Notes from the Field - Fall Song

Obligingly, the weather and light have made abrupt changes, ushering in the end of our summer season together.  The golden sunlight at 4pm yesterday was beautiful but weak and waning.  A heavy frost, even ice, lingered in the long shadows in the fields throughout the morning after a low of 23 degrees on Sunday night.  NOAA has officially called it the end of the growing season in the Northeast. 

 

We're moving towards our darkest day, more rapidly now it feels, only to immediately begin the tilt, orbit and rotation to our longest one once we reach it.  We still have a lot of food to harvest, store and distribute through our November/December Winter CSA (purchase your Winter Share today!), to the local schools, and for donations to food assistance programs in the region - but the cold is definitely upon us.  Thank you for being a part of this farm; I hope that the season was as enjoyable and delicious for you as it was for us.

 

This winter, we'll hash out the lessons we've learned from this season and get some much needed rest, readying to greet you again next year, just days away from the summer

solstice.  In the meanwhile, take a moment to savor Mary Oliver's poignant articulation of this transitional time of year.  Stay warm, be well and know that we are grateful to have you as a part of the Waltham Fields community.

For the Farm Crew,
Erinn Roberts, Farm Manager

Fall Song by Mary Oliver

Farm Manager Erinn harvesting sweet fall carrots!

Another year gone, leaving everywhere
its rich spiced residues: vines, leaves,

the uneaten fruits crumbling damply
in the shadows, unmattering back

from the particular island
of this summer, this NOW, that now is nowhere

except underfoot, moldering
in that black subterranean castle

of unobservable mysteries - roots and sealed seeds
and the wanderings of water. This

I try to remember when time's measure
painfully chafes, for instance when autumn

flares out at the last, boisterous and like us longing
to stay - how everything lives, shifting

from one bright vision to another, forever
in these momentary pastures

Collards Galore - Recipes from Newbury College Students

Chef/Teacher Paige Haringa
helps with harvest!

Chef Paige Haringa, Faculty at the Newbury College Culinary School, has been a longtime supporter of Waltham Fields; she was a shareholder for a few years and worked with her students to cater Sprout in 2012 and 2013, our annual silent auction fundraiser to raise money for the Farm's food access and education work. This year, Paige and her students from Newbury College's Ethics of Eating class came to Waltham Fields to learn more about our farm's food access work. Paige and her students harvested collards from the fields and created several different cheap and easy recipes to sample at our Outreach Market (a special weekly program providing organic produce to low-income households). Paige's students were enthusiastic and inventive with their recipes, and Outreach Market participants loved their fresh take on collard greens; many more of them ended up going home with collards after sampling these delicious recipes. Thanks so much to Paige and her students, it was wonderful hosting them at the Outreach Market this year!

Newbury College Culinary Students in the Ethics of Eating class

 

Here are the 5 delicious Collard Greens recipes the students made...

Give them a try!

~~~

 

Collard Greens Salad with Ginger Dressing & Seed Brittle

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated peeled ginger

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, divided

5 teaspoons honey, divided

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Kosher salt

4 tablespoons raw sunflower seeds

2 tablespoons raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

2 tablespoons raw sesame seeds

1 bunch collard greens, center ribs and stems removed, leaves thinly sliced

1 fuji apple sliced, tossed in lemon juice

 

To make the dressing, whisk vinegar, ginger, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, and 1 tsp honey in a large bowl. Whisk in oils; season with salt.

Combine remaining 4 tsp honey, remaining red pepper flakes, and 3 Tbsp water in a small bowl. Toast sunflower, pumpkin, and sesame seeds in 350 degree oven, spread out on a sheet pan. Toast until sesame seeds are lightly browned. Transfer the nuts to a saute pan over medium heat. Add honey mixture and cook, stirring, until seeds stick together in small clumps, about 3 minutes. Scrape seed mixture onto parchment paper; let cool. Break into small clusters.

Toss greens with enough dressing to coat in a large bowl; season with salt. Squeeze and rub collards with your hands to tenderize until glossing and darkened in color, about 30 seconds. Drizzle salad with more dressing and serve topped with seeds and apple slices.

