August 2009  

Waltham Fields Community Farm
Farm Friends Newsletter
 
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Table of Contents
Garden Programs Sign Up
Seeking Board Members
Wish List
Upcoming Events
World Crops Planting
Updates - Facebook and more!
 Garden Programs for Families & Kids
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A Field Full of Birds Family Program
, two dates to choose from:
Friday, 8/21 or 8/28, 9:30-11am
 
For kids ages 0-4 and their caregivers.
 
Fee is $10 per caregiver/child plus $2 for each additional child. Contact Jericho to sign up.
 
Children's Learning Garden Fall After School Program, 6-wks, Thursdays, 3:30pm-5pm, September 24th-October 29th.
  
For Children 6-11yrs old.
 
Come spend some time on our farm this fall! Help us reap the harvest from our Learning Garden and see what tasty treats we can create straight from the farm!  We will also do plenty of exploring of our farm habitat to find out what lives here.  Children will learn the ins and outs of our garden as we weed, water, and generally tend to our growing plants.

SIGN UP TODAY!  Waltham residents get first priority but others can often get enrolled as well.  Call Kim Scott at Waltham Parks and Rec:  781-314-3480 

 
Join WFCF's Board of Directors
  

Would you like to serve on the Board?
 
Let the food movement sweep you off your feet! Join our board of directors to become more deeply involved in the mission of WFCF:  the operation of a sustainable, high-production vegetable farm, farmer recruitment and training, community educational programming, and the distribution of free and low-cost produce to surrounding communities.
 
We'd love to talk with you if you have time to give, energy to put toward fundraising, and experience in any of the following areas: financial management and accounting, public relations, human resources, farm operations, fundraising, and non-profit work. Please contact
WISH LIST
  
Office Needs
  
Stiff-bristled door mats
  
Education
  
Garbage bin
 
Large plastic bins with lids 
 
Empty coffee cans/other tins of different sizes
 
Hand towels
 
Garden tools, kid and adult sizes
 
Hand-powered push mower 
 
Farm
 
Clean, food grade, 5-gallon buckets
 
Clean, 55-gallon drums w/ lids
 
Upcoming Events At the Farm
 
Night Sky Viewing, CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER
Tomorrow is looking to be cloudy, if not rainy too.
We'll announce a new date soon. 
 
Learning Garden Work Party
Saturday, August 29th, Drop-in anytime 1pm-4pm
Help us get our Learning Garden in shape for the fall!
We'll be weeding, planting some perennials, and other tasks to help make our Learning Garden a welcoming and wonderful place for all of our farm visitors.
Stop in for an hour or stay for all three!  We appreciate any and all the help that you can give.
If you have any questions, email Jericho or call her at 781-899-2403.
 
Waltham Farm Day
September 26th, 2pm-5pm 
Come to Waltham Fields Community Farm for an afternoon of family-friendly volunteering, educational activities, and just plain harvest-time fun!  We will have ongoing projects such as a community farm art project, compost exploration, farm tours, and special features including a cooking demo and "Herbs in Autumn" with Iris Weaver, where she will demonstrate some techniques for using or preserving all of those great herbs in your garden. Free and open to all!
 
This event is co-sponsored by City of Waltham Mayor's Office and Healthy Waltham.
 
Felted Slipper Workshop
Saturday, October 10th, 10am-4pm

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Get a jump on your holiday present planning this year by learning to make warm fuzzy felted slippers!  In this day-long class you will learn the basics of making felt from wool as well as a resist technique that can be used to make seamless slippers, hats, bags, gloves, and more.  We will also go over a number of embellishing techniques that will turn your slippers into a one-of-a-kind creation.  The best part is that you will come away from the class with your own pair of slippers to keep your toes warm all winter long!  No prior experience required. Fee: $90 (includes materials). Class size limit: 8 people.
To sign up, email Jericho or call her at 781-899-2403.
 
SAVE THESE DATES: 
 
Harvest Celebration and Potluck
Saturday, October 31st
A lunch-time event on Halloween!  Costume contests and fun farm activities will be new additions to our annual potluck this year.  Stay tuned for more details...
 
