|
Waltham Fields Community Farm
| |
CSA NEWSLETTER 2016
Week 14 of 20
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FALL LITTLE SPROUTS
For ages 2-4 plus caregivers. 6 Fridays, 10am-11am, beginning September 9th. Explore the wonderful sights and sounds of the farm in the fall, from cooking healthy recipes to singing songs and playing farm-based games, this is a great chance for you and your toddler to get out and enjoy fall's bounty!
FALL GARDEN CORPS
Saturday mornings September-October, and beginning on September 10th, youth ages 13-18, will be able to participate in work in our Learning Garden, and will learn about all stages of the food system, from garden design to planting and harvesting.
|
|
|
CSA PICKUP DATES AND TIMES
COME ONCE EACH WEEK ON ANY OF THESE PICK UP DAYS
Wednesday, September 7-Oct. 19, 2:00-6:30PM
Thursday, September 8-Oct. 20, 2:00-6:30PM
Saturday, September 10-Oct. 22, 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.
|
 |
|
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)
 |
|  | Cabbage head forming |
arugula
collards
beets
carrots
eggplant
loose greens
kale
kohlrabi
lettuce
okra
bell pepper
radicchio
radish
scallion
chard
tomatoes
potatoes
Pick Your Own (PYO):
Parsley, Thai & purple basil, cherry tomatoes, plum tomatoes, chiles, husk cherries, tomatillos & Perennial Herb & Flower Garden.
RECIPES
We have a ton of great recipes on our website, including many different suggestions for chard ! Click here to check them out!
|
 |
NOTES FROM THE FIELD
Week 14: Another Season
Anna Kelchlin, Assistant Farm Manager
This week marks the beginning of our initial descent into the crisp, cool days of fall. It's been a long journey, but we are arriving home. It is interesting to me how such change can happen so quickly. On Saturday, as I walk out to turn on the irrigation, hot coffee in hand with two sweaters on, I feel the heavy dew seep into my boots and I realize how quiet it is. This weather sneaks up on you when you least expect it. This is my favorite time of year when the days are still warm and the evenings allow for deep, restful sleep. The sunshine feels like a precious gift since its hours are lessening each day. The excitement of the fall brassica harvest is upon us as well as all the hot dishes we can make with them. Summer harvest now merges with the fall harvest making for endless dinner possibilities. The air is fresh and has an energizing quality; this change is rejuvenating and helps us to experience the farm in a new way. It's the boost we all need for the final push.
Despite the feeling of coming home, there is much to do on the farm and we must remain wholeheartedly focused. Although our greenhouses are now empty of seedlings, our fields are in many stages, from the organized beds ready for the last of the direct seeding, to the wild fields of crops that have retired for the season that need mowing, to our stunning West field that is about to burst open full of cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower. Tomatoes are still plentiful and soon carrots and lettuce will be back with bounty. Eggplants are winding down now but still abundant for our needs. Melons are reaching their end. Braising mixes (which I need to add are so delicious lightly sautéed with just a dash of salt and olive oil) and arugula will be cut fresh for the coming weeks. Broccoli raab and radishes are growing strong among many other new plant roots that will appear before we know it. On Wednesday and Thursday, the Boston University freshman orientation groups came out to volunteer to help with some much needed weeding projects as well as the three row, every dibble transplant of spinach and scallions. I must also add a great thank you to the Saturday morning volunteers who come with a love of the farm and a generous dedication to this intense work. I am grateful to be a part of this community.
In planning for the future, we have cover crop to sow in the fields that are barren and dried to the bone. And yes, irrigation is still an ongoing process, constantly on our minds. Maybe this week it will rain, but we won't count on it. Until then let us enjoy this truly beautiful time of year. Just as the sun rises and sets and as the ocean tide comes in and out, we are once again returning to the mirror of spring when cabbages and radishes return with an autumn spin.
Enjoy the harvest and the beginning of a new season,
Anna
|
| |
Little Grub Field lettuce freshly cultivated by Dan
|
|
| | Beautiful light over fall brassica field |
|
 |
|
WHAT'S IN THE BARN
The seasons in a spoonful... Bug Hill Farm's shrubs snap with fresh fruit flavor! Fruit and herb infused in vinegar is the ultimate in sweet & tangy thirst-quenching refreshment. Splash into sparkling water or green tea, drop a teaspoonful into your favorite cocktail, drizzle over salads or desserts - a little goes a long way!
