Hello all!
This week I want to go over the importance of bees!
Bees play a very important role in our environment and unfortunately as many of you may be aware they are going through some tough times currently. As of January of last year the rusty patched bumble bee populations have decreased over 90%. This has been the case for many other species of bees across the US. It is important to understand what factors are causing this and what we can do to help the cause for our little buddies.
I want to help discuss the who, what, when, where, whys that are affecting the bee population and also go over how beekeepers are helping the populations out. In addition, talk about some of the benefits that having bees on the farm can bring.
Here is a quick article showing some of the benefits:
https://www.perfectbee.com/learn-about-bees/the-science-of-bees/the-benefits-of-bees/
Lastly we will discuss the benefits of the sweetest part of helping the bees out, honey! ft. the one and only Edd Champagne
For the comments we will keep it lighthearted and fun, feel free to leave any fun facts you have of our amazing little buddies!
Mine is the fact that bees can learn and teach other bees how to play soccer! (sorta...)
Link to video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToZDCo51c_I
Happy 10th week ya'll!
Wednesday, June 6, 2018
Monday, June 4, 2018
Final Course Reflection
It's been a delight learning with all of you this quarter! I know that
we've covered a lot of interconnected topics, so I hope this final
reflection will be an opportunity for you to pause and think back over
the course to what has had the most impact on you and what you most want
to remember.
Please answer the following questions in the comments section. Please submit your responses by midnight, Sunday, June 10.
What questions, themes, and/or ideas from this class have
been the most interesting for you to consider? What new ideas are you
taking away from this course? What new questions do you have?
What do you think you’ll remember most from this class one
year from now?
What is one thing you’ve learned in this class that you hope
to put into practice in your life after graduation?
Throughout this quarter, John and I have shared with you
some of the ways we are working to make a positive difference in the world
through experimenting with and teaching small-scale, localized farming.
Following our passions, talents, and curiosities has led us to this way of
giving to the world. What passions, talents, and curiosities will you be
pursuing after graduation and how might these lead you to ways you can make a
positive difference in the communities in which you’ll be living and the world
at large?
What suggestions do you have for improving future versions of this course?
What suggestions do you have for improving future versions of this course?
Sunday, June 3, 2018
Week 10 on the Farm: Harvest
Weather Forecast: Tuesday, mostly sunny, high of 68 degrees F; Wednesday, partly cloudy, high of 74.
I have to confess that there were some moments a week ago when I was spending sleepless nights in hospital rooms and 90+ degree days working outdoors in the humidity that I was feeling pretty discouraged about this season. Our first harvest and CSA distribution is scheduled for this week and it's hard to go into harvest season feeling so far behind schedule. It's times like this that make me doubt myself and wonder why I'm doing this small-scale farming thing, especially through the CSA model which puts pressure on me to produce a certain quantity of diverse produce regularly throughout our season. I start feeling inadequate and wonder if I'm just incapable of succeeding at this work that I feel so deeply called to do.
But my Dad is home now and the weather has been giving me a break (thank you, weather!) these past couple of days. We made a big push to get our middle-sized garden (called 'Middle Earth') worked up this weekend and got most of our tomatoes planted on Saturday. The cooler temperatures mean the spinach bolting has slowed down enough that it will be good to harvest this week for our first share distribution and I'm crossing my fingers that the cabbage root maggots have stayed out of the turnips enough that we can harvest those too, as well as fresh garlic shoots. It will be a small share this week and probably early summer shares will be smaller than normal because of the disruptions in our planting schedule due to my Dad's illness. I've sent an email to all of our members letting them know about this situation and received several responses encouraging us to take care of ourselves and our family first. Which reminds me of why I do the CSA--because it allows me to form relationships with the people that eat the food I grow that go beyond an economic transaction to genuine care for each others' well-being.
10th week Spring is always intense for me as we are finishing up planting, beginning harvesting, and I still have all of my K responsibilities to fulfill.That leads to some long days and short nights. Tonight I came in from the gardens around 10pm when it got too dark to see and tomorrow morning I'll be up at first light to harvest, wash, and bag the spinach before my first meeting on campus. So I'll be tired tomorrow. But I'm excited. The spinach is really tasty right now (it loves this cool weather), and I'm eager to get back into my harvest rhythm. I'm also super excited to get the rest of our transplants in the ground this week and to see the Middle Earth garden come back to life. I almost can't explain how happy it makes me to do this work, despite the moments when I'm laying down in the field weeping with heat, exhaustion, and frustration at yet another challenging situation.
