Duke Community Gardens Selling Basil June 29
Bundles of basil will be sold for $1 each from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 29 in the Levine Science and Research Center.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
DURHAM, N.C. -- If you’re looking for some locally grown herbs in time for your Fourth of July barbecue, Duke’s community gardens might have what you need.
Volunteers with the Honey Patch, one of two community gardens maintained by members of the Duke community, will be selling bundles of basil for $1 each from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 29 in Hug common room in the Levine Science and Research Center on West Campus.
“Buying local food keeps dollars within the community, which is critical during these tough economic times,” said Kellyn Shoecraft, Trinity ’10 and the community gardens coordinator. “It also affords people with the opportunity to be better connected to the food they eat and the people who grew that food.”
The Honey Patch, which gets its name for six bee boxes maintained by Duke's Apiary Club that collect honey on-site, and the community gardens are a collaborative project to bring students and Duke employees together to promote sustainable, small-scale farming.
The Duke Community Garden sits next to the Home Depot Smart Home on Faber Street and has six raised beds featuring tomatoes, radishes, flowers and a plethora of greens. The Honey Patch is near the northeast corner of the Sarah P. Duke Gardens, by Anderson and Lewis streets.
Volunteers with the gardens have donated vegetables and fruits to Urban Ministries of Durham, which provides food to those in need. They’ve also sold produce to the Refectory, which has locations in the Duke Divinity and Law schools. Money from the sale next week will go toward costs to maintain the community gardens.
Both gardens operate through money from the Sustainable Duke Green Grant Fund, which was established by Executive Vice President Tallman Trask and supports projects that yield environmental, social and economic benefits to Duke and the Durham community.