LFS 496 Student Profile: Rachel
By sandland on October 30, 2023
LFS 496 Student Profile: Rachel – Sole Food Street Farms Compost Specialist
Meet Rachel! The fantastic compost specialist who joined Sole Food Street Farms this season through the UBC Farm – Centre for Sustainable Food Systems career development placement.
Rachel built life in their boxes by conducting soil analysis and developing a new compost recipe using the farm’s Actium Composting Drum. When asked about their experience, Rachel shared:
“My tasks were similar day to day, but the soil was constantly changing, which was always exciting! I really loved opening the composting drum and seeing what had developed over the week. Otherwise, my favourite memories here were the simple ones: feeling the breeze on my skin while sampling in the fig and plum orchard, sticking a fork in the compost pile and watching the steam rise, and talking excitedly about new tomato varieties between rows.”
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By juliana cao on October 21, 2023
Applications open soon – UBC Farm Practicum in Sustainable Agriculture
September 21, 2023
Be part of the future of farming and food systems. Join the UBC Farm Practicum in Sustainable Agriculture!
Our Practicum program is a hands-on educational program providing students with a full growing season of experience. The six-month experiential learning program is designed for aspiring farmers, environmental educators, gardeners, and students interested in applying knowledge about sustainable agriculture and food systems.
The 2024 program runs from April 11 to October 19. UBC students are eligible to receive from six to nine credits. Non-students encouraged to apply.
The deadline to apply is October 31st. Apply here.
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By sandland on October 6, 2023
Meet “Dogxim,” the world’s first known dog-fox hybrid—and a genetic oddity
The first confirmed dog-fox hybrid, Dogxim. Photo credit: National Geographic
September 27, 2023
Botany professor Dr.Loren Reiseberg commented on this genetic oddity. “This is what one might expect to see in trees, but not vertebrates,” said CSFS Associate Loren Rieseberg. “It is like humans producing a viable hybrid with chimpanzees!”
“Data suggest hybridization has been much more common during the evolution of plants and animals than previously suspected, including between deeply divergent lineages,” Rieseberg notes.
Read the full article at National Geographic (subscription).
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By sandland on October 5, 2023
Canada’s wildfires take devastating toll on wildlife.
A deer and a fawn are seen in a blackened forest in Canada’s Nova Scotia province, where forest fires used to be rare, on June 22, 2023 © Handout / Nova Scotia Government/AFP
October 4, 2023
Land and food systems researcher Dr. Matthew Mitchell said fumes from wildfires have acute or chronic effects on the health of wildlife.
“These fumes have acute or chronic effects on the health of wildlife, says Mitchell. “Young animals are often more susceptible to the effects of smoke, as are humans,” he adds, and “even marine animals like whales and dolphins are affected when they emerge to breathe.”
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By sandland on September 29, 2023
‘The land will be lost forever:’ Okanagan is one of the most endangered ecosystems in Canada
Okanagan sunflowers on Knox Mountain in Kelowna. (ADAM PROSKIW / iNFOnews.ca)
September 25, 2023
CSFS Associate Dr. Kai Chan told iNFOnews.ca that the proposed South Okanagan-Similkameen National Park is a necessary development as the current laws are not effective at ensuring well-functioning ecosystems and protecting biodiversity.
“There’s a lot at stake and a lot of hopes being pinned on the national park because there aren’t other good mechanisms,” said Dr. Chan. “SARA, the Species at Risk Act is woefully under equipped for that purpose and British Columbia is one of two provinces that lacks a law to protect endangered species. So, there’s just like this big void of legislation and a lot being therefore loaded onto the national park.”
Read the full article at iNFO News
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By juliana cao on September 26, 2023
Work Learn Profile: Rei Clarissa, Children’s Program Assistant
What did you learn in this position?
My name is Rei and I was one of the Children’s Program Assistants at the FarmWonders Camp. As someone who didn’t grow up surrounded by nature, I think this summer really hammered it home to me what it is that is at stake with global warming. It also made me realize how important our connection with nature is, and to never lose it.
Why does this work matter?
My experience has given me a newfound appreciation of our planet, which is why I think that FarmWonders is a wonderful program. In a world where kids are surrounded by computers and smartphones, I think it provides a great opportunity for kids to get back in touch with the living world around them and just be kids.
What would you tell a new student taking on this role? Or what do you wish you had known?
To new students taking on this role, I think the most important part is to have fun. Rediscover childlike wonder! Be curious, because God knows that I came in knowing almost absolutely nothing about plants and learned as much, if not probably more, than the kids. It’s also easier to teach kids about something when you’re obviously interested in it. Also, remember that every kid is different. But, really, one my favourite things was coming in on Monday to see what this week’s kids were going to be like!
What should people know about the UBC Farm that they probably don’t know?
I think a lot of people don’t know about the UBC Farm in general, because I’ve talked to a lot of people who were surprised that UBC has a farm at all. Which is a shame, because I’ve grown to love the UBC Farm so much. The community of people working at the Farm is so great and welcoming, and I think the story behind its existence today is one that people should know. I think it’s pretty cool to hear about a community coming together to protect this plot of land. In another world, there would only be housing and buildings where the Farm stands today, and what a sadder world that would be.
