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  • … muddling technique Muddling 101 Here’s the first rule of muddling: Don’t overmuddle. Muddling is the process of gently—repeat, gently—bruising the leaves of herbs. As Kasey said, “If you hear the leaves tear, you’re overmuddling.” The goal is to release the fresh, green taste and aroma of the leaves, not to break or pulverize them … steel bar sets from the ’50s and ’60s. That big bump at the end of the long swizzle stick is a muddler. Infusion starts with muddling.   Infusions Herbal infusions are a …
    Type: Blog
  • … of dice you make will depend on the game you want to play, but for all games the basic idea is the same. Players will toss the seeds and the side that lands face up is the number they will work with. You’ll want to select seeds that are more flat than rounded. … 6s, 7s, 8s, and 9s. Those are scary numbers to add until you get the hang of it, which is the whole point of this game. To play, toss the seeds, then move the blanks out of the way. …
    Type: Blog
  • … with food, our campers are eager to “dig into” their creations. For little ones, this project is easy and fun to do with a grown-up and provides opportunities to identify colors and start … plant parts. Older kids can use new kitchen tools (with adult supervision) and discuss what is really a fruit or a vegetable.  Watch Painting with Veggies on YouTube. Supply list: Cutting …
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  • … season, we unveiled our cookbook,  Cooking in Season with Windy City Harvest .  This cookbook is a collection of our favorite seasonal recipes and features the fresh produce grown and … kale at the Washington Park farm Just like planting seeds and harvesting the bounty, cooking is an essential component of the  Windy City Harvest  program. Program participants learn how to … their dishes at our annual Open House celebrations. One of our favorite fall recipes is a grilled kale salad. Grilled Kale Salad Preparation: 15 to 30 minutes. Serves: 6 to 8 Salad: …
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  • … of lettuce and corn and tomatoes and too many other crops to list. And that, in a nutshell, is why it continues to be important to plant heirloom varieties. Vintage Varieties, Still in … paths made with wood chips that would have been straw in earlier centuries. As one crop is harvested, the next crop is planted—a nod to the constant production that was a matter of survival for our forefathers and …
    Type: Blog
  • … camera, I zoomed into the Venus fly trap to show him that the plant’s snapping mechanism is smaller than the tip of my finger and not nearly as strong. The fast-closing leaves have … in action As the Garden’s youth programs director, I wasn’t sure what to expect. What we found is that the field trips gave students a break from remote learning routines and inspired them to think about and get engaged with nature. The hands-on component is key. After a teacher signs up for a field trip, we deliver kits of materials for every …
    Type: Blog
  • … to see how weather changes affect the activity at Butterfly & Blooms. The seasonal exhibition is a photographer’s dream, with hundreds of live butterfly species native to countries around the … chance of viewing a butterfly emerging in our pupa chamber or drying its wings before it is ready to take flight, stop by earlier in the day. Afternoons: Afternoons are typically the … tend to be very active. Watching the butterflies dance all around on a sunny afternoon is sure to raise your spirits. Drop by Butterflies & Bloom daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., on the …
    Type: Blog
  • Is there any more welcome sight than daffodils blooming in the spring? Not to me! I’m thrilled by … said, “Let him who hath two loaves sell one, and buy the flower of narcissus: for bread is but food for the body, whereas narcissus is food for the soul.” During the Victorian era, when flowers were selected carefully for their …
    Type: Blog
  • … U.S. Navy veteran Anna Andersen is quick to tell you how the Chicago Botanic Garden’s impact on her life goes beyond the beauty … to get done, yet she still gave me opportunities to do it how I wanted to get it done. Which is different than the military. They just told you what to do and didn’t give you a reason for … said Andersen. “I was able to observe what an effective listener and leader looks like. This is something I am still working on, but I think the VIP set me up for success by providing a good …
    Type: Blog
  • … Spring is seed season—and a good time to think about gifting seeds to gardeners, friends, and … cotta as the balls dry. This recipe yields about 24 seed balls.   About Your Seed Choice Less is more. You only want a few seeds to sprout from each seed ball. Too many seeds mean too many … into the soil), or placed, randomly or intentionally, on bare soil in the garden. A rainy day is the perfect day to “plant” seed balls—rain helps to break down the clay and compost, giving …
    Type: Blog