​Gleaning is a term originating from biblical times used to describe the act of redistributing the surplus of a harvest. In doing this, volunteers collect leftover crops from farmers fields after they have been commercially harvested or on fields where it may not be economically profitable to harvest.

​Two weeks ago, the UMass Permaculture Initiative staff and several student volunteers gleaned over 1,800 lbs. of butternut squash from Plainville Farms located in Hadley, Massachusetts over the course of two days. All of the gleaned produce was donated to Amherst Survival Center, the Student Farmers Market, Pledge, and UMass Fresh.

Pledge, a retail dining location within Blue Wall, focuses on highlighting a unique handcrafted and healthy menu featuring gleaned ingredients, under-loved produce, lean sustainable proteins, vegetable-forward main courses from local partners and farmers when possible.
​
The gleaned butternut squash were also included in the UMass Fresh boxes for an Autumn Stew recipe.  UMass Fresh is a new program that aims to support our local economy while addressing the issue of food insecurity in our community. Each UMass Fresh box includes organic local produce, perfectly proportioned ingredients, and a step by step recipe to recreate the meal! Each box will feed 4-6 people and it adopts a "pay what you will" model.  ​

With the help of student volunteers, staff and Plainville Farm, we are happy to have found a use for all the butternut squash making our first large-scale gleaning project a success!  

Craving something green as the days get cooler ? Look no further than UMass Fresh. Grab your own UMass Fresh Box this Friday, November 4th, at The UMass Student Farmers' Market on Goodell Lawn from 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM.

When you purchase a UMass Fresh box, you are getting a bountiful package of all the ingredients you need to prepare a meal for 4-6 people. The included recipe features ultra-local, organic produce from producers like the UMass Student Farm and the UMass Permaculture Gardens and is expertly developed by UMass Dining chefs.

"Pay What You Will" for this gourmet dinner just an oven away! No one is refused a box with our sliding scale program.

Cold Spring Orchard is a research and education facility of UMass Amherst located just 14 miles from campus. They have more than 100 varieties of apples and a gorgeous view of the Holyoke Mountain Range. Cold Spring Orchard sells products like honey, cider, peaches, pumpkins, and all kinds of jam to the local community. They also offer informational school tours for ages ranging from kindergartners to high school and vocational school students.
​
UMass Dining sourced about $70,000 worth of apples from Cold Spring Orchard in the fiscal year 2016. Our Chefs incorporate these apples into recipes like Apple Cheddar Walnut Salad, Apple Glazed BBQ Baby Back Ribs,  Baked Apple Cinnamon French Toast, and Apple Walnut Wild Rice. Cold Spring Orchard apples were also featured in all four dining commons from October 12th to 22nd during Apple Week.

We spoke to Shawn McIntire, the Farm Superintendent for Cold Spring Orchard, to learn more about their operation. Shawn has been with Cold Spring Orchard for 22 years. “I have been here so long it feels like a part of me.” He works with professors on research, manages the wholesale and retail accounts, and works with students. “You name it, I do it.” Shawn loves farming because he is “always doing something different. Every month is a new task and adventure. I think I have one of the coolest jobs you can do. I find it very rewarding." 

Shawn explained how Cold Spring Orchard practices Integrated Pest Management, which focuses on the long-term prevention of pests, uses pesticides selectively, and minimizes risks to human health and the environment. Instead of spraying acres of land with pesticides, Cold Spring Orchard monitors each acre individually, measuring the level of pests in each area and spraying only the acres where pests reach a high enough threshold. Shawn spends around six hours a week monitoring acres for pests.
​
This has been the toughest year Shawn has ever had working at Cold Spring Orchard. Because of cold temperatures this winter and spring, they lost their peach crop and about 50% of their apples. Additionally, because of the drought, another 10-15% of their apple crop was lost to premature dropping.

​“I think too often, people have no idea the energy, dedication, hard work, and a love for the land it takes to grow locally sourced food. By making these connections with local farms, people are able to see first hand how hard farm workers work and the pride we feel in supplying our communities with healthy and responsibly grown food.” -Shawn McIntire

​Thanks so much, Shawn for taking the time to speak with us!

