The Middlebury College Knoll explores food as a medium to cultivate well-being in people, place, and the planet. We root our work in celebrating connection and dismantling oppression.
The Knoll offers three main program areas and ways to engage: the Educational Garden, the Outdoor Kitchen, and the Serenity Garden. We host faculty, staff, students, and our local community for classes, research, gardening hours, internships, and events.
- The Educational Garden serves as a place for students to learn about gardening and agriculture through research and hands-on experiences. We grow food for Midd Dining and each year we contribute produce to our robust local gleaning program coordinated by HOPE, a local nonprofit.
- The Outdoor Kitchen is a space to cultivate community. We host Thank You Pizza gatherings and help co-host celebrations for campus partners. Interns are trained to cook with the wood-fired oven and make pizzas with vegetables from our gardens.
- The Serenity Garden is a work-in-progress on the western slope of the Knoll. This garden is a collaboration with the Scott Center for Spiritual and Religious Life. In 2012, His Holiness the Dalai Lama blessed a large round marble bench. We also constructed a labyrinth to celebrate 15 years of the Knoll in September 2017.