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

Study Snacks

Hello all!

We hope this week is going smoothly for you... with finals coming up and all. I recommend a nice treat to make the day better and studying more pleasant (yes, it is possible). I suggest a nice snack and beverage to go along with it. My favorite snack is a vegan cookie made by Alternative Baking Company that can be purchased from markets like Earl's Place. I really enjoy Explosive Espresso Chip Cookie.. sounds amazing right? Look at a photo:

To down the cookie down, I suggest a delicious beverage called kombucha. G.T.'s Kombucha sold on campus is a living culture of beneficial microorganisms.. Check out Hilary's blog post "Kombucha!" for more information about this fabulous body fuel. Check out a photo of one of my favorite types of Kombucha:

Another fabulous beverage you can enjoy purchasing and consuming from market places on campus is fair trade tea!

When you buy Fair Trade, you participate in a social movement that empowers hard working people in developing countries who dedicate their lives to filling sweetening your tea, brewing your coffee, and keeping you caffeinated for your all nighters.

Dining Services is committed to supporting Fair Trade. Beginning in June 2009, all HDH dining locations started offering Fair Trade coffee, tea and sugar exclusively. There are also Fair Trade choices of ice cream and chocolate.

What does Fair Trade mean?

• Paying farmers a living wage for their harvest.
• Creating direct trade links to farmers and their cooperatives.
• Providing access to affordable credit, helping farmers stay out of debt to local middlemen.
• Promoting sustainable practices such as organic and shade-grown farming, that help protect the environment.
• Fair Trade coffee comes from farmers who have been certified and receive a minimum price for their harvest.

-http://hdh.ucsd.edu/diningservices/ftc.asp

Feel free to become a fan of HDH on Facebook. They might have just the right information you are looking for.

CLICK here to go to HDH facebook.

Best of wishes studying for finals. And please remember, snacking can be a very important part of your success in studying as it provides fuel for your body. When consumed properly, a proper snack and beverage can accommodate just the right energy you need!

Happy days,

Jessica

Monthly Cup of Green, Peace

Hey all!

Here's wishing you are all doing dandy in life.

Housing and Dining EcoNauts hosted their first "Monthly Cup of Green" event at Roger's Place (formerly known as POTS), on November 17th. It was really inspirational to hear Mark Lovett talk about things that matter in the world. Things like the global water crisis and ways that we can make positive change.

We can lighten up the darkness in terms of lessening our impact on the environment is to eat more local, organic, and vegan options. Isn't it amazing you can do these things at UCSD? Talk about an awesome school. UCSD is going to be launching a new event in Dining restaurants called "Meatless Mondays." It should be epic! We hope it will inspire students to be more aware of their food choices, thinking about the effects of their purchases.

Check out a piece of Mark's words to us:

Dining restaurants and Marketplaces also provide students with a sufficient amount of Fair Trade products, ensuring fair wages to farmers for their food products. Social justice is also something HDH participates in. What an awesome campus! We have a lot more to do, a lot more places to go, and a lot more changes to implement, but we are running towards that line. If you have suggestions of how to better HDH as a whole, please do email about it! jbaltman@ucsd.edu

The desire for spreading love and peace around the campus is sizzling! Another awesome event of UCSD's was that of the Human Peace Symbol which took place on November 19th on Sun God Lawn. Check out the link and see a larger photo of people united in the cause of peace. I'm sure you were there in spirit if not in person.

http://worldmarch-sd.org/WorldMarch_UCSD.html

Hugs,

Jessica