The Newton Farmer
October 2019
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What a beautiful month it is! The leaves are beginning to turn colors as we usher in fall, and the crops are so vibrant in the field.
In addition to the physical beauty we see on the Farm, we have also had beautiful experiences here as well. Our wonderful supporters came through to fulfill a need with our Spring for the Chickens campaign! Friends and neighbors, old and new, connected at the Farm at our Fall Festival on a gorgeous day in September, and we are grateful for the hard work of our staff and volunteers to make this annual favorite a success.
We continue to share our bounty with the community, and we are fortunate to be able to give to those in need through food donation programs. This beautiful community really is special, and it is our privilege to be part of it!
Sue Bottino, Interim Executive Director
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Fall Festival a Sunny Success
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More than 800 people enjoyed our annual Fall Festival on Sunday, September 22. It was a lovely, HOT day at the Farm, and it was wonderful to see so many smiling faces! Kids decorated pumpkins with organic materials, had their faces painted, listened to musical entertainers, played games, and had a great time. There was story time, a craft project about the life cycle of an apple, and great food and drinks including cider donuts, apples, and Sweet Tomatoes pizza and sandwiches.
One goal for this event was to greatly reduce the waste, and we are happy to share our success! We selected the food and drink containers so that we could compost or recycle as much as possible. Volunteers helped people sort their waste items as compost, recycling, or trash. At the end of the day, 800 people made only 8 pounds of trash! We also collected 22 pounds of compost and 21 pounds of recycling. Guests learned about how important composting and recycling are to us and to the environment as we improve the sustainability of all Farm activities. Thank you to Newton Sustainable Materials Management Division for loaning us ClearStream recycling and trash collection bins, bags, and brochures and picking up the recycling and trash generated by the event, and to Black Earth Compost for collecting our compost free of charge.
Thanks to all the friends, neighbors, and volunteers who made the Fall Festival such a fun and educational day. You put the “community” in Newton Community Farm!
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You Sprang for the Chickens!
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Last month we ran a lightning-fast fundraiser,
Spring for the Chickens,
to improve the health and safety of the chickens after we suffered a huge loss due to a predator in August. We collected funds through our website, by mail, and at the Farm and asked for your donations over a three-week period. We raised over $8,000!
Thanks to more than 80 individual donations, an anonymous matching grant of $2,500, and a $1,000 donation from Whole Foods Market, we will replace the current fence this fall with one that extends underground, improving protection against predators. And we will be ready for a new flock of chickens in the spring. This is all possible because of you, and we are so grateful for your support!
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Sharing Our Bounty:
NCF’s Food Donation Partners
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For more than 20 weeks every year, our customers enjoy freshly picked greens, juicy tomatoes, crisp beans, fragrant herbs, and other delicious locally grown vegetables. We have also donated food to local hunger-relief organizations since our first year of operation in 2006. Currently we contribute produce valued at more than $10,000 annually.
Our longest-standing partner is
Newton Food Pantry
, an independent nonprofit in the basement of City Hall. It operates through the efforts of more than 100 volunteers, ongoing partnerships with over 25 organizations, and financial contributions from its supporters. The pantry distributes donations from the Greater Boston Food Bank, local farms, community gardens, food recovery organizations and businesses, as well as additional items purchased from local wholesale and discount businesses when necessary to provide more than 800 clients a month with approximately five days of food, personal-care products, and cleaning supplies.
Each week during the growing season, long-time NCF volunteer Claire Caine and her family and friends deliver crates of fresh produce to the pantry. According to pantry President Tracie Longman, these donations of "farm to table" seasonal produce are high-quality, nutritious, locally grown, varied, and interesting. The pantry has been intentionally increasing offerings of fresh, healthy food including fruits and vegetables, and helps clients use the produce by providing cooking and recipe ideas.
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NCF also donates produce through
Food to Your Table
, a local food recovery organization started in 2011 by Joan Balaban and Amy Silberstein. Volunteers regularly pick up produce from NCF and Newton's Tuesday Farmers’ Market. They distribute the food to approximately 350 local families each month through Newton Food Pantry, various housing communities, and
The Second Step
, an organization that provides transitional housing for women and families who are victims of domestic abuse.
In recent years, we have engaged Waltham-based
Boston Area Gleaners
to pick produce that would otherwise go to waste due to the labor cost to harvest and distribute remaining crops at the end of their growing season. Gleaner volunteers have been to NCF twice this season to harvest Hakurei turnips, bok choi, and carrots. The organization, focused on Eastern Massachusetts, harvests more than 60 types of fruit and vegetables on 70+ farms and then distributes the food to 500+ hunger-relief organizations. Gleaners harvested approximately 800,000 pounds of produce last year and aim to collect 1 million pounds of crops yearly as of 2019.
Newton Community Farm is proud to partner with these organizations to reduce food insecurity in our community.
