Seedling starts

Everything growing in the Redwood farm has to come from somewhere.  Most of the plants that are growing out there did not initially start there.  When plants first start to grow, they are very sensitive and they are not able to thrive in outdoor conditions.  At redwood, the farmers plant seeds in small flats that are placed in the classroom under light.  

There are many benefits for this method.  This saves water, because the overall surface area of the flat is a lot smaller than a bed in the farm, so you will never be just watering soil.  Another benefit is that it saves a lot of time.  Inspecting a bed in the farm when you're just looking at small seedlings is very tedious, whereas if you are just standing in one spot looking at the flat, you can save a lot of your time.  

Indoors, there aren't any harsh conditions that the seedlings would have to go through.  This makes it easier for them to thrive and grow as successfully as possible.  If the seedlings started outside, the chances of them being successful in their rate of growth and overall good physical appearance are very small.  Overall, using this method for seedlings is very biointensive and efficient because it allows more room for success and it saves the farmer a lot of energy and time.

Written by Kaitlyn Yang

Marin Co. Farmer's Market

On Sunday December 17th, 2017 I went to the Marin Counties Farmers Market. At the Farmers Market I noticed a certified organic farm stand called Triple T Ranch. Triple T Ranch is a farm that is certified USDA Organic and about 100 acres of growing space up in Santa Rosa. They sell most of their produce to local restaurants and at farmers markets like the one I went to. At the market I met with some workers at the farm and asked them a few questions. Given that it is the winter I asked them what types of crops they were growing. This time of year they said plants from the brassica families do very well and winter squash. Something else that caught my eye was the abundance of peppers they had at this time of the year. They said that the reason for the abundance of these types of vegetables isn't due to greenhouses or hoop houses. They had stopped growing these crops during the fall season like us. The reason they had all these vegetables was due to the amount they produced from the summer and fall season. Overall it was a great experience to learn the interesting perspectives of the farmers at Triple T Ranch.

Josh
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Carbon Farming

As we all know, we are a sustainably conscious farm and we utilize many practices such as composting, close plant spacing, drip irrigation and double dig to maintain to balance our inputs and outputs. Sustainable Agriculture is a science, and our farm is an experiment. As we work on the farm we try to improve our methods to change both our environment and our yield; in essence we are trying to find a balance with nature. California farms are the forefront of this research, and the Marin Carbon Project is a prime example. In the duration of their four year study, results show that a "one time" application of compost caused an increase in plant productivity. The soil also experienced an annual growth in carbon content over the duration of the study. This rate was almost equivalent to removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, about 1.5 metric tons per acre respectively. Our farm, although on a smaller scale, is not only using land to sustainably grow food, but is providing an opportunity for our community to reduce the effect of global emissions. Our composting kills two birds with one stone and provides as a reminder of the many indirect benefits of sustainable practices.

Julian C

Looking back: The week of November 13th

                                Brian Diaz

This week in the wonderful class of Sustainable Agriculture we did many things on the farm and of it. On Monday we spent the day in the classroom working on the companion reports that are due next week on Tuesday. On Tuesday we had time on the farm to go work. We did this because we didn't know if the forecast would be rainy so we went out to have time to work on our beds before the winter season starts We also harvested some produce to do for our farm to fork project. This was a really fun project which leads up to the Iron chef, our group should have won last time. During the block period we went to the farm for a little check up on our one beds. It was drizzling when we were out there that's why we stayed out there for a minimal amount of time which is disappointing because time flies by really quick when you're out there.

On Friday we had a sub. We were suppose to meet in the classrooms but no one was there so It must have meant we were on the farm. We worked on our one bed and that was pretty much it for the class period. Our group did a lot of weeding which our bed is filled with it. I also went around the farm to look at different plants I never had a chance to look at it and pay close attention too. I never knew we had raspberries on the farm which kind of surprised me.

Companion Report Reflection and Farm Work on Physical State

DRake  Ramos

In the recent few weeks in sustainable agriculture, we worked on our companion report. The topic I chose to write about was the Meadow Mushroom (Agaricus Campestris). I learned that Fungi such as the Agaricus Campestris feed dead organic matter which recycle 85% of the dead organic matter and release the locked up nutrients so they can be used by other organisms. I also learned that this particular mushroom isn't poisonous, the cap of the mushroom is about 10 inches and it has crowded pink gills. These mushrooms are found scattered in grassy areas in clusters or rings, fruiting from late summer to early winter in watered areas, often located near other local mushroom families, in grasslands and woodlands as well as in suburban areas.

I enjoy sustainable agriculture because the class not only teaches a very interesting, important topic and many everyday life skills for example maintenance, but you also get to be active. Earlier in the year, when it was still warm in the morning, the hard work and double digging would get would very hot sweaty and uncomfortable in my school clothes, but it has made me more fit and has taught me how to be more organized and efficient. I also enjoy working in the farm because it's my only class of the day where i'm using my hands. I think it's very cool to be able to have our own bed to grow crops ourselves. I was surprised by how neat our bed was and the amount of plants that not only thrived in our bed, but other people's beds too. Active learning I think is the best teaching style because you go through the actual process of what's happening so it's easier to remember how things work.

More on cooking

Iron Chef Competition #2:

On Monday my fellow classmates and I were reminded about our second Iron Chef Competition coming back from the break, but we were also treated to a surprise.  Mr. Stewart added that we must incorporate basil in our recipes.

