The Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival begins on March 2, 2016 and there are going to be lots of fun things to see and do.
Category Archives: Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival
More Musical Acts Added to Garden Rocks Concert Series
The Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival is starting in less than a month from now. There will be lots of displays, food options, and presentations during the course of the event. Guests will also be treated to the Garden Rocks concert series throughout the festival.
Two New Food Options Added to the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival
The Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival will be here before we know it. This is a favorite event for lots of guests. The event offers fun topiaries, gardening tips, food booths and more. Disney has recently announced some new food options will be joining the event.
New Twitter Poll: Food & Wine or Flower & Garden – Cast Your Vote!
This was our first year experiencing the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival and we had so much fun. We were lucky in that we traveled with friends, so we could take turns having date nights. Pretty much every date night was spent in Epcot for the festival. We each canceled other reservations to walk around the World Showcase and enjoy what Food & Wine had to offer.
Flower & Garden Festival Gets an Extra 15 Days
With Food & Wine Festival over for this year, the next big event in Epcot to look forward to is the Flower & Garden Festival. This is another popular event that guests really enjoy and now you can enjoy for a longer period of time.
Build Your Own Butterfly Garden
Have you ever thought about building your own butterfly garden? They’re fun to walk through and it can be relaxing to watch the butterflies fly around.
At the International Flower & Garden Festival in Epcot you can see the Butterflies on the Go garden in Future World. There are up to 10 species of butterflies in the garden.
It sounds pretty easy to create a butterfly garden at your own home. Follow these steps from Disney Parks Blog:
- At your local garden center, find native plants with nectar-producing flowers like butterfly bush and canna lily. Make sure that you have several different species to insure something is always blooming. These plants vary depending on where you live.
- Plant blooms of different colors, as different butterfly species are attracted to different colors.
- Though many butterflies love the sun, some species do like shade, so it’s a plus if you can create a mix of sun and shade in your garden.
- For best results, you’ll also want to provide plants where butterflies can lay their eggs. Most butterflies are species specific when it comes to laying their eggs. Monarch butterflies must have milkweed, Zebra Longwings (the Florida state butterfly) need passion flower, the Cloudless Sulphur lays eggs on Cassia plants, and Pipevine Swallowtails choose, what else? Pipevine!
- Of course, once the eggs hatch, you’ll have caterpillars, which feed on plants. So if you want to have a fully functioning butterfly garden, you’ll need to tolerate some insect damage on your plants. It’s worth it!
- Don’t forget that butterflies also need water. There are several different ways to provide water — even a birdbath can work. They often prefer a puddle on the ground, so consider creating a bare, low spot in the garden to keep wet.
- Most important – never use insecticide, which will harm butterflies!
The Flower and Garden Festival might be ending May 17, but you can keep the fun going at your own house with this fun project!
Thanks for reading!
*Liz*
Source: Disney Parks Blog
Delicious Food From the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival [RECIPES]
Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer, was given some recipes to share from the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival. Sometimes people forget what good food there is at the Flower and Garden Festival, but one look at these recipes and you will see it isn’t just about the flowers and gardens.
Executive Chef Gregg Hannon was nice enough to share two new recipes with Pam, who in turn shared them on Disney Parks Blog. The first is something that my husband is definitely looking forward to trying, the Beef Brisket Burnt Ends Hash from The Smokehouse:Barbecue and Brews. Chef Hannon says it takes a little time (to make them), but it is worth it.
The second dish he shared is the Florida Blueberry and Lemon Curd Tart from the Florida Fresh Outdoor Kitchen. That sounds delicious and I might have to try making that for dessert this spring/summer.
Here is the recipe for the Burnt Ends Brisket Hash from Disney Parks Blog:
Burnt Ends Brisket Hash
Serves 4-6
Pickled Jalapeño Peppers
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced white onion
- 1 cup sliced jalapeño peppers
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 3/4 cup water
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
White Cheddar Cheese Fondue
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/4 cup diced onions
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1 cup shredded aged white cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons diced jalapeño pepper
Burnt Ends Brisket Hash
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 medium white potato, diced
- 1/2 cup diced white onion
- 1/4 cup diced celery
- 1/4 cup diced poblano peppers
- 2 tablespoons diced jalapeño peppers
- 3 cups cubed smoked beef brisket
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
For pickled jalapeno:
- Place sliced onions and jalapeños in a medium-sized glass bowl.
- Combine white vinegar, water, sugar, salt, black peppercorns, bay leaf, garlic, and coriander in a small saucepan. Cook over high heat until mixture boils.
- Pour brine over onions and jalapeños. Cover and refrigerate at least 24 hours.
For white cheddar cheese fondue:
- Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté 5-8 minutes, or until onions are translucent.
- Add flour, stirring constantly, for 3-5 minutes. Do not allow mixture to brown.
- Add cream, salt, white pepper and nutmeg. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 5 minutes, or until simmering. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, 20-25 minutes, until mixture is thick and coats the back of a spoon.
- Add hot sauce. Slowly add cheese, stirring constantly, 3-5 minutes, until cheese melts and is creamy.
Add diced jalapeño peppers. Keep warm until ready to serve.
For burnt ends brisket hash:
- Heat canola oil in a large sauté pan over medium for 5 minutes, or until oil is shimmering.
Carefully add potatoes. Cook potatoes over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 6-8 minutes, until potatoes are golden and cooked through. - Add remaining vegetables. Cook 3-5 minutes, until softened. Season with salt and pepper.
To serve:
- Evenly divide burnt ends brisket hash among plates. Top with white cheddar cheese fondue. Garnish with pickled jalapeño peppers.
For the Blueberry Lemon Curd Tarts recipe, check out the full post from Disney Parks Blog.
The Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival is Back!
Today was the first day of the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival. Beautiful flowers and fun topiary designs now decorate Epcot. There is lots to do during the festival, besides seeing the flowers and gardens.
You can try the Outdoor Kitchens around the World Showcase. There are 11 of these outdoor kitchens to try and they include foods from all over the world.
There are fun play areas for the kids, Mike and Sulley’s Monstrous Garden and the Living Desert Road Rally Garden with Mater and Lightning McQueen topiaries.
Once the evening comes, you can have a good time with the Garden Rocks concert series. The Gin Blossoms are kicking of the series and my inner ’90s teenager is pretty psyched about that!
Check out the video to see some of the new topiaries!
http://youtu.be/N760Vuc-nlg
New Merchandise for Flower and Garden Festival
The Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival is almost here (starts March 4) and Steven Miller, Merchandising Communications Manager, with Disney Parks Blog has given us some samples of the new products that will be available once the event begins.
There are lots of fun things to choose from: mugs, Mickey ears that look like they are made out of grass, lots of decorations for your garden, new Douney and Bourke bags, pins, and more. My favorite is Olaf hugging a rain gauge, it’s so cute! When you look at the a lot of the products you may notice a theme. Sorcerer Mickey all over the new merchandise. Actually, to be specific, it’s a topiary Sorcerer Mickey that is the main logo for a lot of the products. I’m hoping they put some of the new items on disneystore.com!
For more info and the full post from Disney Parks Blog, click here.
How cute is that Olaf rain gauge?! (Picture from Disney Parks Blog)
Different glass and mugs for Flower and Garden (Picture from Disney Parks Blog)