Dear Farm Friends,

I was recently reading a list of useful questions to ask oneself at year's end to help reflect on important events, relationships, challenges, successes, and lessons learned over the past year. The one that stood out to me the most was "What was the biggest thing you learned?" In 2022 I learned (and am still learning) to count on other people when I need to. Newton Community Farm is a great place to learn this lesson! The list of tasks to do here at the Farm is monumental every single day, which is great when you thrive on being busy and productive. But there are times when all of us need to count on others—when life's challenges need more of our attention, when there is too much work to tackle alone, or when we need to collaborate as a team to complete a project. So many times over the past year I have counted on our staff, Board, volunteers, and this community to help us meet our goals at the Farm, and every time, there has been an outpouring of kindness and support, whether it was to fundraise, fill in for someone who is out, help manage the seedling sale, work with a vendor, help on a project.... The list goes on and on. It truly means so much that we have such a strong team of supporters here at the NCF. We have listed many of our volunteers and donors in this issue of the newsletter and will continue to do so each month as a way to show our appreciation. We are thankful for YOU! Happy New Year!

With gratitude,

Sue Bottino

Executive Director

Overview of the Summer CSA Program   

If you enjoy eating fresh, delicious, locally-grown produce, then consider signing up for our 2023 Summer CSA program. At the beginning of each growing season, CSA sharers purchase a “share” of the upcoming produce, which helps the Farm cover a substantial portion of the costs of our agricultural operations. In return, NCF provides sharers with a supply of sustainably grown, fresh vegetables and herbs each week throughout the farming season. We have the equivalent of 80 weekly shares available. Some of our sharers enroll for an alternate-week share, which means they pick up produce every other week. Other sharers enroll for a weekly share for their family or else they split their share with another friend or family (or two!). See below for more information about the application process, program structure, and produce.

Program Duration and Prices

Our 2023 Summer CSA program will run from June 7 through October 18. As with all things agricultural, these dates are dependent on weather and other growing considerations. NCF’s farm manager will contact sharers in the event that the program’s start and end dates need to change. A weekly share costs $797 and an alternate-week share costs $430.

Application and Payment

Completed forms and checks must be received at NCF (mail or drop off) by the due dates listed below for consideration in each phase. Mailing instructions, prices, and other information are included on the form. All applicants must be a current Friend of the Farm to apply for a CSA share. Please note that you have been automatically enrolled as a FoF if you made a donation of $50 or more since November 1, 2022. If you are not currently a FoF, click here. Donations are nonrefundable.

Application Dates:

Phase 1a: January 23–February 5 (due date) for Returning Summer 2022 CSA Sharers   

If you were a Summer CSA sharer in 2022, you will be emailed the reenrollment form for 2023 the morning of January 23. Sharers from 2022 who do not reenroll during this period may still apply for a 2023 share by participating in the lottery in Phase 2 or the general enrollment process in Phase 3 as noted below. Applications with payment must be received at the Farm by the due date.

Phase 1b: January 23–February 5 (due date) for Late Fall 2022 CSA Sharers

Late Fall 2022 CSA sharers will be enrolled after returning Summer 2022 CSA sharers if there are spaces remaining. If you were a Late Fall CSA sharer in 2022, you will be emailed the reenrollment form for 2023 the morning of January 23. Late Fall sharers from 2022 who do not enroll during this period may still apply for a 2023 share by participating in the lottery in Phase 2 or the general enrollment process in Phase 3 as noted below. Applications with payment must be received at the Farm by the due date.

Phase 1c: February 6–February 13 (due date) for 2022 waiting-list names  

NCF’s farm manager will contact the individuals who put their names on the 2022 Summer CSA waiting list. Contact will be made in order of the names on the list until all remaining shares are sold or until the farm manager reaches the last name on the list. Interested residents will have until Sunday, February 13, to submit a completed application with payment to the Farm by the due date.

