Garden behind Frist provides herbs for Dining Services

The garden was planted at the beginning of the summer and provides herbs for Frist dining services. The University created the garden after dining staff expressed interest in incorporating fresh herbs into food served at Frist, sustainability manager Shana Weber said in an e-mail.

“Chefs have enjoyed working with the seasonal offerings of the gardens,” Stu Orefice, director of dining services, said in an e-mail. “It is a great partnership with the Office of Sustainability, and it continues to grow!”

Frist’s garden is the second on campus. The first, located on Alexander Street, was created in 2006 to provide vegetables for the Forbes College dining hall. The Princeton Garden Project maintains both gardens.

The garden near Forbes is also the site of educational programs focusing on sustainable food systems. Last fall, the Garden Project had harvests twice a week for the Forbes dining hall.

The Frist garden does not directly host educational programs but is still a testament to campus sustainability efforts.

“One of its main benefits is that it is a very convenient central stopping point for our green campus tours,” Weber said. The Office of Sustainability launched its first Green Tour during Reunions in May.

The Office of Sustainability oversees the Garden Project, which was started by students, faculty and staff in Forbes. The pilot garden plot was planted along the south wall of Forbes. It later expanded to a new location on Alexander Street.

Various crops such as radishes, peppers and spinach are grown there. Two raspberry bushes and three apple trees were planted last spring.

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Student involvement is an important aspect of the Garden Project, Colleen McCullough ’12, the group’s transitional adviser, said in an e-mail. Roughly 25 students from other student groups also work in the gardens. Those not currently involved can help out during the weekly open work days that are held in the first six weeks of the fall semester and last six weeks of the spring semester.

“So much of our learning is done at a computer or desk,” McCullough said. “Gardening presents an opportunity to learn by experience. We want to educate students about the origins of their food and the process required in getting it to the table.”

The Garden Project plans to host screenings and lectures promoting awareness of agricultural issues, food policy and sustainability.

“We’re focused on the environment and the relationship between the land and us,” Eva Wash ’11, senior adviser for the group, said in an e-mail. “A relationship that is necessitated by our need for food, but has become warped by an overemphasis on convenience rather than wholesomeness and quality.”