community garden outreach syllabus (spring 2017)

Community Garden Outreach

Thursdays, 11:45 am – 3:25 pm & 5-9 pm on 1^st Thursdays

Class location: USF Garden, Gleeson Plaza, & St. Cyprian’s Church (Turk and Lyon)

Twitter: @USFgarden / Instagram: usfgardenoutreach

Professor David Silver (dmsilver [ at ] usfca [ dot ] edu)

Office / hours: Kalmanovitz 141, MW, 1-2 & by appointment

TA: Santiago Delgadillo (sdelgadillo [ at ] dons [ dot ] usfca [ dot ] edu)

Course Description: Community Garden Outreach introduces students to ideas, skills, and practices in ultra-local, urban-based food production and distribution. Through readings, reflections, and discussions, students will explore various social, cultural, and economic issues around food, food production, and food distribution. Through cooking and preserving workshops, urban farm visits, monthly campus farmstands in Gleeson Plaza, and monthly community dinners at St. Cyprian’s Church, students will engage directly with community food practices.

Learning Goals:

1. Develop practical skills in preparing, preserving, and distributing local, seasonal food;
2. Design, implement, and administer the campus farmstand and St. Cyprian’s community dinner;
3. Design and implement outreach methods to publicize class events; and
4. Demonstrate effective and creative collaboration with class members and community partners.

 

Grading:

50%  Participation in and contribution to 3 USF Farmstands and 3 St Cyprian’s Community Dinners

10%   Recipe Project

20%   Family Cuisine Project

10%   Homework assignments and reflections

10%   Out-of-class volunteering

Farmstands and Community Dinners: The heart of this class is the campus farmstands and community dinners. Occurring three times a semester, the campus farmstand takes place in Gleeson Plaza. Students are responsible for all aspects of the farmstand, including organizing, publicizing, harvesting, gleaning, cooking and preparing the food, setting up, serving, cleaning up, and documenting. Also occurring three times a semester, the community dinners take place at St. Cyprian's Church (at Turk and Lyon) on the first Thursday evening of each month. Again, students are responsible for all aspects of the community dinner.

Out-of-class volunteering: Each student is required to make at least three visits to an urban farm or food-related event in the city. We will talk more about this but in general students visit the urban farm during work days, work in the farm for about two hours, and write a one page reflection about your experiences. Possible urban farms include: Alemany Farm, Garden for the Environment, and Tenderloin People’s Garden. Students can also volunteer at USF’s Stress Less Day (February 28) and the Earth Day Seed Swap at San Francisco Public Library (on April 22).

Attendance Policy: Missing class, or attending class unprepared, will significantly affect your final grade. If you do miss class, contact a classmate to find out what we discussed in class and ask to borrow her or his notes. Then, do the same with a second classmate. After this, if you still have questions about missed material, visit me during office hours or email me.

Course Rules

1.    No late work accepted.

2.    No drinking out of non-reusable containers during class, during farmstands, and during community dinners.

3.    Unless extremely necessary, stay off your phones during class.

 

Course Calendar

Thursday, January 26: Class and individual introductions. Food icebreaker. Tour USF Garden. Make a salad. Review syllabus. Homework: Visit a Farmer’s Market, preferably the Ferry Building Farmer’s Market on Saturday, to assess what makes a successful farmer’s market. Compile your observations into a one page reflection and bring to class on February 2.

Thursday, February 2: Discussion: What makes a stall at the farmer’s market good or bad? What’s a farmstand? What kind of farmstand do we want ours to be? Tour G05. Visit USF Seed Library and meet Gleeson librarians Debbie Benrubi and Carol Spector. Harvest for evening cooking workshop. Evening (5-9 pm): Cooking workshop and group dinner at St Cyprian’s. Dinner guests: Bruno Peguese, Senior Warden of St. Cyprian's Church; and Rev. Thomas Jackson, Vicar, St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church. Homework: farmstand preparations, harvest/cook/coordinate with your team for next week’s farmstand.

Thursday, February 9: USF Farmstand 1. Class meets at Gleeson Plaza. After farmstand, we will have a brief visit from Lauren White, a representative from the HECUA Internship Program in Tuscany (“Sustainable Agriculture, Food and Justice in Italy”). Homework: Listen to TED Radio Hour, “The Food We Eat” (52 minutes), NPR.

Thursday, February 16: Recipe workshop. Homework: Readings on seeds and seed libraries distributed in class.

Thursday, February 23: Seed packet design workshop with Maren Salomon, Debbie Benrubi, and Carol Spector. Class meets near the USF Seed Library in Gleeson Library.

Thursday, March 2: Class meets at St. Cyprian’s to cook and prepare community dinner. Evening (5-9 pm): Community Dinner 1. Homework: farmstand preparations, harvest/cook/coordinate with your team for next week’s farmstand.

