You’ve heard of farm to table. How about foraged to fork?
Longwood Gardens’s over 1,000 acres of formal gardens, open meadows, and curated guest experiences draw in 1.8 million visitors annually from across the world. The Pennsylvania grounds contain a vast range of gardens, conservatories and guest attractions. The Historic Main Conservatory, the Bonsai Courtyard, the Peirce-du Pont House, are just a few. It is also home to 1906, restaurant named in honor of the storied history of its surroundings, is a masterclass in weaving native plants into fine dining.
Most recently, the Cascade Garden underwent a significant transformation, relocating to a custom-built freestanding glass house designed to help its lush equatorial coastal rainforest plants thrive.
Photo Courtesy: Longwood Gardens
One of those guest attractions offered is a seasonal foraging class. Author and registered dietitian Debbie Naha-Koretzky leads the class covering sustainable harvesting, plant identification, and safety. The spring session focused on what’s in season now which includes Japanese Knotweed, Wild Garlic, Ostrich Fern. She also offers recipes for some of the plants, emphasizing proper identification before anything reaches the plate.
The class builds foraging fundamentals inside a class room, then moves outside for some in real life experience. Next Naha-Koretzky guides the group through the gardens, pausing to identify plants previously discussed, before leading everyone through the forest and out into the expansive Meadow Garden. The view is vast and unhurried, evoking the sense of being on a prairie land from a time that has long pasts. It is maintained by Longwood Gardens but consists mostly of plants native to the area.
Then a Spice Bush catches Naha-Koretzky’s eye. A gentle scratch of a thin branch releases a bright burst of citrus. Later a student spots a large golden mushroom on a fallen trunk, a Golden Oyster Naha-Koretzky enthusiastically confirms. The foraging class comes to an end, but the day is far from over.
At 1906, the table is dressed with fresh flowers. Floor to ceiling glass windows adorn the space, allowing guests ample view to take in the scenery. Warm brioche arrives to welcome guests in. It’s topped with herbs grown in a patch of soil mere feet from the restaurant table, and Fresh butter that’s drizzled with honey and sprinkled with fresh wildflowers.
Photo Courtesy: Tessa M. Dobrow
The restaurant offers a coursed menu where guests can pick from beginnings, mains, deserts or all three. The restaurant also offers enhancements and add-ons, including the most absolutely delicious Crab Deviled Eggs. The fresh hot sauce, crafted from plants in the onsite garden, balances the sweetness of the crab meat. The sauce adds more flavor than heat, making the egg easily devoured.
Then a server brings out a petite drink. Dried flower petals adorn the foamy top of the Honeysuckle cocktail, which smells deliciously similar to mead. Honey, lemon, and elderflower soften the white rum, creating a perfectly refreshing evening beverage.
Getting into the starters, the vibrant green Chilled Nettles Soup arrives with a drizzle of olive oil artfully dancing across the surface. It is earthy and refreshing, evoking flavors that live somewhere between your grandma’s garden and a gazpacho. Perched atop the bowl is mussels on crostini. Cracked pepper and a cream sauce finish it, adding welcome richness without upstaging the soup.
In addition, the creamy and pillowy Riscotta Stuffed Gnocchi achieves delicious depth in flavors. The mushrooms bring an unexpected umami flavor, taking the dish beyond the expected, into a league of its own.
Then moving on the main dishes, the Ocean Trout arrives bright pink with an orange crust. The chef plates it over fluffy potato espuma and tops it with savory, hearty, nutty bits. The Steak Au Poivre is tender, peppery and cooked perfectly medium rare. Mini potatoes, baked and finished with fresh dill, and pickled onions, orbit the dish while creamy lemon sauce balances out the flavors.
Photo Courtesy: Tessa M. Dobrow
Lastly, making way for desserts, the Cherry Blossom Cheesecake is topped with whipped cream and ruby chocolate. A hearty dollop of matcha ice cream accompanies the other size of the plate. The cheesecake is light in texture and extremely cherry forward, paired with notes of almond that give a lovely amaretto flavor.
In addition, the Caramelia showstopper is shaped like a mushroom and chock full of decadent flavors. A cross section cut reveals chocolate mouse and espresso caramel fill the inside of the mushroom. Cocoa soil and edible chocolate rocks sit next to its base. This alludes to the idea that this mushroom was living in a real garden, or perhaps serving a fairy’s home.
Whether you come for the gardens, the foraging, or the food, Longwood Gardens manages to make all three feel like a seamless experience. The meal doesn’t ask you to appreciate where it comes from, it shows you course by course, petal by petal. Leave room for dessert, and if you can, linger in the meadow a little longer before you go, enjoying the peace of this beautiful land.
