Dartmouth students are beginning to find that summer brings the College more than mosquitoes, black flies and muggy weather. The College's organic farm has begun its summer harvest, and Dartmouth Dining Services is benefiting from the farm's yields.
Thayer Dining Hall, Collis Cafe and the Hanover Inn have been buying produce from the College's newly-opened organic farm, and using it in their menus.
Organic Farm Manager Betsy Garties said the farm sells the bulk of its produce to Dartmouth Dining Services, which also buys from larger suppliers.
The farm's salad lettuce, broccoli and parsley are all featured in Collis. Cafe manager Cynthia Crutchfield said Collis is interested in organically grown food because it is free of pesticide and because its production is less harmful to the environment than traditional methods.
Two signs in the cafe declare DDS's support for the College's farm. Crutchfield said it makes financial sense to buy food from the organic farm.
"They have been giving us a deal, and they are competitive with our other suppliers," she said.
Garties said DDS is considering an organic salad bar that would feature the farm's lettuce, broccoli, herbs and beets. Soon the farm will be growing tomatoes, peppers and eggplants.
The organic farm showcases its produce in a farm stand outside of Collis on Tuesdays and Fridays from 1:00-3:00 p.m.
The idea for the farm stand came from a discussion among student workers at the organic farm.
"The farm stand allows students to sell their produce and showcase the farm to the rest of campus, who might not even know Dartmouth has an organic farm," Garties said.
She said even though the farm stand has not had voluminous sales, it promotes greater awareness of Dartmouth's organic farm.
