Waltham Fields Community Farm
CSA NEWSLETTER 2014
Week #11 of 20                                                  Like us on Facebook  Visit our blog 
 
In This Issue
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, bok choy, carrots, collard greens, cucumbers, eggplant, fennel, kale, lettuce, melons, onions, peppers, potatoes, scallions, summer squash and zucchini, Swiss chard, & tomatoes.

Pick Your Own (PYO):  
Perennial herbs & flowers, annual flowers, Thai basil, dill, cilantro, parsley, hot peppers, & cherry and plum tomatoes (PLEASE ONLY PICK TOMATOES IN DRY WEATHER).

Variety Info for Current PYO:
Hot Peppers: Serrano jalapeno.  

PLEASE RETURN OUR SCISSORS TO THE SHAREHOLDER STATION AFTER PICKING
 
BRING YOUR OWN BAGS!
What's In The Barn

 

Here's a list of some of the current and new items for sale in the distribution barn.

YOUR PURCHASES HELP SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY EFFORTS!
 

Roasted Granola Co. - granola (Lexington, MA)

Sophia' Greek Pantry - plain and honey flavored yogurt (Belmont, MA)

Fiore di Nonno - fresh mozzarella and fig & za'atar burrata (Somerville, MA)

Blue Sky Produce - frozen blueberries (Phillips, ME)

Green Bee Soda - Blueberry Dream, Lemon Sting, & Ginger Buzz (Brunswick, ME)

Aqua Vitea - Ginger Hibiscus Lime Kombucha (Bristol, VT)

Westfield Farm - Wasabi & Plain Capri goat cheese, Hubbardston blue cheese, & Ayrshire Farmer's cheese (Hubbardston, MA) 

NOTES FROM THE FIELD

By Evan Rees, for the Weed Crew

 

There are four of us proud to hold the position of "weed crew" this summer but in truth, we are many. Virtually everyone on the farm has jumped in with us at one time or another. We had been joined by two interns from the Forest Foundation until their tenures each ended last week (they will be missed). We have also had several regular volunteers contributing multiple days of their free time each week for no incentive other than to further the mission of the farm. Fridays and Saturdays are drop-in days, and we often host larger volunteer groups as well, including on more than one occasion students from an urban agriculture class at Boston University. Graced with their own (arguably cooler) moniker, these "crop mobs" have nonetheless contributed enormously to the weed crew. As we squat over beds of cabbage and kale swapping stories and debating movies, each one of these people has helped to make weeding a wonderfully engaging and enriching experience, exemplifying the very definition of community.
 

This is not to say that the task of weeding is in itself unenjoyable or tedious. It is, in fact, a hugely variable and surprisingly nuanced job, the nature of which is subject to a number of factors. Soil conditions, and size of the weeds as well as that of the crop we aim to bolster are all to be considered. Carrots are a great example of this, and upon tackling our sixth generation this week, one might consider us somewhat to be experts at carrot-weeding. The first few generations were tough to tackle. Chickweed had surged ahead of the sprouting carrots, knotting itself around them, and wet conditions made the process of untangling them slow and dirty, occupying us for the better part of a week. This latest generation was relatively easy. With dry conditions and it being too late in the season for chickweed, we tore through the beds in a day despite having fewer hands to help. This time, the carrots also benefited from a thorough flame weeding-which is every bit as cool as it sounds. There's a very small window, about a week after carrots have been seeded, when flame-weeding can be effective. Just before the seeds germinate, a propane-fueled flamethrower is run over the bed, torching any eager weeds and giving the carrots a jump on the weeds without disturbing the soil to expose new weed seeds. So far this task has been left to farm manager Zannah, but we're holding out hope for our turn!
 

For the first time all summer this Wednesday, the weed crew each received a 7am phone call telling us to stay home. The day's forecast, a vital utility for those spending all day outdoors, had waxed ominous. With a one-hundred percent chance of rain and thunderstorms for the morning, we all got the day off while the land got a much needed soaking. Coming back to the farm the next day it was amazing to see the verdant growth that follows such a storm. Unfortunately, nature is indiscriminate in its watering; the weeds too received this boost. Some might find it discouraging to weed a field one day and return two days later to find it once again inundated, but one must accept that the process is endless, and the cycle perpetual. This is the beauty of a farm: Plants grow, their fruits, seeds and leaves are harvested, they die and are turned back into the soil to rot and feed the next generation. We are not masters of the cycle but gardeners tending it so that both of our needs are met. It would be easier to liberally apply some awful chemical to keep the weeds at bay, but instead we kneel in the dirt, hunched over, scuffling our fingers between the rows, sorting good sprout from bad, relying on each other to pass the time. By doing so, we nurture our food, our farm, our community and our world. This is what Waltham Fields does best.
 

 

Weed Crew from L to R: Zack Pockrose, Alice Fristrom,

Evan Rees, and Laura Stone

Kale and Quinoa Salad with Ricotta Salata

Yield: 2 to 3 quite large meal salads or 4 to 5 side salads; salad will wilt a bit and seem smaller the longer it sits with the dressing

               


                                            

Ingredients
 
 

Salad
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa (or 1 1/2 cups cooked)
8 ounces kale, Dinosaur (Tuscan) or Curly
1/2 cup slivered almonds, very well toasted and cooled
1/3 cup dried cherries, chopped a bit
2 to 3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
2 ounces ricotta salata, crumbled or finely grated
Few gratings of fresh lemon zest


 

Dressing
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons smooth Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon coarse Dijon mustard
Just shy of 1 teaspoon honey
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

 

Directions
 

 

Rinse quinoa well in a small colander. This is essential to remove bitterness. Place quinoa and 1 1/2 cups water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer with a couple pinches of salt. Simmer at a very low temperature for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender. Drain any un-absorbed liquid from cooked quinoa. Spread quinoa on a plate to cool quickly.


 

Wash your kale and dry it well. Then, with a knife, remove the rib from each stalk, leaving long strips of kale leaves. Stack the leaves in small batches, roll them tightly the long way, and cut the roll crosswise into thin ribbons. Add the kale ribbons to a large salad bowl. Add remaining salad ingredients to kale and toss to mix.


Whisk dressing ingredients together in a small dish, and pour the dressing over the salad. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then dig in.
 


 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE RECIPES AND PRODUCE INFO

Quick Links
Brett Maley, Naomi Shea, Melanie Hardy - Farm Assistants
Martha Dorsch, Farm Stand Assistant
Laurie Young, Field Crew Leader
Rae Axner, Daniel Clifford, Ruby Geballe, Paul Weiskel - Field Crew
Alice Fristrom, Zack Pockrose, Evan Rees, Laura Stone - Weed Crew
Natashea Winters, Danielle Gilde - Learning Garden Educators
Kimi Ceridon, 4H Club Leader
Matt Crawford, Outreach Market Manager

http://www.communityfarms.org
240 Beaver Street
Waltham, MA 02452