What’s your favourite thing to do at the UBC Farm?
My favourite thing to do at the UBC Farm was probably the Blueberry U-Pick. I love strawberries, and the UBC Farm strawberries are probably the best strawberries I’ve ever had in my life, but it’s also given me a new appreciation for people who pick strawberries. Other than that, I also like going to the Saturday Market just because it’s so fun!
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By jaylin melnichuk on September 21, 2023
Market Recipe Blog: Fall Fair 1st Place Pie (Apple Rose Tart with Pistachio Frangipane)
We look forward to our annual Fall Fair pie contest all summer long to taste the medley of flavours our community bakes up for the occasion! Folks enter their time- and taste-tested pies to be judged (kindly!) and sampled, and we get to reap the rewards of their careful work. This year’s winner, baked by Avril, is an Apple Rose Tart with Pistachio Frangipane carefully arranged with a mesmerizing spiral of thinly sliced apples. Delight your dinner guests with this recipe, and put your own twist on it!
Fall Fair 1st Place Pie (Apple Rose Tart with Pistachio Frangipane)
Recipe
Pâte Sucrée Crust
- 1/2 cup butter at room temperature
- 1/3 cup caster sugar
- 1 & 1/4 cup flour
- 1 egg yolk
Pistachio Frangipane
- 3/4 cup butter at room temperature
- 3/4 cup caster sugar
- 3/4 cup shelled, unsalted pistachios
- 1 egg
Apple Topping
- 5 apples of different varieties, thinly sliced (Granny Smith, Red Delicious and Pink Lady are good ones to use)
- Honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375˚
Cream together sugar and butter.
Combine flour into the sugar and butter mixture (it will look very dry).
Add in the egg yolk and mix together until combined.
Form dough into a ball and flatten it out into a disc; wrap in plastic wrap and let chill in fridge for ~15 minutes.
- Grease an 8” tart pan with removable bottom
- Remove dough from fridge and begin evenly pressing dough into the tart pan
Once dough has been formed in the pan (should be about 1/4” thick) bake for 15 minutes until light golden brown. Once tart has been removed from the oven; allow to cool before spreading on the frangipane.
- While it bakes, begin making the frangipane:
In a food processor, grind the pistachios into a fine powder.
Cream together the butter and sugar and then add in the egg.
Fold in the pistachios until combined.
- Evenly spread the pistachio frangipane onto the cooled pie tart and begin working your apple slices into a rose formation by starting from the outside rim inwards, overlapping the apples.
- Place tart back into the oven for 45 minutes.
- Remove tart from oven and allow to cool slightly before drizzling with honey.
- Admire your work, slice and enjoy!
Pick up produce at any of our three weekly markets: Tuesdays 4-6:30PM at the UBC Farm, Wednesdays 11:00AM-2:00PM at the UBC Bookstore, and Saturdays 10AM-2PM at UBC Farm. Learn more about our produce and browse other recipes in our Market Recipe Blog. Recieve regular market recipes from our newsletter here.
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By sandland on September 19, 2023
Organic Week, September 18-24!
This week, September 18-24th is Canada’s National Organic Week, which is the largest annual celebration of organic food, farming and products across the country. Hundreds of individual events showcase the benefits of organic agriculture and its positive impact on the environment. Read more about it and various events at Organic Week Canada.
“It’s really important that we develop more sustainable ways to grow food. Our food system is in crisis right now. We need to be able to establish methodologies that support farmers, support the environment and continue to provide food for generations to come. Organic is a promising practice and one that we need more research and development in. We need to be able to help farmers develop strategies that make organic into the production system that we know it can be.”
– Sean Smukler, Director of the CSFS at UBC Farm
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By sandland on September 19, 2023
UBC Farmers’ Market: A One of-a-kind Treasure
The certified organic, farm-fresh produce from the UBC Farm. (Photo: Vivian Su)
September 4, 2023
Down at the UBC Farm on Saturdays through June to November, buskers come to the market from all over to perform from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. On a recent Saturday, Barb Fraser and Dennis Henderson—who make up the Fraser-Henderson acoustic, electric folk-pop duo—were playing.
Barb and Dennis said one of their favourite things to see at the market is the families visiting and shopping with young children and dogs running around having fun. There’s also, they said, the kindness and generosity of the vendors.
Pierce Pimiskern, the farm’s sales manager, said he wants community members to know that this is the only multi-vendor farmer’s market in Vancouver on a working farm.
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By sandland on September 18, 2023
The underappreciated benefits of wild bees
Image of bee on purple flower. Photo credit: Ron Whitaker / Unsplash via Free Think
September 14, 2023
More than 80 percent of flowering plants depend on insect pollinators to reproduce. When pollinators visit flowers — which act as the plants’ reproductive organs — to eat their nutritious pollen and nectar, the insects inadvertently transport the pollen between plants, which fertilizes the blooms, leading to fruit and seed formation.
But all of the benefits provided by native bees may be at risk, says Claire Kremen, a conservation biologist at the University of British Columbia. In an assessment of nearly half of all bumblebee species, scientists estimated that a third of those studied were in decline.
Read the full article at Free Think
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