Patty, QBG’s Deputy Director, has been making everyone on staff very hungry as she describes the large batches of incredible soup simmering away for her family’s Thanksgiving Dinner this year.  So we pried the recipe out of her (!) and are happy to share it with our readers – along with her modifications to the original recipe.

Pumpkin Lentil Soup

Lynn, QBG’s receptionist and plant hotline guru, passed along this recipe a few years ago.  We’re not positive of its origins – a fundraiser cookbook is the recollection – but we’ve both added our own flourishes and the soup has since become a Thanksgiving tradition.

Basic Ingredients:

2 large onions, chopped

¼ cup butter or margarine

5 cups chicken broth

1-1 ½ cups cooked and mashed or canned pumpkin

½ cup lentils, washed and picked over

¼ tsp. ground pepper

1/8 tsp. each marjoram and thyme

Dash hot-pepper sauce

1 cup light cream

½ cup toasted sliced almonds

Directions:

In a large Dutch oven-type pot, sauté onions in butter until golden. This is the real secret to a tasty soup, so caramelize those onions!

Add broth, pumpkin, lentils, pepper, herbs, and hot pepper sauce.

Cover and simmer about 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours or until lentils are tender. Cool slightly.

Puree – an immersion blender is perfect or use a food processor.  Add the cream and salt.  For thinner soup, add more broth or cream.

Reheat and serve with the almonds.

My first batch was for Thanksgiving 2009.  I substituted cayenne pepper for the hot pepper sauce, and added more ground pepper while layering salt over several stages.  Modified the herbs a bit too, by using a pinch of sage plus Herbs de Provence (rosemary, marjoram, thyme and savory) rather than just marjoram and thyme.

The soup was such a hit that I made another batch for QBG’s holiday party the same year.  To accommodate some of the vegetarians on staff (and satisfy my culinary curiosity!), I used vegetable stock.  Tasty still, but I do prefer using the suggested chicken stock.

Just prepared soup for this year’s Thanksgiving Dinner and couldn’t resist a new modification!  To give a bit of a Latin flavor, I added two envelopes of Sazon.  Yum –can hardly wait to serve it to the family tomorrow!

Lynn’s modifications show just how flexible and creative this recipe can be.  She prefers to simply let the pumpkin flavors come through stronger, and likes to lighten up the calories in this heavy-duty eating season.  She leaves out the almonds, salt and light cream, adding just a touch at the end — and only if necessary.  Since hot pepper sauce might not be to everyone’s liking, she eliminates it completely which lets more pumpkin and lentil come through.

Enjoy, and from all of us at Queens Botanical Garden, Happy Thanksgiving!

I’ve had a wonderful summer working with Karl in our beautiful Rose Garden (though the weeding never stops…).  I feel most fortunate to have this privileged fun and to see the wonderful results of his planning and our labor.

Now with winter coming, it’s time to catch of on my reading!  I just finished The Founding Gardeners by Andrea Wulf.  Focused on Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison and their respective “home places” (Mount Vernon, Peacefield, Monticello, and Montpelier), Wulf describes their common trait: all were passionate botanists with visions of an independent, agriculturally self-sufficient republic in the New World.

I was especially struck by Madison’s contributions — he was truly our first environmentalist.  In May 1818 he delivered a famous speech to the Agriculture Society of Albemarle in Virginia, providing a voice to the principles of soil, forest conservation, and the delicate balance of nature.   The benefits and importance of nature were not hot topics in the 1800s — nature existed entirely for human benefit (clearly no one realized that trees give off oxygen!).  Madison’s alternate vision had wide repercussions — his speech was made into a pamphlet and read across the world and revolutionized farming methods.

All four founding fathers did not limit themselves to farming concerns.  They also took the first steps in public gardens by trying to create a national botanical garden.  Their initial attempt failed until the first national garden was created in 1870.

Founding Gardeners was brought to life on a recent trip to Richmond, Virginia for a family wedding at the very lovely Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.  My visits to nearby Monticello and Montpelier were greatly enriched by reading Wulf’s engaging book, and I had a better understanding of the world in which these gardens were created.

As the gardening beds are put to rest and tools returned to storage for the winter months, enjoy the new free time by checking out Founding Gardeners.  I promise you a good read!

This book available through QBG’s Amazon Associates store — a portion of your purchase will support our programs and gardens.

Here’s a great recipe from Mary, a beloved member of the QBG family, packed with delicious apples.

