Waltham Fields Community Farm
WINTER SHARE NEWSLETTER 2015
Pick up #1 of #3                                                      Like us on Facebook  Visit our blog 
 
In This Issue
WINTER CSA SHARE PICK UP DATES
 
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7TH: 12 - 4pm
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21ST: 12 - 4pm
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5TH: 12 - 4pm

IMPORTANT LOGISTICS
1.  Come to the CSA barn to gather your vegetables. Winter shares work just like summer shares, with one exception:  instead of choosing your favorite items, you get to take home

all the items we harvest for you.     


2. Important:  bring  bags and/or boxes to carry your bounty away! 

We will not provide bags or boxes at share pickups.   


 

3.  It will probably take you 20-30 minutes to pack up your winter share, so be sure to arrive at the farm with enough time to weigh your veggies, talk to your farmers and fellow shareholders and enjoy the beauty of the season.   


4.  Winter share root crops are unwashed so they'll keep better, so make sure you bring containers you don't mind getting dirty. Recycled plastic bags are great for weighing washed as well as unwashed vegetables.  


 

5. Bring cash, credit card, or checkbook too - for pre-orders and additional products for sale, including local cheese, bread, fruit and TRILLfoods sweets. 

 WHAT TO DO IF YOU CAN'T MAKE IT TO THE PICK UP

 

We realize that some of you are not going to be able to pick up during the established time frame. While your share was purchased with the pick up dates and times provided and the stipulation that you (or a designated friend of family member) will make the pick up, we are willing to box up your share for you on Saturday if you can no longer meet this expectation. 

 

If this is your choice, please note the following:

- No shares can be picked up in advance of Saturday at noon.

- We will pack up your share during the distribution on Saturday and put it outside the barn entrance with your name on it for you to pick up anytime after 4pm or on subsequent days.

- This first share has a lot of greens that will wilt the longer they sit outside, so it is best for you to come as soon as you can - either later on Saturday or on Sunday. 

- After the distribution ends on Saturday, none of our staff will be back on the farm until Weds. Nov. 11th. Hence, please do not email or call us between Saturday and Tuesday for help, just come for your share as soon as possible - there is a lot of great food coming your way...

- Lastly, please bring the boxes back to us when you come for your next pick up.  We have a lot of food scheduled to be distributed for late fall/winter food assistance donations, and need as many good produce boxes as possible.

Contact Lauren if you want your share packed up and left for you on Saturday.

WHAT'S IN THE SHARE

This first share is going to be quite bountiful - the result of a tremendous growing season with lots of greens thanks to a warm fall.
 
Arugula, Beets, Bok choy, Cabbage, Carrots, Celeriac, Collards, Escarole, Frisee, Broccoli Raab, Premium mustard greens, Storage Kohlrabi, Leeks, Lettuce, Sweet Potatoes, Daikon radish, Scallions, Spinach, Tatsoi, Salad turnips and Buttercup winter squash. 

Pick Your Own: parsley
 
BRING YOUR OWN BAGS AND/OR BOXES!

PRODUCE INFO AND STORAGE TIPS

 

Click Here for Produce Info and Recipes from our website. 

 

Click Here for Vegetable Storage Tips, a great resource from Wolf Pine Farm. 

HARVEST POTLUCK/ANNUAL MEETING
Thursday, November 12th 
5:30 - 7:30pm
In the Greenhouse on the Farm

FREE EVENT! Join us for a shared meal and our nonprofit 
organization's annual meeting. Potluck Suggestions, according 
to first letter of your last name: 

A-D: Dessert 

 E-P: Main Dish 

Q-Z: Side Dish

 

Please Note: These are just suggestions to help make sure there's enough food to go around. If you have a favorite dish in a different category than what's listed, by all means - please make it and share it!

Potluck from 5:30-7pm, Annual Meeting starts at 7pm with children's activities provided so adults can be part of the meeting. Hear about our success and challenges from this season, plans for the year ahead, and if you're an organizational member - vote on our slate for 2016 Board of Directors!
Notes From the Field
Erinn Roberts, Farm Manager

The quiet nature of late October and November on the farm is a welcome comfort now that we've finally accepted that summer has moved on.  Vibrant yellow, orange and red leaves fall around us as we do the work we've been doing all season long, but with just enough less urgency to feel that much more enjoyable.  We've had a few extra hands than we normally do this time of year and it has made all the difference in getting sites and fields cleaned up and bulk harvests in a bit earlier than usual.  The Gateways fields in Weston went from being fully cropped and fenced to completely winterized in record time last Wednesday, thanks to the serious hustle of the two Annas, Naomi, Dan, Claire P., Jack and Lauren.  I'm so thankful to have most of our great crew around to help kick off the winter CSA season right.
Our Winter Farm Crew harvesting premium mustard greens. Photo Credit: Naomi Shea

