Waltham Fields Community Farm

Mushroom Chickpea Burgers

2012-02-29T07:44:00.038-05:00

I'm always on the lookout for savory, meatless dishes that feature whole foods instead of processed meat substitutes. When I found this recipe a few weeks back, I knew I had to give it a go. Mushrooms are not only adored for their distinct texture and umami taste, but perhaps more importantly for their incredible healthfulness. The variety featured here- cremini, portobello, and shiitake - are loaded with B vitamins like riboflavin, niacin, and pantothenic acid that help maintain a healthy metabolism, in addition to minerals such as potassium, copper, manganese, phosphorus, and selenium. The chickpeas and their flour tout high levels of folate, which plays a critical role in DNA synthesis, repair, and methylation, as well as a slew of essential minerals. Serve these burgers on buns or salad greens, garnishing with your favorite condiments (I recommend a little 'kraut or pickled onions and cucumbers), cheese, or thinly-sliced veggies.

Mushroom Chickpea Burgers

Ingredients:

1 lb portobello mushrooms
1 lb cremini mushrooms
1/2 lb shiitake mushrooms
1 cup cooked chickpeas
1 1/2 cups chickpea flour (or 1 cup chickpea flour & 1/2 cup nutritional yeast)
1 cup mirepoix (equal portions diced carrots, celery, & onion)
3 tbsp tamari
1 tbsp Sriracha
1 tbsp ground cumin
1/4 cup packed soft herbs, finely chopped (tarragon and basil work well)
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil for sauteing and frying

Directions:

Remove stems from shiitakes and trim the bottom half-inch from portobellos. Dice all three mushroom varieties to a small, uniform size.

Heat a wide, heavy-bottomed sauce pan over medium heat; add 2 tbsp olive oil, followed by the mirepoix, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 4 minutes, again stirring frequently. Add the tamari and stir, then remove from heat; transfer the mixture to a large bowl and set aside.

When the mixture has cooled enough to handle, add the chickpeas, flour, cumin, and nutritional yeast, if using. Using your hands, mash the mixture until about half of the chickpeas are crushed. Fold in the Sriracha, herbs, and lemon juice; season to taste with salt and pepper.

Shape the mixture into six-oz patties. Coat the bottom of a large pan with olive oil; when the oil begins to shimmer, add a burger; cook for 3 minutes or until golden and crisp, flip, and repeat.

Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to five days.

Pairs nicely with some freshly-baked or toasted honey whole wheat rolls!

My two cents: I really enjoyed these burgers. BUT I do want to tell you that the next time I make them, I will chop up the mushrooms more (not for texture, for stickability) and be more careful to use the author's recommended amount of flour (I didn't measure and definitely did less than what was written).

Rebekah

Images by Rebekah Carter (2012). Recipe by Brian Van Etten of Veggie Galaxy via STUFF Magazine (Boston).

Muhammara

2012-02-10T07:19:00.019-05:00

Muhammara is one of those foods that upon first taste I thought to myself, "why have I NEVER had this before?!" Lightly-toasted walnuts and roasted red bell peppers are chopped, blended, and seasoned to make a bold and heart-healthy spread, sandwich-filler, or salad-topper. Smooth or chunky, you can't go wrong with this combination of flavor. If serving as a dip, garnish the bowl with pomegranate arils and fresh mint for a more elegant presentation.

Muhammara
Makes about 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

1 cup raw walnuts
1 large or 2 small red bell peppers
2 garlic garlic cloves
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tbsp pomegranate molasses (available at most Middle Eastern, natural, and whole foods stores)
1/2 tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp black pepper
salt to taste (I used 1/2 tsp)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F; toast walnuts until fragrant, about 10 minutes (they should not brown much or at all). On your stove top, roast your bell pepper over an open flame, turning every few minutes with tongs to ensure all sides become charred. Remove the bell pepper from heat and allow to cool until you are able to handle them. Use your fingers to rub and peel off the bell pepper's skin and gently rinse to remove stubborn, sticky charred bits; reserve the pepper flesh in a small bowl and discard the charred skin, stem, and seeds.

In a food processor or blender, pulse or blend all ingredients until desired texture is achieved (chunky for fillers and toppers, smooth for a dip or spread). If you are like me and don't have such equipment, simply chop the nuts (I pulse roughly chopped pieces in my coffee-grinder-turned-flaxseed-demolisher for a smooth spread), peppers, and garlic* into pieces that will yield desired texture. Combine all ingredients in a stand up mixer and blend (or vigorously stir by hand in a medium bowl) until well incorporated. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to a week.

*I love garlic, and it sure loves me back. However, I do not enjoy having the taste of raw garlic on my tongue for an entire day, which is what happens to me if I consume it raw cloves. To tone down its bite, I like to crush or slice the garlic and let it sit in the olive oil in a stainless steel measuring cup on the stove while the walnuts roast and peppers toast. After the oil warms and the garlic becomes fragrant, I discard the cloves and continue on with the recipe.

Rebekah

Images by Rebekah Carter (2012). Recipe adapted from DedeMed Mediterranean Cooking.

Roasted Eggplant Salad

2012-02-06T12:34:00.026-05:00

I've had eggplant on my mind for sometime now. Though I've written about it here and there, I most recently wanted to cook up something that involved the whole fruit (that purple skin is loaded with phytonutrients) and would be well-suited as a nutritious, on-the-go meal (warm or cold, in a wrap or pita, on some greens, etc). The following recipe satisfies these requests as well as it does a hungry belly at lunchtime.

Roasted Eggplant Salad
Makes about 4 servings

Ingredients:

2 large eggplants (about 2 pounds)
salt
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
4 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tbsp)
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 cup flat parsley leaves, roughly chopped
1/2 cup almonds, roughly chopped and toasted
2 ounces crumbled goat cheese or feta (optional)
1/4 cup finely chopped scallions

Directions:

Heat the oven to 400°F. Cut the eggplant into 1-inch cubes and put in a large bowl. Sprinkle lightly with salt and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, cider vinegar, honey, smoked paprika, and cumin. Dab away any extra water that has beaded up on the eggplant and toss with the dressing. Stir in the garlic. Spread the eggplant on a parchment-lined baking sheet and slide onto a rack placed in the center of the oven. Roast at 400°F for about 40 minutes or until very tender and slightly browned; be sure to stir one or twice to ensure the eggplant is not burning. As the eggplant roasts, chop and toast the almonds in a small pan over medium heat until they start to become slightly browned and fragrant.

Remove the eggplant from the oven and let it cool slightly. Whisk together the lemon juice and soy sauce. Return the eggplant to the bowl and toss with the lemon juice mixture. Stir in the parsley leaves, almonds, and most of the cheese, reserving a little. Spread the finished salad in a serving bowl and sprinkle the reserved cheese and scallions on top.

Rebekah

Images by Rebekah Carter (2012). This recipe was slightly adapted from the Kitchn.

Chili Sin Carne & Rustic Bread

2012-01-27T14:41:00.034-05:00

I'm not going to lie: I'm not a football fan, or a watcher of sports in general. But there is something about championship games that reels me in just about every year, especially when New England's finest are on the field. It is in these moments that I get to feel like a true New England-ah, even if I get more excitement out of analyzing the debut of top-dollar commercials than the plays making (or breaking) a home-state win.

What better to go with the Game Day of Game Days than a bowl of hot and spicy chili? It's hearty texture and robust flavor can be relished by omnivores and herbivores alike with the following recipe. Though meatless, subtle accents from cocoa and beer add a depth of flavor that is hard to resist. Serve with a fresh loaf of dense and chewy bread (fret not; it's likely the most hands-off recipe you'll ever come by) and you've got yourself two healthy and delicious homemade creations to add to your Game Day spread.

Chili Sin Carne
Serves about 6-10 (depending on portion size)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1-3 tbsp hot peppers, finely chopped (I used jalapenos)
1 tbsp dried oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp cocoa powder
2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
28 oz diced tomatoes (reserve liquid)
6-8 oz beer (I used a lager)
3 cups cooked kidney beans, drained
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans, drained
additional salt to taste
1 lime, sliced for squeezing (optional)

Directions:

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sweat onions, carrots, celery, peppers, and garlic until soft and glossy, or about 10 minutes. Add hot peppers, oregano, cumin, chili powder, paprika, coriander, cocoa, sugar, and salt, stirring to incorporate. Add tomatoes; also add about 4 cups of liquid, including the tomato water, beer, and additional water if needed. Simmer gently, uncovered over low heat, for 45 minutes. Add beans; simmer gently for an additional 30 minutes or until desired consistency is achieved. Serve immediately with slices of lime or portion into pint containers. Keep in the fridge for about a week or in the freezer for 2-3 months.

Rustic Bread
Makes 1 loaf (about 1 1/2 lb)

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour (I used a 2:1 ratio of whole wheat and white AP)
1/4 tsp active yeast
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 5/8 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F)
extra flour, cornmeal, or wheat bran for dusting

Directions:

In a large bowl combine flour, yeast, and salt. Add water and stir just until incorporated; it will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees F.

Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees F. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Rebekah

Images by Rebekah Carter (2012). Chili recipe adapted from Whole Foods. Bread recipe from Jim Lahey of Sullivan Street Bakery via the New York Times.

Garden Vegetable Soup

2012-01-21T12:21:00.029-05:00

For sometime, it seemed like Old Man Winter wasn't going to pull his usual tricks this season in eastern Massachusetts. A glance out the window today proves otherwise. Warm up your body and soul with this simple and quick tomato-based soup loaded with nutritious vegetables. It's also a great way to include any summer favorites you put up, whether canned, dried, or frozen.

Garden Vegetable Soup
Makes about 9 pints

Ingredients:
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 2 scant cups carrots, chopped into rounds
• 2 scant cups diced potatoes (I used an unpeeled Russet)
• 2 cups green beans, broken or cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 2 quarts (64 oz) chicken or vegetable stock
• 4 cups tomatoes, chopped or crushed
• 1 can tomato paste (no or low sodium)
• 2 scant cups corn kernels
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4+ tsp dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup packed, chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1-2 tsp lemon juice
• salt and herbs to taste (I used dried tarragon and basil)

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in large, heavy-bottomed stockpot over medium-low heat. Once hot, add the onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt and sweat until they begin to soften, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Add the carrots and potatoes and continue to cook for 4 to 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the stock, increase the heat to high, and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add the tomatoes, tomato paste, corn kernels, green beans*, and pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the vegetables are fork tender, approximately 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and add the parsley and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and herbs, if desired. Serve immediately or store in the fridge (about a week) or freezer (2-3 months) in pint or quart containers.

This soup can be as simple or complex as you would like. Consider additional or different veggies- whether fresh, frozen, or canned- and herbs for an individualized dish. Some particulars I had in mind were mushrooms, English peas, hearty greens like kale, collards, or even Swiss chard, reconstituted dry beans like cannellini or kidney, or winter squash.

*Unlike the original recipe, I recommend leaving out any tender green vegetables, like fresh green beans, peas, or chard, until the last five or so minutes of cooking for brighter colors and flavors.

This recipe is NOT intended for canning.

Rebekah

Image by Rebekah Carter (2012). Recipe adapted from Alton Brown's Good Eats.

Classic Marmalade

2012-01-05T14:31:00.020-05:00

'Tis the season for quality citrus. Let the distinctive aroma and taste of oranges, lemons, and grapefruits in the form of homemade marmalade whisk you away from the cold, dark days of winter in New England to memories of warmer seasons and places. The following recipe, which utilizes the whole fruit (pith, membrane, and seeds are added for the natural pectin they yield when boiled), makes for a sweet and slightly bitter preserve to spread on bread and other baked goods, stir into plain yogurt, or brush on pork, poultry, or fish as a glaze.

Classic Marmalade
Makes about 7 half-pints

4.5 lbs of citrus fruit*, whole (I used only navel oranges)
6 cups sugar
4 cups zest poaching liquid
*Should yield roughly 2.5 cups zest and 4+ cups flesh

Instructions:

Wash/scrub all fruit. Using a paring knife or vegetable peeler, remove zest from fruit, leaving as much pith on the fruit as possible. Cut the zest into thin slices, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick; longer zest "ribbons" may need to be cut in half as well. In a medium-sized pot, add zest ribbons to 6 cups of cold water; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, separate the fruit from the pith, seeds, and membrane (watch this 48-second tutorial to see how the pros do it) into two bowls. Bundle the pith, seeds, and membranes in cheesecloth, tying off tightly to ensure no pieces escape.

Drain the zest, reserving 4 cups of poaching liquid in a large, non-reactive pot (stainless steel or enameled cast iron work well). Add poached zest, raw fruit, sugar, and the cheesecloth bundle to the pot and bring to a boil; cook vigorously until the marmalade reaches and sustains 220 degrees F for at least a minute (takes about 30-45 minutes). Remove the pot from heat and gently stir for a minute to help evenly distribute the zest throughout the marmalade.

Fill sterilized jars and process for five minutes in a boiling water bath canner for shelf-stability.

Rebekah

Image by Rebekah Carter (2012). Marmalade recipe adapted from Food in Jars.

Notes from the Learning Garden: More Than Flowers

2011-12-16T14:34:00.013-05:00

This time of year more than any other I find myself most nights working on some craft or another (mostly knitting) getting ready for the holidays. Though I love the anticipation of color choices and design graphing, and the soothing motion of the knitting itself, my co-workers and family can attest to the fact that I always feel the need to share my project ideas and progress in great detail (and excited tones) as if the doing itself is not quite enough: as if the project will only come to life when shared with others.

This is why one of most wonderful things I can think of to do this time of year is to find a great group of people and spend an evening crafting together, which is exactly what we did at the felted flower workshop this past Thursday evening. There, the ideas, the progress, and the sharing all happened at once as each of the eight participants imagined and created a lovely flower from scraps of colorful wool fiber. And what amazing results! Even as I go back to my knitting basket to plug away at holiday gifts I am filled with inspiration from the creativity and warmth expressed in the workshop and I feel ready for the passing of another year and the promise of many new projects to come.

Happy holidays everyone!

Jericho

Notes from the Field: Paying Attention

2011-11-16T10:10:00.001-05:00

One of the biggest challenges of farming for me is paying attention to the quiet voices of the farm. There is an old saying that the farmers' footsteps are the best fertilizer, and it seems to me that this is both very true and very different to manifest, even when your footsteps cross and recross the farm fields many times a day.

In the heart of the growing season, when the beginning of harvest overlaps with the peak of planting and cultivating, it is easy to stop taking the time to be aware of what is happening in the fields on any level deeper than that of the task list. There is a substantial difference between knowing what needs to be done on the farm and the awareness of what is really going on out there. The way crops look in the field, for example, can tell you a great deal if you take the time to look them over carefully; their color, their shape, even the feel of their leaves, rubbed between your fingers, are all good indicators of their well-being. Similarly, the way soil opens up under a farm tool (or doesn't), or feels on the fingers, crumbles as you dig a root vegetable, or exposes hundreds of busy worms all down the length of the bed, can speak volumes about the overall health of your farm. Mysteries of plant and soil nourishment become evident; patterns emerge from what seemed to be chaos.

My agenda as a farmer at the height of the season -- get the broccoli planted, the tomatoes tied up, the tractor repaired, the pint containers restocked, the lettuce irrigated, the cucumbers fertilized -- may be very different than what the farm really needs at a given point in its seasonal evolution. Recognizing this is one thing, and it is a first step towards correcting the problem, but only a first step. A walk alone in the fields, where you silence your own clamoring voice, make yourself one big blank page and let the farm tell you its own story, can fundamentally change your perspective -- and your to-do list.

At this time of the year, the tasks that need to be accomplished are whittled down to a few, which can be accomplished in the waning hours between dawn and dusk. Now our heads are less full of the competing interests of 40 different crops, all of which always seem to be waiting for something in midsummer. It is easier in November to walk out to the field, kneel down in a two-hundred-foot bed of lettuce or carrots with a knife and a harvest crate, and let everything else go. Then the quiet voices of the farm make themselves loud and clear. As is so often the case, complete attention to one task opens your senses to all that is going on at the edges of that task. Soil, crops, hawks, voles, coyotes, even weeds -- all seem to come into new focus, some with a clear lesson for the farm, some simply present to be observed. The burnished colors of the autumn oaks seem to bring new depth to a well-known landscape.

There is another old saying, that familiarity breeds contempt. This might be true in some cases, but on the farm, it is the opposite. Familiarity in the farm fields breeds wisdom, patience, and contentment. Awareness and attention lead to knowledge, efficiency, good judgement, and gratitude. The challenge is not finding something to be thankful for; the challenge is taking the time, even in the busiest moments, to pay attention.

Enjoy the harvest,

Amanda, for Andy, Erinn, Dan, Larisa and Lauren

Notes from the Learning Garden: Thoughts and Photos

2011-10-27T15:41:00.024-04:00

Last week marked the end of our Children's Learning Garden After-School Programs for 2011. We finished up with a scavenger hunt that reminded the kids of the many activities we did throughout our six weeks together: making popcorn, planting garlic, feeding the chickens from the garden, and eating delicious carrot spread! As expected, they did an impressive job remembering all of the answers.

What fun we have had! Each of the children in our programs showed incredible creativity in all projects, such as the scarecrows that we made (above) and the musical gourds that they painted. They would even sometimes come up with elaborate expansions of games that we played and their garden knowledge was striking as we watched them identify plants from the garden on their own. And their patient fascination with gardening--we harvested marigold seeds for almost twenty-five minutes on Tuesday!--has been so much fun to watch.

In the weeks ahead it will be very quiet (and perhaps just a bit lonely) around the farm without our after-school groups running and laughing in the fields. But this past weekend's snow has reminded us that it is time to slow down, put the garden to bed, and recharge for another year.

See you next season!

Becca, Jericho, Marie, and Kristin

Notes from the Field: Autumn Harvest

2011-10-19T14:46:00.010-04:00

Last Saturday at the CSA pickup, a shareholder observed that we had all his least favorite greens at the stand. One of my dearest friends confided in me the same day that her CSA share had ended a week ago and that she was secretly grateful that she didn't have to deal with all those roots and greens. It's a thinly disguised secret that late-season CSA distributions can become an exercise in autumn challenge eating -- unfamiliar territory for many people, including families with young children like mine who eat their vegetables fine during corn-tomato-cucumber season but become very intensely carnivorous when the veggie option is kale or celeriac. And there are definitely nights when I come home from a long day at the farm, look into the fridge full of fresh organic veggies and think, in a panic, "there's nothing to EAT IN HERE!"

