designed and tested to be safe, efficient, and reliable.
Finally, the ChargePoint station and cable are hung up on the wall right to the electric outlet box. The ChargePoint Home Flex is nine-times faster than a wall outlet and can deliver up to 50 amps of power. It can also be installed inside a garage or outdoors like this one.
The charging inlet on my Mercedes-Benz EQS is where one would typically find the opening to the gas tank. This one is on the right side of the vehicle.
And the ChargePoint connector just plugs in, quick and easy – then I’m able to leave home with a full charge. Visit ChargePoint‘s web site for more information.
The Mercedes-Benz is reliable, elegant, fast, and now fully-electric. Please go to the Mercedes-Benz web site to learn more about their cars.
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