Sesame Soba with Wilted Kale and Mizuna

With the cool temperatures of fall (by Atlanta standards), the Edible Garden is flourishing with cool season greens and vegetables such as Swiss chard, beets, cabbage, Brussel sprouts, and mache.  Kale 'Winterbor' is pictured above and featured in the recipe below.

Garden Chef Christina Curry also worked mizuna into her dish.  Plant it because its feathery leaves are handsome or because it’s resistant to cold.  Either way, harvest some of the slightly peppery leaves, march to the kitchen and whip up this tasty dish featuring Asian flavors.  A lesser known lettuce, mizuna is sometimes included in mesclun and other mixed salad greens. 

Sesame Soba with Wilted Kale & Mizuna

3 T grape seed oil
2 T ginger root, chopped
2 cups kale, cleaned and cut
2 cups mizuna lettuce, cleaned
2 T sesame oil
1/2 lb. cooked soba noodles
2 T toasted sesame seeds
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 T sweet chili sauce
1/3 cup chopped green onion

Heat the grape seed oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the chopped ginger and cook for 30 seconds. Add the kale and allow to cook just until wilted, about 1 minute. Next add the mizuna lettuce and remove from heat. Mix well with the sesame oil. In a large bowl, combine the soba noodles, kale-mizuna mix, soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, green onion and toasted sesame seeds. Toss together gently and garnish with more toasted sesame seeds.

Find printable versions of the Garden Chef recipes here.

Wheat Berry Salad with Pomegranate and Fig Vinaigrette

While many fruits have come and gone in the Edible Garden, the 'Nana' Dwarf Pomegranate still shines, heavily laden with fruits well into fall. Bred to be small and ornamental, they taste tart and aren't as juicy as the ones you get in the supermarket, but are definitely edible. To test for ripeness, squeeze a fruit that hasn't turned yet as a baseline before squeezing one that's red. Ripe pomegranates should have deep red skin and a little give to the fruit.   

Whether you grow pomegranates in your yard or buy them at the store, combine them with wheat berries and a fig vinaigrette for a dish that's simple and tasty.

Although not featured in this recipe, here's a photo of an 'LSU Gold' Fig fruiting in the Edible Garden.  Garden Chef Christina Curry used dried figs and fig infused vinegar for her dish. 

Wheat berries are the unprocessed wheat kernel including bran, germ, and endosperm.  This whole grain contains more nutrients than stripped-down flour, pasta, or bread.  Because it can take nearly an hour to cook wheat berries, consider preparing them in advance and storing in the refrigerator until you're ready to throw this simple and tasty dish together.  Look for wheat berries at the grocery store.

Wheat Berry Salad with Pomegranate and Fig Vinaigrette

2 cups cooked wheat berries
1 cup pomegranate seeds
1/4 cup dried figs, chopped
3 T red onion, chopped
2 T mint
2 T oregano
2 T fig infused vinegar
3 T olive oil
salt and cracked black pepper to taste

In a large bowl combine wheat berries, pomegranate seeds, figs, red onion, mint and oregano. Mix together gently to incorporate ingredients. Add the vinegar and olive oil, mixing gently. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Find printable versions of the Garden Chef recipes here.

Taste of Atlanta Preview at the Garden

The Edible Garden Outdoor Kitchen has proven itself to be a gateway for the Atlanta Botanical Garden to host several of Atlanta's finest chefs throughout the course of its first season.  The Taste of Atlanta Preview at the Garden on October 16 was a day of beautiful fall weather, great chefs, and delicious food.

Chef Shane Touhy of Dogwood woke up the kitchen with a big batch of Creamy Polenta and Red-eye Gravy.

Perfect for a 10 a.m. demo on a cool day, the gravy is made with coffee. If you’re looking for polenta or grits done right, Shane Touhy is your chef.

Chef Dave Larkworthy of 5 Seasons Brewing joined Garden Chef Christina Curry for her usual noon demonstration.

Chef Dave used a melon baller to carve perfect little spheres from his favorite eating pumpkin – the Jarrahdale pumpkin.

He dropped the pumpkin balls into the hot mixture of apple cider and spices to cook briefly. Can you get any closer to tasting fall than pumpkin, apple, and spices? I think not.

Chef Marie Nygren of Serenbe had the visitors salivating as she prepared Grits and Greens with Sweet Onion Butter and Goat Cheese.  I love when chefs bring out the big equipment.  Note the huge cast iron pan used as a serving dish.

