French Laundry opens Culinary Garden to tours
The French Laundry is opening its 3.5-acre culinary garden to paid tours. A welcome patch of green (and more) in the center of town, the garden was once open for locals and visitors to wander through, but liability concerns as well as possible damage to the plants and infrastructure grew as it was upgraded over the past few years.
Fences, hedges and a gate now restrict entry to view the more than 150 varieties of fruits, vegetables, microgreens and flowers.
The roots of the garden were in six modest planter boxes in the courtyard of the restaurant, planted by former owner Sally Schmidt. After Thomas Keller bought the property in 1992, he started the garden although he also considered building an inn on the property until the town of Yountville nixed that notion. He got serious about the garden in 2001.
Many restaurants, especially in wine country, at least grow herbs, but few have gardens as extensive and elaborate as Keller’s Culinary Garden. Chefs from the French Laundry across the street can literally pick or cut ingredients moments before they are used. The gardens help drive the menu; the gardeners plan plantings with the chefs, and the chefs plan menus around what’s at its flavor peak.
The garden also serves as a symbol of sustainability, though it can’t have a compost pile due to the location in town, nor can it have a rooster, due to noise. It also serves as a reminder that the Napa Valley was once full of varied farms, orchards and pastures. Now there are only 17 acres of diverse agriculture in Napa County, along with 45,000 acres of grapevines.
As you might imagine of a restaurant like the French Laundry, many of the plants grown are unusual. They include tiny Mara de Bois strawberries. Who decided big strawberries are better? There are also plants that produce products one would never find in a grocery store or even a farmers market.
Keller’s other restaurants in Yountville, Bouchon, Bouchon Bakery, RO Restaurant & Lounge, Ad Hoc and Addendum, which is about to reopen for the season, can also harvest the garden’s bounty. The garden even grows flowers for the restaurant’s tables, and to add to dishes to eat, and simply because they are beautiful.
The 75-minute tour begins on the patio with refreshments and an introduction to the garden by knowledgeable gardeners, estate gardener James Costello or farm manager Teresa Kao, although there is a full-time gardening staff of eight.
The gardener guides explain the philosophy and purpose of the plantings, and how hyper-seasonal ingredients are incorporated into the daily tasting menus. They then lead guests through the property, stopping to learn more about the crops, occasionally offering an opportunity to taste some of the produce if it is ready and ripe.
One of the most interesting parts of the tour is the hoop house, a greenhouse where plants are started and some, such as microgreens, are fully grown. A surprise to many might be how delicate many tiny greens are before they grow into flowers, or even into what most people consider a weed, like oxalis. These microgreens have short lives, so the chefs may have only a small window in which they can be used.
Not surprisingly, the hoop house is screened to keep birds out. In general, the gardens are not bothered by wild animals that might love the produce since the garden is bordered by the freeway, Hopper Creek and the busy traffic of Yountville.
That’s just as well for the next stop on the tour, a large flock of chickens in a sturdy and expansive enclosure that provide fresh eggs for the restaurants. The hens are very friendly, and visitors are welcome to join them.
Another attraction is a large hollow section of a eucalyptus tree that once was in Keller’s father’s yard. Beekeepers persuaded a hive to move in to help pollinate the plants and they now provide honey, as do other bees that are hived in two additional prosaic boxes.
Not all of the property is used to grow food and flowers, the south end is a peaceful shaded garden, however, even that spot includes a small orchard. The tour ends there, and guests receive a parting gift.
Tours are offered seasonally Thursday through Monday from 10 a.m. to 11:15 a.m., perfect timing to prepare for lunch at the French Laundry. The cost is $100 per person. For more information, visit www.exploretock.com/frenchlaundryculinarygarden website, @tfl_culinarygarden on Instagram or send an email to concierge@frenchlaundry.com.
The French Laundry Garden will make special arrangements for groups such as schools and garden clubs. Keller also has other gardens, including one at Trefethen Vineyards.
The French Laundry Culinary Garden is located at 6639 Washington St., Yountville, across the street from the French Laundry restaurant.
