On July 21st, 2018 FarmFolk CityFolk and the BC Seed Trials co-hosted Seeds of Knowledge – Beet Tasting and Research Showcase with The UBC Farm – Centre for Sustainable Food Systems. The event was very successful and busy. The tasting portion was inspired by the Beet Variety Trials. 

Our tasting events are a great way to bring our research on seeds to the public. We highlighted a chocolate red beet cake and a canape of herbed citrus chevre, pickled golden beet and raw chioggia beet garnish. (Click for cake and canape recipe) These delicious beet treats would not be possible without beet seeds! The beet variety trials have helped farmers identify which beet seeds perform best on their farms. Each farm may identify different varieties (aka. cultivars) due to varying environmental conditions and preferences of farm customers.

While the focus of the event was highlighting seed research we also showcased other research at The UBC Farm, KPU, UFV and had seed for sale from the BC Eco Seed Co-op. Event highlights include;

 

• Launch of the BC Food Web from UBC – a freely accessible online portal designed to increase access to food systems research results and other resources. The portal focuses on meeting the needs of those interested in increasing the sustainability and resilience of the food systems they are a part of!
• Kwantlen Polytechnic University showcased research on different summer crops and provided a demonstration of a seed counter that is a part of their new seed lab.
• The University of the Fraser Valley presented research on effects of arthropods and diseases on important Fraser Valley crops such as blueberries and cranberries.
• UBC also presented biodiversity monitoring at the UBC Farm, Sunflower and Blueberry Research and provided information about other programs the CSFS runs.