Although we have experienced a few very cold nights, so far we've had some of the mildest weather for winter CSA harvesting that I can remember.  I often think about the extremes of autumn's tempestuousness that we've experienced in the past--harvesting celeriac and broccoli in falling snow, cutting spinach early to get it out of the fields before an impending hurricane, waiting to pick lettuce until the afternoon sun has thawed it.  Last week, instead, the crew was harvesting celeriac in t-shirts, with the temperature hovering just above 70 degrees.  Harvesting in the bitter cold is slower work, our hands are less nimble and I'm pretty sure we see a bit of a chilling effect on our brains too. Likely we've got day-long frozen hands ahead of us, but the crew has really taken advantage of the weather and gotten a lot of storage crops out of the fields and into the coolers, putting us in great shape moving forward.  We have perennial issues with voles, bunnies and geese eating all manner of roots but getting so much out of the fields so early has meant significantly less loss to these critters.  Most of the fields have been cover cropped and been put to bed until next spring but there's still plenty of greens out there to harvest for the first, and hopefully second, CSA distributions.  Certain crops, such as potatoes, carrots and winter squash, will be in every pickup.  Others that didn't produce as robustly as we had hoped will be in one or two, mainly watermelon radishes, purple top turnips and rutabaga.  We will have greens in the share for as long as the weather permits, but we can usually at least count on collards and maybe a mustard green through December.   Be sure to check out the link to storage tips also included in this newsletter, as it can help guide you in deciding what needs to go in your fridge and what will do just fine in a cold part of your house or apartment-a pantry, basement, enclosed porch, garage and stairway can all be great storage spaces for many of the roots, squashes and potatoes.  We'll have plenty of staff on hand at each pick up to help answer questions as well.  The winter CSA always has such a festive feel to it, and I'm looking forward to seeing you in the barn on Saturday!
Photo Credit_ Naomi Shea

Enjoy the harvest,
Erinn
 
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour & 10 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours
Yield: Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
For the crust:
  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup cornmeal
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 3 to 6 tablespoons cold water
For the filling:
  • 8 small potatoes, medium dice
  • 1 small to medium sweet potato, peeled and medium dice
  • 4 medium sized carrots, peeled and medium dice
  • 8 oz. mushrooms, cleaned and quartered (optional)
  • 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • Kosher salt
  • Pepper
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth, warmed
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Begin by making the crust. Combine the flour, cornmeal, salt, and sugar in a small bowl and stir together. Add the butter and use a pastry blender or a fork to cut the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles course crumbs.
  2. In another small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and 2 tablespoons of water. Add to the flour mixture and stir together until it begins to form a dough. If the mixture is too dry, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time.
  3. Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it just slightly, until it comes together. Then wrap the dough in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
  4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  5. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the potatoes, sweet potato, carrots, and mushrooms in one big pile on the baking sheet. Add the vegetable oil along with a generous pinch of salt and pepper, and use your hands to toss it all together. Then spread the vegetables out in an even layer and roast in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, just until they are beginning to turn golden brown.
  6. In a medium sized sauce pan oven medium heat, melt the butter. When the butter is melted, add the flour and cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly. Then slowly add the broth, whisking constantly, and cook until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
  7. Stir in the thyme, rosemary, and vinegar. Then add the roasted vegetables and gently stir until all the vegetables are coated.
  8. Ladle the filling evenly into 4 (7 to 8 oz.) ramekins.
  9. Take the crust dough out of the fridge and put it on a lightly floured surface. Roll it out into one big disc, and, using a ramekin as a guide, cut crust tops that are slightly larger than each ramekin.
  10. Wet the rim of each ramekin with a bit of water, and then lay the crust over the top. Poke several holes in the top of the crust.
  11. Bake until the crust is golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE RECIPES AND PRODUCE INFO
GET YOUR TRILLS - POP-UP AT PICK-UP 

For the 3rd year, longtime Farm Friends Jackie and Laurie of Trillfoods bring you their irresistible and beautifully crafted "sweets worth savoring" -- like Sparkly Chocolate Earthquakes, Coconut Macaroons, Verrry Raspberry Squares and honey-edged BEEZcotti wafers -- to our November 7th pickup. All Trills feature local ingredients and compostable packaging. Buy a bag for home or for a gift, or select your favorite Big Trill from the cookie jar. You can also pre-order Platters, Gift Boxes or their signature Chocolate Leaf Tortes (mocha, pink peppercorn or rum) for a future pickup. 

BONUS: Trill contributes 30% of your purchase directly to the farm!


Quick Links
Claire Kozower, Org. Asst.

Seasonal Staff: 
Anna Kelchlin, Assistant Grower
Dan Roberts & Naomi Shea, Farm Assistants
Anna Hirson-Sagalyn, Jack Leng & Claire Penney, Field Crew

240 Beaver Street
Waltham, MA 02452