The Newton Farmer
August 2019
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The sun is shining, the farm crops are ripening, and the education programs are growing here at the Farm. Dinner on the Farm was a great success with nearly 130 attendees enjoying this festive event. Farm operations staff and interns are busy harvesting vegetables for the CSAs, the farm stand, and the farmers' market; and our education staff and interns are informing minds young and old in our classes, camps, and programs.
While summer is heating up and our busy season continues, we are also looking ahead to cooler, crisp days and our fall programs. Scroll along to find out more about our upcoming annual Fall Festival, an afternoon of fun for families on the Farm.
Fall registration is now open for kids' programs, and we are excited about our cooking, gardening, and fall concert offerings, too. Fruit share sign-ups are also now available.
Please take a moment to read a special message from Board President Stephanie Cogen.
We hope to see you on the Farm!
Karyn Novakowski
Executive Director
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A Message from our Board President:
For our Future
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Have you noticed all the goings on at Newton Community Farm? If you’ve been hanging around at the corner of Nahanton and Winchester, you’ve seen more farm staff, more public concerts, potluck dinners, family classes, and more science, farm-based content in our summer programming. There are more opportunities than ever for you to gather with others to enjoy the farm and its abundance, and to learn about food, farming, sustainability, and the importance of our local food system.
If you share these values, please consider making a pledge to donate to Newton Community Farm for the next three, four, or five years. Your commitment will enable us to grow responsibly and ensure that the farm has the investment of the community.
Together, let’s honor all the farmers that came before us, and create a new generation of stewards of our land and food. For our Future.
I can’t wait to hear from you!
Stephanie Cogen, Board President
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A Festive Evening at the Farm
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On July 22, 130 people enjoyed a lovely evening at our annual Dinner on the Farm. The rain held off until after everyone had a chance to partake of the delicious, produce-forward buffet provided by Gourmet Caterers. CSA member Steve Capone, owner of Atent for Rent, saved us from the ensuing downpour and provided a festive, cozy environment. People talked and laughed as they strolled around the Farm admiring the crops and the chickens, enjoyed their meal, visited with old and new friends, and breathed in the fresh evening air. The Farm is such a special place, and it was wonderful to see everyone.
Thanks to our dedicated team of volunteers who braved the rain from setup through dinner and cleanup. We appreciate your hard work and flexibility. We're grateful to the Dixie Butterhounds who returned to treat us to their festive music.
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We are so thankful for our sponsors including premium sponsor The Village Bank; Hirsch, Roberts and Weinstein Law; Beacon Gallery; Archstone Law Group; Mara Saleahnu Design; Sotheby’s International; Newtonville Books; Iggy’s Bread; and Nothing Bundt Cakes. Thank you for your support!
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Early Childhood Educators
This summer we welcomed Susanna Merrill and Maya Feldberg-Bannatyne as our early childhood educators for our Farm Babies and Farm Sprouts programs.
Susanna (middle) took the lead during our July session. She brought with her many years of experience as a Montessori teacher and her passion for being with kids in nature, garlic scape necklaces, and the rain.
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Maya (left and right) will be leading our August sessions. From a young age, she attended various local farm camps and transitioned to working in fields, forests, and barns when she was 12. She loves supporting children as they explore their connection with nature.
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Programs for Adults and Families
Fall Festival
Sunday, September 22 11:00am
–
3:00pm
Ready, Set, Grow! Fall Harvest & Season Extension
Sunday, October 6 2:00–4:00pm
Seasonal Handmade Pasta Class
Thursday, October 10 7:00–9:00pm
Tentative menu: Butternut Squash Ravioli in Sage Brown Butter, Pappardelle with Kale Pesto & Radishes
Fall Supper Club
Friday, October 11 6:30–8:30pm
Location will be given after registration
Concert and Picnic Evening
Wednesday, October 16 5:00-7:00pm
FREE
Halloween on the Farm
Friday, November 1
3:00-5:00pm
$10 per child
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Fall Registration is Open!
