Grape News At The Farm

Botany students toured Millbrook’s very own farm during a recent visit to harvest grapes. Home to dozens of herbs, flowers, fruits, vegetables and other plants, the farm is a thriving outdoor classroom. Head Farmer Lyuda Pope and botany instructor Leigh Schmitt showed off the movable hoop-farming structure that helps maximize production and efficiency, the no-till beds, and the rows and rows of vegetables that eventually appear in meals served in Casertano Dining Hall.

 

Following the grand tour, students focused on several vines of Concord grapes growing along the perimeter fence. Carrying clippers and buckets, the group harvested several gallons of the rich purple fruit, even allowing for some product loss due to taste-testing.

 

The farm is a major point of contact for students as they interact with the natural world on campus. Millbrook’s core values of environmental stewardship come to life here in a beautiful and tasty manner and are continually supported by students who recognize and appreciate the benefits of this organic acreage.