October 3, 2005

Annual UCSC Farm Harvest Festival on Saturday, October 8

By Jennifer McNulty

With toe-tappin' music, hay rides, pumpkin painting, and delectable edibles, the annual UCSC Harvest Festival is always a great way to celebrate the changing of the seasons.

Admission to the Harvest Festival is free for kids 12 and under. Photo: Martha Brown

This year's festivities take place Saturday, October 8, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the UCSC Farm.

Admission is free for kids 12 and under and for members of the Friends of the UCSC Farm & Garden; adult admission is $5; UCSC students pay $3 with ID.

Three bands will provide live music throughout the day, while youngsters will enjoy activities that also include face painting and apple pressing.

Everyone loves the annual apple tasting, while bakers will want to dust off their rolling pins and enter the fourth-annual Apple Pie Bake-Off (see below for entry rules). Local herbalist and acupuncturist Darren Huckle will lead herb walks through the garden, and rose lovers will want to attend a talk by Orin Martin, manager of the Alan Chadwick Garden, about "Year-Round Organic Rose Care." As always, cooking demonstrations and guided Farm tours round out the offerings. Community groups will have booths set up for browsing, and a number of local farmers will be selling their produce as part of the "Buy Fresh, Buy Local" campaign. See below for the full schedule of events.

The Harvest Festival is sponsored by the UCSC Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems; proceeds benefit the Friends of the UCSC Farm & Garden. Major business sponsors include Christiansen Associates Organic Gardens & Design, New Leaf Community Markets, and Stonyfield Farm. For more information call (831) 459-3240.

For directions to the UCSC Farm, call (831) 459-4140 or see www.ucsc.edu/casfs. Free secure bicycle parking will be provided by People Power. Free vehicle parking will also be available at the Physical Plant and Barn Theater parking lots, and a free shuttle will be available.

HARVEST FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

Music

• Farmers' Market String Band, 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.

• Esther's Klezmer Band, 1:15-2:45 p.m.

• Kuzanga Marimba, 3:15-5 p.m.

Workshops and Activities

• Apple Tasting, 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

• Apple Pie Contest Bake-Off. Entry deadline, 12:30 p.m.; winners announced at 3 p.m.

• Walking tours of the Farm, 12:30 and 4 p.m.

• Herb walks through the Garden with Darren Huckle, 1:30-2:30 p.m., 3-4 p.m.

• Cooking demonstrations,  1:15-3 p.m.

• Year-Round Organic Rose Care, 3-4 p.m., with Orin Martin, Alan Chadwick Garden manager

Official Rules for the 2005 Friends of the UCSC Farm & Garden Apple Pie Bake-Off

1. The Friends of Farm & Garden Apple Pie Bake-Off is a nonprofessional baking competition open to Harvest Festival attendees (entry to the Harvest Festival is $5; Friends of the Farm & Garden members and children 12 and under are free).

2. Contestants are responsible for submitting a written (preferably typed) recipe with their pie.

3. Contestants are responsible for supplying all ingredients and cooking the pie prior to bringing it to the bake-off.

4. All entries in this contest must be homemade.

5. A representative of the Friends of the Farm & Garden will assign each contestant a number. Contestants should verify that the number on the bottom of their container is the same number assigned by the representative.

6. Contestants' entries are judged 70 percent on taste and 30 percent on presentation, creativity, and composition.

7. The decision of the judges shall be final.

All pies must be entered by 12:30 p.m. at the Farm & Garden Harvest Festival, UCSC Farm. Judging begins at 12:45 p.m. Awards will be presented at 3 p.m. For additional copies of the bake-off rules contact Joan Tannheimer at (831) 459-3240.

 

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