Editor’s note: This article was initially published in The Daily Gazette, Swarthmore’s online, daily newspaper founded in Fall 1996. As of Fall 2018, the DG has merged with The Phoenix. See the about page to read more about the DG.
As students have trickled back to campus over the past two weeks, many spotted a small garden growing out behind Sharples. It is an herb garden created over the past summer to help supply the school.
The garden was created by Janet Kassab, the product manager at Sharples dining hall, in response to a growing sustainability movement. The garden has become a labor of love–Therese Hopson, Sharples’ Front of House Manager, and Linda McDougall, the Dining Services Director, worked closely with grounds people to nurture the garden into existence.
And it has been a success. The garden provided 70% of the basil for one recent meal, Sharples is stockpiling Thai basil which has, historically, been difficult to obtain during winter months, and many Sharples’ cooks handpick ingredients for their productions, morning after morning.
McDougall doesn’t have firm expansion plans, but believes that growth would be difficult in the garden’s current location.
Have more questions about the intricacies of Sharples’ operations? Send us your inquiries, to dailygazette@swarthmore.edu
