What’s Blooming at GCNH
News & Events
LEAP Garden Project Continues!
Under the leadership of Susan Anton, members filled the raised beds with soil on June 19th and will be planting them soon!
If you want to obtain that great quality compost or potting soil for yourself, the source is: https://www.newenglandcompost.com/contact).
Photos by Susan Anton
Escarole and Arugula in Your Garden? Perfect for Pesto!
RECIPE from Celeste Suggs
Pulse in food processor:
About 1/2 cup of pine nuts. Walnuts or pecans give you more sweetness.
2 or more large cloves of garlic
small chunk (2″) of good parmesan
After you have almost creamed that mixture,
Add in as many greens as you can stuff into the food processor.
I use many different combinations. Here are a few
1. Basil with a couple sprigs of thyme or any fresh herbs you have
2. Arugula and spinach
3. Carrot tops and a little herb — this is one of my faves
4. Escarole, arugula, parsley, extra pine nuts and just a bit of Meyer lemon and zest
I add the smallest amount of salt and lots of black pepper.
Pour a glug of olive oil over the greens.
Pulse until all the greens have been collected by the blades.
You will probably need another glug of olive oil, depending on how loose you like it.
Then pulse until it’s all creamy and evenly textured.
Give it a taste and see if you want a little brightness with lemon or a little salt.
Strain your pasta, but not too carefully. A little water is okay.
Pour only half of the pasta into a serving bowl and add a large dollop or two. Gently mix.
Add the rest of the pasta and as much of the pesto as you like. Finish mixing.
Serve immediately.
Because I don’t put very much parmesan into the food processor, I grate a generous portion
onto each individual serving. I also love the textural and acidic contrast of fresh tomato
on the side with all kinds of pesto.
Some notes:
This only takes a few minutes, so get your water boiling for pasta during the process. I like whole wheat penne,
or any pasta that has shapes to trap the pesto.
The basil will darken quickly. Spinach and Arugula appear and remain almost fluorescent green.
When you wash the greens, don’t worry about getting all of the water out of them. A little water helps loosen the pesto.
Sometimes, I don’t add any parmesan in the food processor. I only grate it onto individual servings.
I use a serious amount of basil or carrot pesto with my pasta. If I’m using arugula, I coat my pasta lightly. I love the bitter flavor, but enough is enough. If raw garlic bothers you or if you’re using a lot of arugula, which can have some heat to it, roast or sautée your garlic before adding it to the food processor.
Experiment with all kinds of greens or try making it very nutty or very garlic forward sometimes!
Meet the New Provisionals
From left to right: Erica Bradley, Peter Follett, Deborah Gisele Thomas, John Cavaliere, Sue Williams, Deborah Johnson, Elizabeth Fox
Visiting Sleepy Cat Farm – June 4, 2026
Twenty club members toured Sleepy Cat Farm in Greenwich for a guided tour led by the head horticulturalist.
Photo credit: Terri Burditt
Celebrating 101 Years
We celebrated the club’s 101st anniversary at the luncheon on May 31, 2026. The work of so many members working together, inspired by Committee Chairs and President Billie Ladd, contributed to a fun and productive year. It was an event enjoyed by all.
St. Martin de Porres Academy
On the right is Judith Clark, provisional member, who organized a planting project at Saint Martin’s de Porres school. Members laid cardboard and plastic to kill the grass and weeds to ready it for plants and shrubs.
Visiting the Yale President’s Garden –
May 20, 2026
On May 20th, The Garden History and Design Committee toured the President’s garden at Yale.
Thank you to Channing Harris of The New Haven Preservation Trust for leading the tour and sharing his historical and architectural knowledge with us. It was a lovely day, that felt like summer, with so many trees and shrubs in bloom.
Photo credit: Judie Clark
Wake Up the Green – May 5, 2026
GCNH participated with other community organizations on the New Haven Green.
GCNH theme was American Colonial Flower Arrangements and Gardens. The arrangement was created by member Petra Frisell.
Many children enjoyed making flower arrangements for Mother’s Day.
Karyl Evans attended the annual meeting of the Federated Garden Clubs of CT which took place on April 15, 2026 at Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville, CT. Karyl had the chance to catch up with Nan C. Merolla, President of Federated Garden Clubs of CT who visited the Garden Club of New Haven recently.
“The Federated Garden Club program was excellent with floral designer Ace Berry dazzling the group of 224 flower enthusiasts representing 54 garden clubs across the state. Ace Berry’s knowledgeable repartee while entertaining the assembled group with his stunning floral arrangements was captivating. I think more members of the GCNH should think about attending these Federated Garden Clubs of CT events since we all have memberships to this organization courtesy of our GCNH memberships.”