|
Written by Ann Shepphird
|
|
Friday, 16 April 2010 22:00 |
|
 Two years ago, Michael Hoffmann, the managing director at the Boulders Resort & Golden Door Spa in Carefree, Arizona, had the idea to put in an organic garden. According to Hoffmann, the impetus for the idea came from two of the resort’s central features: the spa, with its focus on fresh and organic products, and, of course, the dining room. With Arizona one of the top producers of organic product, it seemed a natural.
Getting the garden going proved more of a challenge. With some garden experience – he once ran the Carmel Valley Garden Show – and price tags from designers that were more than he wanted to pay, Hoffmann decided to design the garden himself with the help of garden books such as Sunset Magazine’s Big Book of Garden Design.
Opened in August of 2008, the 5,280-square-foot organic garden is made up of eight elevated planter boxes filled with seasonal herbs, vegetables and edible flowers, including those indigenous to the Boulders’ Sonoran desert locale. There are also citrus trees and an organic vineyard.
While the garden isn’t big enough to supply all the culinary needs for the resort, the components are used in a number of dishes (see recipes below) – and in the seasonal spa treatments. For instance, at this time of year, the fresh blueberries and pomegranates are used in a scrub. There’s also an outdoor kitchen in the garden for chef’s tables, cocktail receptions and dinners, which have proven to be very popular. (Click "read more" for the rest of the article and recipes.)
|
|
Written by Johnna Walker, Garden Teacher at Larchmont Charter School
|
|
Friday, 29 January 2010 02:31 |
 The great thing about working with kids in the garden is how organic the program becomes when it’s focused around gardening. You can plan all you want but when the first harvest is ready, a major aphid infestation makes itself known or the weather takes a turn for the dramatic and you find yourself following Mother Nature's cue rather than your plan book! I love that about the garden - it teaches children about life on so many levels - not to mention it keeps me on my toes.
We had our first radish harvest just before school was out for the winter break. Last year we had offered the kids a dip with the radishes but this year I decided to go even simpler. We wound up making radish wraps using freshly harvested greens and radishes. We sliced the radish really thinly, placed them atop a leaf or two of lettuces and greens and then squeezed fresh lemon from our lemon tree over that and sprinkled a little salt to boot. Before they ate the kids observed the platters of the wraps and talked about how beautiful the colors of the veggies were as they sat on the plate. The kids commented how they thought it was kind of like a work of art and that presenting food in this way made them want to eat it all the more. Then they wrapped it all up and dove right into the eating.
One little boy who had seemed disengaged for most of the morning was the first to raise his hand when it came time to share about the tasting experience. His comment was that he didn't usually like vegetables but he just loved the radish wraps. That warmed my heart and I knew right then that we'd made the right choice to go as simple as we did. When the kids grow it and are involved in the process, they will respond - even if it is one radish at a time! |
|
Written by Ann Shepphird
|
|
Friday, 05 February 2010 19:38 |
 Amid growing concerns about Colony Collapse Disorder in North American honeybees, a number of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts have added bee hives to their rooftop kitchen gardens. Not only does the addition of the hives help the environment by providing bees to pollinate area gardens and parks -- but the honey can then be harvested for use in the hotel restaurants and bars, where the honey is used to add a nice buzz (yes, I had to) to the cocktails. Fairmont hotels that have joined the program include The Fairmont Washington, D.C.; The Fairmont Royal York in Toronto; The Fairmont Algonquin in St. Andrews by-the-Sea, New Brunswick; The Fairmont Waterfront in Vancouver; and The Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac in Quebec.
Some of the new cocktails using the homegrown honey -- and other fresh herbs and produce from the kitchen gardens -- are the Bee-tini at The Fairmont Washington, D.C., which mixes Belvedere Pomrancza vodka, clover honey, fresh grapefruit juice, mint and grenadine, and the Festival Buzz, pictured above in front of a honey harvest at The Fairmont Royal York, which combines 1 oz of white peach puree, ¼ ounce of Royal York Honey and 4 oz. of Moet Chandon champagne. |
|
|
Written by Michael Costa
|
|
Tuesday, 16 February 2010 21:24 |
|
 If root vegetables were currency, I’d be a very rich man right now.
That’s because here in Chicago, it’s February. And when I receive my weekly CSA box this time of year, I’m acquiring loads of root vegetables: turnips, parsnips, onions, ginger, beets, potatoes, carrots, celery root, burdock root and more.
Even though I’ve received some items from local greenhouses recently, they’ve been limited so far to spring mix sprouts (a blend of red radish, snow pea and sunflower), rosemary sprigs, and watercress—delicious, but not exactly the bounty of July.
While it might seem easier to just throw my hands up and order a pizza, it’s definitely more satisfying to take those root vegetables and make a hearty pot of meatless goulash. Here’s a recipe my wife and I use when the root vegetables start to pile up. It’s a flexible dish that tastes great served over brown rice with a dollop of sour cream on top. (For recipe, click "Read more.")
|
|
|
Written by Ann Shepphird
|
|
Friday, 12 March 2010 02:19 |
|
 As with any gathering of people, one of the highlights of the event I attended last week at the new Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain, outside Tucson, Arizona, was the food. I was particularly happy to see that much of the focus at the resort was on sustainable seasonal (much of it local) produce -- from the farmers’ market-themed breakfast, with many of the local vendors in attendance, to the resort’s signature restaurant, Core Kitchen & Wine Bar, where Chef Joel Harrington has developed a close relationship with a local farmer (which we hope to highlight soon here).
For you "Top Chef" fans out there, the event also featured two finalists from the TV series: Jennifer Carroll, chef de cuisine at 10 Arts by Eric Ripert at the Ritz-Carlton, Philadelphia; and Jeff McInnis (pictured, above right), chef de cuisine at the DiLido Beach Club at the Ritz-Carlton, South Beach. The two chefs participated in a series of “quick fire” challenges -- doing pretty miraculous things with watermelon and cactus, I have to say -- between courses at a gala dinner and then, the next day, each taught a workshop on food trends.
Because Chef Jeff’s workshop involved not only sliders (yum) but also recipes for pickling onions and cucumbers – and because we’re about to have an abundance of onions and cucumbers in our gardens that we might just want to pickle – I attended that one. And, because I did, am happy to pass along his pickle recipes here. Enjoy! (Click "read more" for the recipes.) |
|
|
|
|
<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next > End >>
|
|
Page 5 of 17 |
