10.30.24

Around The Farm

Community Volunteer Groups Prove Critical for UW Farm Operations

We also save some of the most difficult tasks for these groups because of their teamwork mentality, enthusiasm, and positive attitude. Let’s face it, the volunteers are usually only here for one day. The work is physical, the opposite of office work. Many reflect that getting “hands in the dirty,” can be therapeutic. Volunteering is also muscle-building and provides immediate gratification.  Often we hear that the opportunity to be outside and give back is central to their desire to volunteer even if it involves:

• digging trenches for new irrigation lines for the Native Garden
• removing tree roots with pick-axes and pry-bars in the Heritage Orchard 
• hand-digging the Wapato Pond
• removing blackberries from hedgerows
• pushing heavy wheelbarrows of compost and mulch
• harvesting heavy potatoes
• picking beans, a tedious job
• gleaning for the UW Food Pantry and other food banks
• weeding
• weeding
• weeding…

The many groups’ efforts have proven critical for farm operations, lightening the load for student interns, Community Engagement and Leadership Education (CELE) learners, and the farm team. We would like to dedicate this issue of The Weekly Dirt to appreciate our community partners for their hard work. Throughout the last year we have had numerous groups out on the farm bringing their energy and excitement to help us and we literally could not carry on and be prepared for the Fall academic quarter without you.

Thank you to the following groups who came out to help us this year:

• Cotopaxi Student Representatives
• Amazon
• Nestle
• Sigma Nu Gamma Chi Fraternity
• Full Bright Scholars
• College of the Environment, Dean’s Office Team
• College of Education – Office of Student Diversity and Inclusion
• PAE Consulting Engineers
• Foundation for International Understanding Through Students (FIUTS): Study of the U.S. Institute for Student Leaders on Civic Engagement (SUSI)
• Whole U
• YouthCare
• Career Academy High School
• Girls Gone Wild Womxn’s Outdoor Collective Club at UW
• Chobani
• Microsoft

Pictured above, top: Expedia employees posing in front of the student-built oven at the Center fro Urban Horticulture farm site. Shown is one of four volunteer groups (100+ individuals total) who helped during September as part of their Expedia Month of Caring. Bottom left: Chobani employees at the Mercer Court farm site. Some employees drove from Portland, OR that morning for the start of the 9am shift. Bottom right: a Microsoft team helped us to harvest potatoes and herbs, prune Salal, and prepare our beds for winter cover crop by mulching, bed shaping and weeding. Seen in the first photo set is the team working together to clean and fold one of the farm’s silage tarps. 

Pictured above, top photo: Nestlé, 75 of their employees working hard alongside our team. Our original contacts worked for Starbucks, many of whom now work for Nestlé, (Nestlé purchased the wholesale arm of Starbucks coffee in 2018.) Bottom left: YouthGrow. Leaders and young people who visited as part of an 8-week experience in gardening, landscaping, and food production. The program is offered to for those ages 15-21 and runs in collaboration with Seattle Public Schools Interagency Academy. Bottom right: one of the volunteers from the Dean’s Office, College of the Environment. A small group including Associate Dean, Julia Parish, visited the farm and weeded asparagus, planted potatoes and lettuce. Seen here is the only volunteer to ever “double dibble.” Using a wooden dibble, holes are made for transplanting small plant starts, or large cloves of garlic, etc. Double dibbling is a feat of balance and efficiency!

Recipe of the Week:
 

Fennel Sausage with Butternut Squash Gnocchi

Ingredients: 

• 1 butternut squash (in this week’s CSA!)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• rosemary removed from stem
• thyme removed from stem  (in this week’s CSA!)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tbsp crème fraiche
• 1 cube bouillon (chicken or veggie)
• 1 pound potato gnocchi homemade or store bought (Elba Potatoes in this week’s CSA!)
• 1/3 cup chicken/veggie broth or white wine
• 1/2 cup fennel sausage (Optional, see recipe below) (Fennel in this week’s CSA!)
• 1 cup parmesan grated

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Cut the butternut squash in half, lightly score in a cross hatch pattern and season with salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme. Roast until soft and tender about 35-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
2. Scoop out all the flesh and insides of the squash and add it to a blender. Blend with bouillon cube and crème fraiche until smooth.
3. Heat a large skillet with a bit of cooking oil over medium heat.
   1. If including the sausage: Once hot, tear the fennel sausage into bite sized pieces and drop them in the hot pan to sear. Brown on both sides.
   2. Stir in the gnocchi, tossing until browned.
4. Once browned, pour the butternut squash sauce into the pan, stir in the broth or wine and simmer until a silky sauce forms.
5. Season with freshly grated parmesan cheese, season with additional salt and pepper if needed and garnish with some thyme. Enjoy!

Sweet Fennel Sausage Recipe
Source: I’d Rather Be a Chef

• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 medium fennel bulb
• 3 cloves roasted garlic
• 2 tablespoons organic or grass-fed butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme chopped
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• ¼ teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

1. Cook the Fennel: Using a heavy skillet, add the butter and olive oil. Heat over medium-high heat until the butter is melted. Add the raw fennel and a pinch of kosher salt. Cook the fennel for 10 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally until it browns. Then, reduce the heat to medium-low. Continue to cook until completely caramelized. Remove the fennel from the pan and rough chop.
2. Toast the Fennel Seeds: Heat a dry pan over medium-high heat. Add the fennel seeds and monitor them closely. When they begin to turn brown, stir to avoid burning. Once they have turned brown, remove from the heat and set aside.
3. Making the Sausage Mixture: In a bowl, add the pork, fennel, thyme, roasted garlic, toasted fennel seeds, balsamic vinegar, salt, and 8-10 grinds of pepper. Mix until all the ingredients are incorporated. Make a small “tester” sausage meat patty. Cook thoroughly, taste the cooked sausage, and adjust the seasonings.

News and Noteworthy:

UW Farm Upcoming Involvement Opportunities

We are now hiring paid and unpaid interns for Winter quarter! Check out these opportunities on our website.

Career Opportunities in Agriculture & Food Systems:

• Farm Business Development Coordinator – Viva Farms (Woodinville, WA)
• Food Access Coordinator – Washington State Farmers Market Association (WA)
• Administrative Association – Washington State Farmers Market Association (WA)
• Marketing Coordinator – Local Food Marketplace (Eugene, OR)
• Washington State Dept of Agriculture Opportunities (Grants, Workshops/Classes, Conferences/Events)
• WA Eat Local First Jobs Board 
• Farmers Markets Positions

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