May 7: Is organic food more nutritious?
Is organic food more nutritious than conventional? Join visiting Prof. Dominika Średnicka-Tober as she discusses research on the quality of organic food.
Demand for organic foods is partially driven by consumers’ perception that they are more nutritious and can help them to maintain good health. Over the last 25 years, a significant number of research studies focused on comparing the concentrations of nutritionally relevant minerals, macronutrients, bioactive compounds (e.g. phenolics and vitamins), fatty acids, but also toxic metals and pesticide residues in food products coming from organic and conventional production systems.
The recently published comprehensive meta-analysis study on the composition of organic vs. conventional foods has shown that organic crops are, on average, characterized by significantly higher concentrations of antioxidants (i.e. phenolic compounds), lower concentrations of cadmium and at least four times lower incidence of pesticide residues than their conventional comparators, when compared across regions and agricultural seasons. A number of studies also showed higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids in milk from organically raised animals. Many of the bioactive compounds and beneficial fatty acids found often in higher concentrations in organic foods have previously been linked to a reduced risk of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative diseases and certain cancers. Negative (i.e. carcinogenic) effects of cadmium and pesticide residues found more frequently in conventional products are also well proven. On the basis of the above statements one could expect beneficial health impacts of organic compared to the conventional foods. However, the available research outcomes addressing this topic are very limited. The lecture gives an overview of published research on the quality, safety and health impacts of organic foods.
- Tuesday, May 7, 2019
- 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
- FNH Building Room 40
- Free
About Dominika Średnicka-Tober
Dominika Średnicka-Tober is Assistant Professor in the Division of Organic Foods at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences. She was previously a Research Associate at Newcastle University in the School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, carrying out the meta-analysis on the composition of organic vs. non-organically produced foods. She is an author and co-author of a number of scientific publications, as well as research and educational projects in the area of quality, safety and health impacts of organic foods as well as sustainability of the food systems.
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By eileen huang on March 20, 2019
BC Food Web aims to improve access to research results and other resources to help improve the sustainability and resilience of food systems.
BC Food Web provides clear and concise briefs on research paper for producers, processors, policy-makers, educators, and the general public for free. BC Food Web intends to meet the needs of those interested in increasing the sustainability and resilience of food systems using knowledge generated through high-quality, cutting-edge research.
The briefs focuses on the implications and applications of research and are prepared by the BC Food Web team based at UBC’s Centre for Sustainable Food Systems. BC Food Web also hosts webinars, decision tools, and longer-format reports and guides, and links to food systems resources produced by other organizations.
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By Joyce Liao on March 14, 2019
Thanks for the Interest!
We received 133 applicants for our 15 Work Learn positions at the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm. Positions range from food cultivation, research support, managing educational programming, and supporting our markets. We are currently contacting chosen applicants.
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By Joyce Liao on March 14, 2019
Feeding Growth Friends Brewing Creativity
Feeding Growth Alumni, Max Rivest the co-founder of Wize Monkey and Mauricio Lozano from Faculty Brewing Co. have been featured in an article by Vancouver is Awesome.
The unique partnership has created the world’s first coffee leaf infused beer.
“Our brewery is focused on education, collaboration and innovation, and this [partnership] is where it all comes into play. – Lozano of Faculty Brewing Co.”
Learn more about
Feeding Growth, a Centre for Sustainable Food Systems initiative that supports and scales progressive BC-based food brands and entrepreneurs.
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By morgan hamilton on March 10, 2019
Making Cloth: Introduction to Hand-spinning
About this Workshop
Ever wanted to know how cloth is made? Our ancestors usually made their cloth themselves from the plants and animals in their surroundings, but today we usually don’t know where our cloth comes from, what it’s made of, or who made it. In this class, we’ll cover the first steps of making cloth: spinning on a drop spindle with the basics of the ‘park and draft’ technique; plying; understanding the key role of fiber preparation in the final outcome, and sampling a couple of different fibres, including wool from sheep, angora from rabbits, and flax from linen.