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Dynamo Newton Farmers' Market
Manager Judy Dore
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Newton Parks, Recreation and Culture employee Judy Dore is the market manager for the
Newton Farmers’ Market
held on Tuesdays and Saturdays from June through October. Judy has held this position for 33 of the past 40 years. She started in 1980 with the first market, then spent seven years working with area seniors, which included bringing seniors in vans to the markets so they could shop. She’s a lifelong resident of Auburndale and always has new and innovative additions to the market. She was the first market manager to bring fish to the scene 23 years ago, and two years ago she got approval to have alcohol for sale. This year there are bakeries, organic clothiers, and jams and jelly vendors in addition to the local farms.
Judy has been on the board of the Massachusetts Farmers’ Markets for 20 years, and she continues to go to workshops and manager training to learn about trends and customer demand. The biggest current challenge for farmers’ markets is that people aren’t cooking at home as much. That inspired the current marketing theme of “What’s for Dinner” to get people thinking ahead about what they can prepare from fresh, local ingredients. Judy says her favorite aspect of her job is working with loyal farmers and providing the best service to the customers. Judy is delighted that the markets are flourishing and says that each week is special!
Newton Farmers’ Market runs on Tuesdays, 1:30
–
6:00 p.m. at Cold Spring Park through October 22. The Saturday market on Elm Street has just ended for this year.
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Sign Up for the Late Fall Produce Share
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It’s time for the NCF
Late Fall Share
, including our own produce with a few additions from select regional farms such as Drumlin Farm (Lincoln, MA) and Picadilly Farm (Winchester, NH). The exact contents of the share will be determined at harvest and may vary over the four distributions. Likely items include: arugula, spinach, lettuce and/or salad mix, kale, chard, garlic, onions, leeks, carrots, beets, radishes, cilantro, parsley, celery, hot peppers, potatoes, sweet potatoes, popcorn, and winter squash.
Pickup is at Newton Community Farm on the following Tuesdays: November 5 and 19, December 3 and 17 between 2 and 7 p.m. in the central CSA bay in the lower level of the barn. Checks for $165 and enrollment forms will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis (limited number of shares available) until 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 26 (due at the farm by that date). To sign up,
complete the mail-in form
.
If you have any questions, contact newtoncommunityfarm@gmail.com or call the farm at 617-916-9655.
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Visit us at the Green Expo
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On Sunday, October 20, 10:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m, w
e’ll be one of more than 40 sustainability-focused businesses and community groups at the
Green Newton Green Expo
in Newton Centre (parking lot between Langley and Beacon streets) to show you the many ways you can have a positive impact in your home, community, and the world. Bring your family and friends for a day of fun and inspiration!
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Upcoming Events & Programs
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Fall Registration Is Open
!
Click on the links to register
For Adults and Families
Wednesday, October 16, 5:00
–
7:00 p.m.
Enjoy live music from local band the Circuit Breakers at our end-of-the-season concert picnic night at the Farm. Bring a picnic dinner and a blanket, enjoy the music, connect with old friends, and make new ones as we gather to celebrate the bounty of the harvest!
Carry in, carry out, please.
Friday, November 1, 3:00
–
5:00 p.m.
This fun-filled, family event includes crafts, games, music, and spooky stories. It is the perfect way to continue your Halloween celebrations and show off those costumes. This event is designed for children of all ages with accompanying adults. Rain or shine!
$10 per child
Sunday, November 24, 10:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
The family that bakes together . . . eats delicious baked goods together! And has a ton of tasty, educational fun. Join Chef Reva Haselkorn for a fun family baking day at the Farm. Make and enjoy sweet and savory baked goods with farm-fresh ingredients.This class is designed for kids and adults to cook together and provides varied activities for a range of baking experience and ages (5+ years).
For Children
This program meets weekly on early-release Tuesday afternoons. Kids will harvest from the Learning Garden, care for the chickens, and help prepare the garden for the colder weather. Rain or shine, we’ll spend most of the afternoon outdoors learning about the Farm, working in the garden, playing games, and making snacks.
- Fall Session Five–week session on Tuesdays, 1:30–3:00 p.m., October 29 –November 2
This program for toddlers with an adult caregiver fosters curiosity through experiential learning. Build a healthy foundation for a lifelong relationship with real food and the natural world. Enjoy outdoor exploration of the Learning Garden, animal encounters, story time, songs, and craft projects. Class will meet on the colorful mat near the Learning Garden or in the barn in bad weather. Drop-ins welcome, too!
- Fall Sprouts Thursdays, October 3–October 31, 10:00–11:00 a.m.
It’s never too early to connect your kids to the Farm! In this program for tots, we’ll engage in interactive farm-themed story time, movement, and songs followed by time to socialize with others and free play for the kids. This program will take place outdoors when weather allows and in the barn as needed. Drop-ins welcome, too!
- Wednesdays September 11 – November 20 (no class Oct. 9), 10:00–11:00 a.m.
- Saturdays November 2 and December 7, 9:00–10:00 a.m.
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NCF Farm Stand
Tuesdays
–Fridays, 1:30
–6 p.m.
Saturdays, 9:30 a.m.
–1:00 p.m.
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NEWTON COMMUNITY FARM
303 Nahanton Street
Newton, MA 02459
617-916-9655
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