Do You Know Where Your Campus Lunch Came From?

A melon growing in the gardens outside the Sterling Sill Center on campus.

Some of what you are eating right now on campus may not have gone that far to get to your mouth.    

During the past few years the Edible Campus Gardens, said garden director Alexandra Paravaz, has sold produce to U Dining Services.  She said this is something she would like to see more of in the future.  

"[The gardens] are making fresh food available to people," Pavavaz said.

Annalisa Purser, marketing director at U Dining Services in an e-mail, said,  Dining Services is the biggest purchaser of produce from the campus gardens.  She said they have purchased cantaloupe, tomatoes, onions, peppers, Swiss chard, zucchini and squash from the garden, she said.

The tomatoes from the garden, Pursar said, were used to make salads for catering and the Swiss chard was prepared as a side at the Union Food Court.  

Paravaz said ingredients from the gardens are also used in the soup at the Social Soup lecture series.  Social Soup is a series of lectures with lunch held at the Marriott Library on issues surrounding food.   

Garden volunteers can take produce as a sign of appreciation for their work Paravaz said.  The produce is also for sale at the U Farmer's Market

Dr. Fred Montague founded the original campus garden to serve as a lab for his classes on environmental issues and organic gardening in 1996 around the Sterling Sill Center, according to the gardens' website.  Now there over 500 square feet of garden, Paravaz said, including a second location  behind Pioneer Memorial Theater.