Autumn's harvest demands more of us than summer's. It's still easy to make a salad -- grated daikon, with grilled shrimp and an ume dressing, or a cabbage slaw -- even celeriac can be delicious grated with apples and radishes over arugula, with a vinegar-and-shallot dressing. Kale, sliced thin and massaged with a little salt, or tossed with lemon juice, can also be the basis for a delicious salad with nuts, fruit, or cheese. Wilted escarole and crisp fennel are delicious in a salad with delicate French lentils (often accompanied by grilled cheese and tomato soup in our house). And lately, I have been taking the advice of our shareholders and putting a leaf or two of chard, collard or kale in our breakfast smoothies (my eight year old has not noticed yet).

More often, especially the past week or so as the temperatures have dipped, fall veggies want to be roasted or made into soups, casseroles, or rich purees. At the cafe at the Blue Hill Coop in Maine last week, our family shared a delicious quesadilla made with a wide variety of roasted veggies (sweet potatoes, celery, cauliflower, broccoli, and winter squash were all in there), cheese, salsa and sour cream. Inspired, we tried the same thing with tacos when we got home, and they were also outstanding. This week, our dinner menus include roasted sweet potatoes and red peppers with sausage and quinoa with a side of greens in cashew curry sauce; red bean, arugula and potato soup; pizza with escarole (sauteed with garlic, then lightly sprinkled with balsamic vinegar before it's put on a white pizza); whole wheat pasta with kale, delicata squash and carbonara sauce (thanks to Naomi for this idea); a Moroccan meatball, chard, and butternut squash soup (thanks to Kim for the lamb for the meatballs) with mashed potatoes and celeriac on the side; and roast chicken with rice and mustard greens with chipotle and bacon. Lentil soup with root veggies and greens is also on the horizon, as is the simplified version of feijoada that is our favorite thing to do with collards -- sliced thin as noodles, lightly steamed and served with spicy black beans, brown rice, orange slices and optional hot sauce.

All of these meals are comfort food, but they're out of my usual dinner comfort zone. They take a little effort to imagine and bring into being, but in practice they're quick and simple, which is very important in our house. Does the eight year old eat everything? Not even close. And the toddler makes every meal an adventure, whether she's 'helping' or hindering its progress. But the rewards of an autumnal feast, whether it's a traditional root veggie puree, a light and spicy stir-fry, or a crunchy salad, are worth making the effort for for a few weeks of the year.

Enjoy the harvest,

Amanda, for Andy, Dan, Erinn, Larisa and Lauren

Notes from the Field: Solitary Blue

2011-10-13T14:06:00.024-04:00

Where I grew up in Maryland, the blue heron stalks the marshlands of the Potomac River tributaries all year long. It is considered good luck to see a solitary blue, standing tall in the marsh grass or flapping ponderously overhead on its way to a better fishing hole. Here at the farm, there are wetlands all around us, and it is not uncommon for us to see a heron, or sometimes two during the spring mating season, flying high from one wet area to another over the fields. Before this year, though, we had never seen a heron land in the fields.

Dan says that in June, he saw a heron walking between the center and the west fields. It startled him, both because it was so huge and incongruous and because it was so calm, unconcerned about his presence and clearly comfortable on the farm. It disappeared as the summer came on, replaced by the single turkey hen who made her home on the farm this summer, and by the noisy coyotes. But this fall, as the season has changed, it has returned. It walks through the pick-your-own fields, pacing up and down the rows of raspberries, pausing to spear a squeaking vole on its beak with lightning speed and gobble it down. It eyes us as we drive by in the farm truck, but does not fly away. It surprises unsuspecting people in the fields, emerging silently out of nowhere, tall as an eight-year-old, head cocked to one side with a hunting eye on the ground. Apparently, it thinks that the farm is a good place to be. Andy says it's been watching us for years as it flies over, and has finally decided that we are harmless and that it is safe here. Dan says that it is evolving before our eyes, learning to eat plump, organically grown voles instead of fish contaminated with heavy metals.

It is possibly a testament to the time of the year that we spend so much time watching the heron; each time it appears, we stop what we are doing, half-finished kale bunches in hands, and just watch for a minute or two. Or, more likely, it is a testament to the heron's power to transfix us with its deliberately unhurried movements and its silent, attentive presence. Heron symbolism in cultures around the world connects the bird with a heightened state of awareness, consciousness, or insight. Seeing the heron is a reminder that patience is a powerful tool, along with the ability to act with decision when the time is right. According to legend, the Iroquois saw the solitary blue, a keen hunter, as a sign that a hunt would be fruitful. Maybe having the blue so close at hand in the middle of this complex and challenging autumn harvest season will give us a little bit of that same patience, decision-making power, and good fortune.

The great blue heron also seen in some cultures as a symbol of the balance between solitude and community. While the heron is almost always seen alone, during mating season many birds congregate in large colonies to raise their young, coming together as a community to do the work that needs to be done. Many farmers, like herons are essentially solitary creatures. We often get into this work because it allows us some time to be alone, connected with the land that we love, with the opportunity to ponder, deliberate, reflect, absorb, meditate -- and then act. The type of farming that we do at WFCF, though, requires us to be in community almost all the time. We are so rarely alone at the farm, and the decisions we make daily impact not only ourselves and the rest of the farm crew, but the more than 500 families who connect with the land every week, eating its food, walking the farm roads, encountering their own blue heron in the rows. A significant part of our job is not only growing the food, but trying to make sure that all of these people know a little bit of its story and have their own chance to reflect and meditate on that story. The food access and education work that we do connects the farm and its farmers even more solidly to the community, drawing in more people to do the work and more people to take in the results. Each week part of my responsibilities as farm manager is sitting in a staff meeting with our executive director, Claire, and education coordinator, Jericho, to make sure all these gears are intersecting the way that they should. The farm from spring through fall is in what seems like an extended nesting season; noisy, changeable, messy, and fruitful, all in the context of community. It's not until these October breezes start to blow and the leaves begin to flutter down that we can lift our heads, take a moment to observe our own heightened state of consciousness, and begin the long series of reflections that take us deep into the winter.

"Our" solitary blue seems to be a relatively social animal, for a heron. While it has not (yet) braved the bustling scene of a CSA pickup, it is not afraid of the farmers or the occasional shareholder. It seems able to make the time and space for its deliberations in the midst of this busy place, and to feel comfortable with the its public nature. It is also unusual in that until now, I have never seen a blue heron without its legs in the water. Those legs are thin, fragile looking, seemingly not strong enough to support the weight of the massive bird. They are graceful as it walks, stepping daintily over the grass, and aerodynamic in flight, but gawky as it takes off, dangling below like awkward landing gear until the big bird is in the air. Some folks say that these willowy legs represent the fact that you don't need massive pillars of stability to support you -- sometimes slim shafts, and a little grace, are enough, even if they seem a little awkward in times of transition. I like to think about this when I get anxious about all the things we don't have control over on the farm -- the vagaries of the weather, the long-term future of the land we don't own, the larger picture of the shifting climate. With a few slim but strong connections, we will be alright. Thanks to all of you who have been those connections for us this season.

Amanda, for Erinn, Dan, Andy, Larisa and Lauren

Interested in trying some
Waltham Fields Community Farm produce?
Make a reservation today for our
Farm Benefit Dinner
at Kitchen on Common in Belmont!

Sugar and Spice

2011-10-08T06:48:00.026-04:00

Though we're positioned for a markedly-warm and lovely Columbus Day weekend, the past week has reacquainted New Englanders with that distinctive autumn nip. Chilly days and nights beg for the sweet and spiced flavors of fall, often found in the form of cider, pies, breads, and roasts. Below are two healthy recipes to help you kick off the end of the harvest season: an easy baked squash seasoned with cinnamon and nutmeg and a pumpkin seed granola sweetened with honey.

Simple Spiced
Winter Squash
Makes 2-4 servings

Ingredients:

2 Delicata squash
1+ tbsp oil (I used walnut)
1+ tbsp pure maple syrup
cinnamon
nutmeg
salt to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Wash, peel, and cut squash lengthwise in half; remove seeds, cut into chunks about 1 inch wide, and place in a large bowl. Drizzle oil and syrup over the squash and toss to evenly coat (add more oil or syrup if needed, but be warned: this squash is naturally sweet). Transfer to a baking dish and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon, a touch of nutmeg, and salt. Bake until tender, about 20-30 minutes.

Honey-touched Granola
Makes about 6 cups

Ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats
1 cup almonds, raw and roughly chopped
1 cup pumpkin seeds, raw
1/2 cup sunflower seeds, raw
3/4 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
2 tbsp oil (I used walnut)
1/3+ cup honey & maple syrup (I recommend a 1:1 ratio)
1/4+ cup flax seeds, raw
salt to taste (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a baking dish or pan, toast oats for about 15 minutes, stirring halfway. In a small bowl, whisk together honey and oil to make a thick mixture. Add almonds, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, coconut, and salt to the oats and stir to combine. Drizzle honey-oil mixture over granola and stir well to evenly coat all ingredients. Bake until top and edges of granola begin to turn golden brown, about 15-20 minutes (granola will still be somewhat tacky); stir once or twice during cooking. Add flax seeds upon removing the dish from the oven or during the last five or so minutes of cooking as they burn easily. Allow granola to thoroughly cool before placing in a glass or plastic container for storage.

Want some more fall food ideas? Click here to see posts from last October, including a simple recipe for Baked Apples!

Rebekah

Images by Rebekah Carter (2011).

Notes from the Learning Garden: Fall After-School Begins

2011-10-05T14:53:00.013-04:00

With the onset of fall, WFCF has started up its Children's Learning Garden After-School Programs. With kids K - 5, we have been working to harvest tomatoes, squash, carrots, and raspberries, and last week we planted garlic bulbs to grow through the winter. We have also been learning about how farming changes with the seasons, when to plant or harvest certain vegetables, and how many of the things that we use everyday come from a farm. Yesterday, we took a tour of the farm in a downpour, an activity which led to more than one shout of, "I love the rain!", and lots of boots splashing through mud puddles.

And of course we have been snacking: we sampled squash, basil, and tomato salad, fresh watermelon, and garlic spread—not to mention some delicious purslane, a weed that was growing in our carrot beds. Some snacks have been bigger hits than others, but everyone loved the tomato and garlic, and, of course, the watermelon. One or two kids even got excited about washing dishes afterward!

We ended last week’s class playing The Risky Life of a Seed — a game that teaches participants to identify all of the things that seeds need to grow: space, air, water, soil, and sunlight. Each player is assigned to one of these requirements and, after running around for a few minutes, the players form three groups, each of which represents a seed. At this point, everyone reveals their identity and the group evaluates whether or not their seed has everything it needs to grow into a healthy plant.

It didn’t take long for our after-school program participants to figure out that if they just formed one big group, they could greatly increase their chances of getting all the things they needed for their seed to prosper. It was striking how quickly this knowledge of the benefits of teamwork came to them; and even as a counselor, I couldn’t help but feel the excitement and sense of community that descended upon the players when their seed made it. Teamwork is always important, not just in the risky life of a seed, and it is certainly integral to making a farm run smoothly. Hopefully as the program progresses, as we harvest more vegetables, weed more purslane, and eat more snacks, we will also discover a few more of the many lessons that farm work has to teach us.

-Becca, for the Learning Garden Staff

Notes from the Field: Balance

2011-09-28T14:57:00.006-04:00

The solstice is all about extremes: light and dark, summer and winter, growth and hibernation. The equinox, which passed last week, is a completely different creature -- especially, I think, if you happen to be a vegetable farmer. In spring and fall, daylight on the equinox is the equal of dark; these are the balance points on what the New England nature writer Hal Borland called "the wheel of the year", and each holds the memory of the season that is ending as well as the seeds of the one to come. In spring, the muddy equinox often comes with reddening maples, yellowing willows, the call of a red-winged blackbird along the river. While most people venture outside for the first time in a while and rejoice that winter is giving way to spring, we farmers have more mixed feelings about that moment in the year. For us, the rest, peace, and potential of the winter becomes reality, anxiety, urgency, and unpredictability in the spring; while we are also glad for the lengthening daylight and the melting snow, the spring equinox is a clarion call to action that shakes us from our dreamy winter state.

The autumn equinox is similar for us. Even though it comes as New England becomes its most beautiful self for a short time, many people feel a little melancholy at the beginning of autumn; it signals the turning from summer's ease to the daily challenges of winter. Even the call of the geese heading south can sound lonely as the sunsets creep earlier and the nights bring a familiar chill. On the farm, though, that sense of melancholy is balanced by the awareness of fruition and completion, the knowledge that the coming of autumn marks the turning point for us from frenetic energy to a more measured pace, a chance to slow down, sum up, and take stock of the results of the season's work.

There's still plenty to do on the farm. We're in the middle of a long, slow sweet potato harvest, as well as a big cover cropping push, which is made much easier this year by the biodegradable plastic we used under many crops -- it can be turned in with the tractor instead of pulled out by hand, so it is a huge time and labor saver as well as being MUCH less plastic in the landfill. Our harvests continue five days a week until the end of October, but now they are interspersed with the end of the season work -- cleaning up, pulling stakes, mowing and disking and seeding cover crop, and watching the land slowly return to what I like to think of as its "Big Sky" winter look. We know that our good friend and work sharer Naomi's freezer is getting full of her preserved vegetables from the farm and her own garden -- so bring on the fall.

This has been a funny growing season, for us as well as for some other growers. We were fortunate to avoid the worst of the rain from Hurricane Irene and the other wicked late-summer storms, but we got our fair share of water nonetheless, and it had an impact on us. A shortened tomato, okra, and melon season, less pepper ripening and hot pepper production, washed-out fertility that means many crops have seemed to come to a standstill in the fields -- all of these are results of cool weather and lots of rain. As we've said before, this unpredictable weather seems to be the new normal, something that we vegetable growers are going to have to learn to live with over the next ten or twenty years. Resilience, adaptability, and flexibility in the face of failure seem to be becoming some of the most important traits of a successful farm operation. The equinox, that balance point, often brings us a sense of enduring gratitude, even when we can still feel the season's work in our bones and our backs.

There is also the enduring lesson that fruition is a close relative of decay, that all we do breaks down and passes away -- sometimes in rich leaf mold, sometimes in smelly rotten pepper and tomatoes. The harvest is close to the compost pile. The end is sown with the seed. We grieve as we celebrate, reap as we mourn, all in the balancing season.

Enjoy the harvest,

-Amanda, Andy, Erinn, Dan, Larisa and Lauren

Notes from the Field: Cover Crops

2011-09-13T15:11:00.008-04:00

As much as we love the edible fruits of our labors, some of the most satisfying crops we grow are ones that we don't harvest. A key part of organic farming, at least in our non-governmentally-approved definition, is the building of soil. In our minds, this means creating a resilient and healthy ecosystem filled with micro-organisms from insects and worms to bacteria and fungi, with a physical structure and chemical balance that supports crops as they take root quickly, grow vigorously, and become a robust plant that tastes delicious and yields well. In the rest of our bodies - well, you can just tell when the soil is good. Digging sweet potatoes last week, we were overjoyed by the dark, crumbly, rich texture, easy to sink a fork into and filled with earthworms. In the broccoli field near the CSA shed, the dark blue color of the plants is an indicator of their vitality. In the very dry days of midsummer, though, the soil seems to lose structure, and plants don't take off the same way; we have significant disease issues in several of our crop families; and there are 'trouble spots' in some of the fields where plants act different, remaining small and spindly despite getting the same treatment as their companions in other rows. We have a ways to go before our soil is exactly the way we want it.

One of the ways that we work to leave our soil better than we found it - a tall order, since it is inherently prime agricultural land -- is by planting cover crops, sometimes also called 'green manures'. These are crops that grow in the fields when we don't have cash crops there, and while all are key soil builders, keeping the soil in place and adding organic matter when they are turned back in, some have specific jobs to do. In the early spring for the past few years, we have planted field peas on land that doesn't need to get planted into vegetables until late May or June. Peas are great nitrogen fixers, capturing nitrogen from the atmosphere and converting it to a form that is useable for crop plants that follow them; this means we can reduce the amount of fertilizer we apply to those crops when they do go into the ground. Peas also disappear quickly when we turn them into warm late-spring soil, so they are great early season green manures.

This year, on the recommendation of the wise farmers at Roxbury Farm, we tried an early season mix of peas, oats, and bell beans -- a kind of small fava bean -- before some of our fall broccoli and cauliflower. The beans and peas are both nitrogen fixers, and the oats, which come up quickly, are a 'nurse crop' grain, adding organic matter and bringing up minerals from the soil. We seeded this cover crop in April, turned it in with the tractor in mid-June, and planted the brassica crops in July. The result, with a little help from some alfalfa meal and kelp meal, is the beautiful blue-green field beyond the CSA shed -- the plants there are big and strong and healthy, despite being planted in the midst of the dry weather back in the middle of the summer. They are maturing quickly, each variety in its own time, the way we like them to, and are not succumbing to any of the many diseases or pests that can sometimes plague their family at this time of year. It's interesting to compare that field with the one behind the plum tomatoes, which also has broccoli and cauliflower in it, but following a cash crop of snap and snow peas rather than the cover crop mix. These were also planted about two weeks later, so they are smaller for a reason; we'll see what the final harvest and disease picture looks like, but the initial results of our highly unscientific experiment in cover crop management are positive.

At this time of year, we start seeding cover crop combinations on all the land where the vegetable crops are finishing up for the season. We generally try to plant pairs of crops, including a legume to fix nitrogen (which is otherwise a very mobile nutrient that is easily lost to the atmosphere or groundwater) and a grain to hold the soil in place over the winter, collect minerals, and add organic matter when they are incorporated. From the beginning of August through the beginning of September, if we have any space that we're not immediately re-planting with fall greens, we like to seed oats and field peas. These two crops grow through the fall and then 'winter kill' in our climate, forming a beautiful golden mat that is very easy to turn in in the spring, perfect for early crops like beets and carrots. After about the second week of September, oats and peas probably don't have enough time to put on good growth in the fall, so we seed a second cover crop pair, rye and hairy vetch. In this pair, vetch is the legume and rye the grain. Vetch, rumored to be a more efficient nitrogen fixer than peas, is also a good weed suppressor and soil conditioner -- but it is slow to establish and needs the 'nursing' of the rye to help bring it along. Both of these crops will survive the winter in Massachusetts and resume growing in the spring -- sometimes too vigorously, if we don't keep an eye on them! We sometimes mow them right when the vetch begins to flower (usually in May) and then turn them in with a moldboard plow or disk harrow before making beds for our crops.

