Students enrolled in Chef Regina’s culinary classes took a field experience to the Peel Mansion Museum and Heritage Gardens in Bentonville today to experience the herb and heirloom vegetable gardens. The students learned about soil, seeds and sustainability during their visit. Grounds Manager, Laura Brewer, guided the students throughout the various gardens on the grounds at Peel Mansion.
The first stop was the recently planted herb garden. Students learned the common and scientific names of each plant in the plots as well as experienced various herbs with all of their senses. Sage (Salvia officinalis), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), oregano (Origanum vulgare), anise (Pimpinella anisum) were just a few of the herbs in the garden.
At the heirloom vegetable garden Mrs. Brewer shared with students sustainable practices in gardening such as compost, companion planting as well as the introduction of insects. Introduce insects to your garden, you ask? Yes, Mrs. Brewer informed the class that certain insects such as ladybugs, praying mantis and lacewing larvae can serve as predator insects that will hunt and feed on the bugs that can destroy a garden. Incorporating predatory insects will prevent your garden from becoming infested with undesirable pests and manages a garden without the use of dangerous chemicals.
The afternoon concluded with a leisurely luncheon on the lawn. Students were also seeds as a gift to begin their own herb gardens at home. A big thank you to Mrs. Laura Brewer and the Peel Mansion Museum and Heritage Gardens for hosting this opportunity!