~~~

Collard Green Pasta

8 oz pasta 

2 tbsp olive oil, divided

4 cloves garlic, minced and divied

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tsp red pepper flakes (or less/more to taste)

1 large bunch collard greens

1 large lemon, zest and juice

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add the pasta and cook until al dente according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of cooked pasta water.

Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat. 

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil and the garlic. Stir quickly so it doesn't burn, about 30 seconds, and then add the bread crumbs. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring often until golden brown. Add in the nutritional yeast and red pepper flakes. Remove the bread crumbs from the pan and wipe clean.

Remove the stems from the collard greens and stack the leaves on top of one another. Tightly roll, like a cigar. Starting at the end, thinly slice the collard leaves. 

Heat the remaining 1 tbsp. oil in the large non-stick pan. Add the remaining garlic clove and the collard leaves with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until the collards are wilted and cooked through. 

Add in the pasta and stir together. If the pasta is too dry add in a little of the reserved pasta water.

Add in the reserved bread crumbs, lemon juice and zest. Season to taste. 

~~~

Collard Green Vodka Rotini

10 oz rotini pasta, dried

1 oz sage, torn up into small pieces

2 large collard green leaves, in 1-inch thick ribbons

1 oz chopped parsley

1/2 small yellow onion, chopped

1 tsp red pepper flakes, less to taste

3/4 cup grape tomatoes, halved

2 tbsp butter, to saute

4 oz vodka, any variety

2 garlic cloves, sliced thinly

4 oz Parmesan cheese, grated, plus more for garnish

1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil for garnish

Bring a pot of water to boil, season with salt. Once boiling, add pasta, cook to desired firmness. 

Heat a separate pan to medium low heat. Add butter, cook until frothy (~1 minute), add in onions and let sweat for one minute. Add garlic and collard greens and cook until tender (~4 minutes). Add in red pepper flakes and tomatoes, cook for about 3 minutes.

Add vodka, increase heat to high and cook off alcohol (~2 minutes). Return to heat to medium low. Once alcohol is cooked off, add in pasta, stir into sauce and add fresh herbs. Grate in Parmesan cheese, fold into sauce.

Garnish with a drizzle of oil and more grated Parmesan on top.

~~~

Collard Green Pasta Salad

2 cups bow-tie pasta

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup of onions, small dice

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small yellow squash, cut into 1/4" half moons

4 cups collard greens, stemmed and sliced

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 small vine tomatoes, diced

2 tsp oregano, minced

2 tsp basil, minced

1 tsp cilantro, minced

1/3 cup lemon juice

salt & pepper

crumbled feta cheese

Cook pasta to desired firmness. Strain and let cool. Do not rinse. 

Meanwhile, heat a saute pan and add a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Cook onions until translucent. Add garlic and yellow squash and cook for about 1 minute. Add collard greens and saute until tender. 

