The herb garden at Woodfield Country Club combines healthy, nutritious foods with a bit of exercise and a dash of “going green.”
Wellness education at clubs can easily extend beyond the boundaries of the fitness center. The herb garden at Woodfield Country Club is used in multiple ways by members—by combining healthy, nutritious foods with a bit of exercise and a dash of “going green.”
The Boca Raton, Fla., club built the English-style herb garden in 2012. The club’s landscaping team nurtures plants in the greenhouse before transplanting them into the garden, where the bounty is cared for until it’s turned over to the kitchen staff to incorporate into meals. The diverse harvests have included corn, okra, eggplant, radishes, heirloom tomatoes, lemongrass, basil, coconuts, pomegranate and more.
“Our goal was to educate our residents on indigenous herbs, fruits and vegetables,” says Executive Chef Bart Messing. “It has been a lot of fun and residents are enjoying having these items incorporated into many of our main entrees, appetizers and salads. After all, they come directly from our backyard.”
The garden not only feeds members, but is the first stop on a self-guided, 2,293-step nature walk through the property that winds around the clubhouse and extends along the lake and recreation areas.
“We wanted to create an informative and educational opportunity that incorporates an exercise regimen,” says General Manager Eben Molloy. “We continually introduce new types of healthy activities. This has been quite successful based on the numbers of people we see strolling through the gardens along the nature walk.”
Another stop on the nature walk is a Thai garden, featuring a display of plants and flowers native to Thailand, from orchids to rock elements, as well as bamboo. Fruit trees that bear exotic fruits from Malaysia, China, Bangladesh and Mexico are also highlights along the tour, plus flowering plants, a koi pond, a children’s butterfly garden and lakeside wildlife.
“The garden and nature walk are part of our ‘going green’ initiative,” notes Molloy. “In addition to using the herbs and vegetables on our menu, we also use fresh-cut flowers from the nature walk to decorate the club.”
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