Spring is in the air….

Spring has officially sprung! Despite the cold temperatures and light snow falls we have still been experiencing in Pittsburgh, everyone (especially our Chatham food studies students) has spring and summer on their minds! And since spring is on my mind… check out the latest edition of the e-newsletter for events that are springing up (forgive me for all the puns)!

In the last five weeks of our second semester, we find ourselves at a crossroads of being students and blossoming food professionals. We come from a variety of backgrounds, with handy-dandy skillsets, and now we can talk about the food system like old pros, so summer gives us the opportunity to put our academic knowledge to work! Internships and summer class schedule are only two of many things on our minds, while we look towards our final semesters (and thesis writing!) at Chatham.

Yesterday at the farm, Hanna, Drew and I spent the morning caring for the new baby chicks, harvesting greens with Allen (Director of Sustainable Agriculture) and planting seeds (to be transplanted in the summer). In our hoop house, there were beautiful heads of lettuce, tasty tatsoi, and beet greens. The veggies that we harvested are going to our dining service, Parkhurst, on campus!

You might be wondering what else we do while we’re at the farm…

Well, we spend a lot of our time at the farm discussing upcoming projects for classes, the latest ‘foodie’ news-to-know, and big, creative ideas that we can bounce of each other without sounding crazy! Some fun facts about us? Drew works at Franktuary in Lawrenceville… he’s also a bit of a cocktail connoisseur (we keep him around for that reason). Hanna has an internship at Phipps educating little kiddies about sustainability, agriculture, bugs, and pretty much anything you name! She has been spending a lot of time planning a summer dance camp for 4 and 5 year olds. Yesterday we spent a lot of time talking about how little kids could dance like carrots. And speaking of dancing… that is one of Hanna’s favorite pastimes! And me? Welllllll…. I’ve been known to bake dozens of cupcakes when I feel like my Master’s degree is going to be the end of my sanity. Oh, and I changing recipes around to include beer and Greek yogurt.