Diana Rinck, C’19
(University) Farm to (Picnic) Table
For the first-ever Farm to Table Fest, residents of Sewanee's Health & Wellness House served up a meal that was super-fresh and hyper-local.
Students living in Sewanee’s Health & Wellness theme house hosted the first-ever Farm to Table Fest on Sept. 17, inviting the entire campus community to enjoy a menu crafted from a bounty of freshly harvested vegetables from the University Farm and other local farms.
A few days before the event, Health & Wellness House residents visited the University Farm to discover what was ready to be picked and to begin brainstorming ideas for dishes.
Freshly picked cayenne peppers.
Kathryn Dickinson, C’16, picked basil.
Jessie Hook, C’17, harvested red bell peppers that would later find their way into a variety of dishes.
Students used a bumper crop of fresh basil to make homemade pesto for a spaghetti squash dish.
University Farm Manager Carolyn Hoagland helped students decide what to pick and offered recipe ideas for how to use the produce.
Hannah Glaw, C’16, picked a peck of purple peppers.
Tieta Keetle, C’18, picked fresh oregano.
The harvest included lavender, rosemary, and jalapeno peppers.
Before the event, Hannah Glaw arranged flowers that she picked at the University Farm.
In the kitchen of the Health & Wellness House (Emery Hall), Parker Goss, C’17, got ready to bake a sheet of sweet potato fries.
Maggie Thomas, C’17, roasted potatoes with rosemary from the University Farm.
Jessie Hook added nasturtiums, flowers with a peppery taste, to a salad of apples and greens.
Jalapeno peppers from the University Farm got topped with cream cheese and locally sourced bacon.
Residents of the Health & Wellness House welcomed guests to the picnic dinner.
The Motha Pluckahs, a student band, provided a soundtrack for the evening.
Hundreds of hungry guests, including Diana Rinck, C’19, found a wide variety of healthy dishes to choose from at the Farm to Table Fest.
University staff and faculty members, including Assistant Professor of Psychology Jordan Troisi, joined students to enjoy fresh, local food and good conversation.
Students gathered on picnic blankets spread on the lawn in front of Emery Hall.
Members of the Health & Wellness House plan to make Farm to Table Fest an annual event.
