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CSA PICKUP DATES AND TIMES
COME ONCE EACH WEEK ON ANY OF THESE PICK UP DAYS
Wednesday, June 28-Oct. 18, 2:00-6:30PM
Thursday, June 29-Oct. 19, 2:00-6:30PM
Saturday, July 1-Oct. 21, 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):
Kale
Collards
Lettuce
Garlic Scapes
Bok Choy
Fennel
Napa Cabbage
Endive
Escarole
Pick Your Own (PYO):
Shelling peas, sugar Snap Peas, snow peas, dill, cilantro & Perennial Garden herbs & flowers.
SPRING RECIPES
We have a ton of great recipes on our website, including many different suggestions for cabbage! Click here to check them out! |
LAST WEDNESDAY PICNIC SUPPER
WHEN: Wednesday, June 28, 5 - 7pm
WHERE: At the farm
WHAT: BYOBlanket and picnic supper and enjoy our farm and fields! Cellos on the Charles will be here, providing music to dine by. Free ~ all are welcome.
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WFCF SEEKING NEW BOARD MEMBERS
If you love this farm, and have some time to dedicate to its mission, please consider applying to our Board of Directors. Board members oversee the farm's budget/finances, fundraising, and strategy. They meet at the farm about 8 times per year, with an additional 4-6 meetings as part of a smaller committee. While special knowledge of law, human resources, education, food access, and farming are appreciated, the true need is for people who want to help Waltham Fields serve it's local community. Enthusiasm and engagement are the top priorities! Board members serve 3 year terms, starting in January. To apply, please send an email to Moshe Weitzman at weitzman@tejasa.com
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NOTES FROM THE FIELD
Week Four:
by Janelle Plummer
Summer is upon us as last Wednesday's solstice marked the most hours of sunshine in one day for the year. Many people gathered around the barn for delicious ice cream in the evening to celebrate the beginning of the season. The farm fields are filling up, and the crews are working hard to both get the next rounds of vegetables in the ground and keep them clean from weeds. Field crew's days are split between morning harvests and afternoons spent transplanting.
This transition time of year - from cooler nights to warmer days - brings such a variety of crops in our sights. We harvest spinach in the morning, and plant hot crops in the afternoon. This past week, all of our bell pepper plants went in over at Gateways, as well as eggplant, a round of lettuce, and celery. Field crew is moving into their third week and it feels great to have a full crew back in the fields.
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Fennel in the wash station.
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Ivory, from the Field Crew, holding many bunches of radishes.
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Weed crew is working tirelessly every morning, making their way across the fields to stay on top of weeds: a heroic venture. It seems to me that every morning when I walk out, something has exploded over night, shifting priorities. Nothing in farming stays the same for too long! If you've walked around the farm in the past week, you may have noticed the hay laid out in the pathways. This is salt marsh hay, which is used as mulch to give a longer buffer against weeds in the pathways of various crops.
On Saturday, weed crew was joined by volunteers in our first CROP MOB! Over 25 people came out in the morning's rain to help us tackle two fields' worth of weeds. In three hours, we successfully weeded all of the fresh eating and storage onions, as well as the entire leek crop and most of the shallots. The alliums are looking great and I'm excited to see them size up without the competition of big weeds. Fun was had by all, tasty treats were eaten after, and we're looking forward to the next mob, on July 22.
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| | Volunteers going strong, despite the wet & muggy weather. |
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| | Last Saturday's turnout for the 1st Crop Mob! |
I wanted to say a special thank you to all of our volunteers, especially our dynamite drop-ins. Each one of you inspire me with your positivity, hard work, and most impressively, your dedication to the farm. Working with the volunteers has become one of my favorite parts of being Assistant Grower, and I feel lucky to share Saturday mornings with you all. It has really driven home the saying, "Many hands make light work." Volunteers are so crucial to the farm running smoothly, and so much work gets done by them from planting to rescue-weeding and anything in between. For anyone interested in joining us out in the fields, drop in hours are Friday and Saturday mornings, starting promptly at 9.
See ya out there!
