Jehnifer's Theories

It all started at the beginning of the fall season. I had known about our campus harvest program for over a year now but thanks to my demanding schedule I never could get directly involved. This season would be different. I joined the campus arboretum and became an official volunteer. My timing was great; I joined the program just in time to enjoy one of the best times of the year- the date harvest. I dragged myself out of bed at 4:30 AM and caught the 156 East to the Polytechnic Campus. (It was early October, and believe it or not, still wretchedly hot passed 8AM in Arizona...)

A small group was gathering in the early morning light, about 20 or so. We were waiting for our date harvest coordinator, Deborah Thirkhill. Once she arrived she doled out equipment and instructions on how to properly prune a date palm. There was one on display that had been previously tended by one of her more devoted volunteers. So I grabbed a rake, shovel and set of shears and set to work! It took me the better half of the morning just to get one tree completely finished. I had to re-dig the well so the irrigation could properly water the tree and cut back all the spiny branches that were overcrowding both the off shoots and the precious fruits we were soon to harvest. It was hard work, but totally worth it. After all the morning's efforts, Deborah and her back up team guided us through and taught us all the different cultivar names that they knew of. The history of Polytechnic's Date grove is a little spotty. Over 50 cultivars were relocated less than ten years ago and a lot of the identifying plates were lost in the shuffle. As a result, we have several "mystery" trees with their resulting mystery dates. We were prompted to sample many of the different dates.

I learned very quickly that I am not a fan of the early stage dates, but once they reach either the third or final stage, when they're nice and gooey sweet, they are the best! Reminiscent of a giant raison, they are perfect for pie filling, jams and cous cous mixes, among other delicious dishes you can craft. Stuffed dates are an easy, unique appetizer you can make. Pit and half each date, then fill with either a goat cheese and crushed walnut mix or cream cheese and pecans! Soooo good.

To celebrate this year's harvest, PABp and Grad Student extraordinaire, Lexi Macmillan collaborated to pull off Poly Date Night. Lexi presented local food sources and the importance of supporting them.
I spoke about Aramark's efforts to pilot this new program, CHarting Emissions through Food Services (CHEFS). With this new on-line program, students can simulate daily meals and determine their carbon FOODprint, or footprint brought on by their food selection. Next, Lexi performed a baking demo on granola bars, featuring dates of course! Finally, PABp showed the film 'Food Inc.' which detailed America's questionable food industry and the corrupt food empires we allow to exist. It further drove home the point that what we choose to eat really does matter. The content on our plates implicates us both ethically as well as environmentally. Around 50 students made it out to the event. I can only hope the impact will resonate as these are our future leaders and decision makers.
I want to take a moment to thank Deborah Thirkhill and all her wonderful Arboretum volunteers, Lexi the nutritionist and Ben Estelle, PABp coordinator- you guys rock my world! Keep up the amazing work. Please see the below link if you are interested in ASU’s campus harvest program.

http://uabf.asu.edu/arboretum_volunteer

Labels: campus harvest, carbon footprint, chefs, food emissions, sustainability