The Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm is delighted to offer:

Sowing Seeds for the Future

A hands-on, season-long practicum in sustainable agriculture

We are now accepting applications for our 2010 program!

What? ~ The Sowing Seeds Practicum 2010:

Established in 2008, this part-time (600 hour), eight month practicum offers instruction and daily work experience in small-scale sustainable farming.  In a balanced, hands-on learning approach, students work alongside staff in the greenhouse, gardens, fields, and orchard.  Students attend complementary lectures, demonstrations, and farm visits, and participate in a variety of practical and reflective educational activities. Direct marketing activities are also a key part of the experience. The practicum has been designed as a beginning point for aspiring growers, educators and agricultural professionals.

Students come from all backgrounds and are expected to be passionate about pursuing a career in sustainable agriculture. A certificate of completion will be issued to students who fulfill the practicum requirements. Further, we support our graduates to make connections within the BC agricultural community, and to seek out mentors to learn with following Sowing Seeds. Please note, Sowing Seeds 2010 is a non-credit course and therefore participants are not eligible for student loans. However, in 2010 we are offering a fee discount for UBC students who register, and successfully earn credits, for a directed studies based on their Sowing Seeds Practicum.

Where? ~ The UBC Farm:

Located at the southern end of the University of British Columbia’s Vancouver campus, on the traditional territory of the Musqueam people, the UBC Farm stewards a 24 ha site as an integrated, working farm system. The UBC Farm is student driven and all practices voluntarily adhere to COABC standards for organic production.  In a given year, we cultivate up to 250 different varieties of annual and perennial crops.

What’s new for 2010?

Following two full seasons, the Sowing Seeds practicum is making several changes to its structure to reflect feedback from our 2008 and 2009 students, our UBC Farm Staff, and our Steering Committee. The information contained on the website and in the Program Overview reflects the current direction of the project .

Course Logistics:

Course dates : March 13 – Nov 6, 2010

Course hours : Vary throughout the growing season from 7-21 hours/week. See our Program Overview for details.

Course fee : $3,000

**(UBC Students who register, and successfully earn credits, for a directed studies course based upon their Sowing Seeds Practicum are eligible for a $400 refund)**

Capacity : 10 students

Applications: Application information is available on our website.  Application deadline: December 1, 2009.

For more information, please:

• Visit our Website and download our Program Overview
• View photos from the 2008 practicum
• Watch a short video about the practicum in 2008 (scroll down: “A Unique Urban Agriculture Course at UBC Farm”)

Contact information:

If you can’t find the info you need on our website, please contact Elaine Spearing at: ubcfarm.seeds@gmail.com

We look forward to hearing from you!

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fall leaves at the farm

Hello Friends of the Farm,

Check this out! The UBC central development office (ie: big time UBC fundraising) has put together a flash video about the farm and invited people to participate in visioning the farm’s future with them (and donate of course!). The Flash campaign is gaining momentum – we have just surpassed 1000 views of the video and the link was promoted on Edible Vancouver and CBC’s early edition with Fred Lee recently. Please take the time to check out the video and let the development office know a bit about you (and donate of course:).

http://bit.ly/2NmKQx

Thanks so much!

Friends of the Farm

It’s that time of year when the days are shorter and colder and growth on the farm has slowed. Many crops are finished for the season and cover crops have been sown to protect the soils from th winter rains and replenish them for the next season’s crops.  Mother nature is giving the few crops that are left a colourful sendoff.

This week's CSA Box

On Saturday Oct 31 all prospective applicants to the 2010 Sowing Seeds for the Future Practicum are invited to attend  a drop-in Open House at the UBC Farm between 2-5pm! Come meet this year’s apprentices and farm staff, tour the site and get your questions answered!

Sowing Seeds field trip to Salt Spring, June 2009*

For the 2008 and 2009 growing seasons, the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm has been pleased to offer “Sowing Seeds,” a hands-on, season-long apprenticeship-style course in sustainable agriculture. Our second year of the program began in early March 2009 and completes early November 2009.

