The New York Botanical Garden has a gorgeous showcase called The Edible Garden. It’s an exhibit demonstrating how plants and their glorious bounty go straight to a table. Although in some dishes, they’ll take a detour in a kitchen. The exhibit started June 19 and it will end October 17. Several weekends will feature famous chefs, cooking demonstrations and garden classes. This week’s theme is berry special. I’ve also included recipes for a Strawberry Mint and a Mango Raspberry Sorbet to accompany this week’s theme. The strawberries and raspberries are from the farmer’s market, and the mint is from my urban pottery garden. The mangoes used in this recipe is a favorite variety called Champagne. It’s important to let them fully ripe to enjoy their sweetness. Please enjoy the show.

Visit www.nybg.org for more information about New York Botanical Garden’s The Edible Garden. Also, check out their blog at www.TheEdibleGarden.com.

The following is a list of events highlighting this week’s Garden to Table theme, berries.

» Saturday, July 3 : : Alissa Dicker Schreiber, cooking instructor, food writer, and creator of The Kitchenista Web site
Berry-Inspired Menu
Sucrine Salad with Strawberries and Peas
Simple Berry Sauce

» Sunday, July 4 : : Jansen Chan, Executive Pastry Chef, Oceana
Berry-Inspired Menu
Raspberry Yogurt Fool with Basil
Chocolate Raspberry Upside-down Cake

» Monday, July 5 : : Dan Latham, Executive Chef, Cornelia Street Café
Berry-Inspired Menu
Cornelia Black and Blue Berry Square
Summer Corn Risotto with Tomato Basil Coulis

» Home Gardening Demonstration
Herbs and Edibles: There are versatile arrays of herbs that you can grow in your garden to spice up your life. Join Gardener for Public Education, Sonia Uyterhoeven, as she explores how these tantalizing herbs can be used to make herbal butters, pesto, tasty vinegars and soothing teas.

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Strawberry Mint Sorbet

Ingredients
Note: Depending on the sweetness of the strawberries, adjust the amount of simple syrup when adding to sorbets.
1 to 2 cups of simple syrup, room temperature or chilled*
2 to 3 cups strawberries; cleaned, trimmed, and quartered mixed with a few dashes of balsamic vinegar
1/2 to 3/4 cup fresh mint
2 to 3 tbsp. elderberry liqueur

Directions
1. Place all ingredients in a blender and puree.

2. Let puree marinate in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

3. (Optional) Strain puree through a fine-mesh strainer.

4. Place in an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s directions.

5. Place in the freezer to keep cold.

6. Enjoy!

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Mango and Raspberry Sorbet

Ingredients
2 to 3 mango; peeled and chopped
1/4 to 1/8 cup raspberries
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1/2 to 1 cup coconut milk
2 to 3 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 to 1/2 cup simple syrup (the amount depends on the sweetness of the fruit)*

Directions
1. Place all ingredients in a blender.

2. Place in the refrigerator to chill.

3. Place in an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s directions.

4. Store in the freezer to chill and enjoy.

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*Simple Syrup

Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Directions
1. Place both ingredients in a pot over medium heat. Stir until sugar has dissolved.

2. If using in a sorbet, let syrup cool to room temperature or place in the refrigerator to chill.

3. Use in your favorite recipe or drink.