The Newton Farmer
January 2022
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Dear Farm friends,
It might be quiet outside on the Farm right now, but we are busy as always, planning for the new year ahead. As you'll read in this newsletter, we have detailed information about how to apply for our popular Summer CSA program and how to register for amazing winter, spring, and summer vacation programs as well as spring classes for kids at the Farm. In addition, we are currently planning for the spring seedling sale, designing the crop layout and ordering seeds for the field, ordering equipment and supplies, and building a new greenhouse.
As we close the book on 2021, I want to thank everyone who supported us over the past year by volunteering, making donations, attending events, and purchasing produce. With your help we were able to offer sustainably-grown produce and experiential learning programs to our community, and we are so thankful to have the opportunity to do it all—and more—again in 2022. We're looking forward to the new year with you!
With gratitude,
Sue Bottino
Executive Director
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We're excited to announce the details of the NCF 2022 Summer CSA program. We expect it to run from June 1 through October 12, with the exact start date dependent on weather and other growing considerations. We offer the equivalent of 80 weekly shares of sustainably-grown, fresh vegetables and herbs, and applicants can select either an alternate weekly share with pickups every other week for $391 or a weekly share for $725. Pickups take place at the Farm on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 2–7 pm and may need to be scheduled in advance, depending on safety protocols. NCF donates unclaimed shares.
Application and Payment:
Completed forms and checks must be received at NCF (mail or drop off) by the due dates (see below) for consideration in each phase. 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, 2021. If you are not currently a Friend of the Farm, click here to make a donation. Donations are nonrefundable.
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Dates:
Phase 1a: January 24–February 6 (due date) for Returning Summer 2021 CSA Sharers
If you were a Summer CSA sharer in 2021, you will be emailed the reenrollment form for 2022 the morning of January 24.
Phase 1b: January 24–February 6 (due date) for Late Fall 2021 CSA Sharers
Late Fall 2021 CSA sharers will be enrolled after returning Summer 2021 CSA sharers if there are spaces remaining. If you were a Late Fall CSA sharer in 2021, you will be emailed the reenrollment form for 2022 the morning of January 24.
Phase 1c: February 7–February 14 (due date) for 2021 waiting-list names
NCF will contact the individuals on the 2021 Summer CSA waiting list. Interested residents will have until Sunday, February 14, to submit a completed application with payment to the farm manager.
Phase 2: February 7–February 27 (due date) for Newton Residents
The link to the enrollment form will go live on our website at 10 am on February 7. 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 who we cannot accommodate.) Please note you must be a current Friend of the Farm to apply for the CSA. Donations are not refundable. We will notify all applicants by Tuesday, March 1, as to whether or not they were selected in the lottery. Anyone who does not get in during Phase 2 may sign up for the 2022 waiting list.
Phase 3: February 28 until full for Newton Residents and General Public
If there are remaining shares available after Phase 2, we will accept applications from Newton and non-Newton residents 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 2022 program by the end of Phase 3 (or March 14, whichever comes later) may sign up for the 2022 waiting list.
NCF grows most of the produce distributed in the 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.
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Registration opens on January 17 on our website for these spring and summer education programs for kids. Preregistration is required.
February Break - Climate Change for Kids
February 21–February 25, 9:00–11:30 am for ages 7–12
$250
In a small-group setting, students will build their own weather instruments and perform experiments and demonstrations that show the important role that plants play in reducing carbon in the atmosphere, as well as design landform models to see how different weather affects a variety of landscapes. We will see how climate change affects our Farm and the surrounding land, using our space as a living laboratory for exploring the changing world around us.
April Break - Spring on the Farm
April 19–April 22 (four days), 9:00–11:30 am for ages 5–12
$200
As the weather warms up, we are excited for both new and experienced young gardeners to spend four days together, experiencing the joys of seeing new life appearing all around us. In a small group, students will prepare our Learning Garden, observe insects and other creatures emerging from their winter rest, plant seeds and seedlings, and create spring-themed garden artwork.
Spring After-School Classes
Wednesday afternoons, Session 1: March 16–April 27 (no class 4/20) and/or Session 2: May 4–June 22, 1:30–3:30 pm for ages 6–12
$280 per session (7 classes per session)
Sign up for either or both sessions of our Wednesday afternoon small-group classes where each week we will explore a different topic related to gardening, farming, and the natural world. Activities will include planting seeds, uncovering the hidden world beneath our feet, experiments and demonstrations with plants, and observing the new spring growth around the Farm.