Join us this fall at the Farm for community and educational programs and events. Old favorites like Farm Tuesdays (early release after-school programs) and Farm Sprouts (for toddlers with an adult) meet weekly September through Thanksgiving. New Farm Babies moves back to Wednesdays for sing-alongs, stories, and free play. Farm Babies and Farm Sprouts also meet the first Saturday of each month. For adults we have pasta-making, gardening, potlucks on and off the Farm, and for families we have our annual Fall Festival, a concert picnic evening at the Farm, Halloween on the Farm and family baking. Enjoy the Farm in the fall light, see plants like popcorn come to maturity, experience the brilliant colors of fall after the lush green of spring and summer, and feel yourself unwind and the days grow shorter and colder as we get closer to the cozy quiet of winter.
Programs for Children
Farm Tuesdays
(ages 7
–
11)
This program for elementary-school kids meets weekly on early-release Tuesday afternoons. Kids will harvest from the LearningGgarden, care for our 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.
3
–
week session meets Tuesdays, 1:30-3:00pm, September 10, 17, 24
5
–
week session meets Tuesdays, 1:30-3:00pm, October 29–November 26
NEW! Farm Babies
(under age 2.5 with an adult)
It’s never too early to connect your kids to the Farm! In this brand-new program for tots not yet old enough for Farm Sprouts, 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 historic barn, as needed.
register here
.
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Farm Sprouts
(ages 2.5
–
5 with an adult)
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 big red barn in bad weather.
register here.
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Save the Date: Fall Festival, September 22
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Join us for this beloved, annual event.
On Sunday, September 22, 11:00am
–
3:00pm, we invite our community to come to the Farm for a day of fun, food, and music. In celebration of autumn there will be activities including pumpkin decorating, a scavenger hunt, face painting, and scarecrow decorating.
Enjoy the sounds of the High Strung Strummers and Music Together while you nosh on grilled corn, apples, cider donuts, and more!
Admission to the Fall Festival is free. Food and activity tickets will be available for purchase at the entrances on Winchester and Nahanton Streets.
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Sign up to volunteer at the Fall Festival
L
ooking to engage with the Farm? Need to fill your CSA work requirement? Sign up to help us at the Fall Festival.
Saturday, August 31 - 10am
–
12pm - Fall Festival Work Day -
register here
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Greg Maslowe, Farm Manager
We were recently in New Hampshire escaping the heat and spending a weekend with friends. Being New Hampshire, there were tons of farms and homesteaders all around, and our conversation eventually turned to what we would do if we could buy our own land and “retire” to NH. Would we go the homesteader route and be content to grow our own food? Or would we be interested in something bigger? Some sort of commercial growing?
To my own surprise I found myself saying that I thought I’d be interested in growing for a farmers’ market. I never would have thought that this would be my answer. But I like the role that farmers’ markets play in community life. They’re places to gather and see each other. They’re places to slow down, linger a bit, and maybe listen to some music. And they’re places to support local businesses. A vibrant farmers’ market is, I think, a sign of a healthy, vibrant community.
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During the summer we take a mid-morning break with our High School Field Interns and talk about whatever comes up. A couple weeks ago the topic was what we eat. Are we vegan, vegetarian, kosher, paleo, or what? This is a favorite topic of mine as it focuses not on whether there’s a right way to eat, but simply on raising our awareness that we all make
choices
in what we eat and that these choices have consequences.
It’s easy for high school students to see how eating meat might raise ethical questions. It’s often less clear to see how
where
you buy your food might have moral implications. Do your dollars support the local economy? Do they help preserve farmland and farmers? Or do they contribute to homogenization and aggregation?
I wish our schools would require economics. It touches every part of our lives and is one of the main ways we “vote.” Where and how we spend our money very directly shapes the future of our communities. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised by my answer. I know the kind of community in which I want to live. It makes sense that I want my farm to nurture and support its continued growth.
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NCF Farm Stand
Tuesday
–
Friday, 1:30-6:00pm
Saturday, 9:30am
–
1:00pm
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Elm Street
Farmers' Market
Saturdays
9:30am-12:30pm
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Sign up for a Fruit Share
Deadline: August 15
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NEWTON COMMUNITY FARM
303 Nahanton Street
Newton, MA 02459
617-916-9655
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