WFCF CSA Newsletter - CSA Week #6

Waltham Fields Community Farm

local food for everyone

Waltham Fields Community Farm

CSA Newsletter 2018

Week 6 of 20

PICKUP DATES & TIMES

COME ONCE ON ANY OF THESE PICK UP DAYS

Wednesday, July 18th, 2:00-6:30pm

Thursday, July 19th, 2:00-6:30pm

Saturday, July 21st, 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.

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 its 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 John Tracy at johnjtracy@gmail.com.

Job Posting: Bookkeeper and

Office Coordinator

Would you love to work on a non-profit farm, promote local agriculture, education & food access? WFCF is currently receiving resumes for the position of Bookkeeper and Office Coordinator! Please see description of the position for more details and instructons for applying.

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, Green & Napa

Carrots

Collards

Cukes

Fennel

Kohlrabi

Lettuce

Fresh-eating onions

New potatoes

Summer squash

Zucchini

Pick Your Own (PYO): dill, cilantro, basil (green, purple & Thai), green beans & Perennial Garden herbs & flowers. (Please don’t cut more than 1/3-1/2 of Perennial Garden herb stems. View the Perennial Garden Handbook here.)

NOTES FROM THE FIELD

Week Six: New Hues of Green

by Janelle Plummer

We are deep into summer now. The hours of sunshine feel endless, the air is hot, and the fields are humming all day long. Just as one crop begins to slow, another comes on quickly, and with it, certain harvest methods or special techniques to bring it to apogee.

There is so much coming ahead — what a month! It really feels like we are moving toward the cusp of plenitude. The field tomatoes tower above their last line of trellis, the cucurbits at Lyman sprawl into pathways creating a carpet of leaves, and we are nearly swimming in lettuce. Each time we do a field walk, Erinn digs around the sturdy potato plants checking for size, and it’s always an exciting sight to behold in the soil.

Yesterday we began the garlic harvest, a process that begins with the bed lifter on the tractor, to loosen the soil and make pulling the bulbs much easier, and ends with hanging bundles to dry and cure. Today, our Mobile Outreach Market begins, where the deep work of the farm happens, and vegetables are distributed to community members in downtown Waltham. The PYO Flower Share begins Thursday, and there are many colorful blooms just waiting to be picked by Flower Shareholders. This week we continue to plant the fall crops. It really feels like it’s all happening now!

Times like these, I am eager to keep my head down and get to work. There is no shortage of tasks — the constant carrot weeding, deadheading flowers, and watering, to name a few. It’s why hazy mornings like yesterday, as I washed lettuce for the Mobile Outreach Market, really stand out. As Stacey walked by, we chatted about how the light and the air made the whole farm seem to share new hues of green with us, ones only seen from taking a moment to look closely.

Cheers!

Janelle, for the crew

The grand attendance of volunteers from last Saturday's Crop Mob.

WHAT'S IN THE BARN

New Product Alert: Fruit Popsicles from Wild Pops located in Jamaica Plain, MA

Wild Pops is a gourmet pop company that takes the classic American popsicle to the next level. You won’t find artificially colored and flavored frozen water here. These pops are made with real fruit, in small batches, and with a passion to bring you wildly delicious flavor in each bite.

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). Cash, check, Mastercard & Visa ($10 minimum for credit) are all accepted for retail items.

Baked Kohlrabi Chips with Shallot Yogurt Dip

Adapted from ItsAVegWorldAfterAll.com

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 kohlrabi bulbs peeled
1 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt to taste
Ground black pepper to taste

For the dip:

1 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tbsp shallots finely chopped
1/4 tsp dill more to taste
1/4 tsp garlic powder more to taste

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray three large baking sheets with oil. Be careful not to use too much oil or the chips won't crisp up. You just want enough so the chips don't stick.
Using a mandoline or a very sharp knife, slice the kohlrabi into 1/8" slices. In a large bowl, toss the slices in olive oil, salt and pepper. Lay the slices on the baking sheets, being careful not to overlap them. You may need to cook a few batches if all of the slices do not fit.
Bake the slices for 20 to 25 minutes, flipping them halfway through. Some of the chips will cook faster than others, so you will want to check their progress every 5 minutes.
While the chips are cooking, prepare the dip by combining the ingredients in a small bowl. You can add more or less seasonings to taste.
Remove the chips from the baking sheets when they are finished. They will crisp up a bit more as they cool. Serve immediately with the dip and enjoy!

IMPORTANT SHAREHOLDER INFORMATION

If it's your first time picking up a CSA share with Waltham Fields, 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

We don't keep a stock of plastic bags. 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. 10-week shareholders may PYO at anytime during their assigned week and may not switch weeks. Stop by the PYO station for a list of what's available, how much to take, and a map of where to find it in the fields. Take these maps into the fields with you & respect the quantity limits so that there is enough for everyone! When you head out into the fields, a sign will help you to know which rows are ready for picking and will also include harvest tips. The PYO station will also provide scissors and pint boxes, but it never hurts to bring your own.

Share Pick Up Questions

More questions about share pickup? Check out our CSA FAQs! You can also contact Lauren Trotogott, our Distribution Coordinator.