WFCF Benefit Concert at Johnny D's in Somerville 
Tuesday, December 1st, 8:30pm
Singer songwriters Kris Delmhorst, Tim Gearan and friends!
More details to come...
World Crops Planting Takes Root at WFCF
 
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Taioba, Maxixe, Chipilin, Okra. Do you recognize these plants we're growing this year?  They're plants native to Latin America, and by growing them this far north, we are engaged in helping to learn more about them so new and existing farmers can grow and distribute more vegetables in high demand from ethnic and immigrant communities in the Greater Boston area.  Our World Crops planting has been done in partnership with Frank Mangan (pictured above), Vegetable Specialist at UMass Extension.   
 
Taioba is a hydrophile and has been flourishing in this summer's heavy rain.  The Maxixe (also known as West Indian Burr Gherkin) is starting to sprawl out of the bed, with it's long viney shoots.  Chipilin is a green herb especially popular for use in Salvadoran pupusas.  And the sun-loving Okra however, has only just begun to put out flowers, but is thankful for this heat spell.  The World Crops planting can be found at the far end of the children's learning garden, along with informative signs about each crop.  Come take a look!
 

Greens Breakfast Showcases Produce from the Farm & Kitchen on Common

 Greens Breakfast_2009_07
Members attending our Greens Breakfast on Saturday, July 25th were treated to an early morning feast.   Local chef Joh Kokubo prepared four dishes featuring ingredients fresh from the farm. On the menu were green cabbage slaw with a coriander and fennel vinaigrette; cucumber salad with a sour cream, dill, and mint dressing; collard green roulades, stuffed with quinoa and grilled torpedo onions; and a kale and potato frittata with oregano and chives.  Joh is the chef and owner of Kitchen on Common in Belmont's Cushing Square. His dishes highlight seasonal and local foods sourced from Waltham Fields Community Farm and other local growers.  Angela Davis, WFCF member/shareholder and volunteer extraordinaire says, "I thought a chef's alternative to my usual sauteed and mushy breakfast greens was going to be some over-complex recipe. But everything he made used basic skills, basic kitchen tools, and ingredients I could get at the farm or my farmers' market. And it was really delicious!"

Joh hopes to make some of the recipes available to us soon, but has been too busy in the kitchen these days.  You can see Joh's menus and learn more about the restaurant at www.kitchenoncommon.com.   The breakfast was a lot of fun, and we're looking forward to holding more events with Joh and Kithcen on Common in the future.

Updates: 
 
WFCF Enters the World of Facebook 
The Farm is now on Facebook!  Several of you have been asking us to join Facebook so you can stay more connected with and connect with each other more about the farm.  The comment and discussion boards are open for use!
 
Next time you log into your Facebook account, search  for the Waltham Fields Facebook Group and join us!
 
Clothing Drive a Huge Success!

We can't believe the amount of clothes we received for the Second Chances Clothing Drive in June.  We collected over 500 pounds of clothes, accessories, and house linens that went to help low-income and homeless people in the Boston area.  Thank you to all who donated for making this such a successful drive.

Warmly, 
The Staff of Waltham Fields Community Farm
 
Jericho Bicknell, Education and Outreach Coordinator
Amanda Cather, Farm Manager
Amanda Dumont, Field Crew
Debra Guttormsen, Admin/Finance Coordinator
Paula Jordan, Spring/Fall Children's Garden Assistant
Sarah Kielsmeier-Jones, Field Crew
Claire Kozower, Executive Director
Brad Leatherbee, Field Crew
Jonathan Martinez, Assistant Grower 
Blake Roberts, Outreach Market Intern
Dan Roberts, Assistant Grower
Erinn Roberts, Assistant Grower
Nina Rogowsky, Children's Learning Garden Teacher
Samantha "Herbert" Tanzer, WFCF Summer Intern 
Andy Scherer, Assistant Farm Manager
Lina Yamashita, Summer Children's Garden Assistant
Waltham Fields Community Farm | 240 Beaver Street | Waltham | MA | 02452