Phase 2: February 6–February 26 (due date) for Newton Residents 

Applications will be accepted from Newton residents only. The link to the enrollment form will go live on our website www.newtoncommunityfarm.org at 10 am on February 6. At the end of this period, NCF will hold a lottery to select as many new participants as we have shares available. The lottery will be random, with no preference given for when the application is received before the due date. To participate in the lottery, we must receive your CSA enrollment application along with payment. (CSA checks will be returned to those whom we cannot accommodate). Please note, you must be a current Friend of the Farm to apply for the CSA. Donations are not refundable. Applications are due at the Farm by the due date. We will notify all applicants by Sunday, March 5, as to whether or not they were selected in the lottery. Anyone who does not get in during Phase 2 has the option of adding their name to the 2023 Summer CSA wait list by the deadline of March 13, 2023.

Phase 3: February 27 until full for General Public 

If there are remaining shares available after Phase 2, we will accept applications from the general public on a first-come, first-served basis until we are full. Phase 3 will end when all of the shares are sold. Applicants who do not get a share in the 2023 program by the end of Phase 3 (or March 13, whichever comes later) will be given an opportunity to sign up for the 2023 Summer CSA wait list by the deadline of March 13, 2023.

These deadlines are intended to make the process equitable and they are firm. We're sorry but we cannot make any exceptions.

Produce

Newton Community Farm grows most of the produce distributed in the CSA. Some crops require more space than our modest site allows so we supplement the CSA shares with potatoes and winter squash from a local partner farm. We also purchase nonorganic sweet corn from Massachusetts farms for our CSA. CSA sharers participate in the bounty of the farm, and also the risk. While we have confidence that we will meet our production goals, growing vegetables always involves a certain amount of uncertainty, and quantities may vary week to week, season to season.

Weekly Share

$797 per share. Sharers come to the Farm once a week to pick up vegetables. Shares may include some pick-your-own (PYO) crops such as peas, beans, cherry tomatoes, and herbs. Share size varies throughout the season. At the height of the season (Aug–Sept) a typical week might include: 1 bunch roots crop (carrots or beets); 2 bunches of greens (changing selection); 1 bunch of herbs (basil, cilantro, dill, or parsley); 1 eggplant; 1/2 pound bell peppers; 1 hot pepper; 2 pounds of potatoes; 1 pound of summer squash or zucchini; 5 pounds of tomatoes; 1 pint PYO cherry tomatoes; 6 ears of corn; 1 quart PYO beans; PYO herbs (separate from bunched herbs listed above).

Alternate Week Share

$430 per alternate week share. For people who find that our weekly shares are too much food to eat in a week. Participants pick up a full share of produce every other week during the season. When you enroll please carefully select your preference for a starting week, as this will put you on an alternating-week schedule for the rest of the summer. We strive to give everyone their choice of starting dates but need to balance the harvest between the two groups, so your assigned starting date will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Like the weekly share, this share may include some pick-your-own (PYO) items.

Pickup Days and Times

CSA pickups take place at the Farm on the bottom level of the barn on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 2–7 pm. If you can’t come then, help bring new people to the Farm by having a friend or neighbor pick up your share. Shares are not available before or after these times or on other days of the week. If you don’t have time for the PYO options during the week, you are welcome to come back on Saturdays before 3 pm for those items. NCF will donate any unclaimed shares to a local food pantry.

Cinnamon Roasted Carrots

Wash 1 lb. of carrots thoroughly. You can either use them with the skin on, or peel the skin and save for use in homemade vegetable stock. Cut the carrots into your favorite shape: circles, on a bias, wedges, sticks, etc. In a large mixing bowl, drizzle carrots with olive oil and sprinkle 1 tsp cinnamon over the carrots. Mix well until coated evenly, then roast in the oven at 425°F for 15–20 minutes, flipping halfway. The cinnamon will bring out the natural sweetness of the carrots.

