Celebrate Earth Day & Dig into Spring! – 4/20/17

Posted in general

Spring is finally here, and we here at the OBI couldn’t be more excited to open up our outside patio! In celebration of Spring and Earth Day, Olde Bryan Inn is more committed than ever to do our part and “go green”.

All of our lighting in the restaurant  was swapped out from standard bulbs to Energy Star incandescent bulbs, and have added as much motion-detected lighting as we can, both inside and out. Our paper products, such as paper towels and bathroom tissue, are made up of recycled materials. Unlike the standard Styrofoam or plastic takeout containers we utilize packaging made up of bamboo, grass reed, and sugar cane for that other half of your turkey panini that you just can’t quite finish!

Everyone in the building continues to try to make a difference as we recycle and safely reuse as much as possible – we are recycling more aluminum, plastic, glass, and paper products than ever!

In addition to our efforts within the restaurant, Chef John can frequently be spotted at the Saratoga Farmer’s Market every summer, seeking out the freshest, most local products available. He also utilizes the herb garden on OBI property for use in daily specials.

Have you seen our raised herb garden? It’s tucked behind the back dining room in the restaurant, and can be seen out the windows. Next time you stop in for lunch or dinner go ahead and take a look! If you have any questions about the herbs thriving in the beds, Shane Daly, a server and bartender here at Olde Bryan Inn, can answer them! Shane’s green thumb provides the restaurant fresh mint, dill, and many other tasty plants.

Shane shares his secrets and expertise in a one-of-a-kind event taking places in May. The Dig Into Gardening event takes place on May 6, 2017, where Shane will team up with Sue Ann DuBois, aka The Garden Goddess, for a real “dig in the dirt experience.” He plans to make regional recommendations including site preparation, planting practices, and plant selection using his experience creating the garden here at OBI.

Following Shane, the chefs will do a culinary demonstration and  create an original, garden-inspired fresh lunch for guests to the event, utilizing fresh herbs on hand to demonstrate what a tasty habit gardening can really be!

Sue, or Garden Goddess as she’s known to her blog followers, is a Master Gardener, Certified Aquascape Water Garden Contractor/RainXchange Professional, Be Green Organic NY Yards provider, and Garden Writers Association Member.
She believes gardening improves quality of life, balance, and joy! Her philosophy in the garden is “sensible and sustainable”.

Sue will take over after lunch with a segment on powering up your garden sustainability with perennials, and will continue with a segment on “blended gardening” – in other words using the tools and advice from both Shane and herself to demonstrate how to garden with herbs, vegetables, and perennials, side by side by side! The compatibility of certain herbs and veggies, design, aesthetics, companion planting, and small space elements will all be explored in this unique, hands-on experience!

We hope to see you at Olde Bryan Inn soon to take full advantage of this beautiful Spring weather on our outside patio, The Olde Bryan Inn look forward to continuing to celebrate Earth Day throughout Spring, and all year long with each other and our guests as well!