Natural History of Honey Bees

Natural History of Honey Bees

By morgan hamilton on June 15, 2019

The Natural Hisory of Honey Bees

About this Workshop

A presentation and demonstration about the natural history of honey bees. As a Super Organism honey bee colonies are dazzling in their complexity and fascinating to study. We will cover the salient points of what makes a honey bee a honey bee, placing these charming and endearing creatures into an environmental context while learning about their own internal ecology.

About the Instructor

Brian became immersed in the rich and amazing world of bees while he and his four sons spent many a glorious day observing the curious activities of bees, noticing the bees’ consistent patterns, collective activities, and the surprising comparisons to our own human patterns and behaviours. He’s never looked back and today is a Certified Beemaster and beekeeper, heavily involved in food security issues in Richmond and the Lower Mainland. Brian guest lectures for Gaia College’s Growing Food in the City certificate program, for adult education at Van Dusen Gardens in Vancouver, for Kwantlen’s Richmond Farm School and teaches young people in the city about honey bees as well as native types. He is President of the Richmond Beekeepers Association, a BC Association Master Gardener, Sustainable Gardening and Bee Master to West Coast Seeds, and offers classes in grafting fruit trees, food preserving, and other farm skills.

Date and Time

DATE Wednesday, July 24 | 7:00 – 9:00 pm (2 hours)

Location

UBC Farm

3461 Ross Drive, Vancouver BC

Cost

$35 Standard ($28 Student) + GST

Register for this workshop

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Seeds of Knowledge: Research Showcase

By lewish on June 14, 2019

Seeds of Knowledge

Saturday July 20, 2019, 10:00AM-2:00PM

Join us for an exciting day for the whole family to learn about and celebrate research with the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm!

Seeds of Knowledge showcases the innovative research happening at the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems and our partners, highlighting results and giving the public the chance to meet researchers, explore research tools, and join a tour led by researchers to see what research in action looks like at the UBC Farm.

Event Features:

  • Free UBC Farm tour with guest spots from researchers
  • Scavenger hunt and colouring contest for kids
  • Passport to Knowledge prize draw
  • Live music from Route 9 and The William Chernoff Band
  • Food and coffee trucks
  • More than 30 different local vendors selling produce, fruit, meat, mushrooms, cheese, eggs, baked goods, beverages, sweet treats, alcohol, artisan goods, and more

    • Date and Time

    Saturday, July 20, 2019 | 10:00AM – 2:00PM

    Location

    UBC Farm | 3461 Ross Drive

    Cost

    FREE

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Market Recipe Blog: Roasted Radishes with Brown Butter, Lemon, and Radish Tops

By noni nabors on June 13, 2019

Market Recipe Blog: Roasted Radishes with Brown Butter, Lemon, and Radish Tops

 

You’ve tried radishes sliced in salads and quick pickled on sandwiches and rice bowls. Did you know you can roast them too? Their high water content and crispiness mean they require less time than other root vegetables. Here we share how to roast them to perfection simply with lemon and brown butter, but you can accompany your radish roast with a miso glaze, fresh herbs (like rosemary or thyme), or with fresh pressed garlic. Enjoy this dish all summer long!

Roasted Radishes with Brown Butter, Lemon, and Radish Tops

Recipe

  • 2 bunches radishes
  • 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
  • Pinch coarse salt
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Brush baking sheet with olive oil. Cut off radish greens; set greens aside. Cut radishes in half lengthwise and place in medium bowl. Add 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil, toss thoroughly to coat. Place radishes on prepared baking sheet and sprinkle lightly with salt. Roast until radishes are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally, about 18 minutes.
  2. While radishes are roasting, rinse the reserved greens thoroughly and coarsely chop. In a heavy-bottomed skillet, melt butter and add chopped greens. Add a pinch of coarse salt and cook until butter browns, about 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and stir in lemon juice.
  3. Toss roasted radishes with greens and butter and serve.

Pick up produce at any of our three weekly markets: Tuesdays 4-6:30PM at the UBC Farm, Wednesdays 11:30AM-1:30PM 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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Saturday Farmers’ Market Vendor Feature: Haltwhistle Cheese Company

By nicole ma on June 12, 2019

Saturday Farmers’ Market Vendor Feature: Haltwhistle Cheese Company

Cory at the market, talking to a customer

This week, we are featuring a new vendor to our market, the Haltwhistle Cheese Company, who make fine cheeses crafted in the Cowichan Valley! We were able to chat with Cory a bit about their origins, and about their delicious goats’ and cows’ milk cheeses. They will be at the market every week, so make sure to stop by and try their cheese!

How did you start making cheese?

