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Waltham Fields Community Farm
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CSA NEWSLETTER 2014
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Week #7 of 20  
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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, cabbage, carrots, collards, cucumbers, eggplant, kale, onions, peppers, potatoes, Swiss chard, summer squash, & zucchini.
Pick Your Own (PYO): Perennial Garden herbs & flowers, basil, parsley, & green beans.
PLEASE RETURN OUR SCISSORS TO THE SHAREHOLDER STATION AFTER PICKING BRING YOUR OWN BAGS!
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Please Take Note of Closed Distribution Dates
Distribution will be closed on the following dates due to coinciding events on the farm. Please plan ahead to pick up your share on any other day during these weeks. We will be closed:
Saturday, September 20th (20th Anniversary Brunch) - Save the Date!
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Waltham Fields Community Farm Women's T-shirts!
New women's t-shirts have arrived. Lightweight and fair trade, these all-cotton shirts feature a butternut squash vine, honoring the legacy of the Waltham Butternut Squash, an award-winning open-pollinated variety of winter squash developed right here when our landlord, the University of Massachusetts, actively used the fields we now farm for agriculture research and support of local market growers (also developed as part of UMass' former field station work were varieties of broccoli, asparagus, carrot, and tomato). Stay tuned for more unisex t-shirts coming soon, and for sweatshirts this fall!
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Lauren, our Distribution Coordinator,
sporting our new women's t-shirt.
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NOTES FROM THE FIELD
By Alisa Feinswog, Forest Foundation Intern
It's been wet here on the farm. While yes, it is a struggle to weed, transplant, and harvest in the rain, it has done amazing things for our crops. Last week, the field crew harvested upwards of 2,000 cucumbers! Not only are the yields impressively high, but the size of the vegetables have been enormous. Unfortunately, perfect growing conditions don't discriminate between crop and weed. Working alongside the weed crew, we have found our work cut out for us. The weeds, particularly amaranth, lamb's quarters, and purslane have kept us busy and then some. Helping the weed crew each morning from 8-noon is a particularly satisfying job because the work that we do is tangible and undoubtedly keeps the farm beautiful and the crops growing well.
In addition to weeding, I am helping out with the Outreach Market. The Market's goal is to provide fresh, local produce to low-income people in Waltham. We do so at a heavily subsidized price, with some customers getting produce for free with our vouchers and others paying just $5 for $25-30 worth of vegetables. The weekly Market starts this Tuesday, so we've been doing a lot of work to get everything ready and spread the word to people in need. Our vouchers are distributed through various partner agencies in the Waltham area, creating an important hunger relief opportunity for their clients as well as for many others in the community. This Market is another moving part to the food access mission of Waltham Fields. Access to healthy food is a huge issue that the farm works hard to combat. The problem that we are tackling reminds me of a quote written on the wall at WATCH (Waltham Alliance to Create Housing) where I helped out this past year:
The magnitude of the problem does not relieve us of the obligation to take action.
I can't wait for the harvest and the Outreach Market to start! I hope everyone enjoys the projected good weather this week.
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Forest Foundation interns Alisa (left) & Cassie (right)
making the distribution barn look pretty.
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Zucchini Bread Pancakes
Makes 10 to 12 pancakes
Ingredients
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons light brown, dark brown or granulated sugar
1/4 cup buttermilk or 2 tablespoons each of milk and plain yogurt, whisked until smooth
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups shredded zucchini (from about 9 ounces whole, or 1 1/2 medium zucchini), heaping cups are fine
1 cup all-purpose flour (half can seamlessly be swapped with a whole wheat flour)
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg
Butter or oil, for coating skillet
Directions
In a large bowl, combine eggs, olive oil, sugar, buttermilk and vanilla until smooth. Stir in zucchini shreds. In a smaller bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir dry ingredients into zucchini batter, mixing until just combined.
Heat a large, heavy skillet (my favorite for pancakes is a cast-iron) over medium heat. Once hot, melt a pat of butter in pan and swirl it around until it sizzles. Scoop scant 1/4-cup dollops of batter (mine were about 3 tablespoons each) in pan so the puddles do not touch. Cook until bubbles appear on the surface, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip pancakes and cook another minute or two, until golden underneath. Transfer pancakes to prepared pan to keep warm as well as ensure that they're all cooked through when they're served. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve warm. Repeat next weekend.
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CSA PICKUP DATES AND TIMES
COME ONCE EACH WEEK ON ANY OF THESE PICK UP DAYS
Wednesday, June 11-Oct. 22, 2:00-6:30 PM
Thursday, June 12-Oct. 23, 2:00-6:30 PM
Friday, June 13-Oct. 24, 2:00-6:30 PM
Saturday, June 14-Oct. 25, 9 AM-2 PM
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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Waltham Fields Community Farm StaffClaire Kozower, Executive DirectorMarla Rhodes, Development CoordinatorAmanda Cather, Farm ManagerZannah Porter, Assistant Farm ManagerAlexandra Lennon-Simon, Education and Outreach CoordinatorLauren Trotogott, Distribution CoordinatorRebekah Lea, Bookkeeper/ Office CoordinatorHector Cruz, Assistant GrowerAnna Kelchlin, Assistant GrowerJohanna Flies, Brett Maley, Naomi Shea, Farm AssistantsMartha Dorsch, Farm Stand AssistantLaurie Young, Field Crew LeaderRae Axner, Daniel Clifford, Ruby Geballe, Paul Weiskel, Field CrewAlice Fristrom, Zack Pockrose, Evan Rees, Laura Stone, Weed CrewNatashea Winters, Learning Garden EducatorKimi Ceridon, 4H Club LeaderMatt Crawford, Outreach Market ManagerCassandra Baker, Alisa Feinswog, Forest Foundation Summer Internshttp://www.communityfarms.org240 Beaver Street
Waltham, MA 02452
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