Garlic Herb Butter

This is a great addition to fresh dinner rolls or a crusty baguette. Soften a stick of salted butter at room temperature (if you have unsalted butter at home, just add a pinch of salt at the end) until it is easily pierced with a knife or fork. Mince 2–4 cloves of fresh garlic (or grate using a microplane). In a small bowl, combine softened butter, garlic, salt if needed, and your choice of dried or fresh herbs, like basil, oregano, and thyme. Mix until well incorporated and spread on warm bread. The fresh garlic will bring lots of punchy, strong flavor.

Recipes by Inna Kagan, local Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

Thank you, Newton Conservators, for helping NCF purchase this very useful new garden cart from Carts Vermont to move vegetables and Farm materials. Many staff members, volunteers, student interns, and student groups working at the Farm will use the cart to help with bringing in the vegetable harvest from the field, moving produce and equipment onsite, and other Farm tasks.

Join us on Wednesday, January 25, on Zoom, 7–8:30 pm, for our online group discussion of the book Animal, Vegetable, Junk: A History of Food, from Sustainable to Suicidal by Mark Bittman. "From the #1 New York Times bestselling author and pioneering journalist, an expansive look at how history has been shaped by humanity’s appetite for food, farmland, and the money behind it all—and how a better future is within reach." Click here to RSVP so we can send you the Zoom link.

Thanks to everyone who has sent in reading suggestions. We will keep a running list. If you want to recommend a book centered around food, nature, agriculture, climate change, the environment, or health and wellness topics, email us at sue@newtoncommunityfarm.org.

Our fall fundraising appeal is the source of our largest number of individual donations for the year. These contributions are critical to the financial health of the Farm. It is a massive effort to get letters in the mail to all of you, and we are so grateful to our volunteers who helped us send out 2,000 letters in December. Thank you Mindy Sieber, Paul Holt, Dede Vittori, Claire Caine, Madelyn Sorensen, David Shumsky, Karen Wasserman, Henry Wasserman, and Barbara Seal.

We had a great time wrapping gifts to raise money at Newtonville Books on December 17 and 18. Thank you to the gift wrappers: Madelyn Sorensen, Paul Holt, Claire Caine, Lisa Schumann, Susan Chused Still, Victoria Jaffe, Julia Jaffe, Alice Reynolds, Joanna Josephson, David Shumsky, Emily Shumsky, Gerrit Petersen, Barbara Seal, and Tessa Kadar and to Newtonville Books, a locally-owned, independent bookstore, for the fun opportunity to connect with the community.

Thank you to our November and December donors listed below and to those who wish to remain anonymous. Apologies in advance for any names we inadvertently left off this list. (Please let us know if we made any errors.) We are grateful for your support!

