Finding the farm a little busy when you arrive?  We have more shareholders pick up Saturdays between 11 AM and noon than we do during the entire four-hour Tuesday distribution!  We know that for some people, that hour may be the only time they can make it to the farm; and some people enjoy the bustling atmosphere of that busiest hour of the week.  However, if you'd like a more serene farm experience and you are able to, consider an alternative pickup time:  Tuesdays from 3-7 PM, Thursdays from 3-7 PM, or Saturdays from 8-11 AM are lovely times to be on the farm! 

 

Please also keep in mind that  while PYO stays open all day Saturday, our distribution shelter closes at noon, so we don't restock any of the vegetables after 12 noon on Saturdays in order to get our farm staff home after a long week's work.  Please plan to arrive with plenty of time to pick up your veggies from the shelter before noon.  Thank you! 

As always, no matter when you arrive, we look forward to seeing you on the farm.

On October 1, we sent out an email letter to all 2009 primary CSA shareholders with information about how to renew your share for 2010.  You'll have two weeks to return the letter with a $50 non-refundable deposit to hold your place for next season.  If space allows and there is interest, we will offer shares to secondary shareholders (split share partners) who might want their own shares in 2010 beginning on October 16. 

In January of 2010, we will offer remaining CSA shares to all members of our nonprofit organization by lottery. 

 

 

Notes from the Field

As the summer CSA distribution season winds down for another year, the time comes to thank the many, many people without whom you would not find vegetables in the share each week.  As many of you know, our full-time farm staff is quite small -- myself, Andy, our Assistant Farm Manager, and three very special people who came to us to learn more about farming and have made us much the richer for their presence. 

Jonathan Martinez interviewed with me and Andy in January of 2008.  As soon as he left the room, we both turned to each other and said "I really hope we can hire him!".  His calm demeanor, gentle kindness, sharp agricultural mind, and innate sense of sustainability were evident from the very beginning of his time with us nearly two years ago.  He is an expert tractor operator, quick and efficient at planting and harvesting, the best bucket loader driver we have on the farm.  He is also an excellent teacher and manager of people, funny, kind, and clear in his instructions and expectations.  He is passionate about local agriculture and social justice issues.  He has been an important part of our outreach market and our CSA distributions, both this season and last season.  Very occasionally, we get to see him dance in the field. 

Next season, Jonathan will be helping his girlfriend, Jessie Deelo, manage Silverwood Farm, a startup CSA in Sherborn, MA.  They will be starting construction on two new greenhouses and a beautiful new barn in November.  We are so excited for Jonathan and Jessie and deeply grateful to have them as colleagues in the rich Boston-area farming scene.  We will really miss Jonathan, but his contributions to our farm over the past two years will be very important for years to come.

Erinn Roberts was the only person that Andy and I have ever hired for the following year before the end of the previous growing season.  She is a quiet force of nature on our farm, incredibly strong, fiercely organized, with a powerful sense of ownership and a hugely generous heart.  She manages our busiest harvests and CSA distributions with a smile and no-nonsense efficiency, and she is a careful and talented farmer whose powers of observation and judgement have become nearly indispensable to us.  After two seasons, Erinn understands our farm almost as well as anyone, which is why we are very fortunate to have her staying on for both this year's winter share distributions and for next season.

Despite Dan Roberts's claims that he came to WFCF "on his wife's coattails", he is definitely a huge contributor to the farm in his own right.  Humble, competent, and intuitive, with a mind for mechanics and a gentle manner with farm crew and CSA shareholders alike, Dan has gone from a part-time field hand to a key member of our staff in two seasons.  Luckily for us, Dan will also stay on the farm for a third season in 2010. 

There is not enough room to write thanks or even an adequate description of the work that Andy Scherer, our assistant farm manager, does on a daily basis on the farm. Unbelievably hardworking, Andy is deeply personally invested in the commitments of the farm to our shareholders, hunger relief partner agencies, and outreach market, as well as to the health of our soil and our staff.  He has both very high standards for himself and unlimited patience for others.  Despite the fact that he has to drink daily protein-filled milkshakes in order to maintain his weight at a healthy level throughout the season, Andy's strength never seems to flag, even in the most difficult seasons when he is most challenged by the conditions on the farm.  His presence at WFCF has made a very significant difference in both our capacity to produce and distribute food, but also in our environmental and economic sustainability as a farm.  I am personally, and we are as an organization overall, deeply grateful to Andy on a daily basis.

There are many other people behind the scenes of our CSA -- next week, in the final notes from the field for the 2009 season, we'll thank a few more of them and sum up the year.  Also look for your 2009 shareholder survey coming up in a week or two.  Until then, enjoy the harvest!

-- Amanda

Claire Kozower, Executive Director

Blake Roberts, Outreach Market Intern

Dan Roberts, Assistant Grower
Erinn Roberts, Assistant Grower
Nina Rogowsky, Children's Learning Garden Teacher
Andy Scherer, Assistant Farm Manager