Enjoy this encore blog posting which originally ran on June 14, 2024.
If you're planning to be in or near Westchester County, New York this summer, try to visit Lyndhurst, a magnificent Gothic Revival country estate and National Historic Landmark located on 67 sprawling acres beside the Hudson River in Tarrytown.
Lyndhurst, which is also known as the Jay Gould estate, was owned and shaped by three prominent area families - The Pauldings, The Merritts, and lastly, by railroad tycoon and financier, Jay Gould. Purchased in 1880, Jay occupied the home until his death in 1892. In 1961, his daughter Anna Gould donated it to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The estate features 16 elaborately decorated rooms - many lovingly restored and including original furniture left in the home. The surrounding park is an outstanding example of 19th-century landscape design with expansive lawns, specimen tree groves, and curved carriage roads. The property also includes a children's cottage, a bowling alley, a laundry building, a pool house, and the exterior of what was once considered the largest private greenhouse complex in the country.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
The mansion was designed in 1838 by architect Alexander Jackson Davis in a romantic Gothic Revival style. The original structure was doubled in size between 1864 and 1867 to what is seen today.
Lyndhurst is situated beside the Hudson River about a half mile south of the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, formerly known as the Tappan Zee Bridge. On a clear day, one can see New York City.
The property boasts some beautiful mature trees – some planted in groves and stands and some singly.
The main house has a soaring two-floor Art Gallery, which was once also used as a library and billiards room. Today, the room is filled with 19th century academic paintings along with Tiffany glass windows and other period furnishings designed by Davis.
On the first floor are several sitting areas and parlors – all meticulously maintained.
The Dining Room at Lyndhurst still contains the original Gothic Revival dining table and chairs designed by Alexander Jackson Davis for the Merrit Family in 1865.
This is one of the bed chambers in the home. It includes a very ornate period bed.
The family bathrooms were large in its day with marble sink counters and claw foot tubs.
This beautiful spiral wood back staircase takes visitors up to the fifth floor tower where one can see panoramic views of the Hudson River and New York City as well as all the way down to the basement kitchen.
Here is the main kitchen – still decorated with many of the 19th century cooking elements, tools and supplies. This room had great light and ample space.
This is the large stove behind the kitchen table.
Staff would gather and eat at this table – it was a dream to work in a kitchen like this one in its time.
Various tables are filled with types of items possibly used during that era.
Just outside the kitchen is where pickling and preserving was done.
And across the carriage road is the Laundry Building, where the housekeeping staff would wash, iron and mend cloth items.
This wall is lined with large, deep sinks for washing delicates.
The servants’ rooms were also rather spacious. This one was likely occupied by the head of staff – it includes a bed, a small sitting area and a private bathroom.
And not far from the main house is the Bowling Alley, one of the earliest bowling lanes in the United States. Anna Gould used the bowling alley for visiting soldiers during World War II. Although the structure fell into disrepair in the 1950s, it was restored and opened for public tours. The building was also used as a school where local women could learn sewing and other skills.
Here is the children’s playhouse, the Rose Cottage. It is nestled beneath the shade of mature trees just steps from the main house.
Inside there was full sized furniture where the children could rest after playing in the warm summer sun.
Here is the cottage from afar. The entire Lyndhurst estate is a wonderful and picturesque escape from the busy city – still as beautiful now as it was in the 1800s. Please visit the next time you are in the area. You can learn more about Lyndhurst on their web site at lyndhurst.org.
Here's an encore blog that was originally posted on July 25th, 2025. This plant can be divided during the growing season, but it's best to do several weeks after blooming ends in your zone, so plan accordingly.
I always enjoy growing my own plants, but there’s something even more exciting and gratifying about propagating them - producing plants by dividing, grafting, or rooting cuttings from existent stems.
Recently, I asked my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, to divide one large walking iris into four smaller ones. Walking iris, or fan iris, Neomarica caerulea, is a beautiful and sturdy plant known for its fans of pale green foliage and fragrant flowers that bloom in spring, summer, and fall.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
It is definitely rewarding when one plant can be easily divided to make multiple new ones. That’s what happened to one of my walking iris plants – it is now four.
I provided pots and instructed Ryan to use them for transplanting. The best pot for a walking iris is at least eight inches in diameter and about 10-inches deep. It should also be porous. I selected terra cotta, which will provide good water and air exchange.
After pulling the walking iris from its original pot and before dividing, Ryan removes any dead or unsightly foliage from the base of the plant.
Walking iris plants grow from rhizomes, or thickened stems that grow underground and serve as storage for water and other nutrients. Here is Ryan as he starts to divide the plant in two.
Next, Ryan assesses where he can cut each section again. Here he cuts one of the halves in two using a very sharp knife.
Here is a healthy section of the plant. Section dividing iris plants promotes good health and prevents overcrowding and competition for water and nutrients.
After cutting the plant into four, Ryan cleans up each one removing unnecessary foliage.
I save all the shards from broken pots for repotting. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, these shards come in very handy.