So swing by the Farmers Market located at QBG,  Fridays from 8:30am to 4pm, and grab some gorgeous apples to try this scrumptious treat at home!

Recipe:   Apple Walnut Supreme Cake

What you’ll need

½ cup chopped walnuts                                                                                                                  

4 cups coarsely chopped apples

1 ¾ cups sugar

2 eggs

½ cup vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups sifted flour

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

What to do

-Combine apples and sugar. Set aside for 45 minutes until apples are nice and juicy.

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

-Add nuts to the apples.

-Mix flour and baking soda.

-In a large bowl mix eggs, oil, vanilla, cinnamon and beat for 1 minute.

-Add the other ingredients to the egg mixture, alternating between the apple mixture and the flour mixture, stirring well.

-Spoon the cake mixture into a baking pan 13” x 9” x 2”.

-Bake for 40- 45 minutes

1)      Block Planting- The NYC Department of Parks and Recreation plants street trees through their Central Forestry & Horticulture Division . To determine which blocks to plant first, they identify neighborhoods that have a low tree canopy cover (amount of green foliage that can be seen from an aerial view), coupled with high population density. In addition, the Parks Department has identified six target neighborhoods that are of greatest need for trees, called Trees for Public Health (TPH) neighborhoods.

2)      Request a Tree- You can request a street tree to be planted in front of one or more addresses. Call 311 or submit your request online. Trees will be planted on a first come, first serve basis. Remember to keep your service request tracking number to check up on your request.

3)      Tree Giveaways- New York City residents can pick up a free tree at one of our Tree Giveaways, occurring at various locations in each borough every spring and fall. These trees must be planted on private property, such as front and backyards, commercial properties, community gardens and faith-based institutions.

About the Author:  Hi, my name is Chelsea Clarke, and I am an AmeriCorps member working as the Queens MillionTreesNYC Stewardship Corps Outreach Coordinator at Queens Botanical Garden. I work to set-up Street Tree Care Workshops at the Garden and in Queens neighborhoods where MillionTreesNYC has planted new street trees. Along with the NYC Compost Project in Queens and the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation (NYCDPR), we teach these workshops to inform New York City residents (people like you) how to properly care for your new street trees to ensure that they grow tall and strong to provide you and your community with all the benefits that trees can! Not only do I offer these workshops, but I also work with the NYCDPR at the Central Forestry office to gain insight into the entire tree planting process. Stay tuned for more blog posts from me in the next few weeks about tree care and street tree planting processes, from tree procurement to stump removal.

In the MillionTreesNYC program, there are two seasons for street tree planting, Fall and Spring. The fall planting season begins in October and extends through December. The spring planting season begins mid-March and ends in May or until all the trees are in the ground. Street tree plantings have just finished for this spring 2011 planting season!

Surveying and Marking

First, we need to determine appropriate locations for tree plantings. Foresters begin surveying neighborhoods for block plantings and individual requests a few months in advance of the start of the planting season. In surveying a planting space, foresters take into account overhead wires, underlying infrastructure, sidewalk width, and proximity to driveways, fire hydrants, parking meters, intersections, bus stops, and more. If the location is found to be suitable for a tree, the forester will select the appropriate tree species to be planted there, and spray-paint the sidewalk with white brackets that indicate the size of the tree pit. They will also paint a “T” on the curb for “Tree”.

Before any work can be done to the sidewalk, utility (gas, electric, and telecommunication) lines must be marked by their respective utility companies in yellow, red, and orange spray paint, respectively. If these utility lines run through the proposed location, the location will be voided, and a tree will be planted at another location.

Saw-Cutting and Excavation

Our street trees need space to establish their roots! If the location is free of utilities, the sidewalk and underlying soil will be excavated for tree planting! Typically, sidewalk saw-cutting and pre-excavation occur far in advance of a tree planting.

During saw-cutting, our contractors use a special machine to cut a rectangle out of the sidewalk.  The size of this rectangle will depend on the width of the existing sidewalk and any other known obstacles, above or below ground. After saw-cutting, a large machine will jackhammer the rectangle to break up the cement.

This machine can then scoop up the slabs of concrete and load them into a truck to be further broken-up and disposed of.

Who would have thought that there would be all this earthy brown stuff underneath our city?! Yes, believe it or not there’s soil under your feet, even in the concrete jungle!

Once the sidewalk has been removed, the Claw digs down and removes two feet of compacted dirt that lacks the nutrients for the trees to establish and grow.

If the tree is not ready to be planted, the newly dug pit will be back-filled with fresh, new, nutrient-rich topsoil. The contractors will return a few weeks later to plant the tree.

