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CSA PICKUP DATES AND TIMES
COME ONCE EACH WEEK ON ANY OF THESE PICK UP DAYS
Wednesday, July 19 - Oct. 18, 2:00-6:30PM
Thursday, July 20 - Oct. 19, 2:00-6:30PM
Saturday, July 22 - Oct. 21, 9AM-2PM
Any shareholder is welcome to pick up on any of the above days! You don't have to let us know when you're coming. Feel free to switch back and forth from week to week if that works best for you, or choose a day and stick to it for most of the season. We'll be happy to see you whatever day you come to the farm.
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WHAT'S IN THE SHARE - Our Best Guess
This is our best guess at this point. Actual crops may vary from what's listed here due to a variety of factors.
In the Barn (Picked for You): 
beets
bok choy
green cabbage
Napa cabbage
carrots
collards
cucumbers
escarole
fennel
kale
lettuce
fresh eating onions
potatoes
scallions
Swiss chard
zucchini & Summer squash
Pick Your Own (PYO):
Green beans, pesto, purple & Thai basil, dill, cilantro & Perennial Garden herbs & flowers.
SPRING RECIPES
We have a ton of great recipes on our website, including many different suggestions for kale! Click here to check them out! |
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Canning and Vegetable Preservation Workshop
WHEN: Saturday, August 12th, 10:00am-12:00pm
WHERE: On the Farm!
WHAT: Former farm staff and culinary expert Stacey Daley will guide you through several methods of vegetable preservation, answer canning questions, and provide ideas for what to do with all those summer tomatoes!
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OPERATION CROP MOB, PART II
WHEN: Saturday, July 22, 9:00am-12:00pm
WHERE: On the Farm! Check in at the Volunteer Shed.
WHAT: Calling all friends of the farm and friends of friends, come on out and help us weed for a couple hours. We need people power to help stay ahead of the weeds. Our annual Crop Mobs are a fun morning of working outside with family, friends, and neighbors. Come dressed for the weather (close-toed shoes, hats, sunscreen, rain gear..) - anyone under 18 must have a waiver signed by a legal guardian. If you're planning a group of 8 or more, contact volunteer@communityfarms.org so we know you're coming! Stay til noon...light refreshments to follow! |
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NOTES FROM THE FIELD
Week Seven: Heartbeat of Summer
by Anna Kelchlin
The heartbeat of summer is pumping and I feel lucky to be alive. It's that time of year when we have a strong pulse. As a crew we have the rhythm down, we just need to maintain it. It's all about the harvest: transplanting as fast as we can, seeding the fall carrots, cutting greens and of course weeding like there is no tomorrow. The weather couldn't seem to make up its mind this week. It was a total mixed bag of sun, heat, clouds, humidity, torrential rain, thunder and lighting, cool air, and wind. It's unpredictable, but so is life, right?
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Ginger and Turmeric growing in the high tunnel.
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Once in awhile I look back on the "Notes from the Field" from previous years when I need a bit of inspiration. It is quite a beautiful catalog of farm history including the weather for the week, the progress of vegetables that are yet to be harvested, maybe a thing or two about equipment and how the farmers are holding up. When reading last year's notes, all we seemed to write about was the severe drought we were experiencing and the activities of irrigation. This season couldn't be more opposite. Last week we had to pull the pumps out of the creeks we irrigate from at our satellite fields for fear of the water level rising too high. We haven't even used our water reel yet, which still needs to have some holes repaired from its intense use last year. Due to last week's rain we were unable to get into our fields to do tractor work, so the broccoli and cauliflower transplanting and fall carrot seeding has been pushed back a bit. We were able to tie more tomatoes up along with two lines on the tomatillos, which are coming along nicely. Once the rain hit we had to hold off working with them due the potential of introducing disease. The good news is we can always hand weed. Weed crew has doubled in size on Fridays due to our consistent drop-in volunteers, which have been making an enormous difference for our weed populations. But don't worry there is always more work to do if you are interested in joining us this Saturday for Crop Mob Part II. Janelle and I will be leading the mob from 9am to noon with refreshments to follow.
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Anna and one giant head of lettuce.
