| Upcoming Programs at the Farm | |
Please join us...
Fun on the Farm/ Agricultural Journaling
Thursdays 3:30 - 5pm
Kids of all ages, join us for free play and occasional old-fashioned games on the farm, while your parents pick up their shares and chat with other members. Bring a nut-free snack to share if you're so inclined. Mobile meet up: Just look for the kidpack!
Agricultural Journaling Have a yen to capture the unfolding of the agricultural season from week to week? Bring sketchbooks, drawing implements, watercolors, camera or what have you. (Also a camp chair, if you don't like standing or sitting in the dirt.) All ages. Meet-up: Check in with Natasha; she'll know where we are.
For either gathering, check in with Natasha (she'll be doing the share distribution); I (Anastacia) will be there 4 pm and onward, but roaming about.
Jointly organized by A-OK Home Learners, Purple Giraffes 4H and Waltham Fields Community Farm CSA. Any member of these three groups is welcome to attend!
Pickled Pink: Food Preservation Workshop Sunday, July 25th, 9am-3pm
|
| Recipes |
Do you have a recipe you'd like to share? It's okay if you've found it on another website, we'll give that site credit! :) Don't be shy -- let us know!
Looking for ideas on how to prepare Farm produce?! We have a wealth of possibilities for you! See our Recipe pages. |
Compost at the farm
|
Feel free to add to our compost pile! Just look for the pile labeled " Add compost here"!
If possible, please bury your scraps and/or cover them with leaves from the nearby leaf pile. And remember no meat scraps, no whole bread loaves. Biodegradable serving-ware from picnics or parties needs staff approval |
|
Summer CSA Distribution Days
Tuesdays 3-7 PM
Thursdays 3-7 PM
Saturdays 8 AM-12 noon |
|
|
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.
|
|
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Lettuce
- Salad Turnips
- Kohlrabi
- Scallions
|
|
Pick-Your-Own Crops
 You are welcome to harvest the PYO portion of the share during any daylight hours, 7 days a week. Please check the board at the little red kiosk for information on amounts and locations. Remember, you can pick one time per week but it doesn't necessarily have to be at the same time you are picking up your share.
- Fava Beans
- Dill
- Cilantro
- Basil
|
- Parsley
- Flowers
- Perennial Herbs
|
Please do remember to return the scissors -- or bring your own. Thanks! |
Breakfast on the Farm
Saturday, July 10th
9:30am-12pm
$5/person or $10/family
Join us for a farm fresh breakfast
featuring Waltham Fields produce and other local foods. Chef Joh Kokubo
from Kitchen on Common is sure to please your taste buds and inspire your own
cooking!
Bring a blanket or some lawn chairs if you
like, as our seating is limited.
Proceeds benefit WFCF's food access
and education programs.
|
Turtle Creek Wine
Share Offer and Tasting
July 13, 15, and 17
Again this year, we are pleased to partner with Turtle Creek Winery in Lincoln, MA to offer purchase of locally made wines to our shareholders. Owner/winemaker Kip Kumler will be at the farm to sample his product during regular pick-up hours on July 13, 15 and 17. Any wines ordered will then be picked up at distributions two weeks later or at the winery in Lincoln.
More information including pricing and options is available at the CSA distribution desk when you check in, or you may feel free to contact the winery directly at 781-259-9976 or by email. |
Fava Bean Ragout
from Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters
Claire writes in "It's perfect for this time of year as it calls for green garlic (scapes would work well), spring onions (which we have this week) and parsley - and peas can be substituted for half of the fava beans."
4 servings
Shell 2 pounds fava beans Cook in boiling water for 1 minute or so and then cool in ice water. Drain and pop the beans out of their skins.
Heat in a heavy-bottomed saucepan 1 T olive oil or butter. Add 2 small spring onions, trimmed and sliced crosswise. Cook over medium heat until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the peeled fava beans and 1 small green garlic, trimmed and sliced crosswise, and salt.
Pour in enough water to come up 1/4 inch in the pan. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer. Cook for 4 minutes or until the fava beans are tender. Add 2 T extra-virgin olive oil or butter, and 2 t chopped parsley or chervil.
Swirl to combine. Taste for salt and adiust as needed.
Variations
Substitute peas for half of the fava beans.
A small onion can be used instead of the spring onions.
|
|
Notes from the Field
Farming is a funny business; it relies entirely on uncontrollable forces. Rarely are conditions perfect, so it's no wonder that farmers will always complain about something! Most often it's the weather, as what is good for one crop might not be good for another. But I suppose that's what you get when you have 20 different crops in the ground, all at various stages of growth!
 The storms and rains from earlier this month have cleared up and gone away ~ for the time being. Last week brought us relatively cool and dry weather. It was great for drying out our damp fields, but the pendulum has swung and we've begun to irrigate crops all over the farm. We are very lucky to have water here at the field station. We use both overhead irrigation (the large "sprinklers" broadcasting water to the fields) and drip irrigation (small perforated tubes usually run underneath the black plastic) to keep plants growing well.
Many of you know that we also lease 2.5 acres at the Lyman Estate about a mile down the road. This field certainly has its pluses and minuses. One major drawback is the lack of water. Our crop plan we created last February looked good on paper. However, the reality this first week of July is that transplanting small seedlings into dry, dusty ground is not a recipe for success. Since we can't bring water to the plants at the Lyman field, we are shuffling things around so we can bring the plants to water back here at the field station.
Lastly, we welcome four new members to our farm crew this week. We are grateful to have Brad (who is returning from last year), Marcy, Darin and Becky joining us in the fields. This is the biggest crew we have had at the farm since I've been here. The last few weeks have been pretty busy for Erinn, Dan, Amy, the weed crew and me so we are looking forward to having several extra hands helping us harvest and get our new transplants in the ground.
I hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend!
For the farm staff,
Andy
Andy Scherer, Farm Manager
Jericho Bicknell, Education and Outreach Coordinator
Amanda Cather, Special Projects Coordinator
Amy Cook, Assistant Grower
Dede Dussault, Student Intern
Debra Guttormsen, Administration and Bookkeeper
Paula Jordan, Learning Garden Educator
Claire Kozower, Executive Director
Alex Lennon-Simon, Learning Garden Educator
Marla Rhodes, Development Assistant
Dan Roberts, Assistant Grower
Erinn Roberts, Assistant Farm Manager |
|
|
|
|