Adrian and Laura Bishop * Alan Nogee * Allan Beth and Eileen Chodos * Amelia LeClair * Ann Buxbaum * Anne and Pat Costello * Anne Simunovic * Anne-Marie Melanson * Anthony Zelle * Arthur Glasgow * Barbara Apstein * Barbara Bates * Barbara Keezell Cameron * Barbara Kolins * Barbara Seal and Mark Kadar * Barney Keezell * Becky Bristol * Beth and Hugh Wilkinson * Bill and Dottie Hagar * Bill and Joyce Hollman * Bobbie Sproat * Bonnie and Walter Carter * Brian Rogan * Candace and Matthew McDonough * Carol Cohn * Carol Salter * Carole Slattery * Carolyn Fine and Jeremiah Friedman * Catherine Reuben * Charlotte Seeley * Cheryl and Jeffrey Sacks * Cindy Shulak-Rome * Craig and Alexis Greiner * Dan and Julia Brody * Daniel and Jodi Cooper * Deb Todd and Andrew Wheeler * Deborah Breen * Deborah Drosnin and Marc Eichen * Deborah Long * Debra and Umesh Kurpad * Debra Hall and David Rockwell * Dede Vittori and Jeffrey Baker * Dena and Gary Elovitz * Dina and Steve Goodfriend * Dina Weber * Ed Lyon * Edward Shapiro and Deborah Benik * Elaine Zecher and Benjamin Eisenberg * Eleanor and David Paradise * Eleanor M. Pandorf * Elissa Fenster and William Greenberg * Elizabeth Miller * Elizabeth Vondrak * Ellen Jawitz * Ellen Meyers * Ellen Silberman * Elsa and Tom Lawrence * Elsie Levin * Emily and David Shumsky * Emily Saltz and Ira Fader * Eric Bobby * Geri Maxine Reinhardt * Glynys Thomas * Helen Jordan * Hope and Adam Suttin * Ina Bachman and Eli Wylen * Iris Geik * Jean MacRae * Jeff Zabel * Jennifer Davis * Jessica Straus and David Berson * Joan Balaban and Jonathan Landman * John Koot and Judith Mannix * Jon Regosin and Randi Berkowitz * Josh Ehrenfried * Judi Burten and Kevin Soll * Karen and Michael Weissel * Karen Emmons * Karen L. Worth * Kate Thibeault * Katherine Howard * Larry and Pat Burdick * Lauren Hopton * Ledgebrook Condominium Association * Len and Peggy Glass * Leonard A. Weiss * Linda and Joseph Chafets * Linda Green and Dan Miller * Lisa Cohen and Neil Halin * Marcia Cooper and Jeff Rosenberg * Margaret and Ken Mallory * Margie Lipshutz * Marietta Joseph * Marietta Marchitelli * Martha Lacy * Mary Lou Walsh * Matsuko Levin * Matt and Dana Starr * Michael Patriacca * Michael and Susan Goldman* Michele and Robert Hanss * Michelle Drolsbaugh * Mindy Sieber * Molly Perencevich and Jeremy Smith * Nancy and Cris Criscitiello * Nancy Hagens * Nina Piken * Nyssa Patten * Pam Boiros * Patricia Freysinger * Patricia Rand * Paul and Amy Holt * Paula Thompson and David Chosiad * Peter Barrer and Judith Nichols * Rachel King * Rachel Sarvey * Raymond Jacques and Arlene Franklin * Raymond Nied * Rebecca Barnehama * Rebekah Gewirtz * Regina Wu * Rita Stulin * Robin and Richard Maltz * Ron Joseph * Russell Forman * Ruth Landsman * Ruth Lederman and Tim Heeren * Ruthanne Fuller * Sally Millar * Sam Fogel * Sandra Baird * Sayuri Miyamoto * Sera Miller * Sharon Morgenbesser and Barry Kesner * Shelley C. Gordon * Shira Abramovich * Sonya and Richard McKnight * Stephen and Rosalie Snyder * Steve Logowitz and Dorothea Black * Steven and Carolyn Barg * Sudha and Anant Iyer * Sunwoo Kahng and Peter Boberg * Susan and Keith Tornheim * Susan Kish * Suzanne Pond * Ted and Bev Chapman * Teri and Richard Ginsburg * Thomas Hanold * Tina and Harvey Crosby * Vicki Cochran * Victoria Danberg and John Ficarelli * Wally and Roz Bernheimer * Wendy Walters * William Leitch * Zita and Jacob Hesterman

Do you have a particular skill or knowledge of a topic you would be willing to share as a volunteer with NCF? Volunteers are an essential part of the work we do here at the Farm. We're putting together an organized resource list of all our talented community members who might be willing to help out with tasks as needs arise. Have experience teaching a topic related to food, gardening, or wellness? Interested in helping with fundraising, running errands, or working on marketing? Would you like to help with issues related to finance or insurance? Have time to help in the field on a regular basis? Enjoy throwing parties and want to help with events? We would love to hear from you! Drop us a line at sue@newtoncommunityfarm.org