In a bowl mix the pasta with the cooked ingredients. Add the chopped tomato. dd the rest of the olive oil, chopped herbs and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Crumble feta over the top and serve.

~~~

Rice & Tofu Collarito

Rice: 

1 cup basmati rice

1 jalapeno, small dice

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1 lime, zest and juice

 

Veggie filling: 

1 zucchini/yellow squash, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

1 tbsp tumeric

1 pound extra firm tofu, crumbled 

salt & pepper to taste

 

Red pepper dip:

2 red peppers, fire roasted

1/4 cup walnuts, toasted

1 tsp honey

1/2 cup olive oil

 

Other: 

5 collard green leaves

1 tomato, sliced

Boil two cups of water, add rice, jalapeno, and garlic. Bring back to a boil, then turn to low heat and cover. Once cooked add in lime juice, lime zest and cilantro. Saute veggies in two tbsp oil until softened, add crumbled tofu and spices, heat through. Season as desired. For the red pepper dip, add fire roasted peppers, walnuts and honey to a food processor. With machine running, add olive oil slowly until a smooth paste forms. Season as desired.

Blanch collard greens until just cooked, about 30 seconds to 1 minute, and shock in ice water. Cut out the large vein and cut leaves into 4 equal pieces. Place 1 slice of tomato, two tablespoons of rice and one tablespoon of veggie and tofu mix in the center of the collard leaf. Roll up as if making a burrito. Dip in red pepper sauce and enjoy!

 

 

Notes from the Field - A Glimpse of Gateways

As a field crew member I have loved witnessing the strong community-farm connections at Waltham Fields Community Farm - families in our CSA share program picking their own crops in the fields in addition to the produce we've harvested for them, members of the public enjoying farm tours and events (like our free Farm Day festival this Saturday - join us from 2-5pm!), youth engaging in Learning Garden programs, and all the other moments that make up the daily hustle and bustle at the UMass Waltham site - our base of operations. This farm site is meant to be accessible so that as many people as possible can experience and enjoy it, but there is more to Waltham Fields Community Farm, including leased fields just down the road at the Lyman Estate (which you can glimpse through the trees as you drive into town on Lyman St.) and quite a bit farther down the road in Weston, are the Gateways fields we lease from the Danforth/Hyde family.

 

Gateways has a different feeling to it than the Waltham sites, and lately I have been appreciating these differences and the time we have been able to spend working there. Gateways is quiet and still. The fields there are large, rolling, and tree lined, and whether because of the relative isolation or the fact that Gateways doesn't reap the benefits of the weed crew and weekly volunteers, everything feels more wild. The birds and the insects seem louder there, set against a quiet backdrop of distant white noise from the highway. Somehow the mornings feel extra cool and the afternoons extra warm. Reminders of nature and life are abundant, like the cry of a hawk as it circles out over the trees, and the fresh teeth marks of a coyote that had been enjoying our watermelon. There are no buildings to be seen, and the fields have a kind of undisturbed beauty.

 

Earlier in the summer, some of the Field Crew worked at Gateways regularly, harvesting peppers and eggplant in the morning. These peaceful hours have been some of my favorite moments so far. Lately though, we've been going there in the afternoon, chipping away at the melon and storage onion harvest, and this perspective has been just as enjoyable. When everyone goes to Gateways, it almost feels like a field trip, and our afternoons there have been filled with energy and laughter. We have discovered together at Gateways that it is impossible to be unhappy while harvesting watermelon, and that no matter what type of bucket or basket you pick into, sweet and bell peppers are some of the most beautiful crops we grow. Last week we cruised through the pepper and eggplant harvest with the full crew (in some math-defying way, farm work seems to go by exponentially faster when just a few more people join the effort), we happily tossed around several hundred watermelon, and we got a sneak peek at the sweet potato harvest.

At this point in the season, the challenge and novelty of a new crop to harvest is especially exciting, and I'm sure our shareholders and food access recipients will also enjoy some of the most recent additions, like leeks and broccoli, as much as we have enjoyed planting and harvesting them.

 

It is so hard to believe that fall officially begins this week! Farming is all about shifts, and I can feel one happening now as tomato and summer squash production slows and nine pound cabbages can be found amongst the rows of fall brassicas. But change is good; it makes it easier to appreciate the contrasts and value the little things. I am excited to see what this shift will bring to Gateways and to the rest of our farm fields, and I am looking forward to all the beautiful, delicious food still to come.

 

Claire Penney, Field Crew Member

Notes from the Field - Fall Forward

