Produce Patch Keeps Gettin Better!!

Hey hungry Tritons!

The patio of Cafe V was the setting for Farm 2 U today.
Nancy Filtz, Retail Manager of the UCSD Place and Markets, came out with yet another gorgeous display of local and organic produce. Woohoo!The samples keep getting better and better! Today there were three beautiful glass dispensers filled with incredible naturally infused waters.
To the left was pineapple water with orange slices, in the middle was water infused with cucumber and mint leaves, and finally (my favorite) cantaloupe water to the right.
They were the most delicious natural flavor combinations when paired with ice cold water!

The Villagers are familiar with these Chico bags, but for those of you who don't live in the transfer housing, these bags are awesome! They are made from several recycled plastic water bottles (7 I believe).
They're cool because they collapse into themselves to fit into a little bag (seen here), and can be pulled out to the size of a book bag. They come equipped with a carabiner, so you can hook the bag onto your key chain. Yep, HDH hooks it up!

Gotta love samples....slices of organic grapefruits, oranges, and lemons were free to try.
I sampled the Pink Lady Apples because I had never heard of them before. They were amazingly crisp and sweet!
Nancy was being the gracious host that she is, by offering to cut up some lemons for me to try. She's the greatest!
Check out how the setting sun highlights the broccoli.......so fresh and so green green. : )

The freshly picked local flowers were bursting with color. I was told the organic strawberries to the left were selling fast!
I sampled the free hummus that complimented the three different pita chip samples, which all can be found in your local Place and Market on campus. The pita chip variety consisting of cinnamon and sugar, cilantro and jalapeno, and garlic were all incredible!
Dining dollars go a long way at these farmer's markets because you get incredibly fresh produce, and the comfort of knowing you're contributing to fair-trade practices in support of local farmers.
These venues provide a chance to come hang out, and enjoy the beautiful weather we've been having. Today we had the privilege of experiencing the incredible sunset on the Cafe V patio.
Come out next Wed. the 24th to Foodworx Place and Market (3:30-6:30pm), where you can expect more Farm 2 U treats.

Housing and Dining truly loves to see UCSD students and the surrounding community happy and thriving! Keep up the great work HDH!

Wishing you health and happiness Tritons. : )

~Hilary

Tritons love Farm 2 U fresh and local produce !!!

Wow! Who'd-a-thunk-it........that people love easy access to fresh and local produce. : )

Honestly students are consistently making it out to the farmer's market that now travels to dining halls all over campus. Every Wednesday Tritons!

Today the place to be was Roger's Place and Market.
Look at this beautiful fruit!
There was an awesome mix of colorful carrots. I sampled one of the purple ones to find it was surprisingly sweet. Yes there are samples people!I had to get some avocados again because they were so creamy last time. Yum.

That's broccoli at the end of the table.

The white carrots were not as flavorful as I'd hoped, but they were really good with some fesh salsa that I got in Roger's. No joke. They make a great substitute for chips! They're crunchy, so I challenge you to try it. : )

The fresh lettuce was impressively beautiful.....and yes, I'm raving about lettuce. It's at a whole other level when it's organic.

They had bags of fresh greens that could easily make a few salads. The Produce Patch hooked students up with free samples of Naked juice too. Other samples included chocolate, coffee, and yummy protein bars.

Jess and I both went crazy for the organic apples, mainly because of their size. If this apple was directly in front of her face, it would take up most of it!

The natural size variety of the apples was noticable, which differs from the carbon copies of fruit you get at the chain supermarkets.

Right at 3:30, when the market starts, there was a line of happy customers forming to purchase their goods.

Jess was checking out the locally cut flowers. Some of which I actually bought for my boyfriend for Valentine's day. : )

HEADS UP: Next Wed. Feb 17th, Farm 2 U will be on the patio at Cafe V (3:30-6:30pm)!!

