From the Garden to the Dinner Plate

Chef Matt Williams, Culinary Team Leader at Blackstone Valley Tech, has begun including an important lesson in his program this spring.

The program has begun cultivating a root vegetable garden in two plots at the Upton Community Gardens on Mechanic Street.

Work on the garden has already begun and will continue through the late fall. With prep work near completion, the program plans to have seeds sewn and plants in the ground in the upcoming weeks.

Valley Tech’s plots will consist of root vegetables that will require minimal maintenance over the summer months when students and teachers are on summer break. Williams plans to plant onions, potatoes, carrots, parsnips and asparagus among other items.

Once the fall arrives and the crop is mature, the vegetables will be harvested and used in the school’s student-run restaurant, the Three Seasons Restaurant, which operates throughout the school year. While the yields of the garden will not be enough to fully sustain the needs of the restaurant, the project will primarily serve as a learning tool.

The Upton Community Gardens were established as an organic, pesticide-free community garden at the former Stefans Farm Parcel in 2009 by the Upton Land Stewardship Committee. Plots are assigned to Upton residents by lottery, with preference given to handicapped individuals, community groups and senior residents.