![]() ![]() The past summer’s heat and lack of rain created some challenges this first year for the new garden, but a drip irrigation system helped. ![]() The Bordentown Historical Society mentions a few visitors, including Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, and John Quincy Adams. ![]() The garden was an important element of Bonaparte’s estate because its harvest was used to feed his family and guests, which included political and military figures, artists, and business owners. Over the years, the land trust held some programs at the Divine Word Missionaries, previous owners of the property. D&R Greenway has been involved for more than 25 years with the Abbott Marshlands, the wetlands area betweenīordentown and Trenton that is adjacent to the estate. Preserving the property in December 2020 was a collaborative effort of D&R Greenway, the New Jersey Green Acres Program, and the City of Bordentown. Remnants of tunnels, leading from Bonaparte’s mansions to the waterways, can still be viewed.Īt the time, the 60-acre estate included sculpture gardens, coach trails, bridges, stables, a gardener’s house, a lake, and a three-story mansion, in addition to the vegetable garden. The location, between Philadelphia and New York, was documented in many paintings of the era that can be seen today in museums. The land is high on the Bordentown Bluffs overlooking extensive marshlands and theĬonfluence of Crosswicks Creek and the Delaware River. Point Breeze was the palatial estate of Joseph Bonaparte, who fled to the United States in 1815 and bought the Point Breeze estate in 1817 from diplomat Stephen Sayre. Now, thanks to our founding Garden to Bistro restaurants, these treasures of the land can be savored by all residents and visitors as they enjoy this history-rich and walkable town.” The garden’s first harvest In September was donated to Bordentown’s Father Matt at Christ Church to feed the hungry. “Squash, turnips, carrots, and beans grown from historic seed are the very same crops grown at Point Breeze when it was home to the exiled King of Spain, Joseph Napoleon Bonaparte. “Bistro month in October connects people to the land’s abundance by providing a taste of the Historic Bonaparte Garden at Point Breeze,” said D&R Greenway President Linda Mead, in a press release. While visiting the restaurants, patrons can learn a bit of history from a Point Breeze table kiosk. But the restaurants have been enthusiastic about the produce they’ve received. Others like fennel and kale had some germination and pest problems. “Summer squash and beans were really prolific. “Some plants did better than others,” said D&R Greenway Garden Steward Lara Periard, who manages the gardens, on Monday. The program began October 3 at Hob Tavern, and continues through the end of the month at the Old Town Pub, Toscano, Under the Moon, and Crumb. In the new “Garden to Bistro” program, D&R Greenway has partnered with five restaurants in Bordentown that are preparing dishes using the garden’s crops. The garden’s first bounty has yielded summer squash, beans, carrots, beets, and turnips, among other varieties. It makes sense, then, that creating a historically relevant produce garden was part of the restoration vision. When D&R Greenway Land Trust and partners announced plans to preserve the 19th century Point Breeze estate in Bordentown nearly two years ago, part of the lore related to the property was that former owner Joseph Bonaparte - Napoleon’s older brother - brought asparagus to the United States and grew it at Point Breeze, introducing it to this country. D&R Greenway’s Land and Property Steward David Seiler built the wooden fence modeled after a vegetable and herb garden on the Robert Todd Lincoln home in Manchester, Vt. AN OLD GARDEN IS NEW AGAIN: The Historic Bonaparte Garden at Point Breeze on a bright sunny day. ![]()
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