Oftentimes, new trees are planted in already existing tree pits. In this case, the pit may be widened to accommodate improved standards for street tree planting. The larger the tree pit, the more water the tree’s roots will be able to access. This can help prevent sidewalk cracks because tree roots will receive all the water they need within the tree pit and will not need to search for water elsewhere. You can foster your tree’s growth and help to avoid sidewalk cracks by watering your tree 15-20 gallons all at one time, once per week from May through September!

Tree Planting

Upon initial delivery, trees are kept in a storage yard with their roots wrapped in burlap and wire cages until it’s time to be planted. Once the planting locations have been pre-excavated and weather conditions are right, trees are then transported via truck and lifted to the ground using the Claw or other heavy machinery. (Note: Trees should never be lifted by their truck or branches. The root ball is so heavy, it can put a strain on the trunk and weaken the structure of the tree if lifted this way. Trees are always lifted by the root ball.)

Until this tree is planted in the soil, it’s just like a fish out of water!

To prepare the tree for planting and allow for root growth, the wire cage and burlap must be removed.

The wire cage holds the soil and burlap in place as the tree is transported from the nursery.

 If left in place once the tree is planted, it will constrict root growth, prevent the tree from becoming well-established in the soil, and thus severely limit the tree’s access to water. This is why it’s extremely important that the majority of the wire is removed.

The burlap must be removed because it does not degrade in soil, especially if it is made of synthetic material or treated with chemicals to prevent degradation in the nursery.

Once the root ball is exposed, the tree is ready for its new home! Trees may be planted in an existing pit, as mentioned above, a new sidewalk pit, or a lawn pit. Lawn pits are ideal for trees because they offer much more space for the tree roots to grow and absorb water.

This tree stands alone in its own sidewalk pit.

These lucky trees get to grow together and establish their roots in this big lawn pit.

Where’s the soil? New York City soil has a bad reputation. Suffocated under concrete slabs for decades, our urban soil has been leached of nutrients. The brown stuff under the concrete, we now affectionately refer to as “dirt.” This nutrient-poor dirt is not suitable for tree growth, and so we require our contractors to replace this dirt with more fertile soil.

Look at that color difference! The rich, black soil will replace the washed-out brown soil around the tree’s roots.

These newly planted trees have yet to establish their roots in the soil, and can be easily knocked over by a careless driver. To stabilize the tree, wooden stakes are placed on either side, and arbor tie is secured around the trunk to keep the tree upright.

This beautiful new addition to a residential block in East New York will receive one more thing: a layer of mulch to lock in soil moisture, moderate soil temperature, and minimize weed growth throughout the summer.

This tree now needs someone to water and care for it! Pledge to care for this tree or another like it in your neighborhood by Adopting-a-Tree on our website! Stay tuned for more information on the 2-year guarantee commitment our contractors have to caring for the tree. But for now, check out 10 Steps to Planting for a Greener NYC for similar information on the planting process and the guarantee.

About the Author:  Hi, my name is Chelsea Clarke, and I am an AmeriCorps member working as the Queens MillionTreesNYC Stewardship Corps Outreach Coordinator at Queens Botanical Garden. I work to set-up Street Tree Care Workshops at the Garden and in Queens neighborhoods where MillionTreesNYC has planted new street trees. Along with the NYC Compost Project in Queens and the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation (NYCDPR), we teach these workshops to inform New York City residents (people like you) how to properly care for your new street trees to ensure that they grow tall and strong to provide you and your community with all the benefits that trees can! Not only do I offer these workshops, but I also work with the NYCDPR at the Central Forestry office to gain insight into the entire tree planting process. Stay tuned for more blog posts from me in the next few weeks about tree care and street tree planting processes, from tree procurement to stump removal.

As we transition from rainy April weather to warmer May temperatures, the planting season is well underway for the urban foresters working at the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation. Spring tree planting typically begins mid-March and continues until late May, or until all the trees are in the ground. But where do all these trees come from? Surely, they don’t just sprout from seed and grow to be 12 feet tall in a day! No, these trees are grown in nurseries for about 7 years, until their diameter at breast height (DBH) measures at least 2.5 inches, and they are deemed capable of surviving in the harsh urban environment of New York City.

