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On Thursday September 28^th I spent my afternoon and early evening at the Organic Farm located at the University of Guelph’s campus.  Upon arriving at the farm, the weekly market had already commenced, and many people were lined up with their fresh goods waiting to pay for their produce.  I quickly found Martha to say hello and ask her how she would need my help, and because the market was so busy with customers as Thanksgiving was approaching, she named off a few tasks that I could lend a hand in!

The first task that I helped with was watering flowers and making bouquets for customers.  The arrangement of the thriving and intense colour of the flowers immediately attracted my eye, and many people crowded the table.  I spent some time ensuring that the buckets holding the flowers had enough water and filling the ones that were low.  I arranged the flowers nicely in the buckets so their pedals wouldn’t be damaged.

When arranging bouquets, the customer would choose out their flowers and allow me to cut them to their desired height before wrapping soaked newspapers around the stems and placing them carefully in a bag.  I found this activity very interesting because it was my first time ever making a bouquet and I was happy to please each customer with a unique bouquet.  I enjoyed learning the care and ‘packaging’ process of the flowers, and I even found it quite relaxing!

Another activity I helped with was the layout and display of the produce at the Organic Farm.  This was something that I took great interest in, especially because of my experience in retail and merchandising.

When Martha noticed that some vegetables were not selling as quickly as others, she gave me the task of displaying the bins of vegetables to look the most presentable for the customers eye.  This meant lifting bins of produce from underneath tables, where they couldn’t be seen, and placing them on table tops where they were more accessible.  After, it was much easier for customers to find what they were looking for!

The next display I did was remove vegetables from bins that obstructed the customers view, and place them neatly and attractively on the tabletop.  Martha had explained to us that when the leeks are held in bins or buckets they don’t sell very well, and they needed to be arranged to look desirable to the customer.  The leeks in the photo below were arranged on the table by myself and a fellow classmate who took great interest in making sure the produce could be visible!  When arranging vegetables, I learned that is very important to pay attention to where they are being placed and the conditions around them.  Martha showed us the proper way to keep kale to preserve it for as long as possible and told us to be careful when displaying the kale because they cannot be left in the sun.  To ensure that your kale thrives for as long as possible they must be placed in the shade with damp clothes over top.  This helps keep them cool and out of the sun at any cost.

The final activity of the day, and possibly my favourite, was harvesting kidney beans.  When Martha asked who would come down to the field with her to pick Kidney beans I was beyond excited.  I had no prior experience with harvesting the kidney bean and I was excited to learn the process.  When arriving at the field containing the beans I was confused when everything within the fence line looked dead.  Surprisingly, on taking a closer look, little brown and dry bean pods were hanging limply off the plants.  I was shown the correct way of harvesting them and I quickly got to work.  Tearing the entire plants out of the ground, hanging them upside down, and picking off the bean pods, kept me busy for quite sometime.  If I didn’t have a 7:00pm lecture to attend that evening I’m sure I would have been there all-night harvesting, learning, and destressing on the farm.

Spending time at the Organic Farm was an amazing learning experience for me.  I was able to learn a lot of new things and take a break from school work and the rest of campus at the same time.  Because I come from a small rural town, I really enjoyed having the opportunity to go to the farm on my free time to lend a helping hand.  As busy as the market got at times, I was able to talk, connect with, and meet many people from the University of Guelph and the community.  I learned of different vegetables I had never heard of or tried before, and some different ways to cook different vegetables.  I was lucky enough to take home some carrots, squash, onions, and garlic from the farm thanks to Martha, who was always pleasant and happy to share with me her knowledge.  I will definitely be returning to the Organic Farm soon!

Written by: Bethany Green

Out of all the fantastic experiences I had at the organic farm one of the most interesting was harvesting kidney beans  out in the field. It was extremely interesting to find out where these little beans actually come from and how they are grown. Now normally I despise the kidney bean as it’s taste has never been my favorite and I always seem to find them in food where I don’t particularly want to find them. However well harvesting them directly from the field I gained a certain appreciation for them as a crop.