This Beginner Level Workshop Will Cover the Following:
- Basic fundamentals of fabric composition
- Discussion of spun fibers that make cloths
- Hands on practice with hand-spinning using a drop spindle
- Hands on practice with the ‘park and draft’ technique, and plying
- Samples of different fibers from plants and animals
- Discussion of contemporary basket technology and commonly found store bought fibers
About the Instructor
Rebecca Graham is an environmental artist and weaver who specializes in creating exciting connections between ancient skills and contemporary knowledge and issues. She is the artistic director of EartHand Gleaners Society. With a background in agriculture and environmental ethics and a BFA from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, her workshops reconnect people of all ages and abilities to the land in ways that aim to honour cultures, ancestors, First Nations, and the land itself.
Date and Time
Wednesday, May 1 | 6:00 – 8:00 pm (2 hours)
Location
UBC Farm
3461 Ross Drive, Vancouver BC
Cost
$45 ($38 student pricing) + GST
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By morgan hamilton on March 9, 2019
Making Brioche
About this Workshop
In this class we will show you all the basics of making Brioche, the magic dough that is more than just a sweet bread! Brioche is incredibly versatile, and in this workshop you will learn how to make the dough and a few recipes to use it in, such as: Basic Brioche Loaf, Braided Brioche with pearl sugar, Brioche Cinnamon Rolls, and Savoury BBQ Pork Buns. Try your hand at making pork buns, and leave with a full belly, a new skill, and printed recipes to continue making Brioche at home.
About the Instructor
Valentine (AKA Tartine) is a French cook who’s passionate about cooking and baking. She teaches cooking classes, mostly French food and baking, in the Vancouver area and in your home! Trained in culinary skills from France, she has worked for catering events in prestigious Champagne mansions and in Paris at various locations including Hotel Ambassador. Now a full time cooking instructor and personal & private chef. Tartine & Maple’s mission is to demystify French food and other food myths, making them fun and accessible for all!
Date and Time
Wednesday, April 24| 5:30 – 8:30 pm (3 hours)
Location
UBC Farm
3461 Ross Drive, Vancouver BC
Cost
$68 ($62 student pricing) + GST
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By morgan hamilton on March 7, 2019
The Art of Herbal Medicine Making
About this Workshop
Dive into the art of herbal medicine making and learn how to prepare herbal teas, herbal vinegars, a medicinal salve and infused oil. An instruction booklet will be provided. Learn of the action and medicinal application of herbs used in class for first aid.
In this class participants will:
- learn how to prepare and sample an herbal tea infusion and understand the difference between an infusion and decoction
- lean how to prepare an infused oil and the various applications for an oil
- observe the preparation of a herbal salve and take home a small container of medicinal salve
- prepare and take home a 250ml of medicinal and culinary herbal vinegar
Participants should bring one clean wide mouthed class container (approx 250 or 300ml) with tightly fitting lid, a pen, and a tea cup for sampling tea. Copies of The Good Living Guide to Natural and Herbal Remedies will be available for purchase for $ 25.