Now, after two full seasons, Sowing Seeds 2010 is under revision as we consider feedback from our 2008 and 2009 apprentices, our UBC Farm Staff and our Steering Committee.  We believe this evaluation is a critical step in the creation of an excellent program, and we are excited about the continued evolution of Sowing Seeds.  The 2010 course details (including course schedule, dates, fees and application information) will be available on our website shortly. Updated info will also be available at the Open House on Oct 31.  We hope to see you there!

(* Thanks to Nic for sharing his photos!)

A message from the event organizers:
There is an amazing event coming up this Saturday, Oct.24th: Bridge to a Cool Planet. It will be Western Canada’s largest day of climate action (2nd only to the one in Ottawa). It is also part of the www.tcktcktck.org | www.350.org campaign: 3000+ events happening all around the world!

October 24 is a crucial time for us to show we care about this issue. World leaders are meeting in Copenhagen this December to agree on a treaty to stop global warming. If they fail, we are all in big trouble. Canada needs to be strong leader at these talks,but instead it is obstructing progress at advance meetings and laying the ground work for failure at the talks themselves.(1,2) This is not acceptable.

It’s clear that mass public mobilization is the only thing that will make our government take action. We need your help to make that happen next weekend! Please come to this amazing event and show you care! Invite your friends, family and colleagues too!

With city support we are closing off Cambie Bridge for a massive gathering and banner drop at noon on the 24th. Then we’ll take part in a spectacular march/parade to Science World — come in costume and bring a sign! Around Science World there is an eco-fair with music, kids performers, salsa dancing, and informative and inspiring booths set up by various groups. It’s going to to be a powerful call to action and a fun party all rolled into one!

Full details are on the the web site: www.BridgeCoolPlanet.ca. You can also get involved through facebook: http://bit.ly/B2CPonFacebook and follow us on twitter:http://twitter.com/b2cp

We want to have fun on October 24th, but the situation is critical. Our government needs to take action on global warming, and they are only going to do that if we tell them to. Please come to the Bridge next Saturday. Ask all your friends to come too — in person, by email, on facebook and through twitter. Please forward this message!

This is our chance to turn things around on climate change. Join us next week to make climate action history!

Hey Farm Friends,

check out this video recently shot at UBC farm by the “Farm Virgin.” It’s called “episode 9″…just in case you’re confused about the lack of a more descriptive title.

it's harvest... it's harvest time!

In the dark, cold, exam-filled winter of 2005/2006 I huddled in the UBC Farm Centre kitchen, surrounded by grafting knives, tape, bundles of unlikely looking twiggy things and mugs of hot tea.  Keen students and volunteers joined me, and thus began the UBC Farm Heritage Orchard!

We grafted 155 trees, including 60 different apple cultivars – over 50% of which  originated between 1600-1899 A.D.  (Very very old.  Very very cool).

I held my breath through till the spring when, miraculously, the buds on the unlikely little twiggy things (which were stored in pots  in an outdoor  shelter) began to break… Bright green leaves, which unfurled into perfect little flags of life. We cared for them over the summer, planted them into the UBC Farm soil in the rainy fall of 2006, established irrigation and trellising, pruned them, trained them, talked to them (at least I did) and weeded them.  And now, nearly three years later, we are harvesting gorgeous fruits from these  un-twig-like, lovely trees.  I fully admit my bias – but I think they are ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!!

AND NOW FOR THE EVENTS!! This weekend the UBC Farm is participating in the UBC Botanical Garden’s AppleFest, Oct 17-18.  AND!!!  On Saturday October 17 - you are cordially invited to join me (Sarah Belanger) on one of three tours of the UBC Farm Heritage Orchard: 10am, 12pm, 2pm. We will meet at the UBC Farm gates and, though it may rain, it will be a lovely time.  A great outing for those interested in apple production and culture! For a little more info, please check out the UBC Farm Website.

Thank you sun and summer heat, that brought us sweet winter squash.

Thanks, colours of fall, intense beyond our senses, that prove nature’s supremacy in the realm of art.

Thank you grasses and flowers, crimson clover and vetch, that protect and enrich the soil.

Thank you kind hearted souls who have come to the farm and given a helping hand.