Looking to spice up your weeknight dinner plans? Look no further than this UMass Student Farmers' Market Yaki-Ramen recipe perfected by chefs here at UMass Dining. This delicious recipe features ultra local, organic, student grown produce from the UMass Student Farm. You can get your hands on this ultra-fresh produce every Friday this semester until November 18th from 12-4 pm on Goodell Lawn at the UMass Student Farmers' Market!

Ingredients:

Water
3 Bundles Fresh Ramen Noodles
3 tbsp Canola Oil
1 tbsp sesame seed oil
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
2 oz onions, sliced
2 oz carrots, sliced thinly
2 oz kale, shredded
2 oz cooking greens, shredded
2 oz arugula
4 oz bok choy, shredded
½ tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
1 tbsp sesame seeds

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Boil the ramen noodles for 2-3 minutes or until slightly al dente. Strain and rinse under cold water. Season the cooled ramen with 1/3 of the canola oil.
2. In a sauté pan, over med-high heat, add 1/3 of the canola oil, add sesame seed oil, and the cooked ramen noodles. Add half of the low sodium soy sauce, and sugar to the ramen, stir-fry for 1-2 minutes. Remove noodles from the pan and place on the side.
3. Adjust heat to high. Add the last 1/3 of the canola oil, onions, and carrots, stir-fry slightly. Add kale, cooking greens, arugula, bok choy, and the other half of the low sodium soy sauce, stir-fry for a few more minutes or
until vegetables are cooked through.
4. Return the cooked ramen to the pan and toss well. Garnish with sesame seeds.

What's better than some hearty stew on a cool, crisp autumn evening? Our head chefs at UMass Dining developed a satisfying, healthy, local and easy recipe for an Autumn Stew featuring produce from the UMass Student Farm and the UMass Permaculture Gardens, as well as gleaned butternut squash from Plainville Farm of Hadley, MA:

​October is national Campus Sustainability Month!  Here at UMass, we would like to celebrate by offering some tips & tricks to adopting a more sustainable lifestyle while helping to make a difference in our community!
​

• Reduce your water usage, we’re in a drought! Turn off the faucet when you’re brushing your teeth, wash only full loads of laundry, take shorter showers, and fill out an iService request for any and all leaks www.umass.edu/sustainability/water-conservation  #UMassSavesH20

This summer I was lucky enough to be a part of the amazing garden crew at the UMass Permaculture Gardens. 

I am a Sustainable Food and Farming student in the Stockbridge School of Agriculture.  Gardening, farming and permaculture are not new to me, but this was an excellent opportunity to see a permaculture garden through the seasons.  I had taken the hands-class in the garden the previous fall, which offered the grounding experience of getting my hands dirty twice a week before class.  It was a nice taste, but not enough. 

Being on the crew was the chance to nurture the gardens through the summer.  We grew a lot of annual crops like beets, carrots, kale, hot peppers, and tomatoes.  Oh, our tomatoes were amazing, particularly the large, funky shaped heirloom varieties!  This year we built a permanent trellis for the grapes to grow on.  The process was fun and involved some deliberate improvisation.  In the future there will be a beautiful shaded canopy of grapes under which to sit and eat lunch.  If you are hungry for more you can just reach up and pick some grapes off the ceiling! 

I am an herbalist, and the wide array of medicinal herbs in the garden is amazing.  I got to spend time with and harvest some of my favorites, such as lemon balm, basil, tulsi, anise hyssop, skullcap and rose.  I also became acquainted with a few new herbs such as spilanthes.  As a group we had a lot of fun with spilanthes- it causes a very bizarre tingling sensation in the mouth when nibbled on, and causes one to drool profusely.  It’s very amusing to watch someone eat it. 

Bringing our harvest directly to the chefs, and their beaming faces was a very gratifying feeling.  I had known some of the garden crew previously, and we all became fast friends.  I think getting to work with such amazing people was probably the best part of the summer.