Waltham Fields Community Farm
local food for everyone
Waltham Fields Community Farm
CSA Newsletter 2018
Week 8 of 20
PICKUP DATES & TIMES

COME ONCE ON ANY OF THESE PICK UP DAYS
Wednesday, August 1st, 2:00-6:30pm
Thursday, August 2nd, 2:00-6:30pm
Saturday, August 4th, 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.
Job Posting: Bookkeeper and
Office Coordinator

Would you love to work on a non-profit farm, promote local agriculture, education & food access? WFCF is currently receiving resumes for the position of Bookkeeper and Office Coordinator! Please see description of the position for more details and instructions for applying.
Register your children for
Fall Education on the Farm Today!

(ages 2-4 + caregivers) Thursdays or Fridays, 9:30-10:30am

 BRAND NEW! Saturdays on the Farm
(ages 5-9) Saturdays, 9am-12pm

(ages 13-18) Saturdays, 9am-12pm
Field Station Tour with WFCF & Waltham Land Trust

August 25th, 1:00-2:30pm
Come on out to the Waltham Fields Station and learn about our rich history! Sonja Wadman of the Waltham Land Trust will be speaking about the history of the site, followed by a tour of the Waltham Fields Community Farm fields, to see what we've been working on today!
Meet in the parking lot outside the barn and behind the main building, at 240 Beaver Street, Waltham MA.
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
Cabbage
Carrots
Collards
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Lettuce
Fresh Onions
Potatoes
Scallions
Summer Squash
Swiss Chard
Zucchini

Pick Your Own (PYO): dill, cilantro, basil (green, purple & Thai), flat pod green beans, hot chilies & Perennial Garden herbs & flowers. (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
Week Eight: Behind the Scenes
by Tim Cooke

This week's notes come from someone who has yet to plant or pick a single vegetable for your share, but who can tell you a few things from behind the scenes. I have the duty of trying to get the tractors to keep up with the farmers' schedule, which means preparing the fields for planting, mechanically weeding crops in whatever way makes sense according to the weather, and cleaning up the beds after harvest to get ready for the next succession crop. As Erinn and Janelle have recently mentioned, the summer crops are in such a state of explosion that many are too big to get at with tractors. At this time of year the plants take over their own business, and farmers have to keep up. The farm crew does so week in and week out, rain or shine, whether it's 70 degrees or 95 degrees: planting, watering, harvesting, fighting pests and disease, here and at two other locations - each with its own individual soil type, pest problems, and tricky watering system. There will be 15 or so different types of vegetables for the share this week - and it's still not tomato time yet - even as the farm crew doesn't miss a beat keeping all the succession plantings growing, watered and weeded.  
I also had the privilege of being around at the beginning of this wonderful CSA, along with Marla and a few other dedicated people, when the UMass agricultural field station still had agronomists and botanists who travelled the world looking for wild relatives of food crops, tracing their genetic histories, and breeding improved varieties. Many current types of tomato, squash, broccoli and corn were bred by people who were working here twenty years ago, and even now their seed stock is used in ongoing breeding work. Going further back, it's likely that every vegetable crop we now take for granted was studied at some time by someone right here at this farm, and was improved in some way that still benefits us. 
To have a working farm this size, so close to a major city, with uniquely fertile soil that the farmers have worked hard to maintain and build all these years, is pretty rare and fortunate. To see it being worked by people so young and intelligent, despite all the dangers and insecurities of farming, is very inspiring, and I hope we all figure out how to keep it intact and healthy for the next generation. They're going to need it!

-Tim, for the farm crew
WHAT'S IN THE BARN 

Goldthread Plant Based Tonics

Daily consumption of herbs builds reservoirs of micro-nutrients that govern everything from proper digestion to deep relaxation. We currently carry Tulsi Clarity & Japanese Matcha.

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). Cash, check, Mastercard & Visa ($10 minimum for credit) are all accepted for retail items.
Thai Sweet and Spicy Cucumber Salad

Serves 4
Ingredients:
  • 2 Large Cucumbers
  • 2 tbsp roasted skinless peanuts
  • 2 Thai Red Chillies- Deseeded & Chopped
  • 1 tsp Dried Chilli Flakes
  • 2 tbsp Sesame Oil/Olive oil
  • 2 tbsp Honey
  • ½ tsp Soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp Vinegar
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 2-3 tbsp chopped Coriander
  • 2-3 tbsp Chopped Mint
  • 2 Limes- Juiced
  • 1 tsp Jaggery/brown sugar
  • Salt to Taste

Instructions:
Cucumbers can be cut in any way you want. You can just slice them into roundels or chop them up into bite sized pieces or spiralize.

Mix everything listed in the dressing. Season with salt. Pour it over prepared cucumbers. Mix it up and garnish with peanuts.
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.
Waltham Fields Community Farm Staff

Year-Round Staff:
Stacey Daley, Interim Executive Director
Marla Rhodes, Volunteer & Development Coordinator
Erinn Roberts, Farm Manager
Anna Kelchlin, Assistant Farm Manager
Alexandra Lennon-Simon, Education Director
Lauren Trotogott, Farm Stand & Distribution Manager
Kamelia Aly, Bookkeeper & Office Coordinator

Seasonal Staff:
Equipment Technician: Tim Cooke
Assistant Grower: Ivory Nava
Field Manager: Janelle Plummer
Greenhouse Manager: Naomi Shea
Field Crew: Ezra Nava, Ebony Nava, Phil Musen, Anastasia Strayton
Weed Crew: Hassan Ragy, Emily Saperia, Jesse Simmons, Chelsea Wang
Distribution & Outreach Assistant: Janet Calcaterra
CSA Distribution Team: Joy Grimes, Jessica Kauffman, Olivia Newhall-Thayer, Emily Saperia, Edward Wakefield, Chelsea Wang & Natalie Zeunges
Learning Garden Educators: Megan Curran, Autumn Cutting, Leslie Kay, Nellie Rodgers, Anna Vellante
Waltham Fields Community Farm
(781) 899-2403
Connect with us
Waltham Fields Community Farm | 240 Beaver Street, Waltham, MA 02452