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As there is more to harvest, our food access programs are slowly being fulfilled. This is our second week of donating to the Boys and Girls Club of Waltham to provide food to their summer lunch program. Food for Free has now been coming every week to pick up any food that was not taken from our CSA program, which can amount up to hundreds of pounds of produce each week. This Tuesday our Outreach Market will begin, which strives to provide fresh, local produce to low-income families in Waltham. Customers pay just $5 for a bag of vegetables worth between $25-30. Other customers are able to receive produce for free with our vouchers that are distributed to several social service agencies throughout the city. This is one of our major ways that we are able to make food more accessible to all and look forward to supporting those who are not able to afford organic retail prices.
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The crew harvesting in a sea of collards.
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On a more personal note, as some of you might know, seven and a half years ago I had a heart transplant. I often think a lot about how my own experience of transplanting is a symbol of life. One can grow a seed in a greenhouse and plant that seedling in a new home in the field. Then of course that seedling (with care) can provide a temporary home for an insect, stabilize the earth for a period of time as well as feed us humans. For me I received a life that I might not have been able to experience due to the generosity of others. And I share this small story with you all because, as I grow vegetables, it is a way of giving life to others. It is a way of nourishing a community and our environment. Like the heart I have received, growing vegetables is a practice of stewardship and deep care. During the times of insanely challenging work with repetitive movements and tasks, I have to remind myself of the greater world that we live in and the purpose of what we are doing. This community farm is support system for one another that ultimately allows us to live wholesomely and to connect with others through the bountiful earth. Just like the heart, the beat of the farm goes on...
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Erinn back in the wash station.
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This week we welcomed Erinn back to the farm from maternity leave; we are so happy to have her back! You might even get to see Willa out on the farm if you are lucky. A big thank you to the whole crew: Naomi and Janelle, Dan and Tim, Field Crew and Weed Crew. We are rockin' it out there! And as we have been saying this year "Teamwork makes the dream work!"
Enjoy the Harvest,
Anna
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WHAT'S IN THE BARN
Mojo Cold Brew Coffee 
Handcrafted in Wenham, MA, this "liquid love" is inspired by owner's New Orleans roots. 100% Arabica beans are steeped overnight in cold water to create a powerful concentrate. The perfect recipe of dairy & sweetener is enhanced by hand, without any stabilizers or preservatives!
All of our retail products are available for sale to the public. For our own produce offerings, we prioritize giving shareholders a good return on their investment and meeting our food assistance goals (20% of what we grow - which should amount to $80,000 of produce for low-income households this year)
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Early in the season, crops for sale to the public will be those that we have an abundance of and later in the season, if production is going well, we hope to operate as a full-fledged farm store with a wide range of vegetables available to the public during our weekly CSA distribution hours.
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Fragrant Fennel Fronds Pesto
Use up those beautifully fragrant fennel fronds that normally get tossed out in this simple fennel fronds pesto. Just a handful of ingredients and you have a completely delicious and freezer friendly pesto to use wherever you would use a normal pesto.
Prep Time: 10 mins  Ingredients 1 cup toasted walnuts (or your nut of choice) 3 cups loosely packed fennel fronds 1 lemon juiced 1 clove garlic 1 tsp sea salt 1/2 cup olive oil(plus extra)
Instructions:
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Toast the walnuts over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes, or until they start to turn a nice golden brown color
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Add the fennel fronds, lemon juice, garlic and salt to a food processor. Add in half of the olive oil and pulse or blend until incorporated. Continue blending while slowly pouring in the rest of the olive oil and desired consistency is reached (you may need to add in a little more olive oil or water 1 tsp at a time if you prefer it thinner)
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Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freeze for later use
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Waltham Fields Community Farm Staff
Year-Round Staff:
Seasonal Staff:
Assistant Grower: Janelle Plummer
Greenhouse Production Supervisor: Naomi Shea
Equipment Supervisor: Dan Roberts
Tractor Operator: Tim Cooke
Field Crew: Zoe Flavin, Ebony Nava, Ivory Nava, Allison Ostrowski, Bekah Waller
Weed Crew: Luna Goddard, Zane MacFarlane, Cristin Sloan, Clare Stephens
Distribution & Outreach Assistant: Owen Weitzman
Learning Garden Educators: Autumn Cutting, Annie Fortnow, Jack Leng, Zack Lennon-Simon, Lauren McDermott
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