I took a cheese course in 2005 and began making cheese at home, then for a summer a couple years after that, I made cheese at Moonstruck Cheese in Salt Spring Island. Two years later, we decided to start pursuing it as a long term plan so we went to the UK and southern France to really begin learning about cheese-making because we were interested in the old-world dairy culture there. The names of our business and some of our cheeses is actually selected from the villages around the area in northern England where I started making cheese!

What’s your signature cheese?

One of our main cheeses is a French-style cheese called Tomme. We have a goat’s milk version called Tomme de Vallée and a cow’s milk version called Thombury. It’s actually the first cheese we started making in Canada and the cheese we’ve been making the longest! We brought the recipe back from our cheese-making time in France and adapted it from sheep’s milk to what we have today. It’s one of our bestsellers and we feel like this cheese really represents everything we like about being here.

What’s the difference between goats’ milk and cows’ milk cheese?

The difference between our goats’ milk and cows’ milk cheeses is mostly the flavour. Goats’ milk cheese adds a bit of goaty flavour to it that the cows’ milk cheese lacks. Most of our goats’ milk cheeses like our aged goats’ milk are quite mild and do not have a strong goaty flavour to it, although in some cheeses we try to bring it out and you can taste the goaty flavour more in our Feta and our fresh goats’ milk cheese and curds.

What else would you like your customers to know about Haltwhistle Cheese Company?

One of our defining things is that most of our cheeses are made from raw milk, so it brings a lot of flavour that’s not there in a lot of industrially-produced, pasteurized cheeses! We love introducing our cheeses to people and surprising them with the different flavour profiles that are present that they might not be used to.

Where can customers find you other than the UBC Farmers’ Market?

We can be found at the Mount Pleasant Farmers’ Market on Sundays, Benton Brothers, Les amis du fromage, and by the end of summer, in Whole Foods across the province. Check their website here for more locations and details!

Haltwhistle Cheese Company can be found every week at the UBC Farm Saturday Farmers’ Market on the following dates: Jun 15, Jun 22, Jun 29, Jul 06, Jul 13, Jul 20, Jul 27, Aug 03, Aug 10, Aug 17, Aug 24, Aug 31, Sep 07, Sep 14, Sep 21, Sep 28, Oct 05, Oct 12, Oct 19, Oct 26, Nov 02, Nov 09, Nov 16, Nov 23, and Nov 30. For more information on Haltwhistle Cheese, and photos of their delicious food see the following links: Website | Facebook | Instagram.

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Market Recipe Blog: Tempeh Bacon Caesar Salad

By lewish on June 11, 2019

Market Recipe Blog: Tempeh Bacon Caesar Salad

 

Nothing says summer like a big crispy head of romaine lettuce in a creamy caesar salad! Katie Neufeld, who CSA members may remember from 2015 when she ran the CSA pick-ups, shared this caesar salad recipe and it turned into a favourite for us. We also love the flavour of this tempeh bacon, both delicious and crispy. Pick up some romaine from our market, tempeh from our Saturday Farmers’ Market vendor Tempea Natural Foods, and a firm aged cheese like Gillandsbeck from vendor Haltwhistle Cheese Company.

Tempeh Bacon Caesar Salad

Salad ingredients

  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed or minced
  • 1 teaspoon worchestershire sauce (can buy gluten-free)
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 2.5 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 0.5 cup shredded cheese
  • 2 large heads of romaine lettuce

Tempeh bacon ingredients

  • 1 cup olive oil
  • 1 cup maple syrup
  • 1 cup soya sauce (can buy gluten-free)
  • 4 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 32 (2 small packages) tempeh, cut into thin strips

    • Instructions

    1. Whisk together tempeh bacon ingredients in a shallow dish, then add tempeh and gently toss to coat. Cover and chill for 2-4 hours if possible, but still tastes great cooked right away!
    2. Lay tempeh out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper that has a rim (so nothing drips off). Drizzle with remaining marinade.
    3. Bake tempeh at 400F and toss after 10 minutes to evenly coat. Cook for 30-35 minutes, until dark and crispy. Chop into small pieces.
    4. Mix together salad dressing ingredients (shaking in a mason jar works well) and toss with chopped lettuce (leaves, stems and all) and chopped tempeh. Enjoy!