Kidney beans grow in pods which are harvested once dry. At the end of their growing season the bean plants turn brown, brittle and dry out to the point where someone could assume they were dead (me), but they aren’t, in fact this is when they are ready to be harvested and later stored.

As the plants dry out they begin to split open and if your not careful while picking them you could lose all the beans and just end up with an empty pod which wouldn’t be fun and happened to me more then I’d like to admit. To harvest the beans you essentially just rip the bean pod off of the plant and put it in a basket. The actual plant can be left in the field to decompose and fertilize the ground paving the way for a whole new generation of bean plants next season.

After the beans have been harvested they will be removed from the pods and stored in a dry place so they can be sold or planted next season. Overall it was a pretty interesting experience as I got to learn a little more about the little bean I normally view as a nuisance.

Written by: Anne Oakley

On September 12^th 2017, the Outdoor School class adventured to the Honey Bee Apiary and Research Facility at Guelph University. In order to reach the learning centre, we made a scenic trek around the Arboretum which allowed us to get to know some of our fellow classmates.

We admired the beautiful scenery at the research facility and was told by Paul Kelly, a Staff Apiarist, that it was the perfect day for bees. This was because a specific plant called Golden rod, which provides nectar and pollen to help the bees repopulate, was present.

Interestingly, when with the bees, none of us wore beekeeping equipment. This was due to the fact that Paul specifically works with the bees to develop a tranquil atmosphere. We watched him gain access to the bee hives through the use of smoke. He demonstrated how it is utilized to distract the guard bees and make them hungry. Moreover, we learned that the smoke interferes with the bee’s alarm pheromones and as a result halts communication in the hive. This ultimately prevents the working bees from attacking the beekeeper.

Paul displayed the construction of the beehive and how in order for the frames to remain removable, there must be a space wide enough for only two bees to pass through. If the space between the frame and the box is larger, than the bees build propolis and comb.  We were extremely fortunate to view both a drone and a queen bee while spending the afternoon there.  Furthermore, some people had the opportunity to pet bees and all of us at the end of the session were able to taste the fresh honey from the hexagonal beeswax structures!

Written by: Laura Alexander

On October 17th, fellow outdoor schoolers and other various mycology enthusiasts gathered outside the University of Guelph’s nature reserve to find and identify numerous species of mushrooms and fungi. After an hour and a half of dedicated foraying, close to 40 different species were collected!

After the foray was finished, students, friends, and educators assembled to question and classify the many fungi present. Although another group had recently accessed the reserve a few days prior for their own mushroom foray, there were still many new fungi and mushrooms to be found!   

On of the more interesting mushrooms we found and learned about was Gymnopilus junonius, also known as “Laughing Gym”. This particular mushroom, when consumed, causes individuals to experience hallucinations and often run around laughing, hence the nickname. The second unique mushroom we learned about was Hydnum repandum. Hydnum repandum, otherwise known as the “sweet tooth mushroom”, which tastes spicy to the tongue, and is often dried and used as a herb in meals.

As our first foray experience, this adventure has opened our eyes to the world of mycology. Through a truly hands on experience, we were able to gain a new appreciation for fungi and their place in the ecosystem. Holy shiitake it was fun!

Written by Riley Grant and Brianna Marshall

DATE: Tuesday October 17, 2017.

LOCATION: 2: 45 – 5:15 pm Nature Reserve, Arboretum – University of Guelph.

Foray will be led by Diane Borsato (Studio Arts/FYS) and Alan Gan (Senior member of the Mycogical Society of Toronto).

 We will be meeting at 2:40 at the entrance to the Nature Reserve, which is just west of Victoria Rd. on the south side of Stone Rd. Look for my white Honda CRV parked at the side of the road. Avoid bringing a car if possible. Use bikes/walk – there is not a lot of space to park. Bring a basket!!

