| Bring us your compost! |
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Bring your own household compost if you don't mind the walk to the compost piles. Acceptable compost ingredients include all vegetable and fruit scraps, eggshells, bread crusts and coffee grounds. Please, no other animal products. Thanks to everyone who has helped us build our compost piles!
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Welcome to the 2008 Harvest Season!
CSA Pickups at the Farm this Week:
- Tuesday, September 30 from 3-7 PM
- Thursday, October 2 from 3-7 PM
- Sunday, October 5 from 3-7 PM
CSA Pickup in Davis Square (for pre-registered shareholders only):
- Tuesday, September 30 from 5-7 PM
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What's In the Share This Week
 Please note: This list is prepared the week before you receive your share. Some guesswork is involved!
We do our best to predict which crops will be ready to harvest, but sometimes crops are on the list that are not in the share, and sometimes crops will be in the share even though they're not on the list.
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Pick-Your-Own Crops This Week
 Shareholders are welcome to pick-your-own during daylight hours Mondays through Thursdays and Sundays.
Please remember to check the white board on the red kiosk for PYO information and current picking conditions!
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Verrill Farm Fundraiser October 5
As many of you are already aware, Concord's beloved Verrill Farm suffered a huge loss on September 20 when their farm stand was destroyed in a fire. Verrill is still operating out of a temporary building on their site at Wheeler Road, and the local business and farm community is rallying to their aid.
Waltham Fields is one of many local farms donating vegetables to a farmers' market fundraiser for Verrill Farm, the supplier of delicious sweet corn to our CSA in 2007 and 2008. All proceeds from the market will be donated to the Verrill Farmstand Fund. You can help by visiting the market at The Old Manse on Sunday, October 5 beginning at 12 noon, or simply by shopping at Verrill Farm, open every day from 9 AM to 6 PM.
Check out Verrill Farm's website for more information on the fire and other scheduled fundraising events. A special thank you to WFCF's executive director, Claire Kozower, and board members who donated their CSA shares this week to the farmers' market fundraiser.
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Notes from the Field
by Assistant Grower Jonathan Martinez
As we say goodbye to September, we
can truly appreciate the bounty that the season has brought us thus
far. Our fall Brassicas have flourished with the cooler weather
and our most recent rain. The broccoli harvest on Sunday impressed
even Amanda, and Andy found a very large cauliflower worthy of its variety
name, 'Amazing.' Even still, new plantings are going in through
the end of October to emerge in the spring and summer upon our return
to the fields. Strawberries find themselves in their new home
beyond the hoop house and will be mulched soon for the coming winter. This year, we will treat the strawberries as annuals instead of leaving
them for several seasons to produce. They will be harvested through
June to be replaced by new plantings the following September. We are also preparing garlic for planting at the end of October. We'll mulch them with leaves to prevent freezing, suppress weeds in
the spring, and provide organic matter as it decomposes.
The farm flourished with activity
when 50 Waltham middle school and elementary students participated in
Mass Harvest for Students Week. The lively group descended upon
the farm last Wednesday to see where the squash they ate in school came
from and participate in some fun activities. Every student had
the chance to dig sweet potatoes, harvest tomatoes, break up garlic
bulbs, press cider and cook summer squash. We were fortunate to
have the mayor of Waltham and several school officials attend the event. With only an hour and a half to visit, the students took advantage and
worked very well. As I prepared garlic with one group, one student
commented that she could sit and break up garlic bulbs all day.
I felt the same way! There is a meditative quality in small, simple
tasks such as this, which are productive physically, mentally and spiritually. The group's visit reminded me of what a unique educational resource
the farm provides for our community. I smiled hoping she too had
caught a glimpse of what it means to farm.
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| Warmly,
The Staff of Waltham Fields Community Farm
Amanda Cather, Farm Manager
Debra Guttormsen, Administrative and Finance Coordinator
Paula Jordan, Children's Learning Garden
Claire Kozower, Executive Director
Jonathan Martinez, Assistant Grower
Dan Roberts, Farm Crew
Erinn Roberts, Assistant Grower
Andy Scherer, Assistant Farm Manager
Mark Walter, Children's Learning Garden
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Waltham Fields Community Farm