One of the kale varieties that Chef Marie brought from Serenbe had such large leaves, it apparently stumped her staff. We confirmed that the greens in this container were indeed kale before serving to the one hundred plus people who attended the demonstration.

Chef Joe Truex of Watershed wrapped up the day with Silken Turnip Soup.  Finished with a few drops of truffle oil, the soup brought warmth to our stomachs and smiles to our faces.  Want to give turnips a try at home?  Here's Chef Joe Truex's recipe:

Silken Turnip Soup
Serves 8

2 oz. butter

2 cups yellow onions, roughly chopped

1 ½ lbs. turnip roots, peeled and roughly chopped

6 oz. baking potato, peeled and roughly chopped

1 qt. chicken stock, maybe more needed after blending

½ tsp. nutmeg berry, grated

kosher salt and black pepper to taste

truffle oil, for garnish

Heat butter until foamy, then add onions and season. Cook for 5 minutes, then add potato and turnip root and season with salt again. Cover a cook on low heat for 10-25 minutes, stirring often. Add heated chicken stock and cook uncovered until root vegetables are tender. Blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning and adjust thickness by adding more heated chicken stock if needed. Finish with grated nutmeg and freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with a few drops of truffle oil if desired.

Taste of Atlanta Preview

Garden Chef Christina Curry was invited to guest blog about the upcoming Taste of Atlanta Preview at the Garden as well as her upcoming appearance at Taste of Atlanta.  If you've been meaning to catch a Garden Chef demonstration in the Edible Garden Outdoor Kitchen, make sure you mark your calendar prior to our last demos of the 2010 season on October 31.


Fall is in full swing and it is the perfect time to check out the Atlanta Botanical Garden and see what’s cooking in our outdoor kitchen.  My name is Christina Curry and I am one of the Garden Chefs at the Atlanta Botanical Garden.  The Edible Garden and Outdoor Kitchen are a wonderful addition to all the beautiful attractions that have brought visitors to the Garden for years.  As one of the chefs, I am able to harvest, prep and cook with the herbs and vegetables that have been growing each season.  It has been a great experience working in the Edible Garden Outdoor Kitchen, and we have prepared some delicious recipes this year.


With just a few weeks left before our demo season is over, we have some exciting things coming up.  On October 16, Shane Tuohy of Dogwood, Dave Larkworthy of Five Seasons Brewing, Marie Nygren of Serenbe, and Joe Truex of Watershed will join us in the Outdoor Kitchen for the Taste of Atlanta Preview.  Each will prepare a dish keeping with the seasonal theme that we embrace weekly at the Garden.  Later this month we invite you to come out and support us at the one of the country’s best food festivals, Taste of Atlanta.  I will be doing a cooking demo on the Farm to Festival stage on October 23, at 1:00 p.m.  The Taste of Atlanta presentation will be an extension of what we do at the Garden every weekend.  Mark your calendar and come on out!

Okra and Tomato Sauté

Don't be fooled by the rasberry shade, this is some good looking 'Hill Country Red' Okra.  Thriving in the Edible Garden during our hot summer, it stood tall and proud in August and September.  These red okra are stockier than their common green counterparts and suprisingly not woody or stringy for their large size.  The flowers are attractive as well, once again demonstrating that edibles can be a beautiful addition to your home landscaping.  

We like to keep food light and fresh in the Outdoor Kitchen.  Chef Megan McCarthy thought outside the fried okra box and presented a tasty and quick side dish.

Okra and Tomato Sauté

2 T extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lb. fresh okra
2 large fresh tomatoes, diced
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Wash and trim okra.  Cut okra into 1-inch pieces.  Dice tomatoes.  In large skillet, heat olive oil on medium-high heat and add chopped garlic.  After 1 minute, add in okra and diced tomatoes.  Turn down to medium heat and sauté for about 10 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Watch a video of Chef Megan McCarthy preparing this dish.  Find printable versions of the Garden Chef recipes here.

The okra was pulled out two weeks ago to create space for cool crops.  Still standing is this fabulous display of glass pumpkins and gourds by Cohn-Stone Studios.  Witness the stunning displays throughout the Edible Garden before October 31, 2010.

Chocolate September!

Where did September go?  I recall a plethora of chocolate crumbs, chocolate smears, and chocolate treats as the Garden opened Chocolate: Seed to Sweet, an exhibition celebrating this favorite indulgence.  Here’s a photo journal highlighting some of the chocolaty September moments.

