By Kove Janeski, UW Farm Student Staff, Operations Lead, Masters of Landscape Architecture candidate
It is the most exciting – and busiest – time of the year at the UW Farm. As Seattle continues to experience an especially dry summer, the Farm team is working hard with volunteers to ensure a successful growing season. WE rely on non-human volunteers as well.
In all gardens, pollinators and other insects are essential for the success of fruiting crops. This includes cucumber, zucchini, tomato, peas, apples, and more. To help increase the number of pollinators and other beneficial insects, we plant and maintain pollinator hedgerows, patches, and dozens of other plants to offer a varied diets. We also plant sunflowers, intercropped in beds with summer and winter squash. Our goal is to follow practices that support a healthy agro-ecosystem for the long term.
More recently, the Farm has re-started a beekeeping program and now has two beehives. Due to a generous anonymous donor we were gifted all the necessary equipment to start beekeeping at the apiary located on the east side of the Douglas Research Conservatory in the Center for Urban Horticulture (CUH).
The apiary currently consists of 22 hives that house about 1.5 million honey bees altogether. Twenty of these hives are managed by the Seattle Urban Honey Co., who harvest the honey for sale at local farmer’s markets. The UW Farm now has two hives, which are cared for by Kurt Sahl, Farm Volunteer Apiarist. These bees are a stone’s throw from the farm’s main production and learning location on east campus.
According to Kurt, the biggest challenge to beekeepers in our area is the varroa mite. These tiny arachnids attach themselves to the exoskeletons of honey bees and feed off of the bee’s fat body, a tissue integral to proper immune function, pesticide detoxification, overwinter survival, and several other essential processes in healthy bees.
Mites also serve as vectors of viruses which in turn cause diseases in the bees. Reducing the mite pressure or population is a continual battle for beekeepers and is done using a variety of vapor treatments that the mites cannot tolerate, but do not cause harm to the bees. These chemicals differ from pesticides typically applied to garden plants and pests in their concentration and toxicity. Successful beekeepers keep their hives as healthy as possible entering the winter months, so the bees can stay warm and disease-free. And because these hives at the CUH are only a few months old, it is important to leave enough honey for the bees to sustain the hive through the winter.
While managing the UW Farm hives this summer, Kurt has been giving guest-lectures to students in the summer Urban Farm class, ENVIR 240, and Farm Practicum, ENVIR 295. He has been able to show students the progression of honeycomb formation in the hives, the process of masking the alarm pheromone by smoking the hive and basic beekeeping information. Both classes were able to taste this season’s first honey harvest, a relatively bright or clear honey. Kurt let students know that the color is due to it being composed primarily of blackberry nectar right now, giving it a delicate, floral taste.
While keeping honey bees and harvesting honey is exciting for students and the UW Farm team, we are also committed to creating a habitat that is friendly to native bees as well. According to the Xerces Society, about 70% of North American bees nest underground, which means that tillage and other weeding methods can be detrimental to both actively nesting, and dormant or developing bee larvae. This is one reason why the UW Farm is a minimal or low-tillage operation that minimizes this type of damage to beneficial insects. Volunteers also maintain and renovate hedgerows and insectaries on Earth Day each year.
Looking ahead, Kurt hopes to get more hives to house the growing bee population, extract more honey, and get more volunteers involved. The UW Farm aims to expand the apiary at CUH, provide educational and volunteer opportunities to work with the bees to better learn how to nurture and keep them happy. We also hope to produce enough honey to sell and give as gifts to thank donors and supporters.
~1 Pint of Halved Grape Tomatoes (or larger sorts diced)
2 Medium Sliced Cucumbers
1/2 Thinly Sliced Medium Red Onion
1/2 cup Olive Oil
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1 tablespoon Lemon Juice (can be replaced by lime juice)
1 teaspoon Simple Sugar
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning (can be replaced by a mix of minced basil, oregano, thyme, and/or rosemary)
1 tablespoon Minced Garlic
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt (can be replaced by ground pink sea salt or any other salt)
1/2 teaspoon Cracked Pepper
1 tablespoon Finely Cut Dill
Steps:
Cut the Vegetables:
Cut the tomatoes in half or dice them depending on the size of the fruit. Cut the cucumbers lengthwise into slices which then can be halved. Finally, slice the red onion into thin slices. I have found it easier and less messy to mix all the cut vegetables in a mixing bowl before adding the dressing.
Make the Dressing
First, mince the garlic and dill, placing it in a small mixing bowl when finished. Afterward add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, Italian seasoning, and pepper into the bowl and mix until it has combined into one substance. It is easier to add salt at the end as preferences vary from person to person.
Add the Dressing to the Vegetables
Finally, dump the dressing onto the vegetables in the large mixing bowl! Mix the salad until the dressing is evenly distributed throughout. Enjoy!
Often mistaken for a vegetable, tomatoes are actually a part of the fruit family because they are the fleshy part of the plant surrounding its seeds (USDA). Tomatoes are warm-weather plants that grow on vines. They are a good source of vitamins A and C, potassium, and fiber. They also contain the red carotenoid lycopene which has been studied for its potential benefits in cancer prevention (wisconsin.gov).
123g Tomato (roughly one medium tomato)
Source: USDA
News and Noteworthy:
Snoqualmie Valley Preservation Alliance Volunteer Request for Annual Fundraiser
The Snoqualmie Valley Preservation Alliance is seeking volunteers for this year's Taste of the Valley Farm Dinner and Auction! Join them for the opportunity to participate in this truly special event. They will need help with a variety of jobs Saturday, July 29, including flower arrangement, dessert dash coordination, raffle ticket sales, and vendor assistance. They also are looking for help Friday and Sunday with set-up and tear-down. Food will be provided for volunteers during the event, and they invite all event crew to a campfire with s’mores Saturday night!
Volunteer Needed for the Danny Woo Community Garden 47th Annual Pig Roast
Calling all volunteers, Danny Woo Community Garden is looking for help in preparation for their annual pig roast! If you have interest check below for details.
The UW Farm donates regularly to the UW Food Pantry. During peak season we also donate to nearby food banks. The links below are resources to help you or someone you know with food access.
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
The Weekly Dirt is produced once a week by the University of Washington Farm, a program of the UW Botanic Gardens, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, College of the Environment. It is published nearly year-round for educational purposes and the majority of the content is written or contributed by students and farm staff.
This issue's contributors:
Managing Editor: Althea Ericksen, UW Farm Intern, Communications Coordinator
Around the Farm: Kove Janeski, UW Farm Student Staff, Operations Lead, Masters of Landscape Architecture candidate Contributing Editors: Perry Acworth, Farm Manager; Chrina Munn, AmeriCorps Volunteer 2022-23 Photo Credits: Perry Acworth. Other photos retrieved from the internet and noted in sections
While managing the UW Farm hives this summer, Kurt has been giving guest-lectures to students in the summer Urban Farm class, ENVIR 240, and Farm Practicum, ENVIR 295. He has been able to show students the progression of honeycomb formation in the hives, the process of masking the alarm pheromone by smoking the hive and basic beekeeping information. Both classes were able to taste this season’s first honey harvest, a relatively bright or clear honey. Kurt let students know that the color is due to it being composed primarily of blackberry nectar right now, giving it a delicate, floral taste.