Thursday, March 9: USF Farmstand 2. Class meets at Gleeson Plaza.

Thursday, March 16: No class: Spring Break

Thursday, March 23: Mexican food and culture workshop with Josah Perley, owner of small-scale taco business, Tacoschani. Homework: Read Melati Citrawireja, “Deepa Natarajan: Ethnobotanist and natural fabric dyer,” Berkeleyside, November 9, 2015; and selections from John Keay, The Spice Route.

Thursday, March 30: Chai and spices workshop with Deepa Natarajan.

Thursday, April 6: Class meets at St. Cyprian’s to cook and prepare community dinner. Evening (5-9 pm): Community Dinner 2. Homework: Read Sandra Cate, “‘Breaking Bread with a Spread’ in the San Francisco County Jail,” Gastronomica, Summer 2008, pp. 17-24.

Thursday, April 13: Baking workshop. Guest baker: Samantha Blackburn. Class meets at St Cyprian’s kitchen. Homework: farmstand preparations, harvest/cook/coordinate with your team for next week’s farmstand.

Thursday, April 20: USF Farmstand 3. Class meets at Gleeson Plaza. Homework: Family cuisine assignment.

(*** On Saturday, April 22, there will be an Earth Day Seed Swap at the main branch of the San Francisco Public Library. The USF Seed Library is a co-organizer of this event and all CGO students are required to attend and participate in it.)

Thursday, April 27: Family Cuisine Project due in class.

Thursday, May 4: Class meets at St. Cyprian’s to cook and prepare community dinner. Evening (5-9 pm): Community Dinner 3. Homework: final reflection assignment.

Thursday, May 11: Last-day-of-class potluck party in USF Garden.

This class has no final.

Summer undergraduate RAships with the USF community garden

The Urban Ag minor at USF is looking to hire three undergraduate research assistants to manage the USF Community Garden this summer. The RAships run from May 23, 2016 - August 17, 2016.

RA duties include:

1. Plan and plant summer garden beds;
2. Maintain garden - weeding, watering, oversee irrigation, manage compost;
3. Plan, manage, and implement weekly community work days - publicize work days, organize group tasks, and hold open garden hours;
4. Work on monthly community dinners at St. Cyprian's;
5. Work with and teach garden skills to Upward Bound students;
6. Harvest and deliver weekly fresh produce to USF’s cafeteria/Bon Appetit;
7. Work with and on San Francisco’s New Liberation Garden (on Divisidero and Eddy);
8. Maintain @USFGarden's multiple social media platforms;
9. Start starts for fall classes; and
10. Keep the garden kitchen clean.

Ideal candidates have experience in the USF Garden (either through classes and/or workdays), work well in collaborative situations, are self-directed, and enjoy working with the public. Each summer research assistant will work a total of 100 hours over the summer and be paid around $10.50/hour. RAs will report to Novella Carpenter.

Interested USF students must email David Silver (dmsilver@usfca.edu) no later than Friday, April 15 by 5 pm. Graduating seniors can apply. In your email, please describe your qualifications, state your availability for summer, and tell us why you want the job. The Summer RA committee (consisting of professors Novella Carpenter, David Silver, and Melinda Stone) will notify all candidates by April 22. Good luck!

Summer undergraduate RAships with the USF community garden

The Urban Ag minor at USF is looking to hire three undergraduate research assistants to manage the USF Community Garden this summer. The RAships run from May 22, 2015 - August 21, 2015.

RA duties include:

1. Plan and plant summer garden beds;
2. Maintain garden - weeding, watering, oversee irrigation, manage compost;
3. Plan, manage, and implement weekly community work days - publicize work days, organize group tasks, and hold open garden hours;
4. Work on monthly community dinners at St. Cyprian's;
5. Work with and teach garden skills to Upward Bound students;
6. Harvest and deliver weekly fresh produce to USF’s cafeteria/Bon Appetit;

7. Work with and on San Francisco’s New Liberation Garden (on Divisidero and Eddy);
8. Maintain @USFGarden's multiple social media platforms;
9. Start starts for fall classes; and
10. Keep the garden kitchen clean.

Ideal candidates have experience in the USF Garden (either through classes and/or workdays), work well in collaborative situations, are self-directed, and enjoy working with the public. Each summer research assistant will work a total of 100 hours over the summer and be paid around $10.50/hour. Undergraduate RAs will report to Novella Carpenter.