If you walk around the farm at this time of year, you'll see it all: crops right at the peak of their growth, like the broccoli; crops that are finished, like the tomatoes; crops that have already been turned in, like the crops in our around-the-corner field just beyond the treeline. If you look carefully, you can see the delicate spears of the oats and the curly tops of the peas just coming up in the furrows where the disk harrow scratches them in. They are especially beautiful in the early morning when they carry a heavy blanket of dew. To me, the sight of these crops feels deeply right -- it means that we were able to get our crop out, get the weeds turned under (weeds, by the way, should not be underestimated as cover crops in their own right, although sometimes they can host pests or diseases that can have a negative effect on the following crop), and get the cover crop planted -- a 'thank-you' to the soil, and a way to help prepare the fields for the season to come.

Enjoy the harvest!

- Amanda, Andy, Erinn, Dan, Larisa and Lauren

Notes from the Learning Garden: From One Season to the Next

2011-09-09T14:59:00.002-04:00

Summer programs have come to an end here at the farm, which gives me a little time to reflect before we launch into our fall season of programs, events and happenings at Waltham Fields Community Farm.

For many years now, WFCF has been working with the Waltha m Recreation D epartment to offer after-school and summer programs for area youth. In August we held two of these programs which were 4 mornings each for children who will be entering 1st-3rd grade in the fall. From exclamations of "This is more fun than fencing!" (yes, the one with swords) while harvesting basil, to the image of children sitting on a blanket in the shade singing "The Garden Song" this was a truly memorable experience for all (adults and kids alike).

This year for the first time we also offered a full day program for children ages 9 to 12 which we called our "Farmer For A Week" program. Participants got to delve a little bit deeper into farming and food preparation than those in our other programs with activities such as jam-making, chicken chores, working with the farm weed crew, pickling, and planning out their dream garden using a multitude of seed catalogs from our farm bookshelves. They ended the week by putting together boxes of vegetables, herbs, pickles, and jam to take home and share with their families.

Farmer For A Week Plum-Raspberry Jam

Ingredients:
1 lb Plum, washed, pitted, and chopped finely
3 lbs Raspberries, mashed
1/4 C Water
3 lbs Sugar
2 T Lemon Juice

Directions:
-Place chopped fruit and water in a preserving pan, soup pot, or other large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium to medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.
-Add sugar and stir until dissolved.
-Return to boil and continue boiling until temperature reaches 210F, stirring occasionally to make sure jam is not sticking or burning.
-Add lemon juice and continue boiling to bring temperature back to between 210F and 220F
-Do a test to see if you jam has gelled. The best thing to try is put a little bit of your jam on a plate and stick it in the freezer or fridge for a minute or two to cool it down. When cook, it should have a slightly thicker gel-like consistency. When that happens, it is a good indication that the pectin is activated and it is time to put your jam into jars and process them in your water bath canner!

Farmer For A Week Harvest Box

As the education staff was setting up for the last day of our final summer program a few weeks ago we couldn't help but comment on the speed at which summer rushed past yet again. Lately, I feel as though this has become a mantra for me: "I can't believe the month is over already", "I can't believe the next season is almost here". I suppose as we get older each section of time becomes a smaller percentage of our lives and thus seems to pass by much more quickly. I remember when an hour seemed like a lifetime and as I watch the kids playing in the garden, chopping veggies, or looking at worms I try to put myself back in that mindset and hope that the few hours that they spend with us feels long enough and meaningful enough to stay in their hearts and minds at least until their next visit, next program, or perhaps just their next meal.

Happy gardening,

- Jericho

Fall after-school programs for children in grades K-5 start September 20th! Sign your child up today for six weeks of gardening, cooking, composting, and just generally enjoying the wonders of fall on the farm!

Images by Rebekah Carter (2011).

Red Lentils and Cabbage

2011-09-08T13:38:00.012-04:00

All this soggy weather paired with cooler temperatures sure has my body and mind preparing for the arrival of autumn. Salads and crudités were summer mealtime staples, but it's time to transition back to warmer fare. With a large head of Napa in the fridge, a lone tomato on the counter, and plenty of lentils in the cupboard, this slightly sweet and spicy dish was practically calling my name.
Serve it with rice or naan and enjoy.

Red Lentils and Cabbage

Makes 4-6 side servings

Ingredients:

1 1/4 c red lentils
5 c water
1 tsp curry powder
4 tbsp cooking oil (I used walnut)
1 tsp cumin seeds
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, sliced thin
about 3/4-1 lb cabbage, shredded or sliced thin (I used Napa)
1-2 hot peppers, sliced thin (optional)
1 medium tomato, diced
1/2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
salt to taste
fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Place water and lentils in a medium to large pot and bring to a boil; remove foam floating on the water surface. Add the curry powder and stir; cover, leaving the lid slightly ajar, and turn the heat down to low. Gently simmer lentils for about an hour; be sure to occasionally stir them during the last 30 minutes so they do not stick to the bottom of the pot.

When the lentils are almost done cooking, add the ginger and tomato to the pot; stir well and cover. In a large pan or pot over medium heat, add the cooking oil. When hot, add the cumin seeds and gently toast them for about half a minute. Add the garlic; as the pieces begin to brown, add the onions, peppers, and cabbage, stirring to incorporate all ingredients. Turn up the heat slightly and stir fry the mixture for several minutes. Add the lentils to the cabbage mixture; simmer another 2-3 minutes. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired.

Rebekah

Image by Rebekah Carter (2011). Recipe adapted from Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking via smitten kitchen.

Notes From The Field: Second Verse...

2011-08-30T17:43:00.004-04:00

... same as the first. It's a favorite saying of Andy's, and it perfectly captures the rhythm that we fall into at this time of the year. Mondays, harvest squash, cucumbers, peppers, eggplant and tomatoes. Beets and carrots if we're lucky. Maybe some melons. Scramble to get some beds made so we can plant some more lettuce and other greens. Tuesdays, harvest lettuce, chard, kale, collards, other greens, and anything else we didn't get to on Monday. Pick tomatoes. Scramble to get some things planted in the beds we made the day before. CSA pickup and outreach market. Wednesdays, back to harvesting Monday's crops. Pick tomatoes. Take a break to harvest some melons. Think about doing something besides harvesting. Cultivate. Thursdays, back to harvesting Tuesday's crops. Pick tomatoes. CSA pick up. Fridays, harvest everything. Pick tomatoes. Talk about how to harvest sweet potatoes. Saturday, CSA pickup. Don't harvest anything (except sometimes tomatoes). Try to tie up loose ends so the farm can rest for a day before it all begins again.

This rhythm is alternately comforting and maddening, depending on the day and your mindset at the time. It is deeply reassuring to have cucumber and tomatoes that need to be harvested on a regular basis. At the same time, if you have any resistance to bending over in the same position you've been in for ten weeks, reaching into the spiny branches of the squash plants with an arm still engraved with angry-looking scratches from two days ago, filling buckets and trays again and again and carrying them down to the end of the row while mosquitoes buzz around your ears and neck and the sun grows stronger -- then it can take an effort of will to begin again each week and each day as the season lengthens into maturity. Some say if you repeat a task 10,000 times, you master that task. My son was trying to do this with catching a baseball earlier this summer; his friend was practicing scales on the piano. If picking cucumbers can be put into this category,we have become virtuosos by late August.

When this rhythm is interrupted, as it was last week with the approach of Hurricane Irene, it takes us a little while to figure out how to do something else. With our hand in the glove or our fingers on the keys, our arm sunk deep in that spiny squash, our minds can sometimes go on autopilot, drift into an alternate consciousness that makes it difficult to get out of the deep groove the repetition has worn into our minds. Last week, after a flurry of indecision, we decided to put some seasonal projects temporarily on hold and sink a significant amount of energy into storm preparation. Beginning Wednesday afternoon, we seeded and transplanted in every available bed on the farm, trying to get spinach, arugula, lettuce, braising greens, Dan and Erinn, with the help of some volunteers, took the plastic off of our old and unpredictable hoophouse. We picked all of our pumpkins and stored them with the onions, shallots and garlic in the smaller of our two greenhouses. With the help of a group from the BU School of Management, we harvested and sorted 2,000 pounds of tomatoes in two hours and stored those in the greenhouse as well. We battened down the hatches, storing anything that seemed like it might fly away, buttoned up the greenhouses, and went home to wait.

Along with much of north Waltham, the farm lost power for a few hours on Sunday morning. According to our rain gauge, about 3.5 inches of rain fell between Saturday afternoon and Monday morning. The winds were strong enough to knock our hot peppers around, but most everything else on the farm looked fairly normal by Monday morning; there was no standing water in the fields, only a few shingles off the gray shed roof, and both greenhouses and our little green shed were undamaged. Early in the morning, we took all the harvest crates and wash station bins out of the walk-in cooler where we had stored them and put them all back where they belonged. We opened the greenhouses back up and put all the pick-your-own signs back in the field. We took a little walk around to make sure there were still crops in the ground to harvest. And then it was time to pick the squash again.

Enjoy the harvest!

-Amanda, Andy, Erinn, Dan, Larisa and Lauren

Pan-fried Eggplant with Basil

2011-08-25T12:52:00.003-04:00

I can't say I'm new to the joys of eggplant. Eggplant parm, baba ghanoush, dressed and grilled, I love it all. I can say it was only recently that I discovered how wonderfully the purple-skinned vegetable pairs with basil in an Asian-style sauce. Simple and fragrant, the following recipe is not only easy to prepare, but is also a great way to use up a bunch of those fresh veggies from your local farmers market, CSA, or home garden.

Pan-fried
Eggplant with Basil

makes about 4 servings

Ingredients:

3 medium-sized Chinese eggplants, halved and chopped into 1"-1.5" pieces or 12-16 small eggplant ("Fairy Tale"), halved
2 large bell peppers, sliced into thin strips
1 medium onion, cut into large pieces
3 Thai or serrano chiles, sliced thin
3 tbsp garlic, minced or sliced thin
1/2 c Thai basil leaves, roughly chopped
4 tbsp medium to high-heat oil (I used walnut)

Sauce:

2-3 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1-2 tbsp sugar
3/4 cup warm water

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine all sauce ingredients, stirring until sugar dissolves; set aside.

In a large pan over medium-high heat, add 2 tbsp of oil. When hot, carefully add eggplant pieces; fry for about 2 minutes, or until they just begin to brown or soften. Remove from pan. Add 1 tbsp oil and onions; cook for about 2 minutes or until soft and glossy. Remove from pan. Add the remaining 2 tbsp oil, garlic, and hot peppers; cook until garlic begins to turn golden, stirring frequently to avoid burning. Add bell pepper and onions; cook for about 30 seconds, stirring frequently. Add eggplant and toss or gently stir to combine all ingredients. Pour in the sauce and stir to ensure even coating; cook for another minute or so, until the sauce thickens a bit. Throw in your basil and cook another 30 seconds; turn off heat and serve immediately.

My Two Cents:

Make this side dish a meal by adding rice and green vegetables; kale or Asian greens sauteed with garlic and oil, or spicy garlic green beans are recommended. Go the extra mile and make it a three-course dinner by serving some overnight pickled cabbage with peanuts as an appetizer and some fresh fruit (melon season has arrived, wink wink) for dessert.

This dish is SO close to being vegan. If you are looking to make it completely free of animal products, try out this recipe for faux fish sauce featuring ingredients such as seaweed and shiitake mushrooms, which create an umami (pronounced "oo-mah-mee;" meaning a pleasant savory taste) quality similiar to that imparted by actual fish sauce.

Rebekah

Images by Rebekah Carter (2011). Eggplant recipe adapted from Epicurious.

Notes From The Field: Order From Chaos

2011-08-23T10:28:00.010-04:00

Order from chaos. That's what we do. At least that's what we attempt to do on a daily basis. (This is an uphill climb.) We take a field and cut it into small squares and say "you here...and you here...and you here". We cut those squares into even smaller component parts and assume that the soil will understand that it is now blocks of crops and beds and rows and we coax and plan and design strategies for each species and cross our fingers and hope against hope. We try to be attentive to the wants and desires of the plants, to be respectful of their nutritive needs and environmental preferences. We prepare what we can best imagine to be a lovely place for each plant to be and try with all of our powers to keep it that way.

We kill small weeds with tractors. We confuse insects. We hide plants from insects under covers and clay masks. We kill insects. We kill medium size weeds with hand tools. We curse insects. We inspect for disease, treat disease, curse disease. We pull large weeds by hand with help from anyone we can find. We plant successions to hedge against the conspiratorial force of chaos that lurks in the wings the second that we sow seeds in the greenhouse in the spring. We curse weeds. We sometimes wonder why we do this. We laugh with volunteers as we weed beds for the second and third times and remember why we do this.

We harvest, and I'd be lying if I told you that it didn't stun me every year, the beauty of the bounty and its colors and smells and volume and force. The fields that we've spent the last year planning so precisely, each square inch in such high demand, in places now a near perfect reflection of how it looked on paper with other spots handed over to a roiling madness of green and fruit. Some plants that were planned for, some plants interlopers, having escaped the steely edge, careful hands and watchful eyes of our crew. We haul it in, clean it up, eat some of it quickly and send the vast majority on its way. To the CSA distribution, the Outreach Market, The Salvation Army, Food For Free, our education programs. Out into the world to nourish and bring joy to people in our community. Chaos held at bay long enough to sneak the harvest out of the fields one more time, encroaching again now as we head into the depths of August and the angle of light begins to change and we start to scheme about better ways to do things next year.

We're through the halfway mark and our greenhouse seeding is done for the year. We've begun our final big wave of transplanting for the summer. This is the time in each season when things may come into focus briefly and one may be able to see the season's start, middle and coming end all at once. It's a time for a deep breath and a summoning of energy to begin the march through August into September, reining in the wildness that summer brings for a few more months.

--------------

I would like to take a few lines here to humbly thank our 2011 Weed Crew from the bottom of my heart for 12 weeks of stalwart service and almost unimaginable high spirits. This is their last week here and to say simply that they will be missed would be disrespectful. The crops that would not have been harvested without their help are too many to list. They were indispensable

and the most joyful bunch of weeders I've ever come across. Laura, Rachel, Shira, Courtney, Jess, Sam, often Joanna-we can't thank you enough.

And thank you as well to the many volunteers who worked beside them this summer.

Enjoy the harvest!

-Dan for Amanda, Andy, Erinn, Larisa and Lauren

Hot and Spicy Garlic Green Beans

2011-08-20T07:30:00.014-04:00

You really know summer's end is near when it's 7pm and you're scrambling to get your recipe du jour cooked up and photographed in what remains of the natural light coming through your kitchen window. Not so long ago, 7 pm offered more than the cool, blue tones I was able to capture in this picture of delicious sauteed green beans. Limited light aside, this side dish (or meal if you're anything like me after a long day of work) is so easy to throw together and extremely open to personal touches. Throw in a handful of nuts or seeds: peanuts, cashews, walnuts, sesame... yum! Got mushrooms? Slice 'em up and add them, too. Use soy sauce or salt. Apple cider, white, or rice vinegar... they all work! Absolutely love cilantro? Give some a rough chop and sprinkle it on right before serving. Just be sure to add the four base ingredients: fresh garlic, green beans, oil, and red pepper flake.

Make the most of those tender summer crops while they're still coming in!

Hot and Spicy
Garlic Green Beans
makes 2 sides or 1 meal portion

Ingredients:

1 pint green beans, stems removed
1 tbsp cooking oil (I used walnut oil)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced or sliced thin
2 tbsp vinegar
soy sauce or salt to taste
red pepper flake to taste
mushrooms, fresh herbs, nuts, or seeds (optional)

Directions:

In a pan over medium-low heat, cook garlic in oil until golden brown. Turn up the heat to medium-high and add the remaining ingredients; toss often to evenly coat the beans with sauce and to avoid burning the garlic. Cook 2-3 minutes or just until the beans are slightly tender. Serve immediately. Goes well with rice!

Rebekah

Image by Rebekah Carter (2011).

Notes From The Field: Tomatoes

2011-08-16T08:24:00.002-04:00

It's difficult to write about anything but tomatoes these days on the farm. We have faced 200 foot row upon 200 foot row, day after day this week, somehow thinking that each pick might just be a bit smaller than the previous monumental one. Gazing down a row of hundreds of pounds of ripe Taxi tomatoes, sustaining energy and motivation through the harvest becomes a psychological game. We find ourselves talking to the tomato plants, puffing ourselves up, letting them know who's boss and that they can't intimidate us with their pound upon delicate
pound of ripe fruit. I made the naïve mistake of mentioning the possibility of not picking tomatoes for one day and dashed way too many false hopes when we did indeed find our thumbs and index fingers thick with tomato sap later that afternoon.

Don't get me wrong, I love the convenience of a tomato in the kitchen. Practically no stovetop or oven is needed this time of year and meals appear almost instantly in my house with a few tomatoes, fresh herbs and a little olive oil. Farmers' lunches during tomato season here tend to be very similar variations on the same convenient tomato-centric idea. Andy has his favorite lettuce, tomato and mayo sandwich, Dan a more classic BLT, and Amanda will often be found happy with a knife, a wedge of gouda and a tomato in hand. Larisa has taken George Foreman grilling (our lunchtime savior) to a new level, throwing a mix of tomato, egg and kale on it for a killer sandwich. So we love tomato season. But we'd also love to feel like we had time to do something other than pick, sort, weigh and organize them.

Speaking of convenience, the onions conveniently decided that they were also ready to come out of the fields this past week. We wanted to be sure to get them out of the ground once their tops had fallen but before all the leaves have dried brown. With the rain predicted for early this week, we knew that the pressure was on to get them out while they were still dry. So we found ourselves racing to get through tomato harvests in order to have a few hours a day by the end of the week to head over to our Lyman fields to pull onions. Then lug them pack to our curing shed (aka greenhouse with a shade cloth over it), and lay out each and every onion across stackable trays and mesh table tops.

In the midst of this bulk harvest frenzy, we still managed to have one of those dreamy farm days on Friday when small crews break off for special projects, tackling and completing multiple tasks simultaneously. There are few things better than this. The weed crew got through a massive hand weeding project, tearing through our West field of fall Brussels sprouts, napa cabbage and collards. Check. After morning harvest and lunch, the last two beds of tomatoes got picked. Check. Andy, Andy and Rachel headed to the Lyman fields to harvest the last of the onions. Check. Dan and Larisa hummed along in tandem on the Super A tractors getting some control over the newest weed flush in our fall cauliflower, broccoli, kale and cabbages. Check. Lauren and I got caught up on greenhouse seeding. Check. To top it all off, Amanda and her family left for a well deserved vacation that day. Double check. A day like that after a week like that wouldn't have been possible without the head-down work ethic of the entire farm crew. As we approach the week ten halfway point of the summer CSA, it feels like an appropriate time to once again thank everyone working so hard on this farm, in recognition of all of the pulling, heaving, lugging, sorting, weighing and stacking and in gratitude for that dreamy Friday.

Enjoy the harvest!

