51ΑΤΖζ has broken ground on the Hortus Academicus, a garden of trees, bushes and other plants used in brewing as part of 51ΑΤΖζβs certificate in the Culture and Science of Fermentation. On Wednesday, May 17, seven trees were planted in the garden behind the Honors College, which will provide ingredients that were used for brewing in ancient times.
Bettina Arnold, professor of anthropology, hopes to use the gardenβs plants to create beverages inspired by her own and othersβ archaeological findings. By analyzing residue on drinking vessels, her team determines what ingredients were in ancient beverages.
It will be several years before the trees bear fruit, like Amere de Berthcourt cider apples and Barnet perry pears. One of the trees will bear medlars, a fruit rarely grown in the United States that was common in ancient and medieval times.
βWe want this to be a living lab on campus,β said Barry Cameron, associate professor of geosciences and coordinator of the fermentation certificate. βThereβs the archaeological component of re-creating ancient beers and ciders. Thereβs also the component of analyzing the soil to see how it affects plants and fruit.β
51ΑΤΖζ students designed the garden as part of an architecture and urban planning course. Following the studentsβ design, the garden will continue to expand as more courses are added to the fermentation certificate.