Thank you, bounty and abundance, as you manifest in the field. There is enough for people, birds, coyotes, and aphids too!

Thanks, fresh morning dew!!

Thank you winter, when you come, for a little rest you might provide.

Welcome fall, and thanks to all.

Hello Farm Friends!

October is welcoming us with the promise of sun this weekend, so we hope you’ll join us our Harvest Festival Market this Saturday, October 3rd. The schedule for the day includes:

9:00am – 1:00pm: UBC Farm Market, featuring tasty seasonal produce from the UBC Farm and an assortment of other vendors (more details below). Music by local artists The Whites, an  acoustic/electric guitar and bass duo featuring unique renditions of jazz standards and personal favorites.

10:00am – 12:30pm: Scarecrow Making and face painting with Friends of the UBC Farm! For scarecrow making, please bring old clothes (or pick some up at a thrift store) and the farm will provide the rest of the supplies. We’ll be serving hot spiced apple cider from Happy Planet for a small donation. Please bring your own mug for apple cider if possible.

11:00am: UBC Farm Tour with Academic Coordinator Andrew Rushmere. Come take a 30 minute tour of the farm and find out about many of the exciting things that are going on here.

For produce this week, we’ll have many of the regulars – beets, carrots, kale, chard & salad mix. Also some red peppers available and late a late harvest of peas. Tomato quantities dropping soon so get them while you can. Also, we’re excited to have our own UBC Farm sweet potatoes back this season – these are the only local sweet potatoes that we know of, and we have a mix of heritage varieties available. They are looking great this season so pick some up, along with your weekly haul of winter squash, including delicata, butternut, festival, acorn, kabocha and Cinderella pumpkins (great for pie – we are in fact just finishing off a pie made from Cinderella pumpkins this afternoon – yum!). And, if you haven’t yet checked them out, we’ve just made a new batch of UBC Farm Photo Cards, featuring many lovely photos from around the farm. They are great for any occasion!

We are also very excited to have local flour available at our market this week! This unique, hard-to-find treat is provided by the Urban Grains CSA. We’ll have flour from triticale grain, which was organically grown in Agassiz and milled in Chilliwack.  We’ll have 1 kg bags available for sale and anticipate they’ll go quickly.

We have a GREAT line-up of other vendors this week!  Seeds of Plenty is back with fall treats including muffins with golden fall raspberries, pumpkin cookies and pumpkin pie, and cranberry apple and pear cranberry pie. Sue Griese pottery is back in attendance, as is  Harvey’s Organic Acres with local organic fruit. Also, Jane’s Honeybees is back at the market with local honey & honey products. NEW this week is local bakery A Bread Affair – check out their description below. And, we are still supplying certified organic, local beef from the Blue Goose Cattle Company – pick up some 1 lb packages of organic ground beef as it will last in your freezer through the winter (ask any of the volunteers or staff to purchase meat). Lastly, we’ll have the 2010 Green Zebra guides (including a coupon for the UBC Farm Market) available tomorrow.

Lots more details below, check them all out, and we’ll see you in the morning!

Market details:

• Payment information: We greatly prefer cash payments, but will accept personal cheques for purchases over $40. Please note: UBC has recently changed its credit card payment policies and our old imprint machine is now officially obsolete. As a result, we can no longer accept credit card payments at our markets. Apologies for the inconvenience. Sorry, we aren’t able to process Interac transactions. Many vendors only accept cash, so make sure you are prepared for the day!

• Parking: Please park outside the farm gate or along South Campus Road. As parking space is limited, it’s even better if you can carpool, bus, bike or walk to the farm! Please drive carefully along South Campus Road and watch for pedestrians, children and cyclists!
  

• PlasTax: Inspired by vendors at other farmers’ markets, we charge a 5 cent tax on each plastic produce bag used. (this tax won’t be charged on pre-bagged items). This initiative is an attempt to reduce our consumption of plastic and lessen the ecological footprint of our market. We encourage you to bring your produce bags back and reuse them and let our cashiers know this. Thanks for your support in this effort!

