The Newton Farmer
October 2020
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Greetings from the Farm!
It's that time of year when it can feel like rainy spring, hot summer, and chilly fall all in one day. Tomato plants are turning brown while we anxiously wait for the last tomatoes to ripen, hopefully before the first frost.
The fall crops have recently been planted, and it's like seeing old friends as the crops we had in the late spring, like radishes, spinach, turnips, and arugula, pop up out of the ground again.
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We are shifting our focus toward fall as we plan for the future. We are so excited to present for you our virtual event "Crisis Farming: The Essential Work of Feeding a Community," which will feature a conversation with Farm Manager Greg Maslowe on October 20 at 7:30 p.m. This is sure to be an informative, interesting evening learning about farming while also enjoying snapshots of the Farm and videos from farm supporters. Read on for more information and be sure to preregister.
While we're all gearing up for a different late fall and winter from what we've ever experienced before due to the health pandemic, here at the Farm we're still growing delicious produce for the community and we are working hard to be environmental stewards of this historic farm. We are so grateful to be able to connect with all of you. We are all in this together.
With gratitude,
Sue Bottino
Executive Director
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Join Us for a Special Virtual Event on October 20 |
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The 2020 growing season at Newton Community Farm has been a time like no other. With pandemic quarantining, social distancing, growing food insecurity, and increased focus on the importance of local food systems, there’s so much to talk about right now.
Join us for a special online event for the entire community on Tuesday, October 20, at 7:30 p.m. -- Crisis Farming: The Essential Work of Feeding a Community, featuring an insightful conversation with Farm Manager Greg Maslowe about the current challenges facing small community farms. "The Mother Earth Podcast" host and environmental lawyer Matt Pawa will interview Greg on how NCF has adapted and thrived during the pandemic and the role that the Farm plays in addressing local food security. We know that you’ll be inspired to keep our unique, local farm strong and sustainable.
This event is FREE and open to all. Preregistration is required to receive the link for this virtual event. Two lucky registrants will win food/farming book bundles from Newtonville Books. If you would like to contribute toward our fundraising goal, you can make your donation here. Please invite your friends and family and help spread the word!
Thank you to our wonderful host committee of farm supporters and to our community partners Green Newton and Archstone Law Group.
Thank you to our premier sponsor The Village Bank.
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Visit Us at the Newton Farmers' Market on Saturdays |
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Saturday, October 10, will be our last day at the Newton Farmers' Market at Newton South High School. We'll be at the market 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and we bring some of just about everything we're harvesting on the Farm each week for a great selection! We accept SNAP and Elder/WIC checks. For more information on the market protocols this year and for a list of vendors, check out the city's website. Come see us!
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Check out our YouTube channel on Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m. for new episodes of our gardening show. This month we are adding cooking segments with Jay, too. You can also view the show archive anytime. And you can find our shows on NewTV by searching their online schedule.
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Organization Spotlight: Food to Your Table |
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Newton Community Farm is proud to partner with the local nonprofit organization Food to Your Table to bring fresh, healthy produce to those with food insecurity in our area. Founded by Newton residents (and current NCF CSA sharers) Joan Balaban and Amy Silberstein eight years ago, FTYT brings "food from those that grow it to those who need it" by having volunteers pick up produce donations at the end of the Newton Farmers' Market each Tuesday throughout the summer and early fall and also directly from the Farm. NCF is currently supporting eight food-insecure families in our community plus 17 senior citizen families through a partnership with FTYT and the Newton Housing Authority.
According to Joan, "People are thrilled to receive the vegetables, especially this year when everything is more difficult. Most people express their gratitude by thanking us personally. Last year one of our recipients made us some spring rolls to both share her wonderful cooking with us and to show her appreciation for this service."
FTYT serves 30 to 60 individuals and families each week and also donates what they can't use to the Newton Food Pantry. For more information and to find out about volunteering, check out https://www.foodtoyourtable.org.
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Order a Healthy Harvest Bag |
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Our Healthy Harvest Bags are a hit! Go to our website to learn more about this popular program, new this year. Order a bag filled with seasonal produce and arrange for a time slot to pick it up at the Farm on Friday afternoon. Contents and price vary each week based on what is being harvested. New bags are listed on Mondays around 9:00 a.m.
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Thank You to Our Amazing Summer Crew |
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This summer went by in a blur! We had a great team of staff, interns, and weed crew volunteers, and we could not have accomplished all that we did in the field without them.
Due to the pandemic, we made the difficult decision not to run the NCF summer internship program. However, for the first time, we partnered with the city on their internship program, and we were so lucky that they placed two terrific, hardworking local high school students with us. Jesse Youngblood and Nicole Tarasenko worked tirelessly through some of the hottest days we can remember in recent years to prep the fields, bring in the crops, and prepare the produce for pickup. They were a tremendous help, and we are so grateful for all their hard work. Our sincere thanks and appreciation to both of them, their families, and to the Newton Summer High School Internship Program.
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The interns were led primarily by Mary Alice Koon, who oversaw the educational aspect of their time at the Farm as well as managed their work flow. Mary Alice is at work now as a middle-school teacher, and we wish her a successful academic year with her students.
In addition, we also had a power team of four dedicated weekly weeders. To reduce exposure and keep everyone as safe as possible, we had a small, consistent team each week of Laura, Anna, Cody, and Margot. They cleaned up the beds and made it possible for our produce to grow vigorously in a weed-free environment. Weeding at the farm is an endless, backbreaking job, but these four volunteers never complained whether in the sun or rain, pushing heavy wheelbarrows, or kneeling in the dirt. And the plants were able to thrive because of their efforts. Thank you all!
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NEWTON COMMUNITY FARM
303 Nahanton Street
Newton, MA 02459
617-916-9655
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