A first lady’s treasure in Westchester County 

The Native Plant Center in Valhalla celebrated its 25th birthday Oct. 1 with a Texas-style barbecue, a nod to its affiliation with the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas.

It was a Texas-size (and style) celebration, complete with barbecue, as The Native Plant Center at SUNY Westchester Community College in Valhalla marked its 25th anniversary Oct. 1. 

The center was founded as the first affiliate of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas. Lynda Johnson Robb and Luci Baines Johnson, daughters of the late first lady and President Lyndon B. Johnson, were the honorary chairs. And though they could not attend the event, they sent the center a congratulatory letter that read in part:  

“Mother was so proud of The Native Plant Center. And we, her daughters, remain so….Your work was Mother’s hope for tomorrow….With pride in your accomplishments and applause for your continued dedication to making our world a more beautiful one for all.” – Lynda Johnson Robb and Luci Baines Johnson 

The Johnson sisters also sent recipes from their mother’s LBJ Ranch collection, which the center’s caterer recreated for the party and which the center has passed along to us for our readers’ enjoyment.  The center also gave the recipes to guests, along with packets of seeds collected from its gardens and red bandanas, which everyone had fun sporting: 

Hush puppies 

Ingredients:  

  • 2 cups white cornmeal 
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder 
  • 3 tablespoons sugar 
  • ¼ cup butter 
  • 1 tablespoon salt 
  • 3 ½ cups boiling water 

Directions:  

Over heat, combine cornmeal, baking powder and salt and add slowly to the boiling water, stirring briskly. 

As soon as the mixture is smooth, remove from heat and stir in butter. Cool. 

Shape into “fingers” and fry in two inches hot fat (375 degrees) until golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper. 

Makes about three dozen hush puppies. 

Lemon squares  

At its 25th anniversary celebration Oct. 1, The Native Plant Center in Valhalla – the first affiliate of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas – served her recipe for lemon bars, a favorite of the former first lady.

(Mollie Parnis Livingston, a friend of Lady Bird Johnson, gave her this recipe for lemon squares, one of her favorites. The cook at the LBJ ranch always kept the squares in the freezer for when the former first lady wanted a snack or to serve them for dessert.) 

Ingredients and directions for crust: 

  • 2 cups flour 
  • ¼ cup sugar 
  • 1 cup butter 

Mix the ingredients as for pie crust. Pat into a 9-inch-by-18-inch jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 degrees until very light brown, about 15 minutes. 

Ingredients and directions for filling: 

  • 2 cups sugar 
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder 
  • 4 tablespoons flour 
  • 3 beaten eggs
  • Juice and rind of 2 lemons 

Mix ingredients in order given and pour over baked crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until set. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. 

For more, visit https://www.sunywcc.edu/about/npc/ .