Farm Work Day

Last Saturday's work day was a huge success. Over 70 volunteers came to contribute to the construction of our sustainable farm. During the two hours we spent together, we continued to maintain and plant more fall crops in the beds such as spinach. The framework of the hoop house was also established through the hard work of our many volunteers. The pieces of the house were connected one by one to form a sturdy structure that will soon be added on top of a smooth cement foundation.
A salad of mixed greens was also produced and distributed around the farm. Containing a mixture a fava leaves, lettuce, chard, and mustard greens, it was a great way to get a taste of the rich flavored crops being produced at the farm.


-Morgan Yee

Planet Bee Foundation In-Class Presentation

Last Friday our class received an engaging presentation from Planet Bee Foundation, a nonprofit educational program that aims to increase awareness about the worldwide decline of honey bees.  The presenters brought in various posters of subjects regarding honey bees and an observation hive to get a close up look at live bees.  The class learned that this keystone species pollinates two-thirds of the world's crops, and without them the availability of produce would significantly drop.


The presenters addressed various factors for the decline of bees, including the use of pesticides, monoculture, prevalence of diseases, and Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).  Colony Collapse Disorder is the unexplainable massive disappearance of honey bees, a phenomenon threatening the health of this vital species and the economic stability of beekeeping and pollination operations.




Thank you to Planet Bee Foundation for spreading awareness about such a vital species to humans and the entire ecosystem!

- Ruby Lucas

Update of Farm Work- Winter Planning

Cereal Rye
Grow Veg.com. N.p., n.d. Web.

This last stretch of the semester holds some big changes!As we ring in the holiday season we are also ringing in the new seedlings we've been planting to ready ourselves for winter. The cereal rye in our group beds are starting to grow and cover our farm with green. Rye is an excellent winter cover crop because it's deep roots provide support for our soil during some heavy rains and winds expected to come this season. In addition cereal rye can produce 10,000 pounds of dry crop in a single acre! Thats a whole lot'a nitrogen to add to our compost piles. Get ready compost groups! 

Inside a Hoop House
"NSAC's Blog." National Sustainable Agriculture
Coalition Hoophouse Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.

In addition to planting winter crops we are starting the process of building our very own hoop house! During the winter the green house type of structure will provide a sanctuary for seeds and seedlings throughout the storms. When springtime rolls around we'll be ready to plant the first seedlings from our house! 

An Example of Hoop House
"The Door Garden." The Door Garden RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.

 We're excited to welcome Mr. Stewart back to the classroom 

 and we hope for a speed recovery! 

-Dana Brooks

Iron Chef Challenge!

On November 3rd our sustainable agriculture class took part in one of the most challenging, yet incredibly fun activities we have had the opportunity to do this year. With the help of chef John, we were able to create delicious tasting (and looking) meals! 

The meals we created were scored by three different categories: Presentation, Taste and how sustainable the meal was. For example, we were provided with a wide variety of fruits and vegetables from our very own sustag farm, but we were also allowed to bring in any other ingredients we needed. The goal for these ingredients was for them to be sustainable, or in other words, local or organic materials.

We were given a limited amount of time to prepare the meals, and we were also penalized if our workstations weren’t cleaned up. During the preparation process we were given access to a stove, oven and basic materials like knives and cutting boards.

The first group presented delicious scrambled eggs with quinoa, tomatoes, onion, kale, basil, and cilantro. They also had a tasty side salad with strawberries, carrots, cucumbers and a light lemon dressing. Their presentation was simple and eye catching with lemons lined around the outer edge of the plate.

The second group made a simple, yet scrumptious batch of kale chips with sea salt with the choice of lemon. John admittedly said that he preferred his kale chips “without lemon” but also acknowledged the fact that kale chips were a crowd favorite and were yummy.

The third group created a kale burrito filled with veggies and a side kale salad. This was the most unique presentation of the day, especially with the fact that the burrito was fastened with a carrot slice.

The fourth group made a yummy kale omelet filled with kale, various veggies and goat cheese from Sonoma, which caught the judge’s attention and added a nice touch to their dish.

After much debate and deep thinking about the delicious dishes, the judges came to the final conclusion that the kale burrito won the iron chef challenge! What was the prize? Why, the leftover goat cheese!

-Jamie Ball