Dear Farm Friends,

So much is happening behind the scenes at the Farm right now! Among the million tasks we are working on, those detailed in this newsletter include registering sharers for our popular Summer CSA Program and picking the dates for our annual Seedling Sale—May 20 and 21.

We're also making progress on several long-term projects including major greenhouse work, a solar installation on the roof of the barn, and important improvements to the farmhouse. We're creating and hosting terrific programs and events in late winter and spring. Among these offerings is an interactive, educational two-part program in March, "The Magic of Plants and the Spirit of the Seasons."

And we'd love your help with some projects we're working on right now. We're adding more educational displays to the Farm, and it would be very helpful to find out where you have seen great examples of interpretive displays. We're also looking to fill two key positions in the near future. Please read on to learn more.

We hope you are having a peaceful winter, and we look forward to having a great year with all of you at the Farm.

With gratitude,

Sue Bottino

Executive Director

Overview of the 2023 Summer CSA Program   

Interested customers can apply to purchase sustainably grown, fresh vegetables and herbs each week throughout the farming season through our CSA (community-supported agriculture) program. We have the equivalent of 80 weekly shares available. Applicants can choose a weekly share or an alternate-week share, which means they pick up produce every other week. This program will run from June 7 through October 18. (As with all things agricultural, these dates are dependent on weather and other growing considerations. The farm manager will contact sharers if the 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. All applicants must be a current Friend of the Farm to apply. You have been automatically enrolled as an FoF if you made a donation of $50 or more since November 1, 2022. Donations are nonrefundable.

Application Dates:

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

Previous sharers will be emailed the reenrollment form on the morning of January 23.

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

These previous sharers will be emailed the reenrollment form on the morning of January 23 and will be enrolled after returning Summer 2022 CSA sharers if there is space.

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 waiting list last year. Those interested will have until Sunday, February 13, to submit a completed application with payment to the Farm.

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

Applications with payment 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 random lottery to select as many new participants as we have shares available. We will notify all applicants by Sunday, March 5, as to whether or not they were selected in the lottery. (CSA checks will be returned to those whom we cannot accommodate.)

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 may sign up for the waiting list by 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. We also supplement with potatoes and winter squash from a local partner farm and nonorganic sweet corn from another local farm. 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 some uncertainty, and quantities will vary weekly and seasonally.

Shares may include pick-your-own (PYO) crops such as peas, beans, cherry tomatoes, and herbs. At the height of the season (Aug–Sept) a typical week might include: 1 bunch root crops (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).

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 donates unclaimed shares.

For alternate-week sharers, when you complete the application, please 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.

The Magic of Plants and the Spirit of the Seasons

with Jessica Basile and Mandi Dean

Monday, March 13 and Monday, March 27, 7–9 pm at the Farm

$88 total for both meetings

Click here to sign up. Registration closes on March 6.

Join Jessica and Mandi for this two-part educational, interactive workshop on local plants and season transitions and get to know more about using seasonal rituals to integrate the magic of plants into your life.

Jessica Basile

Writer, Ritual Creator, and Season Lover

Jessica believes and teaches that moments of joy and insight are deeply connected to the world around us. We are not separate from the rest of the natural world; remembering and giving thanks for this connection helps repair both the world and ourselves.

Mandi Dean

Healer, Gardener, and Herbalist

Mandi is a bridge between the worlds of plants and humans, bringing people back to the

wisdom of the natural world. She blends mission and pleasure to provide people with a

solid footing to further their connection with plants. Mandi is also a licensed social worker

and constellation therapeutic practitioner.

The Assistant Grower works with the farm manager on day-to-day farming activities, takes a lead role in managing regular volunteers during the week and our drop-in volunteer program on Saturdays, and also supervises our farm-stand worker and field crew.

The Assistant Grower collaborates with the farm manager in determine harvests, works with staff to incorporate education programs and group visits to the Farm, and assists with a number of community events throughout the year. Other primary responsibilities include greenhouse work, planting and harvesting, weeding, and field prep using our walking tractors. 

We are looking for candidates with two seasons or more of farm experience, a valid driver’s license, and a good driving record. This is a physically demanding job requiring the ability to lift, bend, squat, kneel, etc., and to do so in all weather conditions. 

