08.16.23

Around The Farm

Solanaceae Growing at The UW Farm

By Althea Ericksen, Senior, Environmental Studies, UW Farm Intern and Communications Coordinator

Hi all! This week I wanted to highlight some of the Solanaceae family growing at the UW Farm.

Prior to beginning my internship on the farm in the spring of 2022, I knew little of the vast variety found in this family. Some of these crops include tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant. I found myself consistently astonished by our harvests, tomatoes and peppers of all shapes and colors, unlike anything I'd encountered on a trip to the supermarket. 

I often get asked about what we're growing on the farm, and while were in full swing of peak growing and harvesting I thought I'd share, and potentially give ideas to other plant enthusiasts. If you have any tomatoes, peppers, or crops you've been growing that you'd like to share about I always love to hear and see, feel free to send in an email to ericksea@uw.edu.

This Week's CSA Veggie Key:

Recipe of the Week:

"Ratatouille" Zucchini Dish

By Quying Danzeng, Nutritional Science and Food System Major, UW Farm, Summer Nutrition Education Intern

Photo by Quying Danzeng

In this week's CSA box, we have zucchini as our fresh produce item. Zucchini has very mild flavor, and that blandness also makes it very versatile and makes it incorporates with different sauces well. We could see zucchini being widely used in both Asian and European cuisine. 

Korean Bibimbap is a stone bowl that served with rice and different cooked vegetables, and zucchini is used in this dish. In European cuisine, we know the famous cartoon movie "Ratatouille". The recipe for Ratatouille originated in the Nice and Provencal regions of France. The traditional recipe calls for tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, garlic and different seasonings.  

Ingredients 

2 zucchini

1 eggplants

3 tomatoes

2 tablespoons basil seasoning

1 minced garlic

2 tablespoons parsley seasoning

2 table spoons of salt and black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven for 356 ̊F (180 ̊C).

2. Chop and slice the eggplant, tomatoes, and zucchini into thin slices. Approximately 1⁄16-inch (1-mm) rounds, then set aside.

3. Make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a skillet or any oven-safe pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the garlic until it softened. Season with salt and black pepper, then add the chopped tomatoes. Stir until the ingredients are fully incorporated with each other. Turn off the heat, then add the basil seasoning.

4. Arrange the sliced veggies in alternating patterns, (for example, eggplant, tomato, zucchini) on top of the sauce from the outer edge to the middle of the pan. Season them again with a pinch of salt and pepper.

5. Make the herb seasoning: In a small bowl, mix together the basil, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Spoon the herb seasoning evenly over the vegetables.

6. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes in the oven. Uncover the foil, then bake for another 20 minutes, until all the vegetables are softened.

7. Ready to serve!

Nutrition Corner: Eggplant

Native to Asia, eggplants come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The first to be introduced to Europeans were a white, egg-shaped variety, which is how the plant came to have the common name 'eggplant'. The UW Farm grows three distinct varieties; the common dark purple round variety, a white and purple Italian heirloom variety, and in this week's CSA we have the 'Ping Tung Long' variety that is known by it's long and slender shape. 

Source: Texas AgriLife Extension Service

1 Eggplant  (~200g)
Total Calories: 70kcal
Total Fat: 0.46g
Carbohydrates: 17.2g
Dietary Fiber: 5g
Total Sugars: 6.2g
Protein: 1.64g
Calcium: 11.8mg
Iron: 0.5mg

Source: USDA

News and Noteworthy:

UW Farm Summer and Fall Internship Opportunities

Farm Education Internship – OPEN Fall 2023

General Farm Internship, CSA Program Focus – OPEN FOR Summer and Fall 2023

Food Security Internship – OPEN FOR SUMMER and Fall 2023

More available paid and unpaid opportunities to check out on our website.

Career Opportunities in Agriculture & Food Systems:

• Kirsop Farm – Hiring Multiple Positions
• EarthCorps – Hiring Multiple Positions
• Red Dog Farms – Multiple Positions Available
• Seed Savers Exchange – Multiple Positions Available
• Seattle Public Schools – Farm to School Specialist
• Seed Inventory/ Quality Assurance Manager – Adaptive Seeds

Food Access Resources

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.  

• UW Food Pantry: The UW Food Pantry | Any Hungry Husky (washington.edu)
• Northwest Harvest Food Donation sites: Public Drop Sites – Northwest Harvest
• University District Food Bank: Donate Food and Items – University District Food Bank (udistrictfoodbank.org)
• Food Lifeline: Volunteer – Food Lifeline

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 © 2023 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