    Pick up produce at any of our three weekly markets: Tuesdays 4-6:30PM at the UBC Farm, Wednesdays 11:30AM-1:30PM 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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    Understanding Soil Organic Matter’s Relationship with Agricultural Productivity

    By Salloum on June 10, 2019

    Cluster Hire in LFS Applied Biology, Sustainable Agriculture and the Environment, and CSFS at UBC Farm

    Research Seminar: Soil Organic Matter Formation and Function: Understanding Soil Organic Matter’s Relationship with Agricultural Productivity

    Dr. Emily Oldfield

    Research Science Advisor

    Forestry and Environmental Studies

    Yale University

    Click here to fill out the Feedback Form for Dr. Emily Oldfield

    From sustaining crop production to enhancing water quality to mitigating climate change, soil organic matter (SOM) provides a multitude of ecosystem services. Yet despite the general consensus of the benefits derived from SOM, research remains inconclusive regarding the enhanced functional benefits derived from additions of SOM. Furthermore, scientific understanding of the mechanisms behind SOM formation and stabilization is currently undergoing a paradigm shift, with significant implications for predicting what will happen to both agricultural yields and soil carbon stocks under climate change. To better understand the mechanisms behind SOM’s contribution to ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration and productivity, my research explores SOM as both a driving variable and an outcome variable. By conducting research on working farms throughout British Columbia, including the UBC Farm, I plan to delve further into consequential relationships between SOM, agricultural management, and ecosystem outcomes.

    When and Where?

    • June 27, 2019 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
    • MacMillan Building, Room 160

    About the Presenter

    Dr. Emily Oldfield, Yale University

    Dr. Emily Oldfield is a soil ecologist exploring how we can feed a growing population in ways that minimize harm on the environment. Her research focuses on soil ecological processes related to soil organic matter (SOM) and nutrient cycling. She asks mechanistic questions related to processes of SOM formation occurring at the microbial scale as well as applied management questions occurring at the landscape and global scale. She explores these basic and applied questions through extensive analysis of the literature, laboratory investigations, and field and greenhouse experimentation. Her research aims to engage stakeholders in ways that advance ecological understanding while also having direct implications for management. While at Yale, she has been actively involved in engaging students in hands-on experiential learning on the Yale Farm.

    This seminar is part of the LFS Applied Biology Faculty Cluster Hire in Sustainable Agriculture and the Environment. Ten short-listed candidates will be giving seminars in May and June as part of their intensive interview process. Click here see a full list of events.

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    Saturday Farmers’ Market Vendor Feature: Tayybeh Syrian

    By lewish on June 4, 2019

    Saturday Farmers’ Market Vendor Feature: Tayybeh Syrian

    Tayybeh Syrian is a food company and social enterprise that supports Syrian women chefs in Vancouver by offering award-winning home-style food through catering, a food truck, regular community pop-up dinners and packaged products. Tayybeh is not only a celebration of the brilliance of Syrian cuisine, it is a way for spectacular female Syrian chefs to support their families and become financially independent while doing what they love.

    We were able to chat with one of the lovely Tayybeh employees, Miriam, as the first summer market. She has been working with this social enterprise for over a year, while her mom has been working with Tayybeh since their first month in Canada, back in 2016. Miriam works as a sales representative at farmers’ markets, the food truck, and supports various services and events. Below, you will find all the questions she was able to answer for me while at market:

    Tayybeh (tie-bey), what does that mean?

    It means “kind” in Arabic and “delicious” in Syrian dialect.

    What can be purchased at market?

    Our packaged dips are one thing that can always be found with us at market. We also have some hot meals, ready for customers to enjoy for lunch. Today, we have a rice and lentil meal, covered with caramelized onions, with a side of humus and salad. Another option today is the vegan pockets. One with olives and sweet red pepper, the other has spinach with pomegranate molasses, also with sides of salad and hummus. Similar meals can be purchased at our Robson food truck.

    What types of dips do you have?

    Mhammara (sweet red pepper dip): it comes with crushed walnuts, pomegranate molasses, little bit of cumin, olive oil, with some of my Mom’s secret ingredients. Mutabbal (smoked eggplant dip): a great mix of smoky and creamy, with lemon juice, garlic and tahini.

    What would you like customers to know about Tayybeh?

    I would love them to know that all of Tayybeh’s staff are working from their heart, the chefs are cooking with love, and we do this job to let them know Syria through the food. This is an opportunity to share Syrian culture within the Canadian culture. We are always aiming to do better through supporting our customers, who are so supportive and friendly and we love having the opportunity to share our food with you.

    Where can customers find you other than the UBC Farmers’ Market?

    We have our food truck on Robson square, every Tuesday and Wednesday. Customers are also able to find us in some stores, such as Nada Grocery and if you check our website you are able to find all the retail locations that we sell in.

     

    Tayybeh can be found at the UBC Farm Saturday Farmers’ Market every second week on all of the following dates: June 08, Jun 22, July 06, July 20, Aug 03, Aug 17, Aug 31, Sept 14, and Sept 28. For more information on Tayybeh, and photos of their delicious food see the following links: Website | Facebook | Instagram.