It's finally happening - the chill in the early morning air is gently nudging summer aside as the fall weather arrives.  Long sleeves and even a whisper of sweaters can be spotted among the plantings if you look close enough.  Even as our most iconic summer crops are still rolling in, the maples leaves redden and fall at our feet.  Not to be outdone or humiliated just yet, the summer has chosen to retaliate with a couple of days in the mid-nineties, just in case we forgot.  But it's meteorological shenanigans like this that have made our okra one of the biggest underdog hits of the year!

This is a great year for watermelon.  We really can't emphasize enough how much we've been enjoying it.  I've seen a melon stop unstoppable people in their tracks, rendering them useless until all the juicy nectar-flesh has been meticulously lifted from the rind.  I've seen people who hate watermelon grow to love watermelon.  The supreme tastiness of this stuff is not to be taken lightly.  It's deadly serious and commands our full reverence in its presence.  The watermelon itself is a loyal servant of the unrelenting summer sun, as it leads us to remember that we, too are indentured to the brutal heat, forced to be thankful for it and the delectable fruits that it yields.  Even as the heat subsides, the melons continue to ripen, ensuring that many months from now, the uncomfortable air of this summer will be fondly remembered and measured in juiciness, not degrees Fahrenheit.

 

And now it's time for our brassicas to step up to center stage.  The recent rainfall has given our already-enormous plants a much-deserved boost into the fall.  Crowns of broccoli are beginning to eagerly peak up into the world, and the collard greens boldly challenge any conventional fridge to contain them.  Our kale plants have grown taller than anyone might have guessed, and they're barreling towards the colder seasons with determination and a great sense of purpose.  It bodes well for the remaining weeks of harvestable weather.

 

Other signs of the changing seasons are visible everywhere you look.  Where robust squash and zucchini once sprawled, the first seedlings of our winter cover crop are emerging.  All of our storage onions have finally been brought home to cure and settle in for the winter.  And if you look really closely, it seems like the tomatoes might be considering slowing down with their middle age.  But not just yet.  They're still happily producing all the fruit that we can possibly pick.  And so even as the plants wake up every morning to a chilly dew coating their leaves, the recent (and forecasted) midday heat makes it clear that this summer is choosing to go out with a bang, not a whisper.

- Roy Kresge, Field Crew

Notes From the Field - A Thank You to Claire

This past Friday we were lucky enough to have Claire, our inimitable leader of 8 years, lend a hand in the fields, harvesting with Zannah, Anna K., Anna H.S., Claire P. and Roy.  Claire came out in the morning bearing the smile and upbeat attitude that has graced virtually every morning that I've worked with her.  Many of you have been a part of the organization for numerous years; remarkably, some of you have been here since before Claire's time and before there was even an Executive Director's position.  (Thank you!)  You have been witnesses to the growth of the organization - the development of the Learning Garden and its programs, the fabulous farm events over the years, the increase in the size of the CSA - all of which occurred under Claire's careful guidance.  As ED, Claire was a steadfast holder of the mission of WFCF, always keeping the concurrent goals around food access, farmland preservation and education at the forefront of organizational conversations.  Each program is managed by different staff members, but not without Claire as a reliable sounding board, providing a reflection of WFCF's true and constant aims. 

Claire Kozower doing the Project Bread 20-mile Walk for Hunger

Those of you who have developed a relationship with Claire over the years, and there are many, understand the immense loyalty, dedication, integrity and deep-seated passion that made her an effective and adept ED.  Much of the work she did was behind the scenes and performed without fanfare.  The tenacity of this organization is in part dependent on quiet relationships she's developed over time with individuals, families, foundations, other non-profits, partner farms, city councils and administrators, UMass officials and more.  Building relationships to maintain the relevance of WFCF in the greater context of our community, the city and the state, with an ear bent to national and global agricultural concerns is no small feat, but one that Claire performed gracefully and thoughtfully, day in and day out.

 

Perhaps lesser known is how much of Claire's legacy will be held within the organizational culture of Waltham Fields Community Farm.  Claire established a work environment built on mutual respect and clear communication where each staff member felt fully supported in their role and appreciated for the talents and skills that they brought as individuals and the part that they played in moving WFCF forward. She has worked at understanding how to facilitate staff doing their jobs well, especially challenging as this organization has tripled in size under her leadership. She has navigated untold organizational decisions by involving others in the process, building consensus and providing insightful and thoughtful evaluations. Claire has been the organizational touchstone for each of us, always available, always interested, always recognizing birthdays and work well done and always holding up the mission of the farm, first and foremost, for new staff to learn and longtime staff to remember.  

 

