News from Waltham Fields Community Farm CSA

From: Amanda Cather <farmmanager@communityfarms.org>
Reply-To: farmmanager@communityfarms.org
To: Shareholders
Mon, Jun 16, 2008 at 9:35 AM
 
local food for everyoneWaltham Fields Community Farm
CSA Newsletter #2
June 16, 2008
 
In This Issue
What's In the Share This Week
Pick-Your-Own Crops
Notes from the Field
Quick Links
Radish and Spring Turnip Salad


This recipe is from a great cooking blog, Eggs on Sunday.

12 small radishes, thinly sliced
3 small salad/spring turnips, thinly sliced
1/4 t toasted sesame oil
1/2 t rice vinegar
juice of half a lime
1 T chopped chives
coarse kosher or sea salt, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and stir gently but thoroughly to combine and coat all the slices.
 
Taste and season with salt (you'll need salt - start with a little pinch and gradually add it until the flavors "pop" as much as you like.)
 
Serves 2.
 
Do you have a recipe you'd like to share? Let us know!

For more information, see our Recipes web pages.
Farm Wish List

Used rain gear in good condition (all adult sizes welcome!)

5 gallon buckets, preferably with lids

Tools:  shovels, metal rakes (not leaf rakes), and pitchforks

55 gallon containers

Ethernet hub or switch with 8 ports 
supporting 100Base-TX or higher
Welcome to the 2008 Harvest Season!

CSA Pickups at the Farm this Week:
  • Tuesday, June 17 from 3-7 PM
  • Thursday, June 19 from 3-7 PM
  • Sunday, June 22 from 3-7 PM
CSA Pickup in Davis Square (for pre-registered shareholders only):
  • Tuesday, June 17 from 5-7 PM
What's In the Share This Week


green rowsPlease note:  this list is prepared the week before you receive your share.  Some guesswork is involved! We do our best to predict which crops will be ready to harvest, but sometimes crops are on the list that are not in the share, and sometimes crops will be in the share even though they're not on the list. 

 

  • Lettuce
  • Spinach
  • Radishes
  • Salad Turnipsnot your grandmother's winter turnips, these tender white beauties are sweet and flavorful in salads or lightly sauteed.
  • Scallions
  • Garlic Scapes: the flower stalk of the garlic plant is a tasty late-spring treat that is only around for about two weeks of the season.  Enjoy their delicate garlic flavor while they last!
  • Kohlrabithe biggest surprise to many first-time CSA shareholders, kohlrabi is a member of the broccoli family and is rich in calcium,  iron, phosphorus and vitamins A and C.  Kohlrabi can be eaten raw (delicious as part of a vegetable platter or grated into salads) or steamed and then braised or stir-fried.
Pick-Your-Own Crops This Week

thymeShareholders are welcome to pick-your-own during daylight hours Mondays through Thursdays and Sundays. Check the white board on the red kiosk for PYO information.
  • Perennial Herbs and Flowers
  • Sugar Snap Peas
  • Snow Peas
  • Maybe a strawberry or two?
Notes from the Field

The hot weather on the farm last week was hard on the farm crew, but good for many of the heat-loving crops in the fields.  Summer squash, cucumbers and tomatoes took off and are growing well -- we may see squash in another week or two!  Meanwhile, crops like lettuce and spinach are hanging in there, thanks to lots of water and careful tending. 

buildersWe worked overtime to finish our home-made walk-in cooler, designed by a committee including shareholder Scott Tougas, Don Cather (my dad), and Children's Garden Coordinator Mark Walter, who also created the plans that we worked from and spent an entire weekend overseeing the construction crew.  He only muttered "farmer carpentry" two or three times.  We test-ran the cooler on one of the hottest days of the year, and it kept spinach and greens at below 50 degrees when the outdoor thermometer read 100.  The cooler is basically a super-insulated 2x4 box that uses a farmer invention called a "Cool-Bot" to override the thermostat of a regular air conditioner and bring the temperature down to an optimal storage condition for vegetables.  Along with the construction of the cooler, we moved and upgraded our wash station, which will be a welcome development to the many volunteers who have helpd us wash and pack vegetables in mud up to their ankles over the years!

Our harvests should continue to grow in size and diversity over the next few weeks.  In the meantime, enjoy the salad days!

Amanda
Warmly, 

The Staff of Waltham Fields Community Farm

 
Amanda Cather, Farm Manager
Meg Coward, Executive Director
Debra Guttormsen, Administrative and Finance Coordinator
Paula Jordan, Children's Learning Garden Assistant
Jonathan Martinez, Assistant Grower
Dan Roberts, Farm Crew
Erinn Roberts, Assistant Grower
Andy Scherer, Assistant Farm Manager
Mark Walter, Children's Learning Garden Coordinator

Waltham Fields Community Farm | 240 Beaver Street | Waltham | MA | 02452