10.19.22

Around The Farm
Interactive Art Design Student Creating New Dynamic Signs for the UW Farm
By Oliver Norred, UW Farm Signage Design Intern – Mary Gates Leadership Scholarship
I am an interactive Art Design major, UW Farm intern and a senior at UW. Since the spring quarter, I have been working on an interpretive "Dynamic Sign" project for the UW Farm. 

We had beautiful weather at last week’s sold out Harvest Dinner fundraiser. – Together we raised over 200% more than any other farm fundraising event.

10.12.22

Around The Farm

By Perry Acworth, UW Farm Manager
We had beautiful weather at last week's sold out Harvest Dinner fundraiser. Many of us were inspired by the savory and sweet farm to table menu created by Chef Seth Fernald and his team. We are thankful for individuals from Fare Start and UW students who helped prepare and serve such a feast.  

I’ve been touting crape myrtle as Seattle’s “tree of the future” for years now. And, because of climate change, I daresay, the future is now! Lagerstroemia indica is a beautiful tree for all seasons; outstanding in flower, fall color and winter bark interest.

Did you know the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) is one of the agencies responsible for administering the Endangered Species Act? Alongside NOAA Fisheries, USFWS is entrusted with conserving all federally listed fish, wildlife, and plants. USFWS is also a very important partner that Rare Care collaborates with on endangered plant species recovery. And we’re excited to highlight one of the people doing much of the behind-the-scenes coordination– introducing Tara Callaway! 

If you have the fortune to be botanizing in southwest Washington, you might have the chance to encounter one of Washington’s rare paintbrush species. At first glance you might think this is the common, harsh paintbrush (Castilleja hispida) since both species have the same vibrant, orange-colored bracts and both are found at low to mid elevations. But it is in fact Chamber’s paintbrush (Castilleja chambersii), and when you look more closely at the leaves, you will see what is so unusual about this species. 

Group getting ready for the monitoring weekend. Credit: Anna Carragee
The cool, wet spring of 2022 set the stage for a productive field season and some excellent botanizing! The additional rainfall in many parts of the state meant that conditions were ripe for finding elusive rare annuals. The lower temperatures and higher moisture levels delayed bloom times for many species compared to recent years and also extended flowering, creating longer windows of opportunity to find the plants. 

10.5.22

Around The Farm

By Audrey Sun, Public Health-Global Health: Nutritional Sciences Major, UW Farm Fall Nutrition Education intern.

Hey all! My name is Audrey Sun (she/her) and I am the Fall Quarter Nutrition Education intern at the UW Farm. Each week I will be creating my own recipes each week using produce from the UW farm. The recipes will be utilizing seasonal items featured in our CSA boxes. 

The Cascadia Focal Forest at the south end of the Arboretum is part of the Pacific Connections Garden. This forest showcases plants from the Siskiyous Mountains in southern Oregon and northern California. Many Indigenous groups (including the Shasta, Yurok, Grande Ronde, and Siletz) have roots in this area. Most of these groups were forced from their historical ranges. Despite the injustices and violence these groups endured, they continue to live in the vicinity and carry essential knowledge about the local flora. 

In eight days, the well known UW Farm Harvest Dinner will be held at the UW Botanic Gardens Center for Urban Horticulture. An event that grew from humble beginnings in 2014, run by the farm manager and students, has expanded from a simple community meal to a farm-to-table annual fundraiser.