My group was stumped for a minute as we began to wonder if we could continue with the plan of making pasta with pesto from the abundant fava bean leaves in the RHS Farm.  We had decided that the pesto recipe was what we wanted to make because a member in our bed group had made it for her Farm to Fork assignment and told us that it was simple to make and didn't turn out terrible.  It was only further agreed when we noticed that row E7 had an ample amount of fava bean leaves.  We didn't want to take it from our own bed in concern for the continual survival of the crop. We amended the recipe to meet the challenge by deciding that we would split the fava bean leaves and basil amount equally to make a fava bean leaf and basil pesto.  In addition, we also grouped up with bed A12 and decided upon also making kale chips and lemon verbena and mint tea, something that the individuals from that bed group had also made before.

There was a slight concern that we wouldn't have enough time to make the small meal that we had decided upon but I am confident that our decision was best.
Carmen Noyola

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Market Day

On December 1st, our Sustainable Agricultural class held our last Market Day of the semester. Despite the cold weather that usual limits growth that the winter brings, we still harvested a variety of herbs and flowers.

Our market starts after 6th period and continues through the end of school. Students, teachers, and parents all purchase our fresh goods from our stand by the flagpole.

This market we sold over $140 worth of fresh veggies and herbs which will go towards the purchasing of items for the farm such as seeds and woodchips.

The most popular item this market day was our hand picked flowers. Wes sold about 12 bundles of flowers, found variously around the garden, making $25.

Our array of herbs included: basil, lemon verbena, thyme, mint, and rosemary.

We also sold potatoes, swiss chard, kale, and bell bean leaves. In addition, we sold packages of 6 seedlings for $5.

My bed provided a large amount of bell bean leaves. We planted our bell bean plants on Sept. 27th and they have grown healthily and steadily since. The beans itself aren't ready but it is a very leafy plant and the leaves are edible. We picked leaves off our plants because the bell bean leaves are similar to spinach, and can be cooked like so.

Our next market is in February next year. We don't have a market January because during the cold season there isn't a lot of plants to harvest.  -Jordan

Looking back: New Iron Chef Challenge and Market Day!

This week in Sustainable Agriculture we had more interesting things happen. On Wednesday we had another Iron Chef competition, which was more competitive than it has ever been. Since everyone had experience with doing this competition before, each team came more prepared with what they were going to make, and brought in multiple ingredients from the farm to create their tasty masterpieces. This made the competition hard to judge because of how much effort each team put into their food, it was for the judge to pick one winner. However there can only be one winner and the group that came on top with the most tasty product was the group that made pan fried sliced  persimmons with mozzarella and topped it off with a sweet balsamic creme. 

Because this was the first week of a new month we had a new market day on Friday. Therefor Friday in class we spent our whole time on the farm preparing for the new farm market day by collecting items in the garden that were ready to be sold and eaten such as basil and mint. When preparing for the new market day we focused on making more bouquets to sell than we had in the past. This all led to another successful market day. Finally Monday and Tuesday we spent both class periods working on presenting our one beds with our teams by working hard on making and creating a presentation that best shows the progress and outcomes of everyone's one bed. Teams were dividing up responsibilities so they would be ready for when we first start presenting Friday in class. Also we ended class Tuesday with a short friendly competition to see who could give a presentation on a random topic they were given the longest without saying "like" or "um" and for some it didn't take more than a second for them to say one of them while other lasted closer to a minute. 

-Gabriel Mandossian 

Switching Seasons!

This week in Sustainable Agriculture, change was in the chilly December air! As the seasons begin to change, students are beginning to plan and prepare for the winter ahead. We kicked off the week with a focus on our one-beds: what to harvest, what to plant, and what plants we plan to transfer, all the while considering which ones are able to withstand the cold. My group, bed A4, found that legumes and onions thrive this time of year! After some research, consultation of our trusty textbooks, and some quick calculations, we all developed solid plans for conquering the winter season, along with estimates of how our planting will contribute to our overall harvest goals. As Wednesday rolled around, we bundled up and headed out to the farm bright and early to prep the farm for the upcoming months. Starting at a fresh 8 AM, respective groups headed out to do their part, and there were many things that needed to be attended to. Many of the pathways had turned to puddles, and we reinforced our pathways with cardboard and hay to hopefully maintain solid ground through the rainy days ahead. Additionally, we weeded our one beds, watered seedlings in the hoop house, and my personal favorite, planted winter seeds into flats so they will be ready to transfer by January! Groups planted bell beans, radishes, and made sure to steer clear of warm-weather plants like carrots. The flats were transferred to the classroom, where they will remain until they are big, strong, and ready to thrive in our student beds throughout the winter season, and hopefully produce a bountiful spring harvest!

--Lauren Bell

Post-Thanksgiving week

This week in SustAg was filled with a lot of flavor. Students from each class completed another farm to fork assignment that was due monday and also participated in another iron chef competition on Wednesday. Many students used Thanksgiving as a perfect way to use the food and/or herbs we harvested from the farm last week. From smashed rutabaga to butternut squash, the fresh vegetables and herbs from the farm were perfect for making a delicious thanksgiving side dish. Before the iron chef competition on Wednesday, we went out to the farm right at the start of class to harvest any last minute necessities for our dishes. Many groups in my class, including mine, made salads out of the many different kinds of fresh greens we grew in our one beds on the farm. My group made a mixed greens salad with a sweet and sour dressing. We used kale and butter lettuce as greens, and our dressing was composed of mashed raspberries, lemon juice, virgin olive oil, dijon mustard, and salt and pepper. Although I thought we were going to win the competition, Mr. Stewart chose a pesto grilled cheese and salad dish made by another group. When I tried their grilled cheese as they passed it around the class, I could tell they took a lot of time and thought to perfect it and it came out to be really good. I guess you could say they had the best of both worlds with the salad and the grilled cheese, which was probably a good reason why they took the win. I think we definitely had a disadvantage with the absence of one of our group members Josh Dabora, who is a year two student and a good chef which he has shown in his past farm to fork assignments. Although, it was a good learning experience and also a very fun time.

-Alex Aguero