- Erinn, for Amanda, Andy, Dan, Larisa and Lauren

Don't husk that corn (yet)! And other grilled vegetables.

2011-08-12T07:09:00.051-04:00

Whether during your workweek, weekend, or vacation, grilled vegetables are a summer treat to be enjoyed into the crisp days of autumn. If the simple elegance of brown grill marks aren't enough to convince you, the ease of preparation- chop, whisk, brush, grill, serve- should be adequate reason to try your hand at cooking vegetables, including unlikely candidates such as sweet corn and Swiss chard, over the flames. Below is a classic combination of vinegar, oil, fresh herbs, and spices to try out during your next outdoor cooking adventure. Though I've given approximate measurements for ingredients, this recipe is quite flexible; I encourage you to experiment with the myriad flavors available this time of year in New England. If you've discovered a winning combination, share it with our farm friends on our Facebook page.

Grilled Summer Vegetable Dressing
Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients:

1/4+ cup vinegar (apple cider or balsamic work well)
3/4 cup olive oil
1-3 cloves garlic, minced (depending on preference)
2-3 tbsp fresh herbs, chopped fine (i.e. basil, parsley, oregano, marjoram)
1/2 tsp paprika
1-2 tbsp maple syrup (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions for Grilling Veggies:

Slice summer vegetables, such as green onions, eggplant, zucchini, summer squash, carrots, tomatoes, and bell peppers, in half, lengthwise; larger squashes and onions can be sliced again in halves or thirds, as seen fit. Whisk together all dressing ingredients; brush generously onto the vegetables. Grill dressed vegetables over medium to medium-high heat until tender, about 2-4 minutes; flip halfway through cooking. Season with additional salt and pepper, if desired; serve hot or cold.

Grilling Sweet Corn

Carefully pull back husk leaves without detaching them from the stem; replace leaves so that the kernels are once again covered. Silk-side up, hold individual ears under cold running water for several seconds. Grill over medium-high heat for several minutes until husks are browned or blackened, turning throughout for even cooking. Remove husks and season as desired; serve hot.

Grilling Swiss Chard and Kale

Using either the dressing described above or simply a high-quality olive oil, brush or rub the oil onto the greens and sprinkle with salt; grill leaves over medium heat until wilted with crisp edges, about 1-2 minutes; turn greens halfway through cooking. Serve immediately.

Are grilled vegetables healthy?

There is some confusion about the healthfulness of grilling various foods. Rest assured, grilling is a safe and healthy method for cooking your favorite summer fruits and vegetables. Unlike meats, plants lack creatine, an organic acid found in muscle, that combines with sugars naturally present in flesh that form carcinogenic compounds called heterocyclic amines (HCAs) when cooked at high temperatures. More HCAs are formed during grilling compared to other cooking methods due to the tendency to grill meats over high heat for long periods of time. Fat drippings on the grill also create carcinogenic compounds known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that stick to food surfaces as they are cooked. Marinating meats, cooking at lower temperatures, and preventing flare-ups from fat drippings can greatly reduce your exposure to these potentially harmful compounds when grilling meat.

Rebekah

Images by Rebekah Carter (2011). Information on the healthfulness of grilled foods referenced from The Cancer Project, The Washington Post, and Consumer Reports.

Notes from the Field: One Thousand Pounds...

2011-08-09T11:42:00.005-04:00

... of tomatoes. That's what we picked last Friday. Yellow 'Taxi', 'Orange Blossom', 'Japanese Black Trifele', 'Pruden's Purple', 'Paul Robeson', 'Jet Star', 'Early Girl', 'Cherokee Purple'... the beautiful names, colors and flavors of one of our favorite harvests of the year rolled in all afternoon. It sounds like a cliche, but there's nothing quite like a ripe tomato in August.

... of watermelons. That's about what the coyotes have eaten this week. They began this disturbing behavior last year when it was so dry and they were thirsty. They may have been a little thirsty last week, but with all the puddles of irrigation water around, I think they just have a taste for the melons. They seem to get them just a few days before we would have harvested them; they work at them with their teeth and roll them around until they break off the vine, then claw and bite them until they get them open and completely empty them of juicy, sweet flesh. Then they leave the green rind as a calling card in the field for us to find in the morning. We spent one night last week at the farm in a tent, which was beautiful, in its own way -- and no more watermelons disappeared that night. But even my very understanding family can't spend every night camped by the melons, so we ordered an electric fence and have been making do day by day with huge quantities of chili powder from Patel Brothers on Moody Street. Unfortunately, it seems like our wily friends might have a taste for chili-melon slush (sounds pretty good, actually). We'll see what's left in the morning.

... of food is what we've been taking each week to our Outreach Market, which opened July 13. This market, which takes place not far from Patel Brothers each Tuesday evening until October, is a way for our farm to get our produce directly to the lower-income folks who live nearby. Anyone can come to the market and fill a bag with vegetables for $5. Some pay with cash, some with SNAP, which we began accepting this year thanks to a partnership with the Waltham Farmers' Market. We also partner with many local direct-service organizations to provide vouchers for a free bag to many of their clients. Last week, we gave away a record 72 bags of produce at the market. On July 28, the Boston Globe reported that doctors at Boston Medical Center "are seeing more hungry and dangerously thin young children in the emergency room than at any time in more than a decade of surveying families." One thousand pounds. It's the least we can do.

Enjoy the harvest.

-- Amanda, for Andy, Erinn, Dan, Larisa and Lauren

Notes from the Field: Transition and Irrigation

2011-08-02T09:44:00.006-04:00

This week we woke up and it was August. It's another time of transition, this time moving from July's wild and vigorous growth to fruition, the result of all that heat and photosynthesis. Slowly, if we've done our job right, the burden of our work shifts from planting to harvest over the course of the month. Storage onions fall over and need to be brought in. Cantaloupes begin to net and turn orange. Watermelons size up, and if we can keep them from the coyotes who are already stalking them, ripen up. Over the course of the month, the sweet potatoes will use all that green foliage they put on over the past couple of weeks to make some roots under there. In the meantime, the harvests of peppers, eggplant and tomatoes will pick up, and late summer will be upon us.

Over the past month, our farm has gotten 1.45 inches of rain, mostly scattered throughout the month, never more than about a quarter inch at a time. A quarter inch of rain definitely helps wet the surface of the soil so that irrigation water can soak in (there's that capillary action again). It doesn't do much for soil that hasn't had much water in a month. In general, vegetables like an inch of water... a week. In hot weather, even more. On dry soils (like ours), even more. Add that up, subtract one and a half inches in little bits here and there, and you get a whole lot of water that we've needed to use to keep crops going over the past month. That's farmer math.

You can see the results most vividly in the pick-your-own crops, where we haven't been able to irrigate yet, and the fall broccoli and cauliflower in the east field, where we ran overhead irrigation as we were transplanting -- the middle of the beds are beautiful, and the ends of the beds, where the overhead didn't quite reach, not so much. The last planting push of the season, when we're supposed to seed fall greens and turnips, is upon us this next week, and we're going to have to play the water game to see when -- and where -- we can get these crops in. The same is true for cover crops (more about those next week).

We use two kinds of irrigation on the farm. Overhead, the big silver pipes with impressive jets of water that turn in circles and make a reassuring "swish-swish" sound, is moved around the farm and used for everything from carrots to broccoli. We set up a line, flush it, and run it for 2-3 hours to make sure that the water soaks down to the roots of the plants. In the meantime, we set up another line so that when the first one is done we can turn another one on immediately. Shut down the first, turn on the second, and begin the process of dismantling the first line and moving it down the field to water another thirsty section. It's hard physical work, carrying 16 foot lengths of pipe several times a day, and hard mental work to try to set up a watering schedule that hits both the most vulnerable crops (newly planted seedlings), those that will benefit most in yield this year if they get water now (carrots, celeriac, broccoli, for example) and those that will benefit in yield next year if they get water now (strawberries, for example).

For tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, peppers, eggplant, melons, sweet potatoes and raspberries, we use drip irrigation under biodegradable plastic mulch. Drip irrigation is more efficient than overhead, and it doesn't have the same effect of spreading soil borne diseases through splash onto leaves, since it delivers water right to the roots of the plants. We can also fertilize through the drip lines, sending regular doses of fish and kelp, beneficial bacteria, and necessary plant micronutrients to the crops in their irrigation water. Because it takes time to set up and take down, we only put drip irrigation on crops that will be in for the whole season and that we won't double crop, and we try to plant these crops in big blocks so that we can water them in cycles. Once this system is in place, it takes lots more mental than physical work to keep it going.

Now, here's the thing: a dry year is hard on us in many ways. It takes more labor to irrigate, it takes more mental gymnastics to figure out the timing of planting and cultivating, and it really does decrease yields at our Lyman Estate field, which is not irrigated. Plant nutrition is dramatically curtailed in very dry soils, so plants are not only stressed by the lack of water, they're stressed by the lack of nutrients as well. Insects sense the stress and move in, and... well, you can imagine the rest. It's not pretty. All of that being said, however, a dry year is much, much better for us in terms of lessening disease pressure in some key crops (tomatoes, anyone?). Chances for a beautiful crop of tomatoes and colored peppers are much higher in a dry year. There's always a bright side. And now that we're turning the corner into the late innings of the season, with the big fall brassica planting behind us, the weed fires beginning to subside, and the tomatoes staked and tied up, hopefully we can begin to see the good results of that side even as we continue to irrigate.

Dan and Erinn are on vacation at the beach this week. We are so happy that these two hardworking farmers are able to go away for a week at the height of the season. It makes all of us relax a little to imagine them eating salt water taffy, doing crossword puzzles, and watching the waves roll in. Wherever you are, hope you can relax and enjoy the transition to late summer. Enjoy the harvest.

-- Amanda, for Andy, Erinn, Dan, Larisa and Lauren

Images by Rebekah Carter (2011).

Not-Your-Mama's Zucchini Bread

2011-07-29T06:33:00.033-04:00

The recent heatwave we experienced in the Northeast resulted in a whole lot of cucurbit growth in the garden, leaving us with several arm's length zukes to pick. While I usually cook up something savory with the smaller guys, the gigantic ones typically meet my grater and get baked up into a sweet bread or batch of muffins. Like many, I've tried boat loads of zucchini bread recipes; I usually end up doing something quite traditional with spices, raisins, and nuts, and sometimes I switch it up with a chocolate loaf, which I highly recommend trying if you've never gone that route! But I stumbled upon this unique recipe for a lemony loaf and couldn't resist trying it out, especially because it featured whole wheat flour and maple syrup instead of refined white flour and sugar. Super moist and packed with refreshing lemon flavor, this recipe is well-suited for the sunshine-filled days of summer.

Not-Your-Mama's
Zucchini Bread
makes 2 9-inch loaf pans or 24 muffins

Ingredients:
(slight alterations marked with *)

3 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup walnut oil*
1 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
Zest and juice of one lemon
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (worked nicely with 100% stone ground)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
3 (packed) cups shredded zucchini
Walnuts, chopped (optional)*

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F for bread or 375 degrees F for muffins. Beat eggs, butter, oil, syrup, zest and juice together. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet, just enough to incorporate; fold in the zucchini. Pour the batter into loaf pans or muffin cups. Sprinkle with walnuts, if desired. Bake bread for about an hour and 20-25 minutes for muffins or until a tester comes out clean.

My Two Cents (and an update):

Three cups of zucchini shredded off of a really big zuke like I had is quite moist; I suggest oh-so-gently pressing or squeezing the shredded zucchini just before you fold it into the batter in order to remove some (but certainly not all) of its water. If the zucchini you are using is small or medium-sized, you will likely want to keep all of its moisture. I love the bright citrus flavor of this bread, and hope that orange zest/juice and poppy seeds will make a delicious sister to this particular recipe. I also made this bread without butter, using all walnut oil, and the muffins are just as scrumptious. It has been suggested in my household that piping raspberry or blueberry jam into the center of the muffins would really put this recipe over the top, and I would have to agree! Sounds like an excellent hand-held dessert for a summertime party.

UPDATE on 8/7/2011: Since I suggested trying out chocolate zucchini bread if you had never done so, here are some slight adjustments to the above recipe that will give you a batch of yummy chocolate bread or muffins.

Nix the lemon zest and juice (though chocolate-orange bread sounds pretty good...)
Use 2 cups flour and 1 cup cocoa powder
Use 1 1/2 cups maple syrup
Add 2 tsp vanilla extract
Add 1+ cup chocolate chips if you want a double-chocolate bread
Sprinkle with chopped almonds or walnuts (optional)

Rebekah

Images by Rebekah Carter (2011). Recipe from Lemonbasil.

Bread and Butter Pickles

2011-07-27T08:32:00.017-04:00

My first taste of a home-preserved harvest was a jar of bread and butter pickles my grandfather had made for Christmas celebrations when I was a child. I remember thinking those crisp and sweet disks were the most delicious pickles I had ever had. Truth be told, I still prefer these pickles to their dill counterparts (no offense to them; they'll be put up before the end of summer, too, using freshly-picked dill heads and garlic from the garden).

With an abundance of cucumbers on hand, I decided to try out this tested and true Ball Blue Book recipe for bread and butter pickles, canned for shelf stability using the boiling-water bath method.

Bread and Butter Pickles
makes about 7 pints

Ingredients:

4 lbs 4-6 inch cucumbers, cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 lbs onions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup canning salt
2 cups sugar
2 tbsp mustard seed
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp celery seed
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp peppercorns
3 cups vinegar

Directions:

Combine cucumber and onion slices in a large bowl, layering with salt; cover with ice cubes and let stand 1 1/2 hours. Drain; rinse; drain again. Combine remaining ingredients in a large saucepot; bring to a boil. Add drained cucumbers and onions and return to a boil. Pack hot pickles and liquid into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner.

Rebekah

Image by Rebekah Carter (2011). Recipe from the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving.

Notes from the Field: Dog Days of Summer

2011-07-26T08:49:00.010-04:00

When I was little, my father left every morning for work at the marina that he owns. The marina shop and store are right across the driveway from the house, but the short walk seemed like a long journey from the air conditioned comfort in which the rest of our family spent the days, away from the blazing heat and oppressive humidity of the Maryland summer. At that time, his business was relatively new. I don't remember him having a regular day off during the week when the summer boating season was underway. He complained about the heat, but there was never a morning when he did not get up as usual and go to work. I think I thought he was crazy. I know that I definitely believed that I would grow up to work in air conditioned comfort, emerging at the end of the workday to blink in the light and the heat and wonder how folks could make it through the day outside, and why they would want to.

I remembered all of this quite vividly last week, while the farm crew struggled through a few days of 95+ degree heat. As one of our farmer friends likes to say, "vegetables don't take a vacation". Weather of any kind is really no excuse for veggie growers not to work, unless there's something in that weather that means it would damage the plants to work with them. That's usually excessive moisture, which is definitely not the conditions we've been dealing with for the last few weeks.

Last week our vegetables did not take a vacation. They kept growing, needing lots of water to counteract the very hot air and very dry soil. Andy spend the entire week moving irrigation pipe and drip irrigation from field to field and section to section, often following the weed crew to help keep the recently weeded crops from being too surprised by their abrupt exposure to the sun. The squash kept on making squash, the cucumbers kept on making cucumbers, and the okra, bless its southern soul, started making okra despite the fact that we were not remotely ready to start harvesting it. The tomatoes began to ripen. The sweet potatoes, delighted at what they apparently believed was a return to their homeland, seemed to put on a new leaf every time we walked by them -- it would not be an exaggeration to say that they doubled in size last week. In the heat, we kept harvesting the crops that rolled in. We drank gallons of water and everything else under the sun. We got tired, got cranky, snapped at each other,moved pipe, kept planting, stopped planting (too hot and dry), kept weeding, stopped weeding (too hot and dry) and finally got out into the field with hoes to take advantage of one of the benefits of hot dry weather: it can kill weeds really well, if you can keep from damaging the roots of the crop while you're at it. I came home at night clean instead of dirty, because I had sweated so much over the course of the day that the soil had washed off. And I remembered my dad, getting up, going to work, day after day.

Some things, of course, should not be endured. There is sometimes great wisdom in knowing when to walk away. But there are so many opportunities for fortitude and staying power, which we may practice at any time -- in a challenging yoga class, the daily demands of parenthood or faithfulness, all the little commitments that make up a life. Farming is a constant exercise in endurance, the odd liberation of bowing to what is asked of you, day after day, submerging yourself in the task until you sweat clean and the harvest is in. There is some grace in being responsible to things that call you daily to harvest and tend and endure. There is some grace in being able to respond.

Last week the weed crew showed up to work every morning, smiling and ready to go. They worked through the morning when the thermometer showed 106 in the sun, but paced themselves, taking breaks so that they never overdid it. Andy and Rachel, who most recently farmed in Georgia, smiled and shook their heads at our New England "heat". Kind shareholders brought coolers full of water, electrolyte drinks, bananas, ice-cold lemony golden zucchini cake. My husband Mark put up our big tent so we would have a cool place to eat lunch, and made us milkshakes on Friday. I called my father Friday evening to see how he was faring in the heat, which reached 111 degrees in Maryland. I was glad to hear that he had spent the day taking care of a sick neighbor instead of bent over in the bottom of a boat. On Saturday morning, an unexpected shower cooled the air and moistened the top layer of soil, helping the irrigation water soak in better (the term "capillary action" made its annual appearance on the farm). By Sunday the brief heat wave was over, replaced by more manageable summer temperatures. We returned to the regular day to day endurance of farm work, which looks more like commitment and less like what Dan calls "bone-headedness". There will be more hot days, and more work to do in them. For now, enjoy the harvest, everyone.

-- Amanda, for Andy, Erinn, Dan, Larisa and Lauren

Notes from the Learning Garden: Farm Visits Galore!

2011-07-20T11:00:00.029-04:00

July has been a busy month in the Learning Garden. We decided to try something new this year by leaving the whole month open for Farm Visits (our 2-hour program for groups of children preschool through 8th grade) and we have been thrilled with the response from a variety of schools, camps, and other youth groups!

Farm Visits at Waltham Fields Community Farm vary a bit depending on the learning objectives of the group and the number of children attending, but will always include the following three things:

GARDEN WORK

We want to make sure that all of the children coming for a Farm Visit have a chance to get their hands dirty!

This morning, with the help of a group of campers from Education Francaise Greater Boston, Learning Garden educators Aleta and Kristin hilled potatoes. Yesterday, eight and nine year olds from Cambridge Adventure Day Camp finished preparing and planting a melon patch! Check out the CADC blog for some fabulous pictures of their time at the farm!

