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Waltham Fields Community Farm
CSA Newsletter #1
June 7, 2009
In This Issue
What's In the Share This Week
Pick-Your-Own Crops
Coming up at the Farm
Quick Links
Recipes

Do you have a recipe you'd like to share? Don't be shy -- let us know!

For more information, see our Recipe pages.
Farm Wish List

5 gallon buckets, preferably with lids
Fun for the Kids
Story Time on Tuesdays, 4-4:45
Boudicca Hawke (age 9) will once again do Story Time on the farm for children of all ages.  It will be held each Tuesday from 4:00 to 4:45 at the meeting shelter.  She will have a selection of books that are related to farms and the creatures that live on farms, however if anyone has a favorite book they'd love to share, please bring it as she will be happy to read that too.  
 
Fun on the Farm, Tuesdays, 3:30 - 5:00 pm
Kids, please join us for free play, old-fashioned games, Boudicca's story hour  and a (nut-free) snack. About once a month, we'll do a special activity such as tour bee hives and chicken coops (see the notice below for this week's excursion!), inventory birds and insects, make cornhusk dolls and our famous Silly Olympics. Parents -- (nut free) snack contributions would be great! Look for Anastacia near the distribution shed at 3:30!
 

Meet the Chickens and Ducks!


The whole family is welcome to take some time to meet the farm's newest feathered additions!  Come meet the chickens and ducks at Waltham Fields Farm.

Tuesday June 9th 2:00PM to 2:45PM
Saturday June 13th 10:30AM to 11:15AM 

Take a little time to see who is living there, learn a few neat facts about chickens and ducks, see how the coop works, snuggle a chicken, learn about feeding them and how they work on the farm. 

The chickens are used for educational programs as well as working on the land, if you want to set up a separate specific time for your family or group please contact Natasha or ask at the chicken meeting. 
Welcome to the 2009 Harvest Season!

CSA Pickup Schedule for This Week:
  • Tuesday, June 9 from 3-7 PM
  • Thursday, June 11 from 3-7 PM
  • Saturday, June 13 from 8 AM to 12 noon
Plant Sale at the Farm on Saturday, 6/13
The Community Greenhouse Project at Waverley Place will be selling herb and vegetable seedlings, as well as annual and perennial flowers on Saturday, June 13th, from 8am-12pm. The sale will be located next to our CSA distribution shed. The Community Greenhouse Project is a program of McLean Hospital, offering vocational training and employment to adults with chronic psychiatric illnesses. The plants are grown by project members in their greenhouse next to ours at the UMass Field Station.
What's In the Share This Week
 
Please 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:  tender red and green butterheads, speckled 'trout' type, and maybe some others!
  • Spinach:  delicious raw or cooked lightly.  Try Dan and Erinn Roberts's farmers' lunch:  sauteed spinach with mushrooms, onions and sharp provolone.
  • Bok Choy:  a delicious Asian green, not spicy but flavorful in simple stir-fries with ginger and garlic
  • Tatsoi:  another mild-flavored Asian green, tatsoi is a shareholder favorite, and can be eaten raw in salads or added to a stir fry or light soup.  There are lots of tasty recipes for tatsoi on epicurious.
  • Arugula:  spring and fall classic on the farm.  Spicy, nutty and delicious in salads, with pasta, or in quiches or frittatas.  Arugula is rich in iron and vitamins A and C.
  • Napa Cabbage:  Sometimes called Chinese cabbage, Napa has a delicate flavor that is wonderful shredded in salads or sauteed in stir-fries.  Honestly, we think Martha Stewart's napa cabbage salad is right up there with the best of them.
  • Radishes:  we grow "french breakfast"-style red and white striped radishes as well as multi-colored "easter egg" varieties.  They are similar in flavor, but the french breakfast radishes are slightly more delicate than their rugged round cousins.
  • Kale:  we grow three varieties of this tasty green, and you should be able to choose from all three in this week's distribution.  Delicious shredded and eaten raw as a salad, or cooked in a variety of ways.
  • Collard Greens:  A staple of the CSA, collards will be a choice for shareholders throughout the season.  Though unfamiliar to some, collards are a nutrient-dense vegetable with lots of character as a side dish for barbecue or a component of a pasta main dish.  We like them in fusilli with collards, bacon and garlic or in  citrus collards with raisins.
  • Swiss Chard:  A relative of spinach, this colorful green is a staff favorite.  Try it in a gratin, over pasta or rice, or simply lightly steamed as a side dish.
Pick-Your-Own Crops This Week

Shareholders are welcome to pick-your-own anytime during daylight hours. Please remember to always check the white board on the red kiosk for PYO information.

  • Perennial herbs (including mint and thyme)
  • Sugar snap peas
  • Strawberries, for shares listed under the letters R-Z
Coming up at the Farm 
 
Children's Program Sign Up
Sign Your Child Up Now!  We still have a few openings in our summer Children's Learning Garden Program. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1:30pm-4:00pm, July 7 - August 13
 
Second Chances Clothing Drive, 6/20-6/27
WFCF is sponsoring a clothing drive at the farm for Second Chances, a non-profit whose mission is to provide clothing to people in need, inform supporters about issues affecting our community and help people connect with local organizations or issues that resonate with their values, skills and personal experiences.
Warmly, 

The Staff of Waltham Fields Community Farm
 
Jericho Bicknell, Education and Outreach Coordinator
Amanda Cather, Farm Manager
Amanda Dumont, Field Crew
Debra Guttormsen, Administrative and Finance Coordinator
Paula Jordan, Spring Children's Learning Garden Assistant
Sarah Kielsmeier-Jones, Field Crew
Claire Kozower, Executive Director
Brad Leatherbee, Field Crew
Jonathan Martinez, Assistant Grower
Dan Roberts, Assistant Grower
Erinn Roberts, Assistant Grower
Nina Rogowsky, Children's Learning Garden Teacher
Andy Scherer, Assistant Farm Manager