     

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    Market Recipe Blog: Mustard Greens Spring Quiche

    By lewish on June 4, 2019

    Market Recipe Blog: Mustard Greens Spring Quiche

     

    Mustard greens are some of the first fresh greens available at our markets in the spring and have a spicy kick that we love mixed into a fresh salad with lettuce or lightly wilted into sautéed dishes. This quiche is a great chance to pair these flavourful greens with eggs from our pastured hens and a bold cheese from Saturday Farmers’ Market vendor Haltwhistle Cheese Company. Not a fan of the mustard flavour? Try substituting the greens for other spring veggies like asparagus, arugula, or spinach!

    Mustard Greens Spring Quiche

    Recipe (adapted from Dishing up the Dirt)

    • 2 cups almond flour
    • 6 cloves of garlic, minced
    • 1 Tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
    • 1.5 teaspoons salt
    • ground black pepper
    • pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
    • 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • Water as needed
    • 1 small onion, minced (about 1/2 cup)
    • 1 bunch of mustard greens, roughly chopped (about 2 cups)
    • 1/4 cup dry white wine or 1/8 cup white wine vinegar
    • 1/2 cup whole dairy or non-dairy milk
    • 4 eggs
    • 1/2 cup grated or cubed strong cheese, like Tomme de Vallée
    • generous pinch of ground nutmeg

    Instructions

    1. Place a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400F. Grease a 9 inch tart pan or pie plate with oil. In a large bowl whisk together the almond flour, half the garlic, thyme, 1/2 tsp salt, a pink of pepper and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir in 1/3 cup of oil and mix until well combined; add a bit of water if too dry. Press the dough into your greased tart pan or pie plate making sure the dough goes at least 1 1/4 inches up the sides. Bake until the crust is lightly golden and firm to the touch. About 15 minutes.
    2. In a large cast iron skillet heat 1 tbsp oil over medium heat. Add the onions and remaining garlic and cook, stirring often until they begin to soften up and become fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the mustard greens and cook, stirring often until they begin to wilt a bit. Add the wine/vinegar and continue to cook until the moisture evaporates. Remove the veggies from the heat and set aside.
    3. In a large bowl whisk together the milk, eggs, cheese, nutmeg, and remaining salt and pepper. Add the cooked veggies and stir well. Pour the egg/veggie mixture into the pre-baked crust and place back in the oven and bake until the crust is a deep golden brown and the center is set. About 30-35 minutes. If the crust begins to brown too quickly place tin foil around the edges to prevent it from burning.
    4. Let the crust cool for about 5 minutes before slicing and serving

    Pick up produce at any of our three weekly markets: Tuesdays 4-6:30PM at the UBC Farm, Wednesdays 11:30AM-1:30PM 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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    ReachOut Feature: Thinking Small in the Face of Climate Change

    By catherine hodgson on June 4, 2019

    ReachOut Feature: Thinking Small in the Face of Climate Change

    CSFS researchers Dr. Juli Carrillo and Dr. Cara Haney were featured in the latest issue of the Land and Food Systems Faculty Journal, ReachOut, for their two-year research project investigating how beneficial soil microbes can help plants deal with the global rise in carbon dioxide.

    Carrillo and Haney’s project is funded by George Weston Seeding Food Innovation Grant. Using a beneficial soil microbe, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Carillo and Haney are teasing apart genetic traits that can help in addressing the effects of carbon dioxide on plant health. The researchers are hopeful that they will be able to uncover microbial solutions that can be used in both organic and conventional farming.

    Read the full article here.

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    ReachOut Feature: Better Veggies for Canadian Organic Farmers

    By catherine hodgson on June 4, 2019

    ReachOut Feature: Better Veggies for Canadian Organic Farmers

    CSFS researchers Dr. Alexandra Lyon and Dr. Hannah Wittman were featured in the latest issue of the Land and Food Systems Faculty Journal, ReachOut, for their latest Canada-wide research venture, the Canadian Organic Vegetable Improvement (CANOVI) project.

    The CANOVI project aims to help organic vegetable growers find plant varieties better suited to Canadian climates and environments. The project focuses primarily on participatory plant breeding of peppers and carrots – two crops identified as top priorities for organic vegetable growers in a survey the CANOVI team conducted last year.

    Funding for the five-year research project comes from the Organic Science Cluster 3, supported by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Canadian Agricultural Partnership. The Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security, a national group, has joined the project as an industry partner. Lyon and CANOVI’s collaborators are in the early stages of research, but are hopeful that their findings will improve things for Canadian organic farmers – “one carrot and pepper at a time.”

    Read the full article here.

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