Freshly-hilled potatoes (left)

LEARNING ACTIVITY

Our new melon patch (below)

Another portion of our program time is spent doing an activity that involves interactive discussion about a topic pertinent to the learning objectives of the group visiting the farm. For a group that is learning about soil, we often take a walk out to the compost pile and do an activity called Earth Apple to illustrate the percentage of Earth's surface made up of soil on which we can grow food; or Compost Cake to illustrate how food scraps, lawn clippings, and leaves are turned into fabulous soil for the garden! For a group interested in learning more about farming in general, we will often do our very favorite activity: From A Farm/Not From A Farm Relay! Participants are always amazed to discover that most of the objects and products they use every day come from farms!

Mystic Learning Center group discussing whether or not band-aids come from a farm

SNACK PREPARATION

A trip to the farm just wouldn't be complete without a snack made from fresh fruits and veggies! Our favorite healthy snacks to make with Farm Visit groups are Hummus and Plant Parts Salad. Here are the basic recipes, but feel free to embellish depending on your own taste buds!

Harvesting zucchini for dipping in hummus (below)

Hummus

Ingredients:

16-oz can of chickpeas
1/4 cup liquid from can of chickpeas
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp tahini
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
Other herbs/spices you like

Directions:

Drain chickpeas and set aside liquid from can. Combine all ingredients in blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Enjoy with cucumber and zucchini slices or your other favorite veggies!

Plant Parts Salad

Ingredients:

Leaves: lettuce, spinach, or other greens
Stem: fennel, scallions, or kohlrabi
Root: beet, carrot, or radish
Seed: peas or beans
Fruit: zucchini, cucumber, or tomato
Flower: broccoli or nasturtiums

Salad Dressing

2 tbsp fresh herbs (such as basil, cilantro, oregano, parley, etc.)
or 1/2 tsp dried herbs
1 tbsp vinegar (red wine, white wine, or balsamic)
4 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

Chopping broccoli for plant parts salad (above)

Directions:

Mix well and serve on salad!

As I read over this post I can't help but think that I am not doing it justice, but there is really no way to describe how amazing it is when a child is gobbling up zucchini slices and hummus as if they were an ice cream sundae and exclaiming that he "could eat it all day long;" or after planting and weeding in the garden when another participant says, "I am going to be a farmer when I grow up!" Those are the moments when we really know that we are doing something right.

Happy gardening!

- Jericho, for Kristin, Rebekah, Aleta, and Paula

Notes from the Field: Bringing a Moment of Beauty to the World

2011-07-12T08:40:00.003-04:00

I was talking with the radiant Reverend Molly at the end of the CSA pickup on Saturday and she mentioned that the cycle of Biblical texts read at church services repeats itself every three years. She was preparing a sermon on a text that she had preached on three years earlier and was looking back through her notes from that time for reminders, inspiration, or words she could use as seeds for a new relationship with the text and her parishioners.

On the farm, our cycles repeat as well, though in ways that aren't always predictable -- while summer always follows spring, and fall summer, one growing season might carry echoes of another, or things might seem to repeat themselves from week to week or day to day. This week, for example, we had some flat tires, first on our "Mini-K" tractor, then on our big Massey-Ferguson. We had some finger injuries: Dan hurt his moving irrigation pipe, and I seem to have injected mine with a tiny cucumber spine that makes it swell up and difficult to bend. Everyone has Band-Aids on at least one finger at this time of year. And this week we had some potent reminders of 2009: the cool, rainy day on Friday when the weeds seemed to grow six inches between morning and noon, the warnings from UMass about late blight making its way up the coast to Connecticut, a group of amazing weeders who saved our sweet potatoes in memory of our dear work share Cary, who left us two years ago last week.

I've been thinking often, too, of longer cycles -- for example, the cycle of rest for the land and farmers that, in the Old Testament, is required every seventh year. Coincidentally, the "sabbaticals" that I have taken from farming because of the birth of my children were seven years apart, in 2003 and 2010. During that 2003 season, one of our most thoughtful and skilled colleagues here in the Boston area wrote an essay called "Why Farm?" I revisit it as a canonical text during the cycles when I am thinking about the big picture instead of the sore finger or the flat tires: why do we do what we do? Why even bother with this seemingly quixotic effort to grow food on land that is so high value that it is nearly impossible to make the enterprise cover its costs? Why continue to do a job that is backbreaking, heartbreaking, infinitely changeable and ultimately leaves us with very little in the way of equity for all the sweat we put in? When something as uncontrollable as late blight can wipe out the entirety of a beautiful, healthy tomato crop in under a week, why not throw in the organic and local towel and go back to eating predictable, processed food from the grocery store?

In his essay, Chris argues that the reasons to farm need to go beyond the personal rewards reaped by the farmer. He suggests that the economic, social and environmental good that is served by local agriculture as part of a larger movement towards justice in our society is what gives farmers their real staying power in the profession -- and is also what moves consumers to support them, even when the bok choy is full of holes or the tomatoes don't come in at all. It is, he says, "an understanding of the role this work plays in the great issues of our time that sustains us in the long run."

Depending on my place in the cycle of the growing season or my approach to farming, I have remarkably different responses to Chris's essay. This week, in the heart of this growing season, with all its echoes of seasons before and foreshadowing of seasons to come, I think he's got it backwards. Don't get me wrong -- I firmly believe in the connection of local organic farming, with all its contradictions and complexities, to the great issues of our time. This is what got me into the work in the first place, and what brought me to a farm that addresses many of those issues, both directly and indirectly, every day. But what sustains me, as privileged and personal as it might seem, is the fact that when I let go of the intellectual and physical challenges that we wrestle with both on a daily basis and in the big picture, farming is something that I can help do to bring a moment of beauty to the world. It is clear in a moment like Saturday morning, when the farm, full of healthy food and happy people and flowers and memories, was something a little greater than the sum of its social, economic and environmental parts.

There is nothing about a farm that will stand the test of time --the beauty of a farm in July is fleeting, giving way to the senescence of the fall and the beauty of those other cycles we were talking about earlier -- winter into spring, spring into summer, rest and renewal into mud and hard work again. Anything built of soil and water and light is both eternal and gone in the blink of an eye. And I'm no artist -- I can't capture this beauty in a painting or a song or a sculpture that both represents it and connects it to the great issues. All I can do is honor the cycles of plant, cultivate, harvest, sore finger, flat tire, late blight, and try to stay awake enough to hear the echoes of the larger cycles when they come around again.

Enjoy the harvest,

Amanda, for Andy, Erinn, Dan, Larisa and Lauren

Notes from the Field: Chisel Plows and Tomato Stakes

2011-07-07T14:23:00.003-04:00

All of a sudden we turned around and it was July. The vigorous, weedy growth in our fields could have told us this, as could the newly disked and fertilized beds waiting for fall broccoli and cauliflower to be planted this week, or the tall, gangly tomatoes that need to be staked and twined. We get a little infusion of additional labor in the fields this week from our new field crew members, Rachel and Andy, recently back from their travels, and our fully staffed weed crew; we are at full strength now in the fields and will stay that way through August.

July may be the busiest time of year on our farm. We have quite a bit of seeding and transplanting of fall crops to do, and while it's not as many beds as the huge planting push of April and May, it's combined with ever-increasing harvests and other tasks, like cultivating, weeding, dealing with insects and diseases, and tying tomatoes, that make these weeks feel like the very peak of the roller-coaster ride of the season. Before July, it's plant, plant, plant. After July, it's harvest, harvest, harvest. For these brief four weeks in July,it's try to get it all done at once, hang in there and enjoy the ride. Ice cream helps with this.

It is interesting for me, after a year of being mostly away from the farm after the birth of my daughter Sadie, to notice which of our farm's large collection of tools feel particularly useful during this peak season. Some are old friends: the shade cloth that covers our greenhouse in the heat of the summer is the only reason we are able to germinate and grow lettuce transplants for our summer successions. Some are new purchases: our Schaper Brothers fertilizer spreader, built for us by hand in Pennsylvania this spring, has helped us eliminate the "hate labor" of pushing a heavy hand spreader over uneven field surfaces for hours at a time, one of my least favorite jobs when I was pregnant (or, really, at any time on the farm). Some are incidental purchases that turn out to be incredibly useful: our new cultivating tractor, which we've affectionately named "Li'l K", since it's the smaller of our farm's two Kubotas, happened to come with a three-point-hitch mounted rear cultivator that turns out to be almost the perfect tool for cultivating plastic pathways, though it's not for the faint of heart. Some are unexpectedly valuable far beyond their cost in dollars: a six-hundred-dollar mini-chisel plow, which can fit in the back of our pickup truck, has reshaped our tillage regimen, helping us make beds more quickly while minimizing compaction and soil layer inversion in our fields. Our tractor-mounted boom sprayer, despite its idiosyncracies, saves us hours and hours of time with a backpack sprayer applying fish emulsion or organic pesticides when we need to. And the funny little fertilizer injector that sends fish, kelp and micronutrients directly through the drip irrigation lines to the roots of the plants, which cost us less than $200 a couple of years ago, may be one of the most effective and important tools on the farm, though you may miss it if you walk around the fields.

Because labor is by far the biggest cost on our farm, when tools that are supposed to save us labor work the way they should, we feel it acutely -- we're able to direct our precious person-hours to tasks that no equipment can do as well as human hands. Hand weeding carrots and parsnips can't be avoided, despite our best efforts with the cultivating tractors and the flame weeder. Harvesting is highly skilled work that takes training and practice to perfect. And we haven't been able to find any machine that can pound posts or tie tomatoes.

Our farm is a funny size -- at eleven acres, we're big enough that wise purchases of equipment can have a big impact on our productivity, but we still require a large crew of people to make it all happen. Being able to afford all this -- both the ongoing development of our fleet of tools and the development of an efficient and manageable staffing model -- is something that is on our minds every day, even during this peak season. After seven years at Waltham Fields, I feel like these complex interactions between equipment and people are still one of the fascinating puzzles that make farming a constant learning process.

Meanwhile, the sun is shining, the weeds are growing, and it's time to get back to work. Enough chatter. Stay cool, everyone.

-- Amanda, for Andy, Erinn, Dan, Larisa and Lauren

Roasted Kohlrabi with Romesco Sauce

2011-07-02T08:31:00.045-04:00

While picking up my CSA share both this week and the week prior, I couldn't help overhearing multiple people reach the kohlrabi bin and wonder out loud, "what should I do with THAT vegetable?" From its alien-like appearance, those new to kohlrabi may feel a bit overwhelmed by the prospect of cooking this starchy Brassica.

Rest assured, you will not be disappointed by the variety of ways in which you can utilize the crop: shredded raw for slaw or sliced for crudités (uncooked, it tastes very much like broccoli stems), thickly-chopped for roasting, sliced thin for casseroles, boiled, baked, mashed... you can even blanch and saute the leaves with oil or butter. Rich in vitamin C and potassium, expand your dietary boundaries and let kohlrabi become a regular in your summer vegetable lineup.

The following recipe is a simple and delicious Mediterranean side dish, featuring oven-roasted kohlrabi with a chunky (faux) Romesco sauce of red bell pepper, almonds, garlic (scapes), and smoked paprika.

Roasted Kohlrabi
with Romesco Sauce

makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

3 kohlrabi bulbs, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic (or scapes), minced
1/2 cup raw almonds, chopped (pine nuts or hazelnuts work, too)
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp smoked paprika
1-2 tbsp tomato paste (optional)
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
fresh basil, mint, or fennel fronds for garnishing

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in an oven-proof pan on the stove; when hot, carefully add the kohlrabi, stir to coat, and place in the oven for 25-30 minutes. Occasionally stir the kohlrabi for even browning.

While roasting the bulbs, heat the other 2 tbsp of olive oil in a pot over medium-low heat; add the garlic (or scapes) and paprika and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Add the bell pepper, almonds, tomato paste (if using), and vinegar; cook until the peppers soften, again stirring frequently to prevent burning. Remove from heat; blend until desired consistency is reached (you could use either an immersion blender or food processor; I suggest the latter because of the nuts). If you would like a thinner sauce, you may need to add a splash of water and blend again. Serve with the kohlrabi and garnish with either fresh basil or mint chiffonade or fennel fronds. Enjoy!

Rebekah

Images by Rebekah Carter (2011). Recipe adapted from Six Course Dinner.

Notes from the Field: Our 2011 Assistant Growers

2011-07-01T15:10:00.009-04:00

I... am... not... going... to... talk... about... the... weather. OK, yes I am, a little. We did need the rain. I admit it, I did say that. And when the forecast called for a quarter to a half an inch, I thought that would be pretty good. But we got almost 2 inches last Wednesday, then another inch and a quarter over the next three days. Well, you know that -- you were there. But really, it was a lot of water. So much water, combined with those cool temperatures, puts us uncomfortably in mind of 2009, when a wet, cool early summer led to some devastating disease pressure later in the season. We're hoping that history will not repeat itself so soon, and that this water and cool temperatures will only lead to slightly delayed squash and cucumbers and beautiful greens for another week.

But enough about that -- more about our farm crew.

Larisa and Lauren

Each year, we are fortunate to work with a few people who are passionate about becoming farmers and are at a point in their careers where our operation can be useful to them. Our assistant growers, who work the entire growing season with Waltham Fields, are a critical part of our farm team. They drive tractors, pound stakes, pull weeds, transplant and seed crops, harvest and harvest and harvest, and manage CSA distributions. Many of our past assistant growers are now farmers in their own right (check out our "where are they now?" page for some stories). This year's AGs, Lauren Weinberg and Larisa Jacobson, are as fine a pair as we have had on our farm.

Lauren comes to us from her recent work at Adamah, a farm and fellowship program at the Isabella Freedman Retreat Center in Connecticut. She had many roles at Adamah, including the Sap Queen, Pickle Apprentice, and Field Apprentice, all of which have contributed to her wide knowledge about food production and preservation. While she had never driven a manual transmission vehicle, let alone a tractor, before she came to WFCF, she had made more kim chee and sauerkraut than many of us have ever seen -- in a kosher kitchen where goat yogurt and chevre shared space (but never utensils) with 50 gallon barrels of pickling crops. We appreciate Lauren's thoughtfulness and thoroughness on the farm, along with her appreciation of the beauty and the spiritual side of the work that we do.

Larisa was most recently at UC Davis, where she completed a master's degree in International Agricultural Development and spent time working on biodigester projects in Guatemala, along with teaching and working on the student farm at Davis. She has tons of "secret" skills and knowledge, including welding, fiddle playing, assembling cultivators from miscellaneous parts, and community organizing, among others. She won us over in her application with her vivid description of hitting an irrigation upright with the loader bucket of her tractor -- and fixing it, possibly the only time when a farm equipment accident has led directly to someone getting an interview on our farm. Despite this story, Larisa is a skilled equipment operator who is getting the hang of all the big and little pieces that help our farm go. Her sense of humor and intense work ethic also come in handy.

In addition to our assistant growers, our farm team is rounded out by our field crew, who start next week (more about them later) and a group of work sharers who staff our CSA pickups, make sure our CSA newsletter is legible and functional, take care of our perennial herb and flower garden, and help us in the fields. They each have fascinating stories as well, and histories with the farm -- some long, some short, but all wonderful. We could not do this without them.

-- Amanda, for Andy, Erinn, Dan, Larisa and Lauren

Arugula Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette

2011-06-29T07:11:00.014-04:00

The end of New England's strawberry season has come, but I still had more than a few berries kicking around my refrigerator last night. A hot house meant a no-cook dinner was in store, and this fresh strawberry vinaigrette I recently enjoyed seemed the perfect compliment to a bunch of arugula I had on hand. With some fresh mint chiffonade, crumbled goat cheese or feta, and chopped berries (maybe a sprinkle of sliced almonds or sunflower seeds, too), this beautiful and tasty summer salad is ready in minutes. Try substituting fresh raspberries for strawberries if you don't have any fresh or frozen.

Strawberry Vinaigrette
makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

8 oz of strawberries (about 10-16 berries)
1/4 tsp garlic (or scapes), minced
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. If you do not have a food processor, chop and mash the berries before whisking with vinegar, lemon juice, garlic (scape), honey, salt, and pepper; continue whisking as you slowly drizzle in the olive oil.

Rebekah

Image by Rebekah Carter (2011). Recipe adapted from Hannaford Supermarket.

Freezing Berries

2011-06-25T10:59:00.019-04:00

Don't let family vacations stop you from loading up on the delicate and delicious berries of summer. With a bit of freezer rearrangement, you can enjoy summer's bounty of raw strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and more all the way into the cool days of autumn (if they last that long).

Freezing Berries

1. After purchasing or picking berries, thoroughly sort through them to remove any damaged, overripe/rotten, or immature fruits.
2. If working with strawberries, hull them (remove the calyx, that green, star-shaped "hat" that sits atop the berry); gently transfer the berries to a colander and rinse under cold running water.
3. If working with strawberries, you may wish to slice them at this point; otherwise, gently spread the berries onto a clean baking sheet in a single layer and place in the freezer.
4. Remove the berries from the freezer as soon as they are frozen in order to avoid freezer burn; quickly transfer to plastic freezer bags or containers and return to the freezer for long-term storage.

Berries can be safely stored for 8-12 months in a freezer kept at 0 degrees F.

My Two Cents:

Some argue that berries should be treated with simple syrup or sugar when being frozen. Although this does help maintain the texture, color, and flavor of berries frozen for several months, it is not necessary as freezing is the method of preservation. Many also pat their berries dry and line their baking sheet with parchment paper, but I do not find either of these steps necessary (however, I do make sure to not put sopping-wet berries straight in the freezer).

While the focus of this post was berries, freezing is an excellent way to preserve many local fruits and vegetables with little to no processing. Check out the National Center for Home Food Preservation's website for specific instructions according to crops of interest.

Rebekah

Images by Rebekah Carter (2011). Instructions for freezing berries referenced from the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

Pickled Chard Stems

2011-06-24T08:14:00.024-04:00

Swiss chard is almost too beautiful to eat. A food crop first and foremost, it's brightly-hued ribs practically make it an ornamental with which to decorate the yard, never mind the vegetable garden. It's abundance at New England farm stands and markets means we've got to get creative with our use of chard. Put those pretty stems to work in this simple overnight pickle recipe seasoned with garlic scapes and Sriracha.

Pickled Chard Stems
Makes one 12-oz jar

Ingredients:

Swiss chard stems, cleaned & sliced to fit jar
1 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar (I used agave nectar)
2-3 garlic scapes, slit (kept whole) & chopped
3 tablespoons Sriracha
1/2 teaspoon celery seed

Instructions:

Mix vinegar, sugar, Sriracha, and celery seeds; set aside. Place whole garlic scapes in jar, then chard stems; fill the center with any small bits of stem and chopped scapes. Pour vinegar mixture over stems, seal, and refrigerate for at least 24 hours for flavor saturation. Enjoy as a cool snack or BBQ accompaniment!

