UBC Farm Student Symposium

Join the UBC Farm and the Friends of the Farm to celebrate UBC student engagement in food sustainability!

With more than 150 student projects conducted in collaboration with more than ten different faculties and schools, the UBC Farm generates much needed information about food system science, farming technologies, community engagement and environmental stewardship while giving students the opportunity to learn in a unique and increasingly rare hands-on way.

This free public event is organized by the UBC Farm and the UBC Sustainability Ambassadors, a UBC Sustainability Initiative program that promotes and develops sustainability education for UBC students.

Come for the whole day or stop in for any part of it! Full schedule below.

When? March 15th, 2013 from 9am-5pm
Where? The UBC SUB
How much? The Symposium is a free event!
Who? Everyone is welcome

Tea and coffee are provided and a local lunch is available for a $3 donation.

Find more information and RSVP here.

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Help us bring public transit to the UBC Farm!

While many farm friends describe what a special experience it is for them to visit the UBC Farm in the midst of an urban environment, we also hear about the challenge of accessing the farm by public transit. A recent re-route of the TransLink 41 bus has improved the farm’s accessibility, but we now have an opportunity to bring public transit directly to the farm gates!

UBC Campus and Community Planning is working with TransLink to change the campus shuttle routes (C20 and C22). A direct shuttle to the UBC Farm would support UBC’s sustainable transportation plan, improve students’ and researchers’ access to unique academic opportunities at the farm, and create new possibilities for university-community programming for other members of our community. Please help us demonstrate the need for direct public transit to the UBC Farm:

• Online consultation: Open until Wednesday December 12th. Participate in this short online survey.
• Campus+ Community Planning Public Open House: November 26, 4-7pm, Thunderbird Arena (6066 Thunderbird Boulevard, Wesbrook Mall entrance). No registration required.

Warm thanks for your ongoing support!

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Imagine yourself in a field…

Imagine yourself in a farm field savouring seasonal vegetables, paired wines and other local gourmet, artisan delicacies…

Photo courtesy of Jeremy Fenske

Outstanding in the Field aims to re-connect diners to the land and the origins of their food, and to honor the local farmers and food artisans who cultivate it. This year, Ted Anderson of Campognolo Restaurant will be sharing his culinary talents the guest chef for OITF at the UBC Farm. The dinner will take place on Sunday, July 15th at 4pm, and proceeds directly benefit the UBC Farm. Not to be missed!

For more details or to purchase tickets, please click here.

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Meet the cooks at this year’s Joy of Feeding on June 10th!

“Cooking is the doorway to caring about where our food comes from, taking care of our families, and taking care of our health. It connects our hands to our senses and to everyone’s hearts.” – Meeru Dhalwala

Lix Lopez, one of the cooks at this year’s Joy of Feeding, is also a leader of the Maya in Exile Garden Project at the UBC Farm. He will be sharing Chaan (corn tamalitos with beans) on June 10th.

The UBC Farm is pleased be hosting the second annual Joy of Feeding on Sunday, June 10th! Celebrate and enjoy comfort foods created and cooked from the heart. Sixteen home cooks of different ethnic backgrounds offer you tastes of their family comfort foods at this international food fair and UBC Farm fundraiser. To learn about the chefs and the stories behind the dishes they will be sharing, please visit their bio page.

 

This family-friendly event features children’s activities and special music by Tarun ‘Tspoon’ Nayar (Delhi 2 Dublin), Rup Sidhu (Banyen Roots), Ndidi Cascade, and friends. The countries and ethnicities represented at this year’s event are: Sierra Leone, Ghana, Hakka Chinese, Chile, Mexico, Maya (Guatemala), Pakistan, Goa (India), Egypt, Syria, Tsimshian First Nations, Canada (Vancouver), Vietnam, Southern Italy, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