In early March, carefully selected trees from nurseries in Maryland, Long Island, Buffalo and sometimes as far as Oregon arrive in New York City on semi-trucks. For easy handling during shipment and planting, a portion of the tree’s roots are removed, and then the remaining mass of roots and soil is wrapped up in burlap and contained by wire cages. This burlap package of roots at the base of the tree is called the root ball. The tree’s branches are tied up with string, much like a Christmas tree, in preparation to load it onto the truck. Trees from Maryland and Long Island are tied securely down onto the back bed of a large semi-truck. If the trees are travelling from as far as Oregon, they will be loaded onto a refrigerated truck.

Take note of the trees' root balls, and their tied branches.

Trees tied neatly and securely on the semi-truck.

Once the trees make the journey by truck to NYC, they are delivered to various storage yards all over the city.  The pictures you see here were taken at a storage yard in East New York, Brooklyn.  They trees are then unloaded from the truck using a special machine, grouped by species, and stored in the yard until their new sidewalk home is ready for them, usually just a couple weeks later.

This handy machine easily slides under the root ball of a tree and lifts it from the truck...

...to the ground, among trees of the same species, creating a forest of burlap and root balls.

Trees are marked with colorful ribbons to help workers identify the species before planting. Ribbons are removed after planting.

Keep a look out for new trees planted in your neighborhood this spring! Check for the orange bracelet that says SPRING 2011. Don’t see any trees in your neighborhood? Be sure to look for a white spray-painted “T” or the milliontreesnyc.org stencil on the sidewalk that indicate you might be receiving a tree this spring. To request trees for your neighborhood, call 311, and be sure to specify an address.

Each MillionTreesNYC tree has a colorful bracelet that identifies the year it was planted. Check the young trees on your block to see when they were planted!

MillionTreesNYC.org Stencil spray-painted using water-based marking chalk.

About the Author:  Hi, my name is Chelsea Clarke, and I am an AmeriCorps member working as the Queens MillionTreesNYC Stewardship Corps Outreach Coordinator at Queens Botanical Garden. I work to set-up Street Tree Care Workshops at the Garden and in Queens neighborhoods where MillionTreesNYC has planted new street trees. Along with the NYC Compost Project in Queens and the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation (NYCDPR), we teach these workshops to inform New York City residents (people like you) how to properly care for your new street trees to ensure that they grow tall and strong to provide you and your community with all the benefits that trees can! Not only do I offer these workshops, but I also work with the NYCDPR at the Central Forestry office to gain insight into the entire tree planting process. Stay tuned for more blog posts from me in the next couple months about tree care and street tree planting processes, from tree procurement to stump removal.

The NYC Compost Project Master Composter Certificate Course is a train-the-trainer program with a community service component. This course was developed by the NYC Compost Project and the DSNY Bureau of Waste Prevention, Reuse and Recycling.

Application Deadline: Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Courses will be held every Tuesday in March and April (except April 19^th) from 6-9pm at Queens Botanical Garden with two weekend field trips, TBD. Apply online at http://bit.ly/feszXA .

Master Composter Course Description

The Master Composter Certificate Course requires 18-23 hours of classroom instruction, two field trips, plus 15 hours of supervised community training, and 15 hours of independent projects/community service helping to advance on-site composting in NYC. This course covers the following topics:

• the small-scale composting process
• how to use finished compost
• how to design and build on-site compost systems
• techniques for teaching others about composting

For the community service component, participants engage in projects based upon their interests and the goals of the NYC Compost Project. Potential projects might include giving composting classes at schools and civic associations, building compost bins at community gardens, staffing compost info tables, or working at compost demonstration sites.

Course material fee is $40; limited scholarships are available.

The Master Composter Certificate course is offered every spring by the NYC Compost Projects at the city’s botanical gardens in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island; the NYC Compost Project in Manhattan offers the program in the fall. Applications for spring classes are due in early 2011. For more information, dates and the online application, please visit: http://bit.ly/dYTsLU

 The NYC Compost Project is funded and managed through the Department of Sanitation’s Bureau of Waste Prevention, Reuse and Recycling.

Project LeafDrop (nycleaves.org) is a coalition of community and botanical gardens, environmental groups, City agencies and community partners dedicated to directing fallen leaves from the trash bin to the compost bin, giving New Yorkers the chance to recycle residential leaves into compost and keep them out of our waste stream. Bagged leaves left curbside are sent to the landfill along with everyday garbage.  Making a difference starts with you!

For More information including dropoff sites and dates visit  http://nycleaves.org/

Read some success stories to find out how ioby’s community can support work just like yours. Or join us at our benefit event on November 11^th to meet 2010 Heroes In Our Backyards.