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 (22% of what we grow - which should amount to $80,000 of produce for low-income households this year).
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.
|
 |
Grilled Romaine & Radicchio Salad
Serves 4 as an appetizer salad, 2 as a main
Ingredients
- 4 slices thick cut sourdough bread
- 1 head romaine lettuce
- 1 head radicchio
- salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil or garlic oil
Crispy chickpeas:
- 1, 15 ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Charred carrot dressing:
- 1 cup carrots, chopped
- 1 cup red bell pepper, chopped
- 3 large garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons harissa
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat.* Cut romaine and radicchio lengthwise into 4 pieces each. Using a pastry brush, coat sourdough and lettuces generously in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Working in batches, lay bread and lettuces in pan and cook until charred on all sides, about 6 minutes.
- To assemble salads, place grilled bread on a plate, top with a piece of romaine and radicchio, drizzle with carrot dressing and sprinkle with chickpeas.
Crispy chickpeas:
- Preheat oven to 425 F. Drain and rinse garbanzo beans. Pat dry and toss with tablespoon olive oil. Lay out on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Roast for 20 - 25 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes. Once beans are golden and crispy, remove from the oven and toss with cumin, sea salt, and black pepper.
- Alternately, chickpeas can be cooked in a skillet over medium-high heat for 10 minutes then tossed with cumin, salt and pepper.
Charred carrot dressing:
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Remove skins from garlic cloves. Add carrots, red bell pepper, and whole garlic cloves to the skillet. Cook until veggies are charred and very soft, about 10 minutes.
- Spoon carrot mixture and any olive oil left in pan into a high powered blender or food processor. Add harissa, salt and pepper, and 1/2 cup water to blender. Blend on high until dressing is very smooth, adding additional water to thin if necessary.
- Dressing can be served at room temperature or warmed in a small saucepan if desired.
* Bread and lettuces can also be cooked on an outdoor grill.
|
 |
|
IMPORTANT SHAREHOLDER INFORMATION
What's In The Share
Each Tuesday we'll send out a CSA newsletter letting you know our best guess for what will be in the share, for the items we're harvesting for you as well as for pick-your-own (PYO) crops. All shareholders need to check in with us in the Distribution Barn before picking up their share. Notice and respect the amounts indicated for the vegetables in the barn & in PYO and do not take the same vegetable twice unless otherwise advertised.
If it's your first time picking up a CSA share 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
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 & education programs.
Pick-Your-Own Crops
All shareholders are welcome to pick-your-own anytime during daylight hours, and you don't have to do your PYO when you pick up the rest of your share. Like last year, each PYO crop will have a number assigned to it. We'll have sheets of paper available each week with a map and a list of crops that are available to harvest on it, along with where the crops are located and the amount allowed and harvest tips. PYO sheets will be available at all times at the PYO stand on the south side of the Distribution Barn. Please respect the quantity and limits so that there is enough for everyone!
If You Need to Miss A Pick Up
If you can't pick up a share one week, we are not able to allow you to double up on another week. But you can send friends or neighbors to get your veggies on any week you can't make it yourself. Have them check in under the last name of the primary shareholder for your share. You don't need to let us know they're coming. They will just check in under your name at the CSA barn. If no one picks up your share, the veggies will be included with our weekly donations to hunger relief organizations.
For Those Splitting a Share
If you are splitting a share, please remember that you need to pick up the whole share at one time each week. It is NOT acceptable for one partner to come at one time and pick up half the share and another to get the other half later. You'll need to coordinate with your share partner to figure out how to divide the share up, either by taking alternate weeks, meeting up at the farm to pick up the share together, etc.
Dogs on the Farm
Dogs are welcome on the farm but are not allowed in the CSA barn or in the vegetable fields per health department regulations. Dogs must be leashed and owners must clean up after them.
Share Pick Up Questions
|
 |
|
|
|
Waltham Fields Community Farm Staff
Year-Round Staff:
Seasonal Staff:
Assistant Grower: Janelle Plummer
Greenhouse Production Supervisor: Naomi Shea
Equipment Supervisor: Dan Roberts
Field Crew: Heidi Blake, Stacey Daley, Allison Ostrowski, Andre Tufenkian Learning Garden Educators: Autumn Cutting, Alannah Glickman, Jack Leng
CSA Assistant: Danielle Barmash
|
|
|
|
|
|