Aerial view of the Knoll at Middlebury College.

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. 

We are fundraising!

As the Knoll celebrates 20 years of bringing our community together around food, land work, wellness, and justice, we’re delighted to announce a crowd-funding campaign to support our dear Knoll! Donations, no matter how big or small, support the longevity of this space dear to our hearts. Read more on the blog!

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. In a typical year, we host pizza nights and help co-host celebrations for campus partners. Interns learn 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. 

Learn More About the Knoll

Check out the intern-run blog

Browse our Annual Reports for full details of our programs

Visit the Knoll

The physical address of the Knoll is 152 Vermont Route 125, Cornwall, VT. Driving access is limited during the spring and fall, but visitors are invited to park cars at the intersection of Bicentennial Way and Route 125, then walk the short dirt road to the Knoll. When the weather allows, we will leave the gate open and visitors may park at the Knoll.

Map showing the preferred safe walking routes to the Knoll.

Please be respectful of our rules while visiting:

  • Please keep dogs on leashes
  • Stay on paths
  • Leave the harvesting to us*
    • please note all are welcome to snack from the Grazing Garden
  • Please pack out what you pack in
  • Burn permits and event registrations are required for all campfires
  • The Knoll is an alcohol and other substance-free space

Event Hosting 

Thank you for being mindful of the Knoll as a working garden and learning environment and yielding space to staff, volunteers, and reserved group events as needed.

Small, casual gatherings are welcome and encouraged and do not require reservation. However, campfire pit and pizza oven use are by permission only. 

Starting Spring ‘24 we are again welcoming campus partners to host events at the Knoll. Please plan ahead and refer to the “Event Hosting Steps” page for detailed information and to request permission.

A winter note: Please remember that the Knoll operates as a three-season space and no amenities are available at the Knoll during winter (e.g., driving access, snow removal, restroom access, water, hand hygiene, trash receptacles). Our typical season runs from April 1 - November 1 and we are not able to support organized events outside of this period.

Knoll Student Intern Crew

From starting seedlings in the spring to harvesting in the fall, the Knoll relies on student volunteers and interns. Volunteers and interns help manage all aspects of the Knoll, including facilitating Volunteer Hours, growing and selling produce, event management and support, and participating in regular farm visits to learn more about our local food community. 

Spring/Fall Interns:

Profile photograph of Knoll intern holding a frog and looking down

Caitlin Sheen ‘26.5 

Hey friends, it’s Caitlin! I’m from Oakland, CA and I love making soup with friends (I was on the kale and white bean + sourdough grind during J-term). I’m so excited to join this awesome group of people, touch some dirt, and meet all the volunteers!

Smiling Knoll Intern in a greenhouse

Lili Platt ‘25

Hi! I’m Lili. I like to bake soft banana chocolate chip muffins and sesame-seeded challah bread. I grew up in the green mountains of Ndakinna (aka Vermont). I’m so excited to join the crew of folks who care for / tend to the Knoll and each other.

Monarch on echinacea

Lucinda Pollitt ‘26

[Coming soon]

Knoll intern holding bouquet of flowers

Mary Nagy-Benson ‘24.5

My name is Mary. I am a senior Feb and Independent Scholar in Regenerative and Just Food Systems and I am from Weybridge, Vermont. I couldn’t be happier to spend my last year at Middlebury at the Knoll. Some of my favorite things: carrots that have legs, a warm mug of tea, flowers of every kind, New York Times Spelling Bee, sunny days.

Knoll intern in formal portrait

Sam Medina ‘25

Samuel is a POSSE Scholar from Los Angeles, CA, majoring in Conservation Biology. On his free time he loves to play guitar and create music. Samuel is excited to join the Knoll crew because he wants to foster a deep connection with the surrounding landscape and share the joy of food with others.

Knoll intern wearing sunglasses smiling and holding bouquet of flowers

Sheila Camacho ‘25

Events Intern

Hi everyone my name is Sheila, I’m a Posse Scholar from the Bronx, New York and I’ve been working with the Knoll for almost a year now. I was a ‘23 Summer Intern and I had an amazing time pulling radishes, eating clinatro leaves and laying on the grass :). 

knoll@middlebury.edu 

Monarch on echinacea

Charlotte Xu ‘26.5

Office Intern (more soon!)

Summer Interns 

(More soon!)

Knoll Staff

Knoll Staff
(Credit: Isora Lithgow Creations )

Megan O. Brakeley ’06

Associate Director of the Knoll

Megan guides all aspects of the Knoll’s programming and partnerships, manages the educational garden, supports interns, and helps organize events at the Knoll. Megan holds a BA from Middlebury College (Spanish with an Environmental Studies minor) and a Master of Environmental Management (2015) from the Yale School of the Environment. She serves as a member of the Porter Medical Center Board. Prior to this role, Megan worked on campus with the Center for Community Engagement and as a Posse Mentor. Megan resides in Middlebury and is a member and volunteer for Unlikely Riders and a former organizer and board member of the Vermont Releaf Collective. Email: mbrakeley@middlebury.edu