Waltham Fields Community Farm
CSA NEWSLETTER 2014
Week #4 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. BRING YOUR OWN BAGS!

In the Barn (Picked for You):
Lettuce, Scallions, Zucchini, Squash, Fennel, Beets, Salad Turnips, Kohlrabi, Bok Choy, Collards, Swiss Chard, Garlic Scapes, Kale, Endive, Escarole, Napa

Pick Your Own (PYO):  
Perennial Herb Garden, Fava Beans, Dill, Cilantro, Parsley, Basil

PLEASE RETURN OUR SCISSORS TO THE SHAREHOLDER STATION AFTER PICKING

WHAT'S IN THE BARN
 
Green Bee Soda
Artisanal Soda made from Honey & Botanicals
It's going to be a warm one this week on the farm with highs in the 90s! Enjoy a naturally-sweetened beverage from Green Bee Soda of Maine to quench your thirst. We have plenty of all three flavors to go around: Lemon Sting, Ginger Buzz, and Blueberry Dream.

 
New Beezcotti Flavor from TRILLfoods
 
In addition to Hazelnut-Thyme and Chocolate Sesame, look forward to the addition of Chocolate Almond Beezcotti hitting the shelves this week.
 
 
Vermont Compost Company
Fort Vee Potting Soil & Compost Plus
 

Fort Vee Potting Soil, what we use for our very own seedlings here at WFCF, is a complete germinating and growing-on mix designed for soil blocks. Excellent for trays, pots, and containers. Usually no additional fertility required until the roots fill the soil mix.

 

Compost Plus is an organic supplement that can be added to rejuvenate tired soil mix in containers or garden beds and will not burn roots or foliage.

 

NOTES FROM THE FIELD
 

Survival and Growth

 

Life's desire to survive is innate. It seems to be wired within all beings. As we transplanted Swiss chard, beets, lettuce, kohlrabi, cucumbers, scallions, celery, and celeriac this week, I am always amazed at the resiliency of life. Of course, as farmers we start out by doing everything in our power to create a nurturing and stable home for the seedling. We start by "hardening off" the plants for a few days (moving them from the greenhouse to the outdoors) allowing them to acclimate to their new outside environment without going into the ground yet. Then there is bed preparation, which makes space in the earth for roots and gives each crop the nutrients it needs to grow. After this process we work to transplant the seedlings, usually done by tractor but sometimes by hand. It is time for the seedlings to be in the world, to take root on their own and for nature to nurture.  

 

And yet, despite all of these preparations, sometimes nature works against us. We have been in a severe need of rain this week. I recently learned that vegetables need ideally 1 inch of rain per week for full growth. When it's dry it creates many restrictions on what we can do. Two important tasks on the farm, transplanting and cultivating, should not be done, unless irrigation is possible. There must be some moisture in the soil when we do weeding because crops are inevitably disturbed during cultivation. So what did we do? We harvested in the morning to first get the veggies washed and into the coolers. Next, Amanda, Zannah, and Hector worked to first irrigate where we could while the field crew pounded tomato stakes and tied tomatoes. Then all of us went to the greenhouse to seed the week's plants. And, then when the sky failed to release even a single droplet from its vast sphere, all we could do was pray for rain. I remember Amanda asking if Hector was going to do a rain dance. And then it came! Wednesday early in the morning I remember waking up and hearing the rain and thinking how happy Amanda will be. By the end of the day the plants were lush, full, and vibrant. And the cycle continues.

 

Lately it feels like the velocity of time has sped up along with the daylight. The plants are growing below and above the soil and so are the weeds. Summer squash and zucchini were harvested for the first time this year. The weed crew and field crew have also adapted to a new home and new kind of work. As a farm family, we are able to do an immense amount of work each day. The harvests are increasing along with our capabilities to harvest, wash, and pack, and eat. It is inspiring to take a step back, breathe, and see what we have accomplished and how we have grown too. This season I am more aware of a greater connectivity to all life. Humans and plants seem to be more similar than I had realized. It is a beautiful relationship that I think can help us understand each other better - looking deeper into our needs and instinctual determination to survive, grow, and help others do the same.

 

Anna, for the farm staff and all involved in the process

Sunflower Resurrection: Learning Garden sunflowers planted in 2013 making a comeback among the spring kale.
 
Zucchini, Fennel, & White Bean Pasta

 

Adapted from Eating Well September/October 2009

 

Total Time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings, about 2 1/4 cup each

  

Ingredients 

 

1 large fennel bulb, trimmed

2 medium zucchini

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 ounces (2 cups) whole-wheat penne or similar short pasta

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 cup cooked cannellini beans, plus 1/2 cup bean-cooking liquid, pasta-cooking liquid or water

3/4 cup crumbled hard, aged goat cheese, or fresh goat cheese

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

Freshly ground pepper to taste  

 

 

Directions 

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. Cut fennel bulb in half lengthwise and then slice lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick wedges. Quarter zucchini lengthwise. Toss the fennel and zucchini with 1 tablespoon oil and salt. Arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Roast, turning once, until soft and beginning to brown, about 20 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta; cook until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes or according to package directions.
  4. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat.
  5. When the vegetables are cool enough to handle, coarsely chop. Add the vegetables, beans and bean-cooking liquid (or other liquid) to the pan with the garlic and place over medium-low heat. Drain the pasta and immediately add it to the pan. Toss thoroughly until just warm. Remove from the heat and stir in cheese and mint. Season with pepper. 
CSA PICKUP DATES AND TIMES
Please Note New Hours This Year!
  
COME ONCE EACH WEEK ON ANY OF THESE PICK UP DAYS
Wednesday, June 11-Oct. 22, 2:00-6:30 PM
Thursday, June 12-Oct. 23, 2:00-6:30 PM
Friday, June 13-Oct. 24, 2:00-6:30 PM
Saturday, June 14-Oct. 25, 9 AM-2 PM
  
  
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. 

Quick Links
Waltham Fields Community Farm Staff

Claire Kozower, Executive Director
Marla Rhodes, Development Coordinator
Amanda Cather, Farm Manager
Zannah Porter, Assistant Farm Manager
Alexandra Lennon-Simon, Education and Outreach Coordinator
Lauren Trotogott, Distribution Coordinator
Rebekah Lea, Bookkeeper/ Office Coordinator

Hector Cruz, Assistant Grower
Anna Kelchlin, Assistant Grower
Johanna Flies, Brett Maley, Naomi Shea, 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,  Learning Garden Educator
Kimi Ceridon, 4H Club Leader
Matt Crawford, Outreach Market Manager
Cassandra Baker, Alisa Feinswog, Forest Foundation Summer Interns

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