Ryan places a shard on top of the pot’s hole to maintain good drainage and to prevent soil from escaping.
Ryan adds a couple scoops of fertilizer and mixes it thoroughly with the Miracle-Gro potting soil.
I use Osmocote Plus with added nutrients – it will last for up to six months.
Ryan starts filling the pots with a few inches of soil.
And then gets the divided walking iris sections to plant.
He decides which section will go into each container. When transplanting, the plant should also be inspected for any signs of disease, rot, or pest infestation. These sections are in excellent condition.
Ryan makes adjustments and cuts the bottom of this section to better fit the pot.
Then Ryan places the plant in the pot at the same height it was in its previous container. If needed, he adds a bit more soil at the bottom.
Then Ryan backfills, keeping the plant straight as he adds soil.
Once the container is filled, Ryan tamps down on the soil gently to ensure good contact with the plant.
And here is one all potted up. Do you know how the walking iris got its name? After flowering in the garden, the plant’s stalk bends down and forms new plantlets or babies that root in the soil and give the appearance of moving through the earth.
And then there were four… I am excited to watch these potted walking irises flourish and multiply.
This morning, why not have a delicious steamed egg for breakfast?
So many of my readers and viewers ask me how to make the perfect steamed egg - when the white of the egg is firm, and the yolk is silky, creamy, and liquid gold. Steamed eggs, soft-boiled eggs, and hard-boiled eggs are all great with toast, or as an addition to salads, or even alone as a quick snack. My eggs are as fresh as can be - they come straight from my chicken coops every day. Eggs are also very nutritious. A large egg contains about six-grams of protein, plus other nutrients, including vitamin D and choline. And, best of all, making the perfect egg is so easy.
Here are some photos and my step-by-step method for steamed eggs, enjoy.
As many of you know, I’ve long enjoyed raising chickens. I began raising chickens many years ago, primarily for their delicious fresh eggs. And I use a lot of them. Aside from enjoying one or two myself on any given day, I share them with my daughter and grandchildren, I cook flavorful dishes such as frittatas for guests and my crew at the farm, and I use many eggs for various cooking shoots. Here is a bowl of fresh eggs on my kitchen counter. When hens lay eggs, they have a natural coating called the “bloom” that helps keep out bacteria. Washing eggs can drive some bacteria in through the pores of the shell, so I don’t wash them before cooking. I always just wipe them with a warm damp cloth to get rid of any dirt and place them in this giant bowl.
I have about 200-chickens down in my poultry yard. They’re all beautiful birds. I I’ve grown fond of caring for them, and learning about their many different breeds and varieties.
Here’s a hen sitting in her nesting box – I wonder if she’s sitting on an egg? In general, hens become mature enough to lay eggs around six months of age, though this varies slightly by breed. Healthy hens are able to lay an egg about once a day.
To steam the perfect egg, one needs a saucepan with a lid and a steamer.
These stainless steel expandable steamer baskets are easy to find.
Just fill the pot to the bottom of the steamer basket – about an inch-and-a-half.
Then place the saucepan on the stove and turn it on high to boil.
While waiting, select your eggs. I chose six large eggs. I do not refrigerate my eggs. Freshly laid eggs can be left at room temperature for at least a month.
The water is just about boiling. A covered pot boils faster than an uncovered one because the cooling presence of the room’s atmosphere is greatly diminished. And notice, the lid is askew on top of the pot – just so it doesn’t boil-over.
I’m using a large spoon to carefully move the eggs into the pot.
I keep a crock near my stove filled with tasting spoons – large spoons intended to lift out about a 1/2 tablespoon of liquid from a pan or pot for sampling. I also keep some tasting forks close at hand.
Place the eggs carefully into the steamer – six is enough for one layer of eggs in this pot. Try not to stack the eggs if possible.
Set the timer to four-and-a-half minutes.
Place the lid properly on the pot and wait.
Remove the eggs as soon as the timer goes off. Remember, these are large eggs, but depending on the size of the eggs and how one likes them, this time may need some adjusting.
To serve eggs in their shells, I use the edge of a serrated knife to cut off the top.
Look at that beautiful gold color – it’s perfect. Egg yolks range in color from pale yellow to deep orange. The color of an egg’s yolk depends upon the hen’s diet. The darker color of a yolk indicates the hen is fed foods high in carotenoids or antioxidants, which are natural pigments found in greens. My chickens are fed the best scraps including organic vegetables from my gardens.
Add a little salt and pepper and it’s ready to eat.
To serve out of the shell, hold the egg over a small bowl, tap around center with a knife, gently pull the shell apart, and then scoop out the egg with a small spoon.
Here’s another egg with its creamy egg yolk pouring out into the bowl – made to perfection. Minutes really make a difference, but after doing this a few times, one will find their perfectly cooked egg.
Here are the two eggs in the bowl. Again, I added just a little salt and pepper to taste.
Steamed eggs for breakfast – so easy to make and so flavorful and healthy too. Don’t you just want one now? Enjoy.
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