Janelle, for the crew
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WHAT'S IN THE BARN
Try this tahini-based treat that originates from the Middle East & Eastern Europe. It is low in sugar and loaded in protein & calcium. Containing no artificial flavorings or preservatives, this treat is handmade in Sherborn, MA. Flavors range from Maple to Cardamom Orange. Try a sample in the barn this week!
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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Orecchiette with Escarole and Bread Crumbs
Ingredients: 
- 1 head escarole (or kale or other green), stems trimmed
- Kosher salt
- 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
- 1 cup coarse fresh breadcrumbs
- 3 garlic scapes, chopped, divided
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
- 4 anchovy fillets packed in oil, drained
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 pound orecchiette (little ear-shaped pasta)
- 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan or Grana Padano
Instructions
- Working in batches if necessary, cook the escarole or other green in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 4 minutes. Using tongs or a skimmer (don't dump the water out!) transfer to a colander over the sink. Toss frequently to accelerate cooling, and when cool enough to handle, squeeze out the excess water. Chop the leaves stems and set aside.
- Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add breadcrumbs and cook, stirring often, until beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Add one-third of chopped garlic and cook, stirring often, until breadcrumbs are golden, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; let cool.
- Heat the butter and remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large heavy pot over medium-low heat. Add the anchovies, red pepper flakes, and remaining two-thirds of chopped garlic; cook, mashing anchovies with a spoon, until a paste forms, about 2 minutes. Add reserved escarole and 1/2 cup water. Cook, stirring often, until escarole is warmed through, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile, return the water you used to cook the escarole back to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, but reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid.
- Add pasta and 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid to escarole mixture and stir until well mixed. Increase heat to medium and continue stirring, adding more cooking liquid as needed, until the liquid is absorbed. (The starch in the cooking water helps bind the "sauce" to the pasta). Mix in the cheese and 1/2 cup breadcrumbs; toss to combine. Portion the pasta and drizzle additional oil over each serving. Sprinkle with the remaining bread crumbs.
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IMPORTANT SHAREHOLDER INFORMATION
What's in the Share
Each week, we'll send out a CSA newsletter on Tuesday 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 crops. All shareholders need to check in with us in the Distribution Barn before picking up their share.
Our first shares will start out smaller and grow with the season. Choice will be more limited in these earlier weeks but we'll start to see more bounty roll in later in the month.
If it's your first time picking up a CSA share with WFCF, 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 and 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 pick-your-own 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 a sheet of paper available each week with a map and a list of crops that are available to harvest on it, along with the amount allowed and harvest tips. Then just look for the corresponding number in the field to pick your own! PYO sheets will be available at all times at the PYO kiosk on the south side of the Distribution Barn. Bring the maps with you in the fields & respect the quantity limits so that there is enough for everyone!
For flowers, our vegetable shareholders will be able to pick some of the flowering plants in the perennial gardens and there will be two weeks at the end of the 20-week season when shareholders are given access to our annual flowers for picking. If you're a flower lover though and haven't purchased a flower share yet, we still have some left. Flower shares offer 10 weeks of picking two bouquets per week for $100 (just $10/week for a bounty of food for the soul)! Click here to learn more about flower share purchase. 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.
Balances Due
All fees were due by June 1st, including share balances and maintaining current membership with our nonprofit organization. If you're not sure if you still owe money for your CSA share or membership, check your email for a notice from our Bookkeeper and Office Coordinator, Kamelia Aly. Credit card payments are no longer accepted for share payments. Please send in or drop off your check made out to WFCF.
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 of 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
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Waltham Fields Community Farm Staff
Year-Round Staff:
Seasonal Staff:
Assistant Grower: Janelle Plummer
Greenhouse Production Supervisor: Naomi Shea
Equipment Supervisor: Dan Roberts
Tractor Operator: Tim Cooke
Field Crew: Zoe Flavin, Ebony Nava, Ivory Nava, Allison Ostrowski, Bekah Waller
Weed Crew: Luna Goddard, Zane MacFarlane, Cristin Sloan, Clare Stephens
Distribution & Outreach Assistant: Owen Weitzman
Learning Garden Educators: Autumn Cutting, Annie Fortnow, Jack Leng, Zack Lennon-Simon, Lauren McDermott
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