11/22/2008
Organic vegetables fresh from the garden are ending up on the menu at St. Vincent de Paul's dining room in Baton Rouge thanks to student gardeners at Louisiana State University.
A six-person vegetable crops class is organizing the project, and a 30-member organic gardening class is helping with the harvest and other tasks. Both classes are under the direction of Carl Motsenbocker, professor of horticulture in the LSU School of Plant, Environmental and Soil Sciences.
"This is a service learning project," Motsenbocker said.
It started when students in the upper-level vegetable crops class met earlier in the semester with St. Vincent de Paul staff to determine the kinds and quantity of vegetables the organization needed, said Emily Neustrom, a graduate student.
Using that information, the students in the upper-level vegetable crops class figured out how much room they would need for each of their fall and winter crops, she said.
As a result, the students planted 10 rows, each 150 feet long, with greens, turnips, lettuce and other seasonal vegetables. The first large harvest was this month at the Hill Farm on LSU's campus.
Besides seasonal vegetables being harvested, there were potatoes, carrots and snap beans that will be ready in coming weeks, she said.
"We couldn't have too many vegetables with that amount of space," Neustrom said.
Even with the limited space, the harvest this month netted multiple bins of greens and other vegetables to be delivered to St. Vincent de Paul.
Michael Acaldo, executive director of St. Vincent de Paul, said the students took an interest in the work done at his organization's dining room and Baton Rouge campus. He said the fresh vegetables will be welcomed in the kitchen.
The St. Vincent de Paul dining room serves about 200,000 hot meals a year, Acaldo said. However, recent gas price increases, hurricanes and the economic downturn have increased the need for meals, he said.
"I think some of them were surprised about the hunger and the need in our community," Acaldo said of the students.
The quantity of produce the students can bring in will always be used, even if it's for a stew or salad, he said.
"When you run a dining room, you have to be really apt at taking what you've got and making a good quality meal," Acaldo said.
The interest in gardening for personal food has grown over the years and now more students majoring in something other than agriculture have decided to learn how, Motsenbocker said. The one thing that surprises many of them is how easy it is, he said.
"You don't need much land," Motsenbocker said.
After helping with the recent harvest, students in the organic gardening class got a chance to work on their own garden plots.
"Some of them have never gardened before," Motsenbocker said.
Lazo Pavich, 21, of Eunice, said this is his first garden, but he has helped his mother with her garden before. In his small plot are peas, lettuce, cabbage and carrots.
Brad Toomer, 19, was working on his plot of turnips, shallots, Swiss chard and more.
"This is my first time, but I'm really liking it," Toomer said. "I like actually seeing the food (grow)."
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Information from: The Advocate, http://www.2theadvocate.com