Whether you're an apple aficionado or a pumpkin devotee, the annual Harvest Festival at UC Santa Cruz is a fun and festive way to celebrate the changing of the seasons.
With live music, hayrides, farm tours, crafts for the kids, and a gardening workshop, there will be something for everyone at the UCSC Farm on Saturday, October 7, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission is free for kids 12 and under and for members of the Friends of the UCSC Farm & Garden; adult admission is $5; UCSC students pay $3 with ID.
Three bands will provide live music throughout the day, while youngsters will enjoy story telling, face painting, and pressing apples to make fresh juice. The annual apple tasting is a crowd pleaser, as are the cooking demonstration and an herb walk led by local herbalist and acupuncturist Darren Huckle. As always, campus and community groups will have booths set up for browsing, and a number of local farmers will be selling their produce as part of the "Buy Fresh, Buy Local" campaign. See below for the full schedule of events.
Bakers will want to note that prizes in the fifth annual Apple Pie Bake-Off (see below for entry rules) include wine from Bonny Doon Winery, a gift certificate to Gabriella Café, a gift certificate to Spa Fitness, and cookbooks and rose care books from the Friends of the Farm & Garden. Also new this year is a bread making workshop and demonstration.
The Harvest Festival is sponsored by the UCSC Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems; proceeds benefit the Friends of the UCSC Farm & Garden. Major business sponsors include New Leaf Community Markets; Stonyfield Farm, through their Profits for the Planet Fund; Christiansen Associates Organic Gardens & Design; the UCSC Food Systems Working Group; and Jacob's Farm/Del Cabo. For more information call (831) 459-3240.
For directions to the UCSC Farm, call (831) 459-4140 or see www.ucsc.edu/casfs. Free secure bicycle parking will be provided by People Power. Free vehicle parking will also be available at the Physical Plant and Barn Theater parking lots, and a free shuttle will be available.
2006 Harvest Festival Schedule
Music
Rolling Cultivators 11:30 - 1 p.m.
Bean Creek 1:15 - 2:45 p.m.
Kuzanga Marimba 3:15 - 5 p.m.
Workshops and activities
Apple Tasting 11:30 - 4 p.m.
Apple Pie Contest Bake-Off Entry deadline 12:30; winners announced at 3 p.m.
Walking Tours of the Farm 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Bread Baking Workshop & 12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
Demonstration
Cooking Demonstrations 1:30 - 3 p.m.
Herb Walk through the Garden 2:30 - 3:30
Darren Huckle, Western/Chinese Herbalist
Fall Gardening Tips 3:30 - 4 p.m.
Jennifer Eckert, UCSC Garden Manager
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Official Rules for the 2006 Friends of the UCSC Farm & Garden Apple Pie Bake-Off
1. The Friends of Farm & Garden Apple Pie Bake-Off is a nonprofessional baking competition open to Harvest Festival attendees (entry to the Harvest Festival is $5; Friends of the Farm & Garden members and children 12 and under are free).
2. Contestants are responsible for submitting a written (preferably typed) recipe with their pie.
3. Contestants are responsible for supplying all ingredients and cooking the pie prior to bringing it to the bake-off.
4. All entries in this contest must be homemade.
5. A representative of the Friends of the Farm & Garden will assign each contestant a number. Contestants should verify that the number on the bottom of their container is the same number assigned by the representative.
6. Contestants' entries are judged 70 percent on taste and 30 percent on presentation, creativity, and composition.
7. The decision of the judges shall be final.
All pies must be entered by 12:30 p.m. at the Farm & Garden Harvest Festival, UCSC Farm. Judging begins at 12:45 p.m. Awards will be presented at 3 p.m. For additional copies of the bake-off rules, contact Joan Tannheimer at (831) 459-3240.
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