The Program Coordinator works with the executive director to create interesting, educational, and community-building opportunities for public engagement at the Farm, in the community, and online. Position responsibilities include: researching topics and potential speakers; developing new ideas, facilitating programs, creating marketing materials; advertising on local websites and listservs, and putting up flyers; communicating and coordinating with speakers, vendors, facilitators, community partners, and supporters; writing program descriptions and event information and updates; editing the website; implementing program registrations, sending reminders, creating and printing attendee lists and photo permission paperwork; helping organize volunteers and tasks for programs and events; and providing administrative support.

For more information, including hours, schedules, compensation, and how to apply for either of these positions, please visit our website.

Beet, Garlic, and Squash Hummus

This is a great way to make delicious use of a variety of seasonal produce and introduce young children to vegetables that they might otherwise not try. Plus, look at the fun bright pink color!

Ingredients: 1 cup beets, 2 garlic cloves, 1 cup squash, 1 can chickpeas or white beans (drained), 2 Tb tahini, 1/3 cup olive oil, juice from 1 lemon, and pinch of salt/pepper 

Instructions: Roast the beets and squash in the oven at 425°F for 30 minutes, or until fork tender. In a blender or food processor, add all ingredients and blend together until creamy. Enjoy with carrot sticks, pretzels, or in sandwiches for a burst of color and nutrients.

Recipe by Inna Kagan, local Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

In 2022, NCF and the City of Newton applied to the Newton Community Preservation Program for funding to rehabilitate and restore parts of the mid-19th- century farmhouse. The Massachusetts Community Preservation Act (CPA) provides local and state funds for affordable housing, historic resources, open space and recreation land that is distributed locally by community preservation committees. The Newton Community Preservation Committee allocated $88,554 in reimbursement for the farmhouse work including remediating excessive water and moisture issues, upgrading the electrical system, replacing the kitchen ceiling and lighting, and replacing the hot water heater. In December, work on creating a dry basement including the installation of French drains and two sump pumps was done and an air-source heat pump and HVAC system were installed. Thank you to the committee for supporting this important project that will continue in 2023.

Join us on Thursday, March 23, on Zoom, 7–8:30 pm, for a group discussion of the book The $64 Tomato: How One Man Nearly Lost His Sanity, Spent a Fortune, and Endured an Existential Crisis in the Quest for the Perfect Garden by William Alexander. "Gardening as extreme sport...Engaging, well paced and informative."—The New York Times Book Review Click here to RSVP so we can send you the Zoom link.

Thank you to all the volunteers who helped with Farm tasks in January! We appreciate the help from Paul Holt, Dede Vittori, Mindy Sieber, Claire Caine, Madelyn Sorensen, Barbara Seal, and Marietta Joseph.

Thank you to our December–January 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!

Brenda Baker * Pam Adelstein * Chenghua Gu * Amy Volk * Tai Sutliff * Olga Burenkova * Wendy Cohen * Karen Brenner * Claire and Dan Caine * Robert and Rena Gray Fein * Andreae Downs and Paul Glickman * Gail Harris * Mary Ann Landes * Elisheva Margulies * Rachel Meyers * Meredith Miller * Nyssa Patten * Gloria Plottel * Patricia Rand * Julia Rashba-Step * Margaret Richards * Carol Salter * Val Treloar and Stan Mescon * Rebekah Smillie * Pat Sheehan * Juliet Schor * Carolyn Kraft * Jan and Ruth Heespelink * Mark Zeren and Deb Hahn * Jonathan Waldron * Stuart Kolodner and Deborah Simonds * Shelly and Barbara Isaacs * Charles and Sheila Donahue * Stephanie Cogen * Penny Brown * Arnold Reinhold * Lilian Keefe * Matthew Doeringer * Ginny Friedman * Nancy Israel * Adina Jacobson * Neil Miller * Julie Tishler * Kristoff Homan * Elizabeth Richter * William Shad * Greg Reibman and Cindy Bailen * Wendy Walters * Alyssa Gusenoff * Stacy DeBroff * Susan Chused * Dan Scheib * Julie Irish * David Scott * Anna Bulkin * Paul Garrity * Angela Yee * Kelly Wingo * Silvana MacArthur-Sawaya * Beth Polasky * Tom Brown * Arnie Bauchner and Eda Spielman * Rachael Rosner

We are working on adding more educational signage at the Farm, and we're looking for great examples to help us share information. Have you been to another farm, a park, a museum, a historic building, or somewhere else and seen a great display that effectively, creatively, and beautifully tells the story of the place or artifact you were visiting? Please snap some photos or copy their website and send this information to sue@newtoncommunityfarm.org. We appreciate your help!