IMPORTANT NOTE: Never eat wild mushrooms unless you are certain of their identity as a safe species, and have a great deal of experience collecting and identifying mushrooms. There are no easy ways to determine the edibility of a specimen, except by knowing its identity. There are many toxic and deadly look-a-likes to edible species. Our foray will be for research purposes only, we will not be collecting “for the pot.”

Adapted from the Mycological Society of Toronto website:

PREPARATION FOR FORAYS

 We recommend that you prepare for a foray with the following items.

1. Basket (plastic bags cause fungi to sweat and deteriorate)
2. Sharp Knife (by breaking the stem you may lose important identification features             below ground)
3. Paper Bags or Wax Paper (this will keep your fungi separated and preserved until you are able to identify them later)
4. Whistle (in case you get separated from your group or need assistance, as a safeguard walk in groups of three and not alone)
5. Compass (another safeguard, learn to use one)
6. Hand Magnifying Glass (for better identification in the field)
7. Insect Repellent (There are unlikely to be insects during our foray in October)
8. Clothing (appropriate for the weather, with good coverage to avoid scratches and insect bites)
9. Hiking Boots (as opposed to running shoes, these will protect you from insects, poison ivy, sharp protuberances and other injuries; i.e., twisting your ankle)
10. Rubber Boots and Rain Wear (particularly if it is wet)
11. Field Guide (to help identify your fungi; if you do not have one, leaders can usually recommend one)

And for examples of mushrooms in contemporary art see:http://www.dariore.com/mushroomresource.html

A little about John Cage and mushrooms too: https://hyperallergic.com/118615/john-cage-mushroom-hunter/

On October 3, students of Outdoor School went to the arboretum to meet Chris Earley, a staff member of the arboretum. Chris took us all out to a field of goldenrod supplied with a net, a jar, and an information sheet to catch some bugs and learn all about them!

We discussed the importance of biodiversity, and touched on the many species living within the university’s campus arboretum!

One of the most interesting was the dragonflies. I used to believe you should never touch the wings of bugs since they are so fragile. Turns out, in order to hold a dragonfly, you must hold it’s wings together. Chris explained the very interesting way some bugs reproduced and why it worked that way. Even though I am not very fond of bugs, it was fascinating to see how each tiny organism contributes to an ecosystem in it’s own way.

Each bug we caught had something we could learn from it. Even the ladybugs, which almost everyone can identify! From asking questions, we learned that the yellow ones are actually NOT poisonous, as many of us were led to believe. We found a ladybug larvae as well, and learned that only adult insects have wings. The class was taught that it is traditional to release a dragonfly by setting it to perch on one’s nose, and wait for it to fly away. A few people were able to do that! What a unique experience!

I found the documentary we watched on The Museum of Jurassic Technology fascinating, and decided to do some more research into Guelph’s own “Museum of Subliminal Objects”. Heres what I found:

The museum was part of a pop up art instalment called the “Hatch” which took place in August, 2015, with the purpose of altering viewer’s perceptions of four formerly vacant spaces in Guelph.

The Museum of Subliminal Objects was created by disciplinary artist Steph Yates, who drew inspiration from Michael Gondry, a surrealist film director, best known for his work on “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”. Yates dressed the store front with “familiar objects altered and transformed into the stuff of dreams”. A Global Tribute article on the exhibit states:

“There are tea cups that drink their own tea, a plastic-wrapped rubber chicken with doll hands, and a bowler hat with eyes in its crown. There are also a series of oversized wrist watches with tiny silver figures affixed to the second hand and going around in circles like prisoners of time.”

I found the concept here to be very similar to “The Museum of Jurassic Technology” in that viewers are not told they are entering an surrealistic art experience, which challenges their perceptions of reality and allows them to have an genuine experience of bemusement, confusion and wonder. The exhibit ran only for a weekend, but the sign remains up today confusing passerbys, including myself.