A Quick Lesson: Chocolate comes from the fruit of the cacao tree.  This cacao tree is displayed in the Atlanta Botanical Garden Orangerie.  Another is located in the Tropical Rotunda.

Flowers and pods grow directly off the trunk and limbs rather than the tips like many other fruits. Cacao (pronounced ca-COW) refers to the tree and the beans inside its seed pods; cocoa (pronounced KO-ko) refers to the two byproducts of the cocoa bean: cocoa butter and cocoa powder.

Opening Weekend, Sept. 4 - 6, 2010 was full of fun activities.  These little ones are fingerpainting with melted chocolate on graham cracker canvases.

Chocolate Scented Play Dough

1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup salt
1/2 tablespoon cream of tartar
1/2 tablespoon cooking oil
1 cup boiling water

Mix flour, cocoa powder, salt, and cream of tartar together.  Add cooking oil and boiling water to mixture. Stir quickly and mix well.  Cook over low heat until dough forms a ball.  When cool, mix with your hands.  Store in airtight container.

Very few passed up the opportunity to decorate a chocolate cupcake!

Karen Porteleo and Joshua John Russell of Highland Bakery wowed the crowd during a chocolate cake decorating demonstration. 

This fabulous chocolate sculpture was created by Victor Dagatan from The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead.  Chef James Satterwhite also participated in the opening weekend by creating chocolate butterflies, flowers, and cacao pods. 

The Atlanta Cupcake Factory joined the Garden for the first Chocolate Sunday.  Jamie Fahey provided home baking tips, demonstrated how to decorate giant chocolate cupcake cakes, and provided cakes and frosting for all to decorate and consume.  There wasn't a clean face in the Outdoor Kitchen!

Garden Chefs Megan McCarthy and Christina Curry indulged in some chocolate recipes in September: 

Spicy Dark Chocolate Fondue

6 oz fine dark chocolate (70% cocoa), chopped

½ cup almond milk (or cream)

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp sea salt

Heat almond milk on low heat until it lightly boils.  Turn off heat and add chopped chocolate.  Whisk until smooth.  Add in cayenne pepper and sea salt and gently stir.  Transfer to fondue pot.  Arrange your favorite accompaniments on a platter with the chocolate fondue using fondue forks or bamboo skewers for dipping.  Serve chocolate fondue with strawberries, kiwi, fresh figs, pineapple, bananas, graham crackers, shortbread or pound cake.
Serves 4

Vegan Dark Chocolate Mousse

8 oz dark chocolate

1 12 oz package silken tofu

2 T agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 T espresso, chilled

1. Using a double boiler, slowly melt chocolate until smooth.
2. In a blender, combine tofu, melted chocolate, agave nectar, vanilla extract and espresso.
3. Blend on high until smooth and creamy.
4. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Find printable versions of the Garden Chef recipes here.

It's not too late to get a chocolate fix!  Chocolate: Seed to Sweet runs through January 2, 2011.  Find an up-to-date list of happenings here.

Grilled Watermelon Salsa

Want to sweeten your next cook out?  While the grill is hot, try throwing on some peaches, pears, or even watermelon.  Yes, watermelon.  Garden Chef Christina Curry enticed the crowd in the Edible Garden Outdoor Kitchen with the sounds and smells of watermelon slices on the grill.

Grilled Watermelon Salsa

2 cups grilled and diced watermelon
1/4 cup chopped green onion
2 T chopped cilantro
2 T chopped mint
1/4 cup lime juice
2 T olive oil

Slice watermelon into 1 inch thick pieces and grill on each side for about 30 seconds, or until you get good grill marks.  Next, dice up the grilled watermelon and put in a mixing bowl.  Add the chopped green onion, chopped cilantro, chopped mint, lime juice and olive oil.  Mix together gently.  Serve with tortilla chips, flatbread or as a relish to compliment your favorite fish.

If you enjoyed this recipe, you can’t miss Melon Fest this Saturday, August 21 from noon to 3 p.m.  Join Garden Chef Christina Curry in the Edible Garden Outdoor Kitchen at noon, 1 p.m., or 2 p.m.  Enjoy a laugh and participate in a melon seed-spitting contest or watermelon rolling on the Great Lawn.  Taste a variety of European melons from locally owned Phoenix Gardens and learn about pickling watermelon rinds.

Find printable versions of the Garden Chef recipes here.