THEY ACCEPT DINING DOLLARS!! IT'S A WIN-WIN GUYS!

live in love

*Hilary*

Earl's Place

Earl's used to be a place that I would rush through to pick up a few goods.

Now, it has become a great place to study, to socialize, and to get organic and locally grown fruits!

Earl's now serves organic and locally grown tangerines and blood oranges. The blood oranges are S-U-P-E-R-B.

Earl's Place is also a leader of the marketplaces in proving Fair Trade Certified foods. They have a nice selection of teas to choose from!

Being a student of Warren College, Earl's is now another little comfort in my vicinity. I encourage you to check it out friends.. maybe during your studying break :)

Happy eating, and happy studying.

In love,

Jessica

Bringin the "Farm 2 U"! Plus awesome "green cleaning" tips.

Woohoo! The Produce Patch Farm 2 U farmer's market made it's much anticipated debut today in front of Goody's.

See the tents in the background? ; )
Students that happened to be cruisin by usually ended up buying something from the market. I mean, it's hard to resist delicious looking produce that's local and organic!Mmmmm.....the pita chips were a popular item, and the fresh flowers were gorgeous. All items were locally produced.The pita chip and hummus samples were a definite plus! While snaking, you could read up on where the pita chips came from, by reading the print-outs they provided. : )An incredible list of all the local farms involved was stationed on the table. Under each farm listing was the produce they provided for the market, and the prices of the items.
Check it out guys.....they had garlic, fingerling potatoes (by the basket), orange carrots, swiss chard, onions, and more. Some of the bios about the local farms were propped up right next to the produce they grew. How convenient!
I bought a bundle of the organic white carrots because I was curious to see what they tasted like. : ) And I jumped on the chance to get some avocados, Fuji apples, and oranges.

ALL PURCHASED WITH MY DINING DOLLARS! Yay!

They also accept cash, Triton cash, and at the next location (Earl's Place and Market) they are going to set up a system so students can use credit cards.Every Wednesday people! Different location. Be on the lookout.
Better yet, mark your calendars because here's the list of where to be when. : )
Happy shopping Tritons!

On another note, in case you were wondering how to clean in a "green" way....
Here are some of the tip from on online article on the subject:

Cleaning “Green"

http://www.backtohealthcare.com/doctor.asp?chiropractor=10379S&X=658345:359339:901
(To see the full list of tips, just click on this link).

So what about cleaning green? How would you go about making this transition in order to keep your home environment safer and healthier? Here are some tips on living and cleaning green:

• Open windows and let the fresh air in and toxins out, weather permitting.

• Don’t rely on product advertising claims that a product is “natural,” since there really are no standards in place to monitor this. Look at product labels instead.

• Use baking soda in the wash cycle as a fabric softener or vinegar to soften clothes and reduce static cling. Just a little bit does the trick!

• Chlorine bleach is highly caustic and can be fatal if swallowed. Bleach that goes down the drain produces reproductive, neurological, and immune-system toxins. Use a white vinegar/water solution that helps to kill mold, bacteria and viruses and can be used to clean bathrooms and windows.

• Avoid the use of all types of aerosols that can irritate eyes, noses and lungs. Aerosols contain toxic and flammable ingredients, as well as fragrances, that can produce allergic and asthmatic reactions.

You're awesome Tritons!

<3 Hil

Farm 2U

Do you love Farmers' Markets?

Wish the Tuesday Farmers' Markets accepted dining dollars?

Well.. we have good news for you, friends!

Produce Patch… Farm to You is a weekly event introducing campus residents to local farmers.

The farm will move to a different college each Wednesday to present fresh and delicious seasonal produce and goods.

Look for the debut of Farm to You at:

The Village Place & Market,
North Campus
January 20, 2010
3:30 to 6:30 pm

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED DUE TO THE WEATHER.