• Bring your own shopping bags! In addition to reusing your produce bags, please make sure to bring your own shopping bags to pack your purchases in and take them home. We will gladly accept donations of clean, used grocery bags to have on hand.

• Eggs: Egg quantities are limited as our hens are in their second year of laying and their production is slowing down. We will continue our limit of one dozen eggs per family. As at all Farmers Markets, many other items are limited in quantity and the best items go first. We recommend you come early to the market so you have a wider variety to choose from. Note: For the time being we are not accepting donations of egg cartons because we have plenty.

• Line-ups: We operate on a first-come, first serve basis and line-ups may take 30 minutes or more when the market first opens at 9am. If you can live without our eggs, please visit us after 10:30am for much faster service through one of our three checkout counters. Some specialty items such as eggs and berries may be sold out, but we maintain a great selection of veggies all through the morning We greatly appreciate your patience with this matter!

UBC Farm produce available this week:

Beans! – Bush, pole & French filet beans
Beets – bunches & bulk
Bok choy
Broccoli
Carrots – bunches & bulk
Cherry Tomatoes
Collard greens
Eggs – Available in very small quantity
Flower bouquets
Edible Flower petals
Garlic
Herbs (thyme, lemon balm, smokey fennel, savory, sage, chives, oregano, basil, parsley, etc.)
Kale
Melons
Peas
Pumpkins
Radishes
Red peppers
Sweet potatoes
Swiss Chard
Salad Mix
Tomatillos
Tomatoes
Winter squash – Butternut, Kabocha, Delicata, Acorn, Festival

Other BC certified organic produce we’ll have:

Potatoes (Yukon Gold B size, Purple Russian Nuggets, Red Chieftain B size) – Across the Creek, Pemberton
Mushrooms – Kelowna Organic Mushrooms

Vendors at the market this week :

• The Mayan Garden group, with produce from their demonstration garden at the UBC Farm and traditional Mayan weavings.

• Jane’s Honeybees will be here with local honey and honey products

• Fair-trade, organic coffee and tea to help wake you up in the morning, please remember to bring your own mug. As well as delicious fresh baked bannock. Proceeds to benefit the Urban Aboriginal Community Kitchen Garden Project at the UBC Farm.

• Harvey’s Organic Acres will be a the market this weekend selling apples, pears, plums, peppers, winter squash and tomatoes!

• Vancouver company Moukisac features mesh, reusable eco-friendly produce bags (Moukinets) that can be used on their own or in combination with a Moukisac, a 6 in 1 compact reusable shopping bag system. These products are a great alternative to plastic bags. Visit http://www.moukisac.com for more info.

• Local potter Sue Griese will be featuring her beautifully-crafted earthenware

• Seeds of Plenty whole foods baked goods are 100% unrefined and made for maximum digestibility. Our products go Beyond Organic as we use the highest quality organic ingredients that are prepared in way that will nourish your body as well as your soul. This week at the market: muffins with golden fall raspberries and fall raspberries, pumpkin cookies and pumpkin pie, cranberry apple and pear cranberry pie

• A Bread Affair is a family-owned business in Langely BC that has been specializing in baking handmade artisan breads since 2005. They produce world-class product, handcrafted by skilled artisan bakers using only time-honoured methods and natural ingredients. All breads are baked from scratch, using a natural leavening process and traditional stone hearth ovens.

• Berdie’s Aprons and Free Lion Productions: Come check out their homemade aprons, baby blankies and handbags!

• The 2010 Green Zebra guide is hot off the press…smarter & savvier than ever.  Discover the best of local, sustainable living in Vancouver and save thousands of dollars.  Restaurants and markets, ecoapparel, spas, yoga, theatres, gift shops, and more!  Get yours for just $20 at UBC Farm Market this Saturday. Green Zebra staff will be on-site to let you know about all the great deals included in the guide!

• Granola King products including locally-made Gourmet Granola, Omega Mix, Almond Butter and Hazelnut Butter

• Local, certified organic ribeye steaks, new york steaks, ground beef and beef patties from the Blue Goose Cattle Company, in partnership with Hills Foods.