Tuesday folks, we're going to have you help us plant Middle Earth with all kinds of summer veggies: peppers, eggplants, squashes, and those potatoes that we didn't get to last week! Wednesday people, if I can get supplies around, we'll get into our big beehive and see what the girls have been up to these past few weeks. Maybe we'll even pull out some honey if they've been busy making more!
I've been thinking about what question I wanted to ask you this week and my mind keeps going to the theme of harvest and the fact that you will soon be reaping a certain kind of harvest from the work that you've done these past four years in college by receiving your diplomas. But diplomas are just symbols that stand in for what you've actually done and learned during your undergraduate careers. As I'm thinking about the moments when I stand in the gardens and see the plants growing and feel my own passion for this work despite all of its horrible moments and know beyond doubt that this is work I'm meant to do, I'm wondering what hard-won self-knowledge you have cultivated and harvested for yourselves during your time at K College. What do you know about yourself now that you didn't when you walked into your First Year Seminar class for the first time? What self-knowledge will carry you forward into the next phase of your life and support you when things get tough?
I have to confess that there were some moments a week ago when I was spending sleepless nights in hospital rooms and 90+ degree days working outdoors in the humidity that I was feeling pretty discouraged about this season. Our first harvest and CSA distribution is scheduled for this week and it's hard to go into harvest season feeling so far behind schedule. It's times like this that make me doubt myself and wonder why I'm doing this small-scale farming thing, especially through the CSA model which puts pressure on me to produce a certain quantity of diverse produce regularly throughout our season. I start feeling inadequate and wonder if I'm just incapable of succeeding at this work that I feel so deeply called to do.
But my Dad is home now and the weather has been giving me a break (thank you, weather!) these past couple of days. We made a big push to get our middle-sized garden (called 'Middle Earth') worked up this weekend and got most of our tomatoes planted on Saturday. The cooler temperatures mean the spinach bolting has slowed down enough that it will be good to harvest this week for our first share distribution and I'm crossing my fingers that the cabbage root maggots have stayed out of the turnips enough that we can harvest those too, as well as fresh garlic shoots. It will be a small share this week and probably early summer shares will be smaller than normal because of the disruptions in our planting schedule due to my Dad's illness. I've sent an email to all of our members letting them know about this situation and received several responses encouraging us to take care of ourselves and our family first. Which reminds me of why I do the CSA--because it allows me to form relationships with the people that eat the food I grow that go beyond an economic transaction to genuine care for each others' well-being.
10th week Spring is always intense for me as we are finishing up planting, beginning harvesting, and I still have all of my K responsibilities to fulfill.That leads to some long days and short nights. Tonight I came in from the gardens around 10pm when it got too dark to see and tomorrow morning I'll be up at first light to harvest, wash, and bag the spinach before my first meeting on campus. So I'll be tired tomorrow. But I'm excited. The spinach is really tasty right now (it loves this cool weather), and I'm eager to get back into my harvest rhythm. I'm also super excited to get the rest of our transplants in the ground this week and to see the Middle Earth garden come back to life. I almost can't explain how happy it makes me to do this work, despite the moments when I'm laying down in the field weeping with heat, exhaustion, and frustration at yet another challenging situation.
Tuesday folks, we're going to have you help us plant Middle Earth with all kinds of summer veggies: peppers, eggplants, squashes, and those potatoes that we didn't get to last week! Wednesday people, if I can get supplies around, we'll get into our big beehive and see what the girls have been up to these past few weeks. Maybe we'll even pull out some honey if they've been busy making more!
I've been thinking about what question I wanted to ask you this week and my mind keeps going to the theme of harvest and the fact that you will soon be reaping a certain kind of harvest from the work that you've done these past four years in college by receiving your diplomas. But diplomas are just symbols that stand in for what you've actually done and learned during your undergraduate careers. As I'm thinking about the moments when I stand in the gardens and see the plants growing and feel my own passion for this work despite all of its horrible moments and know beyond doubt that this is work I'm meant to do, I'm wondering what hard-won self-knowledge you have cultivated and harvested for yourselves during your time at K College. What do you know about yourself now that you didn't when you walked into your First Year Seminar class for the first time? What self-knowledge will carry you forward into the next phase of your life and support you when things get tough?
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