Discovery Center at Point Breeze presents Heirloom Garden Cooking for Community from D&R Greenway Land Trust
The public is invited to the Discovery Center at 101 E. Park St., Bordentown, N.J. on Saturday, June 28, 2 p.m. to hear how the re-creation of the property’s historic garden now benefits the local community.
Additionally, guests are invited to take some time tour the exhibits at the Discovery Center and explore the surrounding grounds.
The historic garden at the Discovery Center at Point Breeze has been reactivated from its original part of the Bonaparte Estate behind Bonaparte’s Gardener’s House.
Growing vegetables from heirloom seeds accurate to the time period of the early to mid-1800s, D&R Greenway Land Trust donates nearly everything produced to local community kitchens through Christ Church of Bordentown.
In 2024, 885 lbs. of the produce grown at Point Breeze was donated to Bordentown City Outreach, a group of churches and civic organizations in the greater Bordentown working to feed our food-insecure community members, The primary points of contact were Father Matt Tucker and Mrs. Doan Tucker of Christ Church Parish.
Doan Tucker organizes all of the produce donation efforts, and several others each year. The Discovery Center’s lead gardener, Brooke McMinn, delivers vegetables as they are harvested throughout the season to Doan who preps them for nourishing meals to locals in need in Bordentown and surrounding communities.
Early in 2020, a few of Doan Tucker’s friends and neighbors nominated her for the Burlington County Outstanding Woman of the Year Award. “Someone, maybe Harry Truman, said, ’It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit,’” said Tucker in her acceptance speech video. “I try to stay behind the scenes and help others become leaders.”
With Tucker still in her mother’s womb, her family fled Vietnam near the end of the Vietnam War in the mid-1970s. For much of her childhood and early adulthood, Tucker lived the life of a refugee, moving from California to Vancouver to Toronto to Northern Virginia, where she met Father Matt, then a student at a local seminary.
When the couple moved to Bordentown City, Tucker was looking for the home she never had. She found it by trying to help people in difficult situations — people she saw herself in. “There’s a huge need and if I’m able to help fill some voids and move things along, that’s why I do it,” she said. “I often wake up and ask, what else can I do today?”
While at the property in Bordentown, learn more about our historic garden’s positive impact on the local community. Hear directly from Doan Tucker and her program assistants Courtney Pelikan and Jack Magnelli. Experience the ingredients, tools, and cooking methods they use to prepare the delicious meals from the Historic Garden at Point Breeze’s fresh organic produce.
Attendance cost of $20 per person benefits the Discovery Center at Point Breeze. Seating is limited so please RSVP in advance on D&R Greenway’s website at www.drgreenway.org.
The attendance fee of $20 per person also supports the garden’s growth and the Discovery Center’s outreach program.
Please visit D&R Greenway’s website for information regarding future events at Point Breeze and at the Johnson Education Center in Princeton.
Stay informed of conservation and history related activities and volunteer opportunities by registering for the mailing list at info@drgreenway.org.
About D&R Greenway Land Trust: D&R Greenway Land Trust is an accredited nonprofit that has reached a new milestone of over 22,500 acres of land preserved throughout central New Jersey since 1989. By protecting land in perpetuity and creating public trails, it gives everyone the opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors. The land trust’s preserved farms and community gardens provide local organic food for residents of the region, including those most in need. Through strategic land conservation and stewardship, D&R Greenway combats climate change, protects birds and wildlife, and ensures clean drinking water for future generations. D&R Greenway’s mission is centered on connecting land with people from all walks of life. www.drgreenway.org; info@drgreenway.org. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
