WFCF CSA Newsletter - CSA Week #11

Waltham Fields Community Farm

local food for everyone

Waltham Fields Community Farm

CSA Newsletter 2018

Week 11 of 20

PICKUP DATES & TIMES

COME ONCE ON ANY OF THESE PICK UP DAYS

Wednesday, August 22nd, 2-6:30pm

Thursday, August 23rd, 2-6:30pm

Saturday, August 25th, 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.

Winter CSA Share payments were due August 1st. If you have an outstanding balance, please bring your payment in the form of a check or cash during this week's pick-up. If you would like a enjoy the bounty of a Winter CSA Share and have not signed up, NOW is the time!

You can also mail or drop off your check, made out to WFCF, at our office, located at 240 Beaver Street in Waltham. Park behind the red brick building, enter the single red door and you'll find our office inside the first door on the right.

WHAT'S IN THE CSA SHARE THIS WEEK?

Our Best Guess...

This is our goal for harvest for the week. Actual crops may vary from what's listed here due to a variety of impacts on the farm week.

In the Barn This Week and Picked for You!

Salad mix

Swiss chard

Green bell peppers

Eggplant

Tomatoes

Watermelon

Fresh eating onions

Scallions

Potatoes

Radicchio

Beets

Carrots

PYO (pick your own crops this week)

Cherry Tomatoes, Plum Tomatoes, Green Beans, Tomatillo,

Chile Peppers, Husk Cherry, Parsley, Basil (Purple, Thai, Italian), Dill, Cilantro

Perennial Garden

Please don’t cut more than 1/3-1/2 of Perennial Garden herb stems. View the Perennial Garden Handbook here.)

NOTES FROM THE FIELD

We sadly say goodbye to our 2018 Weed Crew at the end of this week. Much gratitude to EMILY, JESSE, HASSAN & CHELSEA for your hard work and contribution to our farming season!

Week Eleven

By Emily Moody Saperia

August, as you are.

August, they will write a thousand songs about your heart and how

You’re perfect as you are and yes, we miss you on the farm

And everyone will know what’s best for August (except you)

August, they’re worried 'bout me too - so what? So what are we to do?

Show up, August, as you are.

We are the falcons in the flower field, our bodies may fall but the earth will use us

All together, pulled apart, cut and bruised and burned to bring you

Nothing perfect, sure seems close, so I lace my farm boots up and

Smear the Ward 6 soil across my face once last time.

Our neighbors here at the Field Station and partners in hunger relief and food access, Boston Area Gleaners, have been hard at work this week along side our farmers in the field, sorting August's abundant tomato harvest!

Our farm grown produce is prioritized to give shareholders a good return on their investment and to meet our food assistance goals (20% of what we grow, which should amount to $80,000 of produce for low-income households this year).

All of our retail products are available for sale to the public. Cash, check, Mastercard & Visa ($10 minimum for credit) are all accepted for retail items.

Goods in the Barn

Sriracha & Salsa from The Kitchen Garden Farm in Sunderland, MA

Back by popular demand! Habanero Sriracha and Tomatillo & Chili Salsas from this certified organic farm. Salsas are fire roasted, sriracha is handcrafted and fermented, and both are great additions to your CSA veggies. The Kitchen Garden Farm's sriracha is a 2017 Good Food Award winner.

Sheet Pan Bell Pepper Nachos

Adapted from TheCozyCook.com

Serves 6

Ingredients:

4 bell peppers, cleaned and cut into fourths (have fun with the colors!)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 lb. ground beef (or ground turkey for a leaner option, or a vegetarian option)
2 cloves garlic, minced
¾ cup water
1 (1.25-ounce) package taco seasoning
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
¾ cup corn kernels
½ cup diced onion
2 plum tomatoes, diced
¼ cup pitted black olives, sliced
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
½ cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
½ cup sour cream
2 green onions, diced

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat a sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the beef and garlic, and cook until the beef has browned. (Crumble and toss the beef around as it cooks.)
Drain any excess fat, and then add in the water and taco seasoning. Continue to cook until most of the water has evaporated and the mixture is well combined.
Lay the sliced bell peppers hollow side up on the sheet pan.
To prevent the cheese from sliding onto the sheet pan, I recommend filling each pepper with cheddar cheese first, followed by the ground beef, followed by the black beans, corn, red onions, and tomatoes.
Finally, top each pepper carefully with a little sprinkling of Monterey Jack cheese.
Bake for about 10 minutes, keeping your eye on them around the 7 minute mark. You want the cheese to be nice and melted.
Top with a dollop of sour cream followed by the diced green onions.
Enjoy those crunchy nachos!

IMPORTANT SHAREHOLDER INFORMATION

If it's your first time picking up a CSA share with Waltham Fields, let us know when you check in and we'll help guide you through your first pick up. Also, please feel free to ask us questions anytime. We're here to help you!

Bring Your Own Bags or a Box

We don't keep a stock of plastic bags. Please remember to bring your own bags or a box to the farm to pick up your CSA share! We strongly encourage the use of reusable bags/boxes for all vegetables on the farm. If you forget your bags or want some really great ones, we have reusable Waltham Fields Tote Bags for sale in the barn for $4, with proceeds supporting our food assistance and education programs.

Pick-Your-Own Crops

All shareholders are welcome to pick-your-own anytime during daylight hours. 10-week shareholders may PYO at anytime during their assigned week and may not switch weeks. Stop by the PYO station for a list of what's available, how much to take, and a map of where to find it in the fields. Take these maps into the fields with you & respect the quantity limits so that there is enough for everyone! When you head out into the fields, a sign will help you to know which rows are ready for picking and will also include harvest tips. The PYO station will also provide scissors and pint boxes, but it never hurts to bring your own.

Share Pick Up Questions

More questions about share pickup? Check out our CSA FAQs! You can also contact Lauren Trotogott, our Distribution Coordinator.