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Summer Program
Calling all future farmers, scientists, chefs, naturalists, and gardeners! We are excited to invite children back to the Farm for a joyful summer learning experience in 2022. We are offering 2.5-hour daily classes by the week, with morning or afternoon slots available. We will explore weekly themes like life cycles, the food system, and garden creatures, as well as learn basic gardening skills. We’ll also put together a garden snack each day to enjoy together. Our small groups are taught by our experienced director of education and an assistant. Join us as we discover the boundless connections between our food, each other, and the natural world. Classes will be held primarily outside and will move into the barn if there is inclement weather.
Weekly sessions starting the week of July 5 through the week of August 29
$250 per week
9:00–11:30 am for ages 5–8, or 1:30–4:00 pm for ages 8–12
(We offer flexibility with the age groupings so please let us know if you would like to keep siblings or other peers together and we will try to accommodate requests.)
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Stop by to visit NCF's new Little Free Library®! Volunteer Dean Bottino built a sweet barn-shaped bookcase, and you'll find it on Winchester Street near the farm stand. Bring books to share and pick up new ones whenever you are passing by. We're registering the NCF library with the Little Free Library organization and dedicating it in memory of Pauline Kalman, who was a supporter of the Farm and an active volunteer at Newton Free Library well into her 90s.
"Take a book. Share a book." This is the motto of the Little Free Library nonprofit organization that inspires a love of reading, builds community, and improves book access by fostering more than 100,000 neighborhood book-exchange boxes around the world. For more information on Little Free Libraries and to search the directory for more libraries, visit https://littlefreelibrary.org.
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A Book Is Like a Garden... |
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...carried in the pocket. ~ Chinese proverb |
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Children today spend less time outside in nature than most of us probably did during our own childhoods. We tend to view that fact in a vacuum, as if there is a simple explanation for why this is, with video games, television, and phones named as the main culprits. We place the onus on kids, who are perhaps the least culpable for this concerning trend. The tired directive to “go outside” may not be an option for kids because they may feel unsafe outside or they may not live near a local park, woods, or playground, or have a yard.
In The Last Child in the Woods, author Richard Louv highlights the need for time spent in nature, and the multitude of historic and social reasons why it is increasingly difficult to come by. He unpacks the benefits nature exposure brings kids (and adults), from the social and emotional to the physical. Along the way Louv builds a case for more access to nature, through initiatives like planning cities and towns with intentional green spaces, building a robust social movement toward getting kids outside, and advocating for place-based education where students feel more connected to the world around them. If we are to cure what he calls “nature deficit disorder,” we need books like these to guide us toward a more equitable future.
NCF Director of Education Matt Durham uses this book to frame his outlook on environmental education.
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Let's learn more about each other and discover new reads through book recommendations around our common interests in farming, gardening, the environment, food, and good health. Send your review and a note to describe yourself to sue@newtoncommunityfarm.org.
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Thank you to the sponsors and grantors that supported NCF's work in 2021:
Seedling Sale: The Village Bank (premier sponsor), Baystate IT, Boston Showcase Company, Smoller Insurance Agency, Flower Power Gardens, and Amy Volk, Realtor
Produce Donation Program: Rebecca Pomroy Foundation, Cambridge Savings Bank, and Cambridge Trust
15th Anniversary Celebration: Green Newton, Massachusetts Cultural Council, and Newton Cultural Council
Education Scholarship Fund: Charles River Neighborhood Foundation
General Operating Support: Whole Foods Market and Needham Bank
Legal Support: Hirsch Roberts Weinstein
Tent Cleaning: A Tent for Rent
Paycheck Protection Program: U.S. Small Business Administration
Solar Project and Farming Equipment: Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources
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Newton Community Farm is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, EIN #20-2482452. If you would prefer to donate by mail, please send a check payable to Newton Community Farm at the address below. Don't forget to ask your employer if matching funds are available. |
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NEWTON COMMUNITY FARM
303 Nahanton Street
Newton, MA 02459
617-916-9655
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