Rebekah

Images by Rebekah Carter (2011). Recipe adapted from bon appétit.

Notes from the Field: Introducing the Farm Crew

2011-06-22T14:56:00.014-04:00

Farmers are never satisfied with the weather. This gets boring, actually, and so even though I could tell you this week about how schizophrenic it feels to be partly hoping that it DOES rain for the thirsty greens at our Lyman Estate field and partly hoping that it DOESN'T rain while the strawberries are still ripening - I won't. Instead, I want to take this opportunity to introduce you to some of the folks who grow the food here at Waltham Fields Community Farm. Some of us have been at WFCF for years, while others are new to the farm this month. Some of us are likely in farming for the long haul, while others may leave it for more predictable, lucrative, or climate-controlled employment. But all of us share a commitment to this little farm for this growing season.

Many of you know some of our farmers. Andy Scherer, who managed the farm expertly last season, is perhaps the most Yankee of all of us, despite his roots in Pennsylvania. Andy is responsible for coordinating our produce donation - a $50,000 goal this year, including the 900 pounds of lettuce that we sent to the Greater Boston Food Bank earlier this month. In his five seasons with WFCF, he's helped the farm become more efficient and more sustainable through the addition of the weed and field crews, the purchase of (often extremely cheap) appropriate equipment, and a continual commitment to controlling costs. He is also a stickler for organization and neatness on the farm, and even though it's taken five years, his efforts are finally starting to pay off.

Erinn Roberts, now in her fourth season with WFCF, is originally from New Jersey but finally has a working knowledge of ice hockey. She is both one of the funniest people you will ever meet and one of the most diligent and hardworking. She manages our greenhouses and seedling sales, and selects all the delicious products from other farms that we offer to our shareholders each week. Erinn is also one of the most thoughtful and observant farmers I know. The farm benefits from her wisdom, her intelligence, her constant self-education, her intense attention to detail, and her unerring sense of style.

Dan Roberts, who came along with Erinn when she arrived at WFCF and has made himself indispensable to the farm, is often on a cultivating tractor these days. You can sometimes hear him singing over the sound of the engine. He has taught himself a great deal about the equipment on the farm, often with the help of YouTube videos, and has helped us make wise equipment purchases in the past couple of years - including the brand new walk-in cooler that will hopefully make an appearance on the farm this week. He is the fearless leader of the weed crew, an exceptional pizza maker, and a learned musician whose beautiful songs you can find on our farm CD. He also continually amazes me with his ability to be reasonably conversant about just about any topic.

Another set of critical people on the farm is our weed crew, without whom there would be no carrots, lettuce, fresh herbs, fall root crops - or just about anything on the farm. These three (soon to be four) hard-working women are in the fields five mornings a week to do gentle battle with our galinsoga, amaranth, lamb's quarter and all the other weeds that enjoy the rich soil of our fields. Their cheerful faces lift my spirits every time I see them in the lettuce with hoes in their hands or crawling the carrots on a rainy morning. Laura, Shira, and Rachel are also highly educated and well-traveled, and are a joy to weed with if you have an hour to spare. If you happen to be on the farm in the morning, greet them warmly with a wave or a blueberry muffin. They like brownies, too.

Next week: less weather. More Lauren, Larisa, and the farm work shares. Until then, enjoy the harvest season.

Amanda, for Andy, Erinn, Dan, Larisa, and Lauren

Cooking with Greens

2011-06-17T07:55:00.050-04:00

It's official: the CSA and farmers market season in Massachusetts is finally here! With New England's summer bounty finally making its way out of fertile plots and into the hands (and reusable bags) of northeastern residents, one question remains: what do I do with all these greens? Well, quite simply, many things! Sauteed or stir-fried, baked or raw, there are endless possibilities when it comes to consuming your greens. Below are some ideas about how to include more of these super-nutritious leafy vegetables in your diet.

Breakfast:

Greens in the morning? Why not! I'm a big fan of sauteing hearty greens like kale or the more tender Swiss chard with fresh garlic or onions, some olive oil or butter, and a splash of a lemon juice or vinegar (white, cider, red wine, balsamic... they all work well depending on the flavor you are trying to achieve). Boost the flavor by adding some cumin seeds or powder and a sprinkle of red pepper flake for a touch of heat. Or fold in some Parmesan cheese as a final step in your sauteed creation. Serve it with some eggs and pan-fried potatoes (bake potato, sliced + garlic powder + paprika) and you have a complete meal. Ribbon-sliced spinach and chard make wonderful additions to any omelet or quiche; saute them first in order to draw out water, thereby preventing your egg dish from being soupy.

Lunch:

Raw greens, in a salad with freshly-picked radishes, salad turnips, and scallions, make for a light and local midday meal. Late spring and early summer are "the salad days," as they say, so enjoy those tender lettuces, spinach, and arugula with a light vinaigrette made from whisked olive oil, lemon juice, and finely-chopped garlic scapes (VERY limited season so get 'em now!) or scallions with salt and fresh-ground pepper to taste. If lemons aren't your favorite, use balsamic or red wine vinegar instead; keep in mind that a basic vinaigrette calls for 1 part vinegar to 3 parts oil (I add a little dab of Dijon mustard, too). Add roasted beets, apple or pear slices, nuts, seeds, and goat cheese to really bulk things up!

Dinner:

Stir frying your greens with fresh veggies is another quick and simple way to increase the nutrient content of your meals. Asian greens, such as bok choy, tatsoi, and mustard greens, mixed with thickly-sliced mushrooms, celery, peppers, julienne carrots and alliums, can be hit with some soy sauce, rice vinegar, and a light drizzle of sesame oil, making for a delicious supper (I finish with the sesame for flavor but initially use another cooking oil, such as olive or canola oil, for the actual stir-frying). Another favorite of mine: replace the sesame oil with red curry paste, basil (Thai if available), and red pepper flake for some southeast Asian flavor; a generous splash of coconut milk and a touch of lime juice take it to the next level.

Go Mediterranean style with your kale, Swiss chard, and spinach by sauteing these greens with garlic or onion, fresh herbs like marjoram, thyme, and basil, thinly-sliced fennel, and mushrooms with a splash of vinegar or lemon juice. Tomatoes, whether fresh, sundried, or canned, and shaved Parmesan make excellent additions as well. Finely-chopped greens folded into tomato sauce is another way to feed even the pickiest of eaters a healthy dose of these nutrient-rich vegetables.

Snack:

Kale chips can be a big hit even with picky eaters who tend to pass on greens. Heat your oven to 400 degrees F; wash, dry, and de-stem a bunch of kale (or Swiss chard) and cut or tear into large pieces. Drizzle about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large bowl and add the kale; toss so that the greens become lightly coated. Transfer greens to cookie sheets (single layer of kale or chard to ensure proper roasting) and sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake for 10 minutes or until the pieces are crisp. Feel free to try other seasonings like garlic or onion powder, cumin, smoked paprika, vinegar, or sesame oil.

Why are greens so good for me?

Your diet should include all colors of the rainbow; eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, both raw and cooked, every day is key to achieving optimal health. Leafy greens are extra special, though, as they are packed with many essential vitamins (A, C, K, folate) and minerals (calcium, potassium, iron), fiber (soluble and insoluble for cholesterol reduction and regularity), and antioxidants that help repair and prevent damage caused by free radicals that promote aging and chronic disease.

Rebekah

Images by Rebekah Carter (2011).

For additional advice on cooking greens or other vegetables, leave a comment on this post, contact Rebekah, or check out suggestions by Waltham Fields.

Notes from the Field: Spring in New England

2011-06-14T14:24:00.006-04:00

Even by the standards of spring in New England, this has been a wild one. Instead of writing this week's Notes, I seriously considered just including a link to the first Brookfield Farm CSA newsletter, where their longtime farmer, Dan Kaplan, brilliantly recounts the ups and downs of the weather and their effect on crops, with the simple caption "what he said." But when it comes to producing forty different crops, every organic farm has its own story, ever so slightly different from any other. So here is ours.

This spring began for us in the greenhouse, where Erinn nurtured thousands of tiny seedlings to maturity while we watched the thick blanket of snow on the fields slowly melt away. We seeded cover crops in March on fields that were deceptively dry - until the cold, wet weather of April settled in to stay. With the help of many volunteer hands, we dodged rainstorms to plant onions, leeks, lettuce and spinach on schedule. These crops promptly hunkered down in the cold, damp soil and did absolutely no growing at all.

Then, in early May, the hot weather hit. It seemed to go from March to July in a matter of days. Sunscreen and ice cream replaced sweaters and hot coffee in the farm office. Early season transplanted crops, already stressed out by the cold, wet weeks, now experienced a drastic swing to the opposite conditions. Crops that we seeded directly in the ground did not germinate in the abruptly powdery, superheated soil. Spinach and lettuce threatened to bolt if we didn't get irrigation on them immediately - not usually a priority at this time of the year. Even heat-loving transplanted crops like the cucumbers, sweet potatoes and summer squash that we transplanted were traumatized by the ferocious wind and dry soil. But we kept up on the weeding and managed to get our strawberry planting almost clean just in time for the plants to bloom.

Then, another spell of rain and cold (sweaters, transplanting, weeds growing, inside doing tractor maintenance), followed by temperatures that soared into the 90s and tumultuous thunderstorms that brought brief hail and spectacular lightning (more ice cream, this time accompanied by the first of the strawberries). The morning after these storms is always a little nerve-wracking - walking the fields to see what survived the night is not anyone's idea of a great way to start the day. So far we have been fortunate where hail is concerned. The fluctuations in temperature and moisture, though, have definitely made our spring crops confused and a little bit cranky - most are a little smaller than we would like (lettuce), some are a little later (napa cabbage), and some have been attacked by flea beetles or cabbage root maggot while they suffered from drought stress (bok choy).

All of us are happy to have the spring behind us and the bounty of the summer just ahead. We look forward to connecting and reconnecting with volunteers, shareholders, program participants, and other visitors throughout the season. Thank you for supporting us and the work that we are fortunate to do - even when the weather tries to thwart us!

Amanda, for Andy, Erinn, Dan, Larisa and Lauren

Notes from the Learning Garden: Little Sprouts Family Program

2011-06-07T15:07:00.017-04:00

It’s been five weeks of our Little Sprouts farm classes here at WFCF. Each week we have focused on a particular theme (seeds, birds, worms), focused on a garden task (they are great weeders!), looked at a book relating to that theme and had something healthy to snack on.

In our third week we saw the sun after previous classes held in the rain, but no matter the weather we have been having a wonderful time and learning a lot. We have been listening to the killdeer make their distinctive call, splashing in puddles, feeding the hens raisins, flying like a bird to the distribution shelter to see the nesting barn swallows, watching ants, feeding the worms in our compost bin, planting, and eating radishes, lettuce and spinach straight from the garden! We also ate rhubarb pudding!

We’ve been learning about the farm, how plants grow and how to follow the garden path. We love when Farmer Erinn or Farmer Dan drive by in the red tractor! Last week, we walked out to the compost pile with the compost the families have been saving all week and looked for compost critters.

Today, we discovered that there is a whole rainbow of colors in the garden: yellow sunflowers, green leaves, and even purple cabbage!

By Paula Jordan, Farm Educator, WFCF

Rhubarb Chutney

2011-06-04T08:44:00.023-04:00

When I hear "rhubarb," a little voice inside of my head always follows with "strawberries!" For the greater part of my life, rhubarb found its way into my belly via one route only: strawberry rhubarb pie. Delicious as it may be, I wanted to try something a little different this rhubarb season, maybe even something beyond the realm of dessert fare. Then along came this recipe for a spiced rhubarb chutney. Though I'm sure it works fabulously as a glaze for pork (I'm thinking chops or ribs) or salmon, it makes for a wonderful last-minute appetizer; add goat cheese, nuts, and toasted baguette slices to the equation and POOF! You've got yourself a delicious hors d'oeuvre. Just don't forget the plate and utensils, if you feel like being fancy about it.

Rhubarb Chutney
(makes 5-6 pints)

Ingredients:

8 cups sliced rhubarb
6 cups sliced onion
2 cups raisins
7 cups brown sugar (I used maple syrup & white sugar)
4 cups apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ginger (I used freshly grated)
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a heavy pot (do not use cast iron as the vinegar will strip your seasoning; enamel-lined dutch oven works well) and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer gently until slightly thickened (45 minutes is suggested but decrease simmering time if you want to maintain some rhubarb shape and texture). Be sure to stir frequently as to avoid sticking and scorching. When you are satisfied with the texture, pour into clean pint jars.

If canning, process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.

My Two Cents:

Not only did I not have 8 cups of rhubarb on hand, I had no intention of making 6 pints of this chutney, so I cut the recipe in half and was pleased with the results. I did not can my batch nor had brown sugar on hand, so I substituted with a combination of pure maple syrup and white sugar. If you are canning this recipe but want to replace the refined sugar with something like maple syrup or honey, be sure to check with your local extension office first to ensure food safety! From what I've read, mild-flavored honey can safely replace up to half and maple syrup up to a quarter of the sugar called for in a canning recipe. I love using agave nectar whenever possible, but I am not aware of any recommendations on using it as a refined sugar substitute for canning.

Rebekah

Recipe from The New York Times Heritage Cook Book (page 547) by Jean Hewitt via Food in Jars. Images by Rebekah Carter (2011).

Insects (and friends) Galore!!

2011-05-26T16:46:00.008-04:00

This past Saturday we had a wonderful time here at the farm during our Insect Exploration event! Individuals and families came out to make homes for solitary bees and pillbugs, to go on a bug hunt, make bug-themed crafts, and more!

Goin' on a bug hunt

Let's make a pillbug home!

...or maybe one for Solitary Bees.

What is an insect anyway? Dress up like one to find out!

Check out our 2011 Program Calendar to see what other events and programs we have planned for this year!

Eat-Your-Weeds Salad

2011-05-18T13:16:00.022-04:00

With the new growth comes the old in the typical kitchen garden. Unless you're meticulous, chances are you have some overwintered crops thriving in various spots of your garden plot. Put those weeds and any early-harvest crops to use in a freshly-cut salad. From the gardens I maintain both on and off the farm, I gathered the following to make a tasty salad, almost entirely from overwintered crops:

mustard flowers
violets
chives
kale
red and green-leaf lettuces
radish tops (just harvested from a school garden... the kids ate all of the radishes!)

Creamy Sesame Dressing
(makes approximately a 1/4 cup)

Ingredients:

3 tsp tahini (can substitute peanut butter if you don't have tahini)
2 tbsp vinegar (apple cider or rice wine)
1 tsp sugar (agave nectar or honey work well)
2 tbsp sesame oil
dash white pepper
salt or soy sauce to taste

Directions:

In a bowl, whisk together all ingredients except the oil. Slowly drizzle the oil into the mixture as you simultaneously whisk to thoroughly combine. Serve immediately. Double or quadruple the measurements for 1/2 or 1 cup of dressing, respectively.

My Two Cents:

These measurements make for a slightly-sweet and tangy dressing. If you like less tang and more sweet, use less vinegar and add more sugar and sesame oil. For even more flavor, consider adding a touch of minced or grated garlic, ginger, or orange peel. For a little extra crunch and nutrition, toss in some toasted sesame seeds; to make them, constantly stir raw seeds in a small skillet over low heat until they begin to turn golden brown.

Rebekah

Images and dressing recipe by Rebekah Carter (2011).

Recipes from SPROUT

2011-05-04T14:03:00.039-04:00

We've received many requests for the recipes of dishes served at this year's SPROUT, Waltham Fields Community Farm's fundraiser and spring celebration held just last month. The event raised $35,000 in support of our food access and education programs. We'd like to thank the Newbury College Ethics of Eating class for preparing a delicious feast and making some of their recipes available for us to share.

1. Kale-Tatsoi Salad (shown to the left)
2. Butternut Squash Soup
3. Beer-Braised Pork
4. Spinach & Gruyere Quiches
5. Wheat Berry Salad with Beets, Green Onions, & Toasted Walnuts

1. Kale-Tatsoi Salad

1/3 cup tamari soy sauce
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 medium red onion
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 pound fresh kale and tatsoi, or other hearty leafy greens
1/2 cup sunflower sprouts

Directions: Combine the soy sauce and lemon juice in a blender or whisk in a bowl. Slowly dribble in the oil as the blender turns or as you whisk vigorously. Slice the onion into half moons and marinate in the dressing as you prepare the rest of the salad. Toast seeds. De stem the kale and greens as necessary. Slice greens into ¼ inch ribbons. Toss the seeds, spouts, and greens with the onions, and as much dressing as necessary to lightly but completely dress the greens. Thoroughly massage the greens with your hands.

2. Butternut Squash Soup

5 cups cubed butternut squash
2 cups apple cider
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp minced fresh ginger
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Minced radish and fresh dill to garnish.tCombine squash, stock, and cider in a soup pot. Season lightly with salt and peppr. Bring to a simmer and cook until tender. Meanwhile, sauté garlic and ginger in a small sauce pan until fragrant. Add to squash. Puree soup. Add more stock or water if needed. Strain soup through a colander. Chill. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with radish and dill.

3. Beer-Braised Pork

1/3 cup salt
1/3 cup paprika
1 tbsp black pepper
2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp ground mustard
2 tbsp brown sugar
Beer
Pork butt

Directions: Combine rub ingredients. Rub all over pork butt. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Unwrap pork and place in a roasting pan with sides about 2 inches high. Cook 45 minutes until dark browned and even blackening in places. Remove from oven. Lower oven to 325 degrees F. Pour beer over the top and add chopped garlic around the pork. Cover tightly with heavy duty aluminum foil or twice with regular foil. Poke about 10 holes all over the top of the foil. Cook pork butt 2 1/2 hours longer until tender.
Shred using 2 forks. Toss with BBQ sauce.

BBQ Sauce

1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp coarse salt
1 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp black pepper
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup red wine vinegar

Directions: Combine the dry ingredients in a saucepan. Stir in water; heat to boil, then remove from heat. Stir in Worcestershire and vinegar.

4. Spinach & Gruyere Quiches

1 tbsp butter
3 shallots, minced
3 bunches spinach, roughly chopped
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz Gruyere cheese, grated
8 large eggs
3 cups half & half
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
Tartlet shells

Directions: In a large saute pan, heat butter over medium heat. Add some shallots and sweat for 1-2 minutes. Add as much spinach as will fit, season with salt and pepper, and cook until wilted, 2-3 minutes. Continue until all shallots and spinach are cooked. Transfer spinach to colander and press firmly to remove as much liquid as possible; put the spinach in a bowl until needed. Grate cheese and put to the side. Whisk eggs, milks, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Divide spinach and cheese into tartlets; pour egg mixture over. Bake in a 350 degree F oven until set.