• Date & location: Sunday, June 10th, 2012, 1:00-4:00 pm at the UBC Farm
• Tickets: Tickets are $50 and include a recipe book with each cook’s story and family recipe. Children 13 and under are free with their parent or guardian’s ticket purchase. Tickets are available at Lower Mainland Choices Markets or online at joyoffeeding.com. Special Vancity member offer: This year, Joy of Feeding is pleased to offer a 2-for-1 ticket deal to Vancity members.
• Want to know more? Visit joyoffeeding.com for full event details, visit the UBC Farm website for an interview with Meeru Dhalwala about the vision behind Joy of Feeding, and check out our photo blog post about last year’s event.
• Connect: “Like” Joy of Feeding on Facebook and search for #joyoffeeding on Twitter.

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Spots available! May cheese making workshops at the UBC Farm

Brie ng it on. Cheese maker and organic farmer David Asher Rotsztain draining whey.

Once again, the UBC Farm Growing Season Workshop Series is looking forward to hosting four cheese making workshops this month led by organic farmer and cheese maker David Asher Rotsztain! These popular workshops fill up quite quickly, so please register soon to avoid disappointment.

 

Intro to Cheese Making (Three sessions – May 15, 16 and 29)
Join cheesemaker David Asher Rotsztain as we explore the fascinating realm of cheese. David will demonstrate and explain the techniques for making three basic styles of cheese: paneer, yogourt cheese and camembert, an aged rennet cheese.

Location:  UBC Farm Centre, 6182 South Campus Rd, Vancouver BC
Cost: $40 ($1.99+ registration fee). Materials included.
Dates: Tuesday, May 15th, 6pm-9:45pm: http://intro-to-cheese-making-may.eventbrite.ca/   

Wednesday, May 16th, 6pm-9:45pm: http://intro-to-cheese-making-wednesday-may.eventbrite.ca/

Tuesday, May 29th, 6pm-9:45pm: http://intro-to-cheese-making-late-may.eventbrite.ca/

Advanced Cheese Making

In this advanced workshop, we will explore many different aged and fresh cheeses. Two new classes of cheeses will be introduced: hard cheeses and goat-milk cheeses. We will examine some of the many pathways for ageing soft cheeses by demonstrating the techniques of making blue cheeses, washed rind cheeses and feta. In addition, we will be learning about whey cheeses and mozzarella. 

Location:  UBC Farm Centre, 6182 South Campus Rd, Vancouver BC
Cost: $40 ($1.99+ registration fee). Materials included.
Date: Wednesday, May 30th, 6pm-9:45pm   

For more info and to register: http://advanced-cheese-making-workshop-may.eventbrite.ca/

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Purls of wisdom and eating what you can! November Growing Season Workshops

Preserving the fall: a seasonal workshop in canning what’s local – Sunday, November 13th, 1pm-4pm.

Photo courtesy of mgsimpson999 on Flickr Creative Commons.

In this three-hour session that emphasizes safe canning practices, participants will learn how to make jams and pickles using a boiling water bath canner. The principles of pressure canning, and other preservation techniques, will also be discussed.
The workshop will consist of a presentation followed by hands on canning session in which participants have the opportunity to make both a jam and make pickled carrots using local, seasonal ingredients. Registration includes all supplies and participants will take home a jar of preserves. Cost: $30 (plus $1.74 registration fee,) materials included.  For more information and to register visit the eventbrite registration page.

Knitting it together: an introduction to knitting – Wednesday, November 30th, 6pm-9pm.

In this introductory course on knitting, participants will learn the basics of knitting from the materials required, to reading a pattern. Spend the evening casting on and off, learning the art of knit and pearl. Cost: $25 (plus $1.61 registration fee), knitting supplies included!  Please note there are no refunds for cancellations. For more information and to register visit the eventbrite page. Please note that space is limited to 11 participants. Growing season workshops do sell out fast, so make sure to purchase your ticket early.

Photo courtesy of Dyanna on Flickr Creative Commons.