Please join us at future Farm 2 U events:

Additional Dates/Locations:

January 20, 2010 - The Village Place & Market POSTPONED

January 27, 2010 - Goody’s Place & Market

February 3, 2010 - Earl's Place & Market

February 10, 2010 - Roger’s Place & Market

February 17, 2010 - Cafe Ventanas Patio

February 24, 2010 - FoodWorx Place & Market

March 3, 2010 - Muir Quad

Time: 3:30 to 6:30 pm

Check out the website:

http://hdh.ucsd.edu/farm2u/

Eat locally, eat in love,

Jessica

I gotta EAT! Find out HOW to know WHERE to go and WHEN.

In between studying, you gotta eat!

I'm sure many of you already know the hours your favorite Dining Services (DS) restaurants are open-- in fact, you might even plan your day around these hours to ensure you have a chance to grab a meal.

In case you didn't know... Dining hours change during holiday breaks. Some even change during Finals week!
One of my favorite dining halls is Cafe Ventanas in ERC. The location is close to where I live (The Village), so it's super convenient. If you don't happen to live near there, but want to check out Cafe Ventanas one of these days, their regular hours are:

• M-F: 7am to 9pm

• Sat-Sun: 10am to 9pm

But the hours change on these holidays:

Veteran's Day:

• 11/11: 10am - 9pm

Thanksgiving Break:

• 11/25: 7am - 1:30pm
• 11/26-11/28: Closed
• 11/29: 5pm - 9pm

Winter Break:

• 12/12: 7am - 1:30pm
• 12/13-1/2: Closed
• 1/3: 12pm - 9pm

I called Cafe Ventanas at 858-534-0567 to ask if the hours are different during Finals week. I spoke with the manager, Daniel, who assured me they keep their regular hours, but will be closed the last Saturday of finals.

The dining hall managers are super cool people that are there to help you guys. So take advantage of the opportunity to voice your opinion to them, or just to let them know what an awesome job their doing! : )

It's beneficial to be as aware of dining hours as you are of library hours.

Curious to see who the other managers are? You can find their pics, contact info, and the hours of operation for the other 10 or so dining halls and markets on campus by visiting:
http://hdh.ucsd.edu/diningservices/hours.asp

Hang in there guys! More than halfway through fall quarter, and you're doing great!

~Hilary *Compost Queen*

Puttin your waste in its place? ....Come to Revelle's "Eat Local" event!

Hey students!
Been eating in the dining halls lately? Then you've probably been approached by students in black shirts who aren't afraid to "talk trash" to ya!
No these aren't over-studied and over-midtermed students ready to chew you out........they're your super friendly and incredibly helpful EcoNauts! If you haven't been graced by our presence yet, be on the lookout for us because we're here to help you reach your ec0-goals, no matter how "green" ; )

We approach you guys while you're eating (sometimes mid-bite) because we want to let you know how easy it is to compost and recycle before you head to the waste receptacles.

Be on the lookout for signs like these:


Some signs will have pictures and some will have words describing what waste item goes where. It's that easy people! But it's up to you to make it work!

So PLEASE take the time to look at the signs before you toss out your leftovers!
This looks more like a compost/trash bin than one for recycling : (

Wanna have some eco-fun! If you aren't doing anything from 4pm-6pm this Thursday night (10/22/09), then come out to "Beyond the Bite" at the anchor located near Plaza Cafe in Revelle!

This awesome event, which is geared toward UCSD students living both on and off campus, will focus on the benefits of eating fresh and local food from local growers.

The Revelle RAs are planning this fun-filled event that will include food, fun, music, and a chance for you to meet some of the EcoNauts! Kim (water conservation), Jessica (vegan and vegetarian tips), and I (Hilary aka composting queen) will be there to support the event and invite you to get to know us and all the initiatives we advocate for as EcoNauts. : )
Hope to see you out there tomorrow!

Otherwise, be on the lookout for us in the dining halls.

~Hilary *Composting Queen*

When you put your waste in the right bin, we all win!