From the UC Blogosphere...

The Spirit of the Hive

The Spirit of the Hive: The Mechanisms of Social Evolution. That's the title of a newly published book written by Robert E....

The queen and her court. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The queen and her court. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Queen cells. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Queen cells. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Fresh and local foods gaining traction in school cafeterias

Lunch trays filled with grayish green beans, mystery meat and a pasty scoop of mashed potatoes will be relegated to history if UC Cooperative Extension has anything to do with it. At the UCCE office in Stanislaus County yesterday, Jeri Ohmart of the UC Agriculture Sustainability Institute spoke to about 30 school food managers about how to get more fresh fruit, vegetables and other healthy fare into school cafeterias, reported John Holland in the Modesto Bee.

Ohmart also displayed a food waste composter and showed how the container, along with a large population of red worms, break the food waste down into rich, garden-ready compost.

The event featured Billy Reid, the director of nutrition services at Salida Union School District. The school is already providing students food delivered by San Joaquin Valley farmers.

"We have (employees) standing at the end of the lunch line, and all they do is cut fruit," Reid said. "The kids come through and grab whatever the fruit is."

Reid has been widely recognized for his work on school food, including a 2011 award presented by first lady Michelle Obama at the White House. To source high-quality food, Reid uses the online service Ag Link, which matches farmers with schools seeking local food.

One time, Reid bought cantaloupes for 50 cents apiece via Ag Link, Holland reported.

"The day before I served them, they were still in the field," he said. "This is amazing stuff."

Bee-utiful Blossoms

If you haven't made it over to the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven on Bee Biology Road, UC Davis, yet this year, you...

Honey bee foraging on plum blossoms. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Honey bee foraging on plum blossoms. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Pollen-packing honey bee heading home. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Pollen-packing honey bee heading home. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Favoring the Fava Beans

People aren't the only ones favoring fava beans. Fava beans growing in a raised bed in the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee...

A lady beetle, aka ladybug, prowling on a fava bean leaf. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A lady beetle, aka ladybug, prowling on a fava bean leaf. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

European paper wasp on the hunt. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

European paper wasp on the hunt. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Honey bee foraging on a fava bean blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Honey bee foraging on a fava bean blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Female Valley carpenter bee robbing nectar by slitting the corolla. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Female Valley carpenter bee robbing nectar by slitting the corolla. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Let's start talking about Citrus Greening!

Citrus Greening Disease has been moving through California. We are reaching out to California gardeners and UC Master Gardeners in an effort to slow the spread.

How can you learn more or help?

1. Watch the California Garden Web for posts related to Asian Citrus Psyllid and Citrus Greening caused by the bacteria known as Huanglongbing.
2. Help us spread the word by following us on Twitter at @ACPoutreach.
3. Attend a talk on Citrus Greening near you! We'll post events here.
4. Learn more at http://www.californiacitrusthreat.org/.

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