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Important: South Campus Neighbourhood Public Open House Tues, Nov 1; online feedback until Nov 3

Dear farm friends,

We hope you’ve been passing a cozy hallowe’en weekend and enjoying plenty of seasonal treats!  Please note the important Public Open House and Q& A Session coming up this Tuesday, Nov 1st, regarding the Revised Amendments to the South Campus Neighbourhood Plan.  It would be excellent if you could attend and help to represent the interests of Friends of the UBC Farm in this process. If you are not able to attend on Tuesday, please take a few minutes to share your thoughts through the online consultation (available from Oct 21-Nov 3).

UBC is in the process of amending the South Campus Neighbourhood Plan for Wesbrook Place such that it concurs with the university’s overall Land Use Plan.  These amendments must take place in order to retain the UBC Farm for sustainability research, teaching and community engagement, as well as creating a thoughtfully-designed South Campus community.  The two key messages that Friends of the UBC Farm would like to emphasize are:

1. Transferring housing density from the UBC Farm to other parts of campus concurs with Smart Growth principles and will help to create more sustainable, livable neighbourhoods on campus.
2. Quite apart from the consideration of the UBC Farm, designing compact communities will make UBC a better place to live. For instance, densely-built neighbourhoods help to support:

• Mixed, affordable housing options
• Physical activity through walkable, bike-friendly neighbourhoods
• Well-serviced transit networks, along with associated air quality benefits
• Environmental benefits, such as efficiently recovering heat, water and organic waste
• Retail, recreational and child care facilities, enabling people to work, play, and shop in the places that they live
• A more vibrant sense of community and reduced experience of being a “commuter campus”

Date: Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Place: MBA House, 3385 Wesbrook Mall

Times:

• Public Open House – 4:30-5:45pm,
• Q&A Session – 6-7pm
• Public Open House – 7-7:30pm

Please note that the Open House display boards will not be available during the Q&A portion.

Online consultation on the amendments will run from October 21-November 3.

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Moustaches, flower power & toothy grins at the 2011 UBC Farm Pumpkin Carving Competition

Warm congrats to all of the entrants in this year’s UBC Farm Pumpkin Carving Competition! Our Harvest Festival and final Farm Market of the year drew out plenty of creative juices on October 22nd. The eyelashed Jack-o-Lantern got our votes for top prize, but honourable mention goes to the double-sided flower power pumpkin.

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Harvest Festival – October 22, 2011!

UBC Farm Harvest Festival – October 22nd, 9am – 1pm

Come celebrate the end of the 2011 season at our Harvest Festival! On October 22nd, our last Saturday market of the season, we invite you to come out to the Farm to stock up on storage veggies for the winter or take home a carved pumpkin just in time for Halloween. Join us for a day filled with activities, including:

– Pumpkin carving competition (win a Cinderella pumpkin!)
– The Great Marrdini: A Magician at the Market (weather pending)
– Face painting & Children’s colouring corner
– Special spooky children’s farm tour at 11am
– Complimentary apple cider
– Hot prepared food from Coma Food Truck
– And live, local music!

We hope to see you out on the 22nd to wrap up this year’s harvest season with fun times at the farm.

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UBC Farm Heritage Orchard Tours: Apple Festival 2011!

On October 15 and 16, 2011 we’re excited to be joining the UBC Botanical Garden Apple Festival.  In addition to a booth on-site at the festival both days, we will be offering tours of the UBC Farm Heritage Orchard on Saturday October 15 at 10am, noon and 2pm.

The UBC Farm Heritage Orchard was designed, grafted and planted as a student Directed Study beginning in 2005.  A sanctuary for apple culture, the orchard is composed of ~120 trees, including ~70 varieties of apples and a handful of plums.  2011 marks our first year of significant harvest for market sales and the orchard is producing gorgeous apples. Come visit this urban agricultural gem for tours with UBC Farm staff who care for the orchard on SATURDAY October 15!  Meet at the UBC Farm entrance gate. No UBC Farm orchard tours will be offered on Sunday.

For more about the UBC Farm Orchard, check out this older post on the blog .

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