Hi everyone! My name is Alex and I’m the UW Farm Campus Food Systems intern for summer and fall quarters here at the UW Farm. I’m also going into my second year at UW, planning to major in Food Systems, Nutrition, and Health.

This is my first time writing for the UW Farm newsletter, and I would like to talk about an unanticipated memorable experience: harvesting fruit from our asian plum trees. The ‘Beauty’ and ‘Early Golden‘ trees were planted in 2012 by a student as part of a capstone project. We began harvesting both varieties about 3 weeks ago. As the name hints, ‘Early Golden’ came first, turning a deep egg yellow when ripe, and was followed by ‘Beauty,’ which turned a reddish-purple with a slight hint of yellow.

I first harvested from the trees on a sunny Tuesday morning with the rest of the UW Farm team, and something about plucking delicious fruit straight from a tree and putting it into our baskets brought so much joy. We talked, enjoyed each other’s company, and had fun climbing the tree to reach the ones that were higher up. The shade was also a welcome break from the heat. I can truly say that it was one of the most satisfying experiences I have had on the UW Farm as an intern thus far. I look forward to continuing our plum harvest deeper into the season and am eagerly awaiting the autumn apple harvest!

Beyond giving us delicious produce and a fun harvest, fruit trees are extremely beneficial to a farm. These fruit trees are perennial crops and need minimal upkeep once established, thus providing a reliable, large supply of high-demand produce. Fruit trees also provide habitat for birds and insects that play a part in an integrated pest management system on the farm. In open fields, trees can also serve as windbreaks and reduce erosion. Fruit trees in general offer an assortment of benefits: shade, nutrition, and fun. If you have spare time on your hands, come volunteer and join a harvest!

I hope that everyone is enjoying the beautiful summer and enjoying some fresh local fruit!