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Waltham Fields Community Farm
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CSA NEWSLETTER 2015 - Week 7 of 20
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CROP MOB PART II
THIS SATURDAY, JULY 25th, 9am-12pm
Bring your friends and help us weed at this critical time of the year. Refreshments by Basil Tree provided at noon!
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CSA PICKUP DATES AND TIMES
COME ONCE EACH WEEK ON ANY OF THESE PICK UP DAYS
Wednesday, June 10-Oct. 21, 2:00-6:30PM
Thursday, June 11-Oct. 22, 2:00-6:30PM
Saturday, June 13-Oct. 24, 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
Cabbage
Carrots
Collards
Cucumber
Kale
Kohlrabi
Lettuce
Onions
Potatoes
Scallions
Summer squash
Zucchini
Swiss Chard
Pick Your Own (PYO):
Remember to only pick the amount listed on the PYO description sheets found at the PYO Station and follow the signs & directions in the field. A taste or two is okay while you're picking but in order to have enough for everyone please refrain from snacking extensively out in the fields. If an area is roped off, it is closed to PYO.
Perennial herbs & flowers, basil, dill, cilantro, parsley, chiles, & a taste of cherry tomatoes.
SPRING RECIPES
We have a ton of great recipes on our website, including six different suggestions for bok choy! Click here to check them out! |
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NOTES FROM THE FIELD - Summer Time on the Farm
From Anna Kelchlin, Assistant Grower
As I begin my day in the wash station, I write 7/17 Lettuce 20 (meaning date, veggie type and number of heads) on the blue packing bin, and yes it's mid-July. How did this happen? Remember when we were all shoveling and tunneling our way out of the snow? And we now are in the height of the season: full on with harvesting, bed making, planting, weeding, irrigating, fertilizing, seeding, and the list goes on. The change in seasons never ceases to amaze me, like a new born baby or a tiny seed of a collard plant all grown up to elephant size leaves. It's breathtaking when you really think about it. There is such immense change in such little time. The summer weather has definitely arrived along with full mornings of harvesting that are beginning to spill into the afternoon. This means of course more delicious vegetables and more variety, but less time to get everything else done we still need to do. However, our crew seems to increase with each week. We are now at our maximum capacity, at least I think so. The youth crew started with us this week. Yay! Welcome Youth Crew! I am fortunate to have the opportunity to work with these young people one day a week, whom for most is their first exposure to farm life, and also their very first job. Together we got to know each other over harvesting collards, summer squash, zucchini, cucumbers, and even garlic. They will be working in the barn on Saturdays and also at our Outreach Market which is kicking off today! More on that next week. Some highlights from this past week were transplanting the first round of fall brassicas. We were able to plant broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and water it right away with our water reel irrigation system. Weed crew, field crew, and volunteers got a ton of weeding done (probably close to a true ton) in the leeks, carrots, onions, and flowers to name a few. The flower share opened this week. Some fields are beginning to be flail mowed and disked in and ready for a second crop such as a light feeder like lettuce or spinach. We had some spectacular beet harvests of golden, dark reds, and candy stripes. The kale bunches are becoming more bold and beautiful by the week and we also started the once a year garlic harvest, which includes pitchforking all three rows of garlic, then very gently pulling each head of garlic up, being careful not to bruise them so that they can store through the winter. Then finally we lay the heads with stems out in the greenhouse for a couple weeks of curing. Erinn and I direct seeded our last bean planting and more carrots. This went super smoothly thanks to Tim who was able to fix one of the shoes on our seeder so that it's just the right depth for those teeny tiny carrot seeds. And finally, our farm family was able to finish out the week's greenhouse seeding of our 4th generation of spinach, 11th generation of lettuce and more kohlrabi, endive, and escarole. Through all of these activities I always find myself struck by the concept of time and its magical powers. Back in the wash station, Anna (not me, but our field crew member Anna) said something that was quite wise, and something I didn't think about until recently. She said something like this, "I only worked as a waitress for three days in Paris and hated it, but in those three days I learned so much. I learned to do as many things in one movement as possible." I thought about this more and how true and important this is throughout our farm day and maybe even to our society. It's so easy to get lost in time on the farm even though we have the sun and moon to guide us through the day. As farmers we are on the go. Moving from one task to the next, trying to be most efficient with our time so that we can grow as many beautiful and healthy vegetables for our CSA shareholders and people who can't afford organic produce at this moment in time. It could be that time moves with such velocity because of our pace, or our attention to detail with the amount of water our seedling trays have or what kind of beetle is on our bean plants, but maybe its because we can pass the time in all weather with people who share similar values. There is one constant on the farm which is that no moment is ever the same and that we must roll with whatever is thrown our way - whether it be a disease, a heat wave, or hundreds of cucumbers to harvest - we like to be kept on our toes and connect with our surroundings. I would love to hear from you all when I'm out in the field about your experiences and memories on the farm. Please flag me down anytime. I would love to meet more of the people who are a part of this beautiful community. Join me this Saturday July 25th from 9am until noon for our 2nd Crop Mob of the season. Enjoy the harvest,Anna, for all who are involved in our food system.
