My name is Dylan Hancock and I am a Masters in Education Candidate at the University of Washington. In early July 2024, I also began as a work study student at the UW Farm. My responsibilities exist on and off the farm. In addition to assisting with the daily tasks of maintenance and production, I also help track and schedule academic activity and volunteer groups that seek to visit the farm.

Many classes at UW visit the farm with the goal a hands-on experience, which enhances learning in the classroom. I make sure to help schedule these groups at our three sites whenever possible. 

As a Master’s in Education candidate, I am particularly interested in informal educational spaces like the UW Farm. Recently, in conjunction with my MEd.,  I completed my EEC certificate, or Education for Environment and Community Master’s Certificate Program at IslandWood an UW affiliated non-profit,

At IslandWood, I led groups of 4th-6th graders in outdoor and experiential classes at the campus on Bainbridge Island. One of the students’ favorite spaces to experience was the Garden Classroom. I often led my students in cooking activities using ingredients from the garden. Nettle pesto and spring rolls were some of their favorites. We then worked together to write a recipe for our culinary creations so that students could make these dishes when they returned home.

As an educator, I look at where the educational experience can exist beyond the classroom. I want my students to learn something that stays with them and supports their well-being. I also strive to promote learning in a variety of spaces and from a wide range of people. The UW Farm is such a space where there is a wealth of knowledge and wisdom that exists among the fields and in the people that spend their days here.

In closing, I will leave you with a personal note, I hail from the Green Mountain state of Vermont, and during the fall season, whether here in Washington or in the northeast, it’s all about apples! Included below is a recipe for one of my favorite uses for apples – Apple Butter. It’s especially great for apples that are a little mealy or blemished and may not be tasty on their own. Add heat, spices, sugar, and time, and suddenly that subpar apple is a sweet, warm spread that melts in your mouth!

Dylan’s Apple Butter
 

Ingredients: 

• 8 cups mixed apples, cored and sliced. Leave the skins on! 

• 1 cup packed brown sugar

• ½-⅔ cup apple cider or water

• 2 tsp. Cinnamon or two whole cinnamon sticks

• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

• (optional) 1 tsp. ground ginger

• (optional) 1 tsp. ground nutmeg

• (optional) 1 tsp. ground cloves

Method: 

With a food processor or a fine chop, process apples into thin slices. 

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Set temperature to HIGH and cook for four hours.

Remove everything from the slow cooker. Remove cinnamon sticks (if used) and run mixture through a food processor. 

Return mixture and cinnamon sticks to the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for an additional four hours. Taste and adjust as you see fit. 

Then, add finished apple butter to jars and let cool to room temperature before putting into the refrigerator. It will keep for a few weeks. 

Apple butter can absolutely be made without a food processor and a slow cooker and instead be made on the stovetop. Follow the same process of combining all ingredients, bring mixture to a soft boil, then reduce the heat to low and stir regularly to prevent burning until desired thickness is achieved. As someone who has tried both methods, I like using a food processor and slow cooker because a saucy texture is easier to achieve and it requires little to no stirring while the apple butter is cooking. I also like to jar and seal my apple butter in a bath of hot water so I can enjoy it any time of the year!