Cooling down in September

Long time no see followers. Sorry the last month has been hectic; we've been busy with opening and I've been busy starting graduate school!

Although this blog has primarily been about the garden in the past, I'd like to slightly transform it to include more aspects of sustainability. I think it's a great resource to communicate the projects ARAMARK is working on here at USM.

• Right now we're working on implementing a Farm to Table initiative where we're inviting local farmers on campus to highlight some of the produce we buy from them.
• We are also working on planning events for the Real Food Day Challenge on October 24th, http://www.realfoodchallenege.org/, a day focused on sustainability, alleviating hunger, and health.
• A focus group dedicated to sustainability as it relates to dining services will be available for students within the next few weeks; my goals for this event are to determine student's current knowledge of sustainability, knowledge of what ARAMARK is doing, and the best ways to improve our efforts while making them accessible to the students.
• I am also working with students from Rachel Bouvier's Natural Resource Economics class this semester in hopes to get some concrete research done regarding compost. A similar project was performed last year in the same class with our Reusable To Go Container (RTGC) program and ARAMARK received a lot of information that we are now implementing.
• With that said, the RTGC program has new buy-in initiatives this year: 1 FREE small coffee coupon, opportunities to win monthly prizes, and an extra key tag so customers may have 2 RTGC out at any given time. And, until September 16th, the RTGC are reduced in price to only $1.99!! A great deal! Look for RTGC in Gorham at the C-Store and Husky Hideaway or in Portland at the Woodbury Food Court and City Sandwich.

Currently the camera is MIA so I can't provide any pictures of the greenhouse this time. BUT I do have an amazing picture of this huge, organic carrot. If you look back to the last time I harvested these carrots, you can certainly see the difference! I was really impressed :) They were served only a few days later during one of the first dinners back for students.

Other than carrots, since my last post, I have harvested cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, yellow and green bell peppers, jalapenos, and chives. Friday I did some "housekeeping" and composted some plants that weren't doing so well. The squash and pumpkins don't look great, but I've been told that's just because they're transferring all of their energy towards the fruits. Hopefully we'll have some baby pumpkins soon! I have also replanted spinach and lettuce for a fall crop; it grew so fast the first time I planted it, that I'm sure we will have success again. :) **Update: spinach and lettuce is already growing!!!

I promise to have more pictures next post! Until then, enjoy this cool fall weather!