5. Wheat Berry Salad with Beets, Green Onion, & Toasted Walnuts

1/2 cup wheat berries
2 cups water
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup finely chopped green onion
1/2 cup roasted beets (recipe below)
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
1/4 balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp whole-grain Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey

Directions: The wheat berries take about an hour to cook, so you want to get these going first. Rinse the wheat berries, then, in a saucepan, combine them with the water and salt; bring to a rolling boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour or until tender. All the liquid should be absorbed. Meanwhile, prepare the vinaigrette by whisking together the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, mustard, and honey. Set aside. Combine the cooked wheat berries, beets, green onions, and walnuts.

Beets

2 beets
1/4 cup olive oil
1 spring fresh thyme
2 tbsp sherry wine vinegar

Directions: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Make a marinade by whisking the oil, thyme, and vinegar in a bowl. Toss the beets with the marinade. Roast in a pan covered with foil for 1 1/2 hours or until soft. Cool, peel, and cut as desired.

Rebekah

Recipes courtesy of Newbury College's Ethics of Eating class. Image from Waltham Fields Community Farm (2011).

Overnight Pickled Vegetables

2011-04-29T11:05:00.028-04:00

The following recipe was inspired by a newly-opened mom n' pop restaurant a stone's throw from my apartment. Instead of the typical bread and butter most restaurants dish out to customers as they peruse the menu, this place gives you a taste of Far East culture with some roasted & seasoned peanuts and pickled vegetables (and the tastiest bean curd I've ever had, I might add). An avid lover of pickles and vegetables at large, I tried to make my own rendition of this no-cook dish featuring radishes, a springtime vegetable that's oft-forgotten or brushed aside as being too incompatible with other flavors. Their bold taste and spicy bite pairs nicely with carrots, cabbage, and a sweetened brine to make some bite-sized, raw deliciousness. Fewer than 24 hours after making a batch, I'm quite pleased with the crisp and tangy results!

The recipe below includes the approximate ingredient amounts I used to loosely fill 4 pint containers. It can easily be altered for fewer or more ingredients; the general rule of thumb for the brine is 1 part sugar to 3 or 4 parts vinegar (depending on your preference for sweet), plus salt to taste. I recommend making enough brine to fill these containers 1/2 to 2/3 full (that is, the brine should reach 1/2 to 2/3 way full with the veggies already in the container), as the veggies will shrink a bit after soaking; extra brine can easily be made at any point during preparation.

Overnight Pickled Vegetables

Ingredients:

1 small head of white cabbage, cut into 1-2" pieces and separated
1 large carrot, sliced into 1/8" coins
5-6 radishes, sliced into 1/4" coins (Daikon radish works well, too)
1 jalapeno pepper, sliced
aromatic vegetables (optional; I recommend thinly-sliced garlic & ginger)
1/2+ cup sugar
2 cups rice wine vinegar
salt to taste

Directions:

Prepare all vegetables as noted and gently pack in storage containers. I recommend your standard glass canning jars (pints or quarts) with those nifty plastic lids, but just about any container with a secure cover will do. In a small pot over medium-high heat, stir sugar, vinegar, and salt until the particles have dissolved; taste to ensure the amount of sugar and salt is to your liking. Bring the brine just to a boil and remove from heat. Pour the brine over the vegetables, seal, and place in the refrigerator. Allow the vegetables to soak for at least 24-48 hours for the flavor to settle in, preferably longer. Serve as a chilled appetizer for an Asian-inspired meal or enjoy as a snack.

Rebekah

Recipe and images by Rebekah Carter (2011).

Mushroom Risotto with Pan-Roasted Asparagus

2011-04-19T08:57:00.064-04:00

Packed with several essential vitamins and minerals made more bioavailable when cooked, asparagus is one of many springtime vegetables that should be enjoyed more often, especially when you can find freshly-harvested varieties at local farmers markets.

The tender stalks, whether thin or thick, make perfect companion to arborio rice prepared into a creamy mushroom risotto. This savory duo is hearty enough to stand alone as a vegetarian or vegan meal (toss in a couple handfuls of spinach to add even more nutrients), but also pairs nicely with rich or braised meats such as lamb, duck, and beef.

Pan-Roasted Asparagus:

Ingredients:

asparagus*, rinsed
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp onion or garlic, minced (optional)

*The amount really depends on how much of a role it plays in the meal and how large the stalks are; less if the stalks are thick or your meal features a meat, more if the stalks are thin or you're preparing these foods as a vegetarian or vegan meal. I suppose the number of people you're feeding should be considered as well!

Directions:

Heat your skillet with oil over medium heat. Add your onion or garlic, if using, and cook until beginning to brown. Increase your heat and add your asparagus, making sure to place the stalks in the pan so that they are not touching each other (this reduces the steaming process that might otherwise predominate the roasting we are trying to achieve). With metal tongs or a spatula, flip the asparagus as it begins to brown a bit, about 1-2 minutes after dropping them in the pan; remove from heat when the spears are al dente.

Mushroom Risotto
(makes 2-4 servings)

Ingredients:

4 c (32 fl oz) mushroom stock (learn how to make your own stock; suggestions below)
2 c sauteed mushrooms (see ingredients and directions below)
2 tbsp butter or oil
1 small onion, diced
1 1/2 c arborio rice
1-2 c spinach (optional; baby spinach preferred)
1/4+ c grated or shredded Parmesan cheese (omit if making a vegan dish)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Before heating up your skillet, put your stock in a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring it to a gentle simmer (this helps the rice more quickly absorb the liquid to maintain the integrity of your grains, a.k.a. it prevents your risotto from becoming too mushy).

In a separate pan, heat your butter or oil over medium heat; add your onion, gently frying it for a minute or two. On very low heat, add your rice, stirring constantly to toast it for about 2-3 minutes. Add 2 cups of your simmering stock and your sauteed mushrooms, gently stirring to incorporate the liquid and rice. You will continue to gradually add the stock to the rice so that it is quickly absorbed, stirring gently, until the stock is completely used up. In total, it should take between 15-20 minutes to make the risotto. Before removing it from the pan, taste your rice to make sure it is al dente; if it still has a bit of crunch to it, heat up and add more stock, or if you ran out, simply use water. If you are using it, fold in your spinach with your last addition of stock. Transfer the risotto to a serving dish and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bon appétit!

It's all about the details...

Mushroom Stock:

While you can look back to this post to understand the basics of stock making, here are the ingredients I suggest adding to the pot for this dish:

mushrooms, caps and stems (I used crimini and portobello varieties)
whole onions
whole shallots
whole garlic
a couple sprigs of fresh thyme
pan juices from sauteed mushrooms
salt

Sauteed Mushrooms:

I have to admit, I didn't pay attention to the exact measurements of the ingredients, but the image above (what's on the cutting board) is exactly what I used to make the 2+ cups of sauteed mushrooms I added to my risotto. I love mushrooms, so the more the merrier (varieties, too)! If you feel like you have too much to use in your risotto, snack on them while you cook or use them in an omelet, quiche, or sauteed vegetables the following day.

Ingredients (approximations):

4-5 cups crimini mushroom caps, quartered or sliced
2 small or 1 large onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

Heat your skillet with oil over medium-high heat. Add your onions and garlic, stirring often until beginning to brown. Over medium heat, add your mushrooms and a little more oil, if needed; cook the mushrooms, stirring often, until tender. With a slotted spoon, transfer the mushrooms to a separate dish until ready for use; pour the pan juices and bits into your mushroom stock pot.

My Two Cents:

I recommend making your sauteed mushrooms and mushroom stock at the same time so you can take advantage of any pan juices. You can also oven-roast your mushrooms and asparagus; for time and convenience, I prefer to use my stove top. I like big chunks of mushrooms in my risotto, so I quarter mine. I used half butter and half olive oil when making the risotto to get a hint of both flavors, and a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to gently fold the stock & spinach into the risotto as it cooks. Assuming you are serving these two sides together, don't bother starting your asparagus until you've just about finished the risotto; the rice can hold for a bit but the asparagus will get cold pretty quickly. Lastly, don't spoil your culinary efforts by overcooking your vegetables, in this case, your asparagus; be sure to increase the heat for quick cooking and assuredly-al dente spears.

Rebekah

Recipe and images by Rebekah Carter (2011).

Spring Has Sprung! (and so have our seedlings)

2011-04-15T13:59:00.002-04:00

This may sound crazy to anyone who has not started their own seeds before, but seeing tiny sprouts emerge from trays full of soil while cold winds (and sometimes snow) blow around outside is one of the most exciting experiences of my whole year. Perhaps it is seeing green amongst so much brown and grey? Perhaps it is the thought of new life and new beginnings? Whatever it is, I absolutely love it.

Cabbage Seedlings in the Learning Garden Greenhouse

Keeping the rodents at bay (hopefully!)

Beets!

If you weren't able to plant seeds and are looking for seedlings to get your garden started this year, come get fabulous seedlings grown by our very own farmers at one of our upcoming seedling sales!

Ginger-Garlic Lentil Soup

2011-04-09T14:13:00.055-04:00

For Massachusetts residents, the month of April brings about many simple pleasures: continued seed starting (or visits to seedling sales like those at Waltham Fields), garden bed preparation and planting, the return of Red Sox-everything, the blossoming of trees and perennial flowers, Marathon Monday, and those few, sporadic days of unseasonably warm weather that tease us with visions of summer. Much as those days entice many to throw on tank tops, shorts, and sandals long before it seems truly appropriate, warm April days still leave us with chilly evenings and nights, never mind the more frequent rain showers we tend to experience. And so I share with you my recipe for a bold and delicious lentil soup, featuring freshly-grated ginger and garlic to help keep you in good health during our seasonal transition from the cold to the warm.

Ginger-Garlic Lentil Soup

The Ingredients:
(approximations for 6-8 servings; adjust to your needs and tastes)

1/2+ c carrots, diced
1/2+ c celery, diced
3/4+ c onion, diced
1 1/2 tbsp garlic, finely grated
1 1/2 tbsp ginger, finely grated
1/2 c cilantro, chopped
1/4 c fenugreek, dry or fresh, chopped
2-3 tbsp preferred fat (I recommend chicken schmaltz if you have it; butter or oil work fine, too)
hot red pepper flake (optional)
3+ tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp coriander powder
1 1/2 c dry brown lentils (more or less depending if you want a thick/thin soup)
1 bay leaf (if not used in your stock)
1/8-1/4 c vinegar (white, red, or apple cider work well)
2 1/2+ quarts (80 fl oz) chicken or vegetable stock (click here to learn how to make your own)
1/4-1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
dash of white pepper
salt to taste

How to Make it:

In a large stock pot over low heat, sweat your mirepoix veggies, garlic, ginger, cilantro, and fenugreek in your preferred fat (you should barely hear your veggies hissing as they are cooking). After your veggies have softened (about 8-10 minutes), add your hot red pepper flake (if using), curry, cumin, and coriander powders, mixing well; cook this mixture for 2-3 minutes. Add your dry lentils and cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Add your bay leaf, vinegar, mustard, pepper, and stock; give the pot a good stir and check if you need to add more salt. Cook over medium-high to high heat just until the soup begins to boil; reduce heat to low and simmer until the lentils become tender, about 30-40 minutes. Garnish with some fresh scallion and enjoy!

My Two Cents, in no particular order:

When making this soup, I had an open bottle of pinot noir on hand, so I did half red wine vinegar and half straight-up red wine (a good splash of each, about a 1/4 c total). Beer might work well, too, but I haven't tried it for this soup! For the garlic and ginger, I used a grater-zester, which results in a paste; if you like to have little garlic and ginger chunks in your soup, by all means forgo this step and simply mince these ingredients. An easy way to remove the skin from ginger is to scrape it off with a spoon. Mustard is a great flavor-enhancer for most soups, but should be used with discretion; you really shouldn't be able to taste the mustard! So add it little by little, say a 1/4 tsp at a time, giving the pot a good stir and tasting the soup as you go. And as with all dishes and soups, it's recommended that you add salt with each new ingredient (or group of ingredients) to best draw out their flavors. However, depending on the saltiness of your stock, you may want to add less or more. It's a good idea to taste the stock before starting your soup if you are unsure of its sodium content. If you couldn't tell by now, continuous sampling is an essential part of preparing successful meals!

Rebekah

Recipe and images by Rebekah Carter (2011).

Homemade Stock

2011-04-09T12:38:00.058-04:00

For some, the thought of making one's own vegetable or chicken stock may seem a daunting task best left to corporate entities. I would beg to differ. Homemade stock is really quite easy to prepare and is the perfect way to use up vegetable scraps (skins, ends and all) and the picked chicken carcass leftover from roasting a bird whole. The recipe below is simply an idea base for stock making. Depending on what you plan to make with it, you may want to add or remove certain ingredients, especially particular vegetables, herbs, and spices that will enhance the flavor of your soup or dish. Let your imagination run wild; just be sure to follow specific instructions provided by the USDA if you are making meat or vegetable stock for canning in order to prevent life-threatening foodborne illness.

Chicken Stock*

The Ingredients:

- cooked & picked chicken carcass (meat scraps, bones, cartilage, skin, pan juices)
- chicken neck (if included)
- carrots
- celery
- onion and/or shallot
- garlic
- herbs (parsley, bay leaf, thyme, cilantro, rosemary, sage)
- salt
- peppercorns
- additional spices as seen fit
- additional vegetables as seen fit (mushrooms, tomatoes, potatoes, bell pepper, fennel, leek, parsnips)

*If you are making vegetable stock, omit the chicken parts and bulk up on the veggies, especially your traditional mirepoix (pronounced "meer-pwah") ingredients: onion, celery, and carrots. I recommend going heavy on the garlic and parsley for most stocks intended for soup making.

How to Make it:

Simple math should tell us that the more surface area our ingredients have, the more flavor we can extract from them. This said, break up your carcass and peel and chop your vegetables and aromatics (the more fragrant ingredients, including alliums, herbs, and spices), being sure to keep the peels, skins, and ends. Depending on the amount of scraps you have from prior cooking, you may also want to include additional fresh vegetable pieces for a more flavorful stock. Put all of the ingredients in a large stock pot; add cold water (Why cold? To better release the collagen in the chicken, which thickens the stock) until it covers all ingredients by a few of inches; you can always add more water if the level drops too much during cooking. Over medium-high or high heat, cook the mixture just until the point of boiling; reduce heat to maintain a simmer for 3-4 hours if making chicken stock or 2-3 hours for vegetable stock. With tongs or a slotted spoon, carefully remove large pieces of the chicken and vegetables, placing in a metal mesh strainer and pressing on the scraps to retain liquid in your stock pot. Once you've removed all of the chicken parts and the larger vegetable pieces, carefully pour your stock through the same mesh strainer; press on the "catch" left in the strainer and discard.

How to Store it:

If you are using your stock immediately, simply add it to your soup or dish when needed. If you are refrigerating it, portion it into glass jars (those used for traditional canning work well) or airtight plastic containers for easier storage. If you are freezing it, portion it into airtight plastic containers; label and date each container. Stock kept in the fridge should be used and consumed within a week of preparation; frozen stock should be used within three months for flavor and food safety.

My Two Cents:

I generally make stock one day and my soup the day after. While I will use vegetable scraps from prior preparations (such as roasting the bird), I always include additional whole veggies and herbs, roughly chopped, to ensure a delicious outcome. For extra flavor, I scrape off and add the schmaltz (the congealed chicken fat that rises to the top of the stock after refrigeration) to my mirepoix veggies when making the soup instead of using butter or oil. Just one more way to make slightly better use of your food dollars!

Rebekah

Images by Rebekah Carter (2011).

A Little Volunteer Action in the Garden

2011-04-02T13:23:00.012-04:00

Spreading some (compost) love

While snow showers greeted us into April, today's mild and sunny weather has melted all but a few remnants of Old Man Winter's final (fingers crossed!) blow across New England.

With help from a small group of local volunteers, Jericho and I were able to relocate some large benches and spread loads of rich compost over our Learning Garden beds. Thank you for coming out and helping us get a good start on this year's garden!

For more information on how you can get involved,
visit our website.

Rebekah

Seedlings kept safe from the snow in the farmers' greenhouses (left)

Images by Rebekah Carter (2011).

SPROUT is on its way

2011-04-02T07:55:00.013-04:00

Mark your calendars and buy your tickets for an evening of food, fun, and farm friends!

Join us for this year's

SPROUT

Saturday, April 9th, 5:30-8:30pm

@ the Charles River Museum of Industry (located in downtown Waltham; click here for a map)

Silent auction fundraiser and spring celebration featuring: DELICIOUS FOOD (prepared by the Newbury College Ethics of Eating culinary class), OPEN BAR (local beer and organic wine), and LIVE JAZZ (by the Valerie Walton and Tad Hitchcock Trio)

TICKET PRICES

Members (1 or 2 tickets): $45; Non-Members (1 or 2 tickets): $50

Bring Your Friends Special (3rd or more tickets): $30

There's still plenty of time to purchase your tickets or donate an item for our auction! Volunteers are welcomed; contact Claire for more information.

Cast-Iron Brussels Sprouts

2011-04-01T14:40:00.012-04:00

I adore cruciferous vegetables. Long touted for their high-nutrient content, some crucifers are hearty enough to make a meal on their own. Enter: Brussels sprouts. These little cabbages are packed with health-promoting goodn ess, are typically milder in flavor than full-size cabbage heads, and are just plain cute as the dickens. Seriously, what's not to love about a baby cabbage? Better question: what's the best way to get more of these little guys in your diet? How about this recipe to start:

Cast-Iron
Brussels Sprouts

The Ingredients

Brussels sprouts, rinsed
Onion, quartered and divided (as much or as little as you like; I used equal parts BS and onion)
Butter or oil (I used about 1 tbsp butter for the amount is pictured here)
A splash of balsamic vinegar (about 1 tbsp used here)
A splash of molasses (about 1 tbsp used here; I realize molasses doesn't exactly "splash" into the pan, but I promise it will quickly loosen up upon hitting that hot skillet!)
Salt to taste

How to Make it:

Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat with butter or oil; add your onions and cook until tender and browned. While the onions caramelize, cut your sprouts in half; if you prefer, cut off the rough ends on the sprouts before slicing them in half. Over high-heat, move the onions to the edges of the skillet and place each sprout half, flat-side down, onto the skillet; cook for a minute or two, or until the flat-side is browned (what culinary types like to call a "hard sear"). Add your balsamic vinegar, molasses, and salt, and stir well to evenly coat the sprouts and onions; cook for another two or so minutes until slightly tender. Bon appétit!

