9.22.21

My Summer on the Farm

A UW Farm Intern Reflection By Delia Darrah, Food Security Intern for summer 2021 

My summer at the UW Farm has given me the privilege of bringing my environmental science degree to life for the first time. With all of my major specific classes online up until this point, I hadn’t connected my knowledge of soil, ecosystems, and (best of all) plants to any tangible experiences. The facts about soil chemistry and seed germination that I used to recall from slide decks have now settled in my memory against the backdrop of the UW Farm. 

A group of plants that hold a special place in my heart are the rows of radicchio at the Mercer Court Farm. They were the first plants on the farm that I followed from seed to field. While I won’t be at the farm long enough to harvest these specific radicchio plants, I did get to harvest their neighbors. I enjoyed that radicchio in a salad and it was made even more delicious paired with the hard work that the others at the farm and I had put into it.

Watching plants move from seed packets to my own kitchen has taught me that the plants we eat have two concurrent life cycles. The first of those being the classic circle of life that I learned about in class. It flows from germination to growth to reproduction and around again. The second life cycle of a plant begins and ends with us, the farmers and the consumers. A plant’s life on the farm starts when it is scheduled into the crop plan and ends when it reaches a person’s stomach. This agricultural back story of our produce was one that I had never seen in detail before interning at the farm. I am now even more grateful for fresh food knowing the effort that went into growing it.

Over the course of my internship, I have focused my attention towards the person at the end of the plant’s journey. I was tasked with recording the amount of food that the UW Farm donates to the UW Food Pantry each week. I have logged 3,061 lbs of produce worth approximately $7,101. I am grateful to have been a part of this effort to reduce food insecurity on campus. This internship has been an educational experience that has brought me closer to both the people at the farm and the UW community.

This Week’s Recipes:

Dragon Langerie, aka, Dragon Tongue, is a bean from one of many heirloom seed varieties we grow at the UW Farm. The eye-popping gold and purple Husky colors make them appealing when eaten raw; the purple streaks fade when cooked. Along with other summer bean favorites, these are bush beans and yield heavy harvests as compared to other string beans.

No need to cook! This recipe combines ones of my favorite summer wax beans, Dragon Langerie or Dragon Tongue with fennel. A perfectly crunchy salad, topped with feta.

SERVES 4

Ingredients 

• ¹/₂ pound dragon tongue beans, trimmed and sliced on the bias into 1/2 inch pieces (in this week’s CSA)
• 1 small fennel bulb, bulb cored & thinly sliced, fronds reserved (in this week’s CSA)
• 1 large or 2 small shallots, thinly sliced (or scallions, in last week’s CSA)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1 pinch Kosher salt
• 3 ounces feta, crumbled
• 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fennel fronds, chopped
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine dragon tongue beans, fennel, and shallots.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, zest, and salt.
3. Pour dressing over vegetables and toss to coat. Stir in feta, parsley, and fennel fronds. Add pepper to taste.

News and Noteworthy:

TONIGHT!
Viva Farms and Washington Farmland Trust bring you:

Love the Land: A virtual benefit concert for local farms

September 22 : 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm Pacific Time

Admission: $10
Details available on the Washington Farmland Trust event page

Local farmers are at the heart of our food system. And yet, the barriers that they face are staggering, especially for marginalized growers. From finding and affording land to keeping it productive and resilient in the face of climate change, local farmers need our support now more than ever That’s why Washington Farmland Trust and Viva Farms are teaming up for the second year in a row on a virtual benefit concert to support a resilient, equitable future for farming. Join us for an evening of inspiration, music, and community as we aim to raise $330,000 for local farms.

Offering live captioning in both English and Spanish, as well as verbal Spanish translation for this event.

Volunteer with us! 

The UW Farm is experiencing a record low number of volunteers right now. If you have some time to spare and would like to know more about how to grow food, come volunteer with us!

See details and learn more about how to sign up by visiting THIS LINK:
https://botanicgardens.uw.edu/center-for-urban-horticulture/gardens/uw-farm/volunteer/

Help The Farm Grow!

Every year, we have the capacity to grow more food and increase our educational and research program at the UW, but not without your support. Every contribution goes to work immediately, helping us better serve students. Your support can sustain our momentum and help seed new opportunities for student internships, academic work, and future growth. Please consider making a gift to the Farm online

Copyright © 2021 The UW Farm, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
The UW Farm
3501 NE 41st St,
Seattle, WA 98105

On campus mailbox
Box 354115

NEW email address:
uwfarm@uw.edu