Join us for a community field day and variety tasting on September 26th, 2016, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Chimacum Farm Collaborative located at the Finnriver Orchard.
The event celebrates the second annual harvest at our Washington research farm, which serves as the hub of our Pacific Northwest organic plant breeding, seed education, and variety trial program. Partners from Washington State University (WSU) will join the event to discuss the OSA-WSU Organic Germplasm Consortium and report on local quinoa breeding efforts.
Participants will have a chance to look at our research during a one-hour field tour beginning at 4:30 p.m. The field tour will also cover the importance of regional seed systems and why increasing access to organic seed is important to farmers, the communities they feed, and the environment.
Finnriver Cidery will be open for no-host tastings and purchases of cider at 4:00 p.m. A variety tasting and chef-showcase will begin at 5:30 p.m.
Community members are important to the plant breeding process, which is why participants will be asked to evaluate different varieties of colored carrots, tomatoes, red peppers, quinoa and other crops based on flavor, texture, color, and overall appeal. The information gathered during the tasting will be combined with data from the field to determine which varieties to prioritize in future breeding work. A crop may be hardy in the field, but without good flavor and texture, it will likely fail in the marketplace.
In addition to tasting individual varieties, local chefs from the Olympic Peninsula will serve appetizers showcasing the culinary potential of the vegetables grown in the trials.
The event is free and open to the public. RSVPs are encouraged but not required. RSVP today.