For our omnivorous friends: Try this same recipe but replace the butter/oil with bacon. With your onions, cook bacon strips in "piles" around the skillet until cooked through. Take the bacon out of the skillet, give it a rough chop, and then add it back to the skillet with your sprouts; follow the rest of the recipe as previously mentioned. I brought this version to the Harvest Potluck and it was gone in minutes!

Rebekah

Images by Rebekah Carter (2011).

Don't forget: Soil Habitat Library Program

2011-03-15T19:54:00.011-04:00

Waltham Fields Community Farm

invites children ages 6-11 and their caregivers to our

Soil Habitat Library Program

Tuesday, March 22nd
from 3:30-4:30PM at the
Waltham Public Library

Come in for an activity and story hour to learn about the different critters living in the earth.

Sign up is required, so please visit the library's website to register.

Image by Rebekah Carter (2011).

Here today, gone tomorrow

2011-03-14T11:29:00.012-04:00

The snow, that is. In just a week's time, Waltham Fields underwent a major change in scenery.

March 6, 2011 and March 14, 2011

Waltham Fields' farmland at the Lyman Estate

Excited by the sight of exposed soil, Jericho and I decided that this morning would be a good time to broadcast snow peas for early harvesting and sanitize trays for seed starting next week.

After spreading the peas out, the next step was to stomp 'em into the bed... but with just about all of the beds covered in peas, Jericho knew there had to be an easier and faster way to smush them in. What she found: big, plastic planters for some roll-over action!

Rebekah

New Beginnings (or The Last of The Onions)

2011-03-10T11:09:00.008-05:00

I have two onions left in my kitchen from last year's harvest. I must admit that at first I was sad to contemplate the idea of buying onions at the grocery store (knowing they could never be quite as delicious), but then it occurred to me that this sort of finality or "tying up of loose ends" only means that it is time to start again. Adding to this feeling was the dramatic change in scenery that occurred here in the past week. I almost felt as if a magic wand had been waved and the snowy blanket removed to reveal... (drum roll please)... a farm!

last year's squash/fodder for the compost pile

The sudden exposure of all that rich brown earth after a couple months of blinding white seems to be nature's way of saying, "Okay. I've had my rest, now it's time for some new growth."

Well, we are happy to oblige.

We do still have a bit of time before the plants can actually go in the ground (and surely we are not completely shut of snowy weather yet), but last week our farmers cleaned out the greenhouses and began seeding onions, beets, spring brassicas, fennel, and leeks. A number of volunteers have emerged to assist and we very much appreciate the extra hands as we fill flat after flat with the tiny seeds that will grow into nourishment for the mind and body of many individuals and families, whether through preparing and eating healthy snacks in our education programs, purchasing seedlings at our seedling sales, or using produce from our CSA and hunger relief/food access programs.

Dan and volunteers planting leeks

Though there is a lot of work to get done in the greenhouse and the office this time of year and the pace has certainly quickened relative to that of January and February, there is still a remnant of the winter's calm, now lined thickly with anticipation of the busy months ahead. The time when this greenhouse full of freshly planted seeds will be emptied (and then filled again) as the seedlings are transplanted, new generations are seeded, fields are tilled and weeded, and the harvest begins.

Happy Planting,

Jericho

a greenhouse full of flats

If you are interested in volunteering at Waltham Fields Community Farm, please go to the Volunteer Service page of our website for more information.

our Volunteer Kiosk:
be sure to sign-in here!

the Kiosk on the inside (a sneak peak)

Oven-roasted Curried Cauliflower

2011-02-19T10:10:00.011-05:00

Cauliflower, that creamy-colored, brainy-looking, long-wait-'til-harvest veggie, just doesn't get enough publicity these days, and I can understand why: with the exception of its cousin broccoli, cauliflower is in a class of its own, and a lot of people simply don't know where to start. I say fear no more! Not only is this cruciferous vegetable loaded with nutrients such as vitamins C and K, folate, potassium, and fiber, cauliflower is quite versatile; you can steam it, sauté it, roast it, bake it up in a casserole... you can even cream it with other starchy vegetables to make a mashed creation or serve it raw as crudités (pronounced "kroo-di-tey;" French for raw veggies and dip). Here we make a simple combination of cauliflower, onion, and chickpeas, drench it with an Indian-inspired vinaigrette, and roast it for about a half hour. As usual, don't be afraid to let out your inner chef and experiment with different combinations or amounts of ingredients. Cooking doesn't have to be an exact science... unless we're talking baked goods such as breads, cakes and cookies. But that is for another day!

The Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower, broken down into florets (those mini cauliflower "trees" that make up the entire head)
1-2 onions, quartered with layers separated
1 cup cooked chickpeas
1/4 cup vinegar (white, red wine, or apple cider work well)
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp paprika
2 tsp curry powder
salt to taste (1 tsp should do)
sprinkle of red pepper flake (optional)
fresh cilantro, chopped

How to Make it:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Rinse off the cauliflower, remove its outer leaves, and gently it break down into large florets (this is most easily done by working from the bottom of the head, where you can see and cut the "tree trunks" of the floret off of the core). Quarter and separate your onion layers; add the florets, onions, and chickpeas to a large casserole dish and put aside. Whisk all other ingredients together except the cilantro; pour over the vegetables and gently mix them to coat (depending on the size of your cauliflower head, you may need more or less vinaigrette than what our ingredient amounts provide). Place the dish in the oven for about 25-30 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and enjoy!

Rebekah

Images by Rebekah Carter (2011).
Recipe adapted from Epicurious.com.

Organic Gardening Workshop

2011-02-16T13:13:00.007-05:00

No synthetic chemicals on these 'maters!

Waltham Fields' presents:
Organic Gardening Workshop

Tuesdays, March 1st-22nd, 6-7:30pm

Workshop Fee: $100 members/$110 non-members.

Whether you have a community garden plot, a few raised beds, an extensive home garden, or are interested in starting a garden, this workshop is for you! Seasoned farmer Amanda Cather will lead the group in both discussion and hands-on activities pertaining to fertility, pest and disease management, variety selection, and seed starting/greenhouse management.

Workshop sessions will also feature guest speakers focusing on topics such as composting and container gardening, and will end with a field trip to see a fabulous example of a home gardening vision that has become a reality!

Image by Rebekah Carter (2010).

Fee assistance available. To inquire email Jericho.

Don't Miss Out: Oh Starry Night!

2011-02-01T21:52:00.009-05:00

Oh Starry Night!

A Mid-winter Gathering,

Thursday, February 3rd, 7-9pm

This is a FREE EVENT -- All are welcome!

Bundle up and come out to the farm for an evening of mid-winter stargazing, hot cider, and good company! We are pleased to welcome back BU professor and astronomer Andrew West who will lead this telescopic exploration of the vibrant winter sky. Feel free to bring a telescope if you have one and don't forget to dress in warm layers! We hope to see you there!

How countlessly they congregate / O'er our tumultuous snow,

Which flows in shapes as tall as trees / When wintry winds do blow!

-- from Stars by Robert Frost

Image by Rebekah Carter (2011).

Snow: Winter's Gift to the Garden

2011-01-31T17:07:00.008-05:00

January 30, 2011: the Learning Garden under cover

With a handful of major snow falls already under its belt, New England is expecting yet another storm this week, possibly dropping as much as one to two feet of powder in some regions! While these snowy conditions have some people wishing they were living on the Equator, this classic New England winter wonderland provides several benefits to the garden, including insulation from extreme cold and wind, additional soil moisture, and the deposition of atmospheric nitrogen in crop beds.

Get your boots and shovels ready for another day in the snow globe that is Massachusetts!

Rebekah

Your Trash is My Treasure

2011-01-31T08:50:00.033-05:00

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, up to 26% of solid waste (about 68 million tons!) dumped into American landfills each year is made up of food scraps and yard trimmings that could otherwise be used towards soil building and improved food production. Lucky for the home gardener on a budget, compost is one of the best and least expensive ways to help your garden thrive during the growing season while also reducing your solid waste contribution to municipal landfills.

Compost is a combination of carbon and nitrogen-rich plant matter that has decomposed into a dark, earthy-smelling, soil-like result known as humus, Latin for "earth" and "ground". Humus provides garden beds with plant-loving nutrients while it also improves soil structure, providing better air-circulation and moisture-retention. Decomposition of plant material into humus relies on elements such as air and water in addition to the work of many tiny creatures like insects, worms, and microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi; as these creatures chow down on our food and yard scraps, they produce the necessary heat and castings that turn our waste into humus. Humans can also help the process by providing the proper environment for pile decomposition, as discussed below. Gardeners can buy a composting bin, build their own using materials such as wood and wire, or simply make a big, free-standing heap! Getting started is as easy as adding the following waste items to your pile:

Carbon or "Brown" Matter:

Fruit peels and pieces
Newspaper and cardboard
Fireplace ashes
Wood chips and shavings (untreated!)
Leaves and pine needles
Twigs and sticks
Straw
Nut shells and corn stalks

Nitrogen or "Green" Matter:

Vegetable peels and pieces
Food waste
Grass and hay
Eggs shells
Coffee grounds and tea bags
Seaweed
Weeds (decrease risk of spreading weeds by completely drying out all weeds prior to composting and leaving out particularly invasive varieties)
Leguminous crops (alfalfa, clover)
Manure

Home gardeners should NOT compost the following:

Meat and dairy foods (get too stinky and attract larger animals)
Coal ashes
Color-printed paper and cardboard
Diseased plants
Invasive weeds
Pet waste
Synthetic chemicals

The saying goes "compost happens," but for those with less patience and nutrient-depleted soil, it doesn't seem to happen soon enough! However, there are several composting techniques available to gardeners and farmers alike, including:

Cold or slow composting, a maintenance-free way to compost; as simple as adding organic matter to your pile and waiting for nature to run its course,
Hot composting, a more intensive technique relying on a higher pile temperature for quicker decomposition, and
Vermicomposting, a form of composting utilizing the decomposition powers of worms

Looks like too much carbon and too little moisture!
Fall 2010

While it can take several months to a year for adequate decomposition to have taken place, you will be more than happy to see the effect this natural fertilizer has on your harvest once applied to your garden beds. Use the following suggestions to help quicken the decomposition process:

Cut up matter into smaller pieces that microorganisms can decompose more quickly
Try to maintain a good carbon:nitrogen balance (the EPA suggests 1 part "brown" matter to 1 part "green" matter, though other sources recommend a larger amount of carbon-rich matter); add extra "green" matter to increase pile heat or extra "brown" matter if the pile starts to stink
Turn (mix) your pile to aerate it
Try to maintain a good moisture balance; too little water can kill bacteria and stop decomposition while too much water can make a pile slimy and stinky and halt the action of aerobic (requiring oxygen) microorganisms
For faster compost, try to maintain a pile temperature between 120-160 degrees F during warm seasons; positioning your pile in a sunny area and adding matter in large bunches (as opposed to small amounts) helps maintain high temperatures

Composting during the Winter

During our cold and snowy New England winter, most if not all outdoor decomposition comes to a halt unless the pile is kept warm enough for microorganisms to continue their work. Unless you already have a large, established pile or a well-insulated bin, you should start your own compost after winter conditions have passed. However, many local farms and composting facilities are happy and willing to let you dump your compost-approved waste onto their mammoth piles during the winter months. Be sure to first discuss your desire to provide food and yard waste with farm and facility staff PRIOR to dumping anything, as every organization has its own set of rules and stipulations that should be respected!

We will further explore these different forms of composting this spring and summer in the Learning Garden and on our blog, but for now, save your scraps and stay toasty!

Rebekah

Composting suggestions based on data provided by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, the University of Missouri Extension, and the US Environmental Protection Agency.
Images by Rebekah Carter (2011).

The Hidden Hustle and Bustle of Winter

2011-01-20T09:51:00.007-05:00

Things are fairly quiet outside on the farm these days as the fields rest under a thick blanket of snow that just keeps coming down. However, I would like to dispel the myth that there is nothing to do on a farm in the winter because inside our warm offices there is still plenty of work to be done!

An Abundance of Seed Catalogs

Our farmers are busy finalizing their crop plan; working out schedules and interviewing candidates for seasonal staff; ordering compost, supplies and other amendments; sifting through piles of seed catalogs to pick the right varieties for the upcoming season; and much, much more. This is also the time for confirming and setting dates for proposed programs, having strategic planning discussions, and attempting to get to all of the projects on our lists before the really-busy season gets into full swing.

This is also an incredibly exciting time of year! If you are a gardener (and perhaps even if you are not), you know the thrill of receiving a seed catalog in the mail in the middle of winter and poring over the colorful pictures of tomatoes, peppers, radishes, etc. that make your mouth water and yearn for the bountiful days of July and August.

The future is bursting with potential and we are working hard to make sure that potential turns into another great season full of tasty produce; fabulous conversations with members, volunteers, and program participants about food and farming; children playing (and learning) outside in our Learning Garden; and the satisfaction of providing mental and physical nourishment to our community.

Happy Winter!

Jericho

Stay Tuned

2010-12-15T11:56:00.016-05:00

Left over radishes from fall

With frozen ground and blustery winds, mother nature has made her point: the cold, dark days of winter are upon us!

Quiet on the farm these days...

While most New England crops don't like this season too much, it is a critical period of reflection and planning for farmers and home gardeners alike. So even though the Learning Garden may look quite barren, much thought and energy is already going into its crop plan for the 2011 growing season!

Continue to check out our blog in 2011 for weekly posts featuring healthy recipes, garden plans, information on programs and workshops, and more.

Media (text and images) created and published by Rebekah Carter 2010.

Preserving the Flavors of Fall: Making Pear-Cranberry Jam with Bonnie Shershow

2010-12-01T17:24:00.016-05:00

This past Tuesday evening, a group of locals enthusiastic about eating and preserving farm-fresh food gathered at Waltham Fields Community Farm to take part in our holiday jam workshop. Bonnie Shershow of Bonnie's Jams explained her process for making delicious jams using only fresh fruit, water, and much less sugar than many commercial jams on the market. With supplies on hand, Bonnie showed participants her step-by-step jam making process and sent them home with the fruits of their labor: a lovely jar of pear-cranberry jam! The following the recipe was used during our workshop. Make it at home for family and friends!

Bonnie's Jams
www.bonniesjams.com

Pear-Cranberry Jam
Makes approx. 12-13 8 oz. jars

The Ingredients:

5 lbs of pears (approx. 14 pears), peeled and cut into 1-2 inch cubes
6 cups of water
2 lbs of whole fresh cranberries
4 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice (approx. 8 lemons)

How to Make it:
In a large pan, place cut pears and water over medium-high heat for 20 minutes. Add the cranberries and sugar; continue to cook for 30 minutes. Mash any pears that are still in chunks and continue cooking for another 15-20 minutes. Add the lemon juice and cook another 5 minutes. Fill clean jars and cap with new lids. The temperature of the jam should be 210 degrees F when placed in the jars.

Vegetarian Borscht

2010-10-31T17:28:00.024-04:00

Borscht is popular soup of Eastern and Central Europe. Served both hot and cold, the term "borscht" is used for several varieties of beet-based soups; most traditional recipes include ingredients such as cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, and/or beef, in addition to beets. The recipe below is a vegetarian* take on this classic soup. We recommend serving it with a dark bread such as rye or pumpernickel and a dollop of sour cream or plain greek yogurt.

*Make this dish vegan by replacing the butter with olive oil and omitting the sour cream/yogurt garnish.

The Ingredients:

5 tbsp butter
3 medium onions, diced
3 cloves of garlic, crushed & minced
1 1/2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
2 tbsp dried fenugreek, chopped
2-3 stalks of celery, diced
2 large carrots, one diced, one sliced into rounds
2-3 cups beets, small or medium sized, peeled & sliced
1 cup potato, sliced or diced
1 cup turnips, peeled & sliced
1 small cabbage, sliced into ribbons
6 cups of vegetable stock
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
4 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
Salt, according to taste (at least 1 tsp)

How to Make it:

Prepare all produce and ingredients as instructed. In a large pot over medium heat, melt your butter and add your onion, garlic, parsley, thyme, fenugreek, celery, diced carrots, and a sprinkle of salt; saute this mixture for about 3 minutes, stirring often. Next, add your beets, potato, carrot slices, turnips, and another sprinkle of salt; saute this mixture for 20-25 minutes or until the root vegetables are slightly soft. Add your vegetable stock and bring to a boil; reduce the heat and add your vinegar, dill, cabbage, and salt to taste and simmer for 20-25 minutes. You can enjoy this soup immediately but the flavor really develops a day or so after its original preparation! Consume within a week.

Media (text and images) created and published by Rebekah Carter 2010.

Thanks for another great season!

2010-10-28T09:16:00.013-04:00

Another season of Children's Learning Garden programs at Waltham Fields Community Farm has come to an end... but don't despair! We will continue to post recipes, farm news and more throughout the coming months, and we hope that you will continue to visit our blog to stay connected over the winter season!

Here is the recipe for "Compost Granola" from last week's CLG program:

Compost Granola*
*Many ingredients can either be excluded or replaced depending on allergies or preferences

"Carbon" Ingredients:
2 cups rolled oats

"Nitrogen" Ingredients:
1 cup dried fruits

"Soil Organism" Ingredients:
3/4 cup sunflower and/or pumpkin seeds
3/4 cup chopped nuts

"Moisture":
4 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup honey

"Heat":
Oven/toaster oven at 350 degrees F

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the oats on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Mix the oil and honey in a saucepan and stir over medium heat until thoroughly mixed and "liquidy" (thinned-out). Mix the toasted oats, honey/oil mixture, and all other ingredients in a large bowl. Spread this oat mixture on a greased baking or roasting pan and bake for 30-60 minutes or until browned and crunchy. Break it into pieces and enjoy!

Singin' our Compost Song

Don't forget to join us for the Harvest Potluck this Saturday if you can (see post below for details)!

This Weekend: Harvest Potluck & Annual Meeting

2010-10-25T18:32:00.015-04:00

Happy Halloween!

Get your costume ready! All are welcome to Waltham Field's Harvest Potluck in addition to its Annual Meeting this Saturday, October 30th between 12-2PM at the farm (240 Beaver Street, Waltham, MA). There will be activities for children, a raffle drawing for gifts such as Boston Celtics tickets, a farm produce basket, and pottery made by farm staff, as well as prizes for those decked out in creative Halloween duds! Bring a dish to share, vote on changes to our mission statement and bylaws, learn about our accomplishments from this past year, and hear about our organization's plans for the year to come and beyond.

Potluck Suggestions:

A-N: bring a main dish
O-R: bring a beverage or dessert
S-Z: bring a side dish or salad

We hope to see you there!

All images provided by The Vintage Moth via Flickr. Media published by Rebekah Carter (2010).