About the Instructor
Katolen Yardley, MNIMH, RH (AHG) is a medical herbalist and nature knower with over 20 years of clinical and herbal medicine making experience in private practice in Vancouver, BC. She enjoys providing usable tools for optimal health through inspiration and education. She is the author of the “Good Living Guide to Natural and Herbal Remedies” (August 2016) and current president of the Canadian Herbalist’s Association of British Columbia. She is a clinic supervisor at Dominion Herbal College and adjunct faculty at Boucher Naturopathic College and offers seminars to the general public. Visit
www.katolenyardley.com for more information
Date and Time
Saturday, April 20 | 9:00am – 12:00 pm (3 hours)
Location
UBC Farm
3461 Ross Drive, Vancouver BC
Cost
$95 ($87 student pricing) + GST
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By Salloum on March 6, 2019
March 6: We All Live from the Land: Seeds of Recognition, Recognition of Seeds with Dr. Harriet Friedmann
In a time when more people live in cities than the countryside, it is challenging to think through the implications that we all live from the land, to take in deeply and practically what it means that humans are part of nature. How do city dwellers come to recognize changing nature, including human nature, at a time of rebalancing of atmospheric gases supporting life as we still know it, and of cascading deaths of species, some before they have been identified? Drawing on the history of ideas about nature, especially Humboldt and Darwin from the 19th century, and Latour’s revisioning of how governing human society might adequately respond to the Gaia hypothesis, Dr. Friedmann will focus on seed governance at the interface of society, culture, and ecology. Seeds of recognition lie in new ways of understanding humans as a species at once like other species—in that humans change ecosystems to get food—but also unique in its capacity to reflect and change its practices. Foundational are selection, saving, changing, and planting seeds. Recognition of seeds is crucial to changes in governing ourselves as part of nature.
Dr. Friedmann is an International Visiting Research Scholar with the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies.
When, Where, and How Much?
- March 6th from 4:00 pm until 6:00 pm
- Liu Institute Multipurpose Room, UBC
- Free for all and light refreshments provided
About the Presenter:
Harriet Friedmann is Professor Emerita of Sociology, University of Toronto. Her publications span several aspects of food and agriculture, notably as co-developer of the historical food regimes approach, and as contributor to debates on family farming. Her recent publications focus on implications for emergent food system governance of long histories of food system transformation across social/natural scales, as cities and capital have reorganized the biosphere and ethnosphere. Her current project is Global Political Ecology of Food. Friedmann was Chair of the Toronto Food Policy Council within Toronto Public Health in the 1990s, and is presently a member. She serves on several editorial boards of food, agriculture, and global change journals and has served on several nonprofit boards, e.g., USC-Canada (Seeds of Survival projects across the world), Toronto Advisory Committee for the FAO-RUAF city-food region project, and the Toronto Seed Library. Since retiring she has been Visiting Scholar or Professor at Aix-Marseille University, Carleton University, Institute of Social Studies in The Hague, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, and CIRAD (Agronomic Research for Development) in Montpellier, France.
By Salloum on February 13, 2019
March 21: Grain by Grain: A Quest to Revive Ancient Wheat, Rural Jobs, and Healthy Food with Bob Quinn and Liz Carlisle and Bob Quinn
Join organic farmer Bob Quinn and Stanford Lecturer Liz Carlisle for highlights from their new book, Grain by Grain. Drawing on Bob’s 30-year journey in regenerative organic agriculture and renewable energy, they will discuss how transformation of regional food systems can drive big changes over time: creating good green jobs that rebuild rural communities, while providing healthier food and better environmental stewardship. Along the way, they’ll shed some light on the recent epidemic of gluten sensitivity, and offer some suggestions for how to restore a healthy relationship with wheat.
When, Where, and How Much?
- March 21st from 4:00 pm until 6:00 pm
- FNH Building Room 40
- Free for all and light refreshments and ancient grain snacks will be provided.
- Books will be available for purchase courtesy of the UBC Bookstore
About the Presenters:
Bob Quinn is an organic farmer near Big Sandy, Montana, and a leading green businessman. He served on the first National Organic Standards Board, and has been recognized with the Montana Organic Association Lifetime of Service Award, The Organic Trade Association Organic Leadership Award, and Rodale Institute’s Organic Pioneer Award. His enterprises include the ancient grain business Kamut International and Montana’s first wind farm.
Liz Carlisle is a Lecturer in the School of Earth, Energy, and Environmental Sciences at Stanford University, where she teaches courses on food and agriculture, sustainability transition, and environmental communication. She holds a PhD in Geography from UC Berkeley and a BA in Folklore and Mythology from Harvard University, and she formerly served as Legislative Correspondent for Agriculture and Natural Resources in the Office of US Senator Jon Tester.
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