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Anna, a Field Crew member, washing beets in the wash station.
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A beautiful beet harvest.
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A snapshot of the once a year garlic harvest.
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Field Crew and farmers harvesting garlic.
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WHAT'S IN THE BARN
Mediterranean Marinated Goat Cheese from Crystal Brook Farm in Sterling, MA
Ann owns and cares for about 60 dairy goats on her farm in Sterling. The goats are milked seasonally, working with their natural breeding cycles. They produce milk all summer and rest in the winter months. They enjoy a healthy diet of seasonal browse and pasture, and eat farm-grown hay year round. Small amounts of grain are given to ensure proper protein intake. They are milked in an animal friendly milking parlor. Try the Mediterranean Marinade - Crystal Brook Farm Fresh Goat Cheese in a pool of olive oil with Garlic, Oregano & Whole Peppercorns - for $8.00 per 6oz tub.
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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TURKEY-SWISS CHARD BURGERS WITH GREENS AND LEMON-BASIL AIOLI
Adapted from "Edible Boston" Summer 2015
"Standard turkey burgers can be on the dry side - to be safe, you have to cook them all the way through, but that can render them dense and tasteless, with a texture like sawdust. Adding sauteed chard, some salty crumbled cheese, and a couple of eggs to bind it all together, keeps these burgers moist and tender. The richness of the Stone & Skillet English muffins, available at many local independent markets and grocers, complements the burgers perfectly, but a standard English muffin or other type of good bread roll can be used in their place.
Makes 6 burgers
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Picture courtesy of Edible Boston, Summer 2015.
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For burgers:
1 small bunch of rainbow Swiss chard (6-8 leaves, fewer if they are really large)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey (CHESTNUT FARMS GROUND TURKEY AVAILABLE IN BARN FREEZER)
1 small bunch chives or scallions, minced
1 small bunch basil, chopped
4 ounces feta cheese
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
For aioli and serving:
1/2 cup mayonnaise, preferably homemade
1/2 clove garlic, grated
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
juice and zest of one lemon
pinch of sugar
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
6 English muffins, split
1 cup greens (arugula, radicchio, kale, etc.)
Strip the leaves from the stalks of the chard and set aside, then mince the stalks finely. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and add the onion, garlic, and minced chard stalks. Saute until lightly browned and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Shred the chard leaves and add to the skillet to wilt, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to cool.
When the vegetables have cooled, combine them in a bowl with the ground turkey, minced chives/scallions, chopped basil, crumbled feta, beaten egg, bread crumbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt and black pepper to taste. Using your hands, mix to incorporate and then form into 6 patties. Set aside in the fridge to rest at least one hour and up to one day.
When ready to cook, preheat a grill or cast iron skillet. To make the aioli, stir the garlic, basil, lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, salt and pepper into the mayonnaise. Toast the English muffins and spread each cut side with some of the aioli.
Grill or pan-fry the burgers until cooked through, about 3-5 minutes per side. Place each burger on a bottom bun and top with a handful of greens and the top bun. Serve immediately.
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Waltham Fields Community Farm Staff
Year-Round Staff:
Seasonal Staff:
Assistant Grower: Anna Kelchlin
Farm Assistants: Tim Cooke, Dan Roberts, Naomi Shea
Farm Stand Assistant: Leo Martinez
Field Crew: Anna Hirson-Sagalyn, Roy Kresge, Jack Leng, Claire Penney, Evan Rees
Weed Crew: Anna Blaustein, Leo Martinez, Gina Masciovecchio, Annie Nguyen
Learning Garden Educators: Sadie Brown, Autumn Cutting, Rebecca Fennel, Alannah Glickman
Summer Interns: Cassandra Baker, Alisa Feinswog, Ali Rabideau, Jesse Simmons
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