Interested USF students must email David Silver (dmsilver [ at ] usfca [ dot ] edu) no later than Wednesday, April 15^th by 5 pm. Graduating seniors can apply. In your email, please describe your qualifications, state your availability for summer, and tell us why you want the job. The Summer RA committee (consisting of Novella Carpenter, David Silver, and Melinda Stone) will notify all candidates by the end of April. Good luck!

urban ag course offerings (summer & fall, 2014)

URBAN AG COURSE OFFERINGS
Summer and fall, 2014

Summer 2014

ENVA 390: Urban Agriculture Intensive
Professor Novella Carpenter
MWF 9:50 am – 4:45 pm, July 22 – August 8

Fall 2014

ENVA 130: Urban Ag: Fall
Professor Novella Carpenter
Wednesdays, 11:45 am – 3:25 pm

ENVA 145: Community Garden Outreach
Professor Rachel Brand Lee
Thursdays, 11:45 am – 3:25 pm

ENVA 220: Intro to Urban Agriculture
Professor Rue Ziegler
MW 4:45 – 6:25 pm

 
ARCD 400 (section 01): Community Design Outreach
Professor Seth Wachtel
TTH 9:55 am – 12:40 pm

ARCD 400 (section 02): Community Design Outreach
Professor Seth Wachtel
TTH 12:45 – 3:30 pm

BUS 389: Fundamentals of Culinary Skills
Professor Jean-Marc Fullsack
TH 12:45 - 3:30 pm

HIST 341: Feast and Famine: A History of Food
Professor Heather Hoag
TTH 8:00 – 9:45 am

For more information, please contact Professor David Silver (dmsilver [ at ] usfca [ dot] edu)

undergraduate RA position in social media and urban ag (spring 2014)

I am looking to hire an undergraduate research assistant (RA) for spring 2014. The RA will work with me on the first stage of research towards the Jesuit Garden Network, an online/offline community of faculty, students, and staff at US Jesuit colleges and universities interested in sustainable agriculture. With the Jesuit Garden Network, faculty, students, and staff will come together to share seeds, skills, and curricula in sustainable agriculture.

Ideal candidates for this RAship will have advanced interests and skills in social media and urban/sustainable agriculture as well as experience with the USF Community Garden. The RA will work approximately 10 hours a week, for 15 weeks, and be paid $10.55 $10.74/hour.

The RA's responsibilities will include:

1. Searching, locating, and identifying people, projects, and programs in organic gardening, urban/sustainable agriculture, and food distribution at all 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in the US;

2. Contacting and communicating with faculty, students, and staff (from US Jesuit colleges and universities) who are involved in urban/sustainable agriculture projects and programs;

3. Maintaining a database of all relevant people, projects, and programs (from US Jesuit colleges and universities) in urban/sustainable agriculture; and

4. Coordinating with students and faculty in 2 USF spring 2014 courses – Urban Ag: Spring (ENVA 140) and Community Garden Outreach (ENVA 145) – to create social media about growing, harvesting, preparing, and distributing organic food.

If interested, please send a brief email expressing your interest and qualifications for the job to Professor David Silver (dmsilver [ at ] usfca [ dot ] edu) by Wednesday, December 4, at 5 pm. Decisions will be announced the following week.

cool class alert: tapping the apocalypse

this spring, novella carpenter returns to USF to teach two courses, including this exciting new class. spread the word.

***

ENVA 390: Special Topics in Urban Agriculture: Tapping the Apocalypse
Mondays, 11:45-3:25
Novella Carpenter

Urban agriculture tends to take hold first in places that can be defined as apocalyptic. These damaged zones, in cities like Oakland or Detroit, have suffered from years of poverty and neglect, and are now hosting some of the most vibrant - and urgent - urban farms. This class will begin with an examination of how agriculture came about in the first place and how industrial agriculture (creating an apocalyptic landscape of its own) came to dominate our food system. The class will then delve into the revival of small-scale farms and urban farms, questioning what forces came to pass that allowed this turning point to occur. We will take field trips to urban farms and meet guest speakers who work on the ground. Students will create a food experiment loosely based around an apocalyptic or catastrophic event. We will also write personal essays based around a turning point in our lives where everything changed, when an old self was destroyed, allowing a new self to germinate.

Novella Carpenter is an urban farmer, freelance journalist, author of Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer, and co-author The Essential Urban Farmer.

jobs in the USF community garden this summer

USF Urban Agriculture Program is currently looking to hire three research assistants to manage the USF Community garden this summer. Responsibilities include watering, weeding, composting, planting, and harvesting the garden.  The research assistants are also responsible for organizing garden workdays, workshops for the community, and working on monthly community dinners at St. Cyprian's.

Ideal candidates have experience in the USF Garden (either through workdays and/or classes), work well in collaborative situations, are self-directed, and enjoy working with the public.

Each summer research assistant will work a total of 150 hours over the summer and be paid 10.55/hour.

If interested, please send a short letter expressing your interest and qualifications for the job to Melinda Stone (stone [ at ] usfca [ dot ] edu) by Thursday, May 9, NOON.  Decisions will be announced the following week.

new minor in urban agriculture

it took nearly a year to get approved but now it's here: the new interdisciplinary minor in urban agriculture at the university of san francisco. with advising coming up next week, this page serves to a) describe the minor and its course requirements and b) list urban ag courses offered this summer and fall 2012. stay tuned for a more official web site soon!

Minor in Urban Agriculture
Students minoring in Urban Agriculture acquire critical understandings and creative skills in three integrated areas: Food systems and food justice; Food production and distribution; and Community-building and collaboration.

Course Requirements
Take one intro course (4 units):
ENVA 220: Introduction to Urban Agriculture (offered, in fall, as ENVA 390-02)

Take two courses in organic gardening (8 units):
ENVA 130: Urban Ag: Fall
ENVA 140: Urban Ag: Spring

Take two electives (8 units):
ANTH 235: The Anthropology of Food
ARCD 370: Construction Innovation Lab
ARCD 400: Community Design Outreach
BUS 304: Management & Organizational Dynamics
BUS 389: Advanced Culinary Skills
ENGL 235: Literature and the Environment
ENVA 145: Community Garden Outreach
ENVA 390: Special Topics in Urban Agriculture
HIST 341: Feast and Famine: A History of Food
MS 301: Green Media

Learning Goals
Upon completing a minor in Urban Ag, students will be able to:

1. Integrate diverse disciplinary perspectives to understand today’s complex food systems – both dominant and alternative;
2. Demonstrate an understanding of the food/environmental movement and contribute to various efforts taking place within San Francisco and the Bay Area;
3. Master advanced skills in organic gardening and urban homesteading and demonstrate ability to grow, harvest, prepare, and preserve food grown in San Francisco; and
4. Demonstrate ability to work collaboratively with others within USF’s Garden Project and in community gardens and kitchens across the Bay Area.




Urban Ag courses offered in Summer and Fall 2012

Summer 2012:
ENVA 301: Buck Mountain Experimental Station Summer Immersion (Melinda Stone, July 10-July 20, 2012)

MS 301: Green Media at Buck Mountain Experimental Station (David Silver, July 24-August 10, 2012)

Fall 2012:
ANTH 235: The Anthropology of Food: Culture, Class, Power, and Change (Rue Ziegler, MW 4:45-6:25 pm)

ARCD 400-01: Community Design Outreach (Instructor TBA, TR 9:55 am - 12:40 pm)

ARCD 400-02: Community Design Outreach (Instructor TBA, TR 12:45-3:30 pm)

BUS 304: 01-10: Management and Organizational Dynamics (See class schedule for different sections)

BUS 389: Advanced Culinary Skills (Jean-Marc Fullsack, M 6:30-8:15 pm)

ENVA 130: Community-Based Urban Agriculture (Justin Valone, M 11:45 am - 3:25 pm)

ENVA 145: Community Garden Outreach (Melinda Stone, R 12:45-4:25 pm)

ENVA 390-01: Advanced Urban Agriculture (Justin Valone, W 11:45 am - 3:25 pm)

ENVA 390-02 (counts towards ENVA 220): Introduction to Urban Agriculture (Rue Ziegler, TR 8:00-9:45 am)

first USF garden work party of the summer

yer invited!


please join us for the first USF garden work party of the summer. no gardening experience necessary. all ages welcome.

where: USF garden, turk & tamalpais (directly west of parking lot)
when: sunday, july 3, 11 am - 4 pm
what: garden work party! solar oven demos! free food! fun people!

please bring a dish to share. all volunteers are encouraged to bring home fresh garden goodies, including veggies, herbs, and fruit.

see you there.

(garden sketch by lizzie roeble; flyer design by brittany rowles)

urban ag panel at USF - this tuesday!

yer invited!


URBAN AGRICULTURE in the 21st CENTURY
Where art, commerce, education, politics and generosity meet to promote city-grown food

Please join USF's Environmental Studies 450 capstone students and their professor Melinda Stone, as they host what promises to be an engaging panel on the state of urban agriculture on Tuesday, March 2 from 2 – 4 PM in McClaren Hall 252.

Panelist include:

Mei Ling Hui, urban agriculture contact for San Francisco’s Department of the Environment. (sfenvironment.org)

Amy Franceschini, USF art/architecture professor and main instigator behind SF Victory Gardens 2009+ and founder of Future Farmers. (futurefarmers.com)

Brooke Budner and Caitlyn Galloway, co-owners/farmers of Little City Gardens in the San Francisco Mission District. (littlecitygarden.com)

Blair Randall, executive director of Garden for the Environment, San Francisco’s premiere education garden. (gardenfortheenvironment.org)

Tree, founder of the Free Farm Stand on 23rd and Treat Ave. in San Francisco. (freefarmstand.org)