Claire holds that rare capacity to think equal parts with a kind heart and an analytical brain and her impact has been immeasurable.  Thank you, Claire; you will be missed.

 

- From Erinn and Dan Roberts, for countless staff over the years

Notes from the Field - Shannon's First Notes

Simply put, I love being on a farm.  Growing up at the end of my family's Michigan farm gave me a deep appreciation of attachment to land, open space and community. Both of my parents came from farming families and I have wonderful memories of selling plants alongside my grandparents at Detroit Eastern Market as well as horrible memories of weeding the enormous garden with my brother...we didn't have the same view as Leo, from last week's notes!  But I never grew tired of the quarter mile bike ride to the farm house and the flavor of those garden vegetables.  It was worth the work.


Shannon's family farm in Michigan

While studying music therapy in college, I started working in the food service industry. I found this work fascinating and it fueled my insatiable appetite to learn about the history, business, anthropology and even the politics of food. The more I learned, the more I realized that our larger food system is broken and I began to think of how I could make a positive contribution. This led me to my first CSA share at the Food Project in Lincoln, MA.  Before I even got out of the car, I was hooked.  Here was the familiar feeling of land, open space and community with the enhancement of education, shared fate and commitment to fix our broken food system.  Now, I could not only fuel my fire, but I could begin to kindle one with my son by taking him to the farm every week and sharing my deep appreciation of this lifestyle with him. 

Since that first CSA share 9 years ago, I have been dedicated to supporting local farms, creating a lifestyle centered around fresh, healthy food and educating the community on this passion.  I have spent the majority of my professional life in food service at Whole Foods Market working in a variety positions, most recently Marketing Team Leader and Community Liaison for the Fresh Pond store.  Whole Foods Market is how I came to learn about WFCF and partnered to provide cooking classes on the farm, share samples at Farm Day and host the Youth Crew for a store tour and cooking class...basically trying to get on the farm as much as I could! After the discovery of such an amazing farm doing really great things (and closer to home!), I signed up for a work share last year and joyfully spent Thursdays in the distribution barn, filling up bins and spending hours deciding which vegetables to take home. 

 

One of our Distribution Work Shares, Deepika Madan (left),
and Shannon Taylor (our new ED) during a CSA pick up.

You probably have guessed by now that I am thrilled to be on the farm every day!  I am incredibly thankful to the staff and Board of Directors for the incredible opportunity to serve them and the Waltham Fields community.  These first two weeks have been fantastic!  There have been field trips to fields, farm and equipment tours, harvesting onions and transplanting lettuce with a volunteer group and loads of information sharing.  I learned about flame weeders, dibblers and irrigation pump infrastructure. I ate an awesome, home-baked pie brought in for a birthday celebration.  And I have met so, so, so many fantastic people.  I am indebted to Claire Kozower for taking the time to thoroughly orientate, train and give me a solid, well-organized start.  She is an incredible resource as well as an amazing person and I value every minute with her. 

As the season rolls on, I look forward to meeting everyone and listening to your experiences, ideas and stories about Waltham Fields Community Farm.  Please feel free to stop in to say hi or send a note.  The thriving WFCF community is a huge part of what makes the farm such a special place!  The farm is the heart that makes all of our food access and education programs possible and I love to see our community out on the farm enjoying the food, land and each other.  It's a great place to be.  

  

-Shannon Taylor, Executive Director

Notes from the Field - Crew Tackles Weeds and So Much More!

Not too long ago, on a rainy Tuesday in the beginning of June, the Weed Crew assembled for the very first time in the fertile lands of Waltham Fields Community Farm. We were all ready for whatever the ominous day would bring, determined to help with the initiative of feeding a community organically.

 

"This is Purslane," farmer Zannah said, ripping off the weedy foe right by her boot and presenting her to us, "she is taking over the carrots, we must vanquish all of it." She took a bite off one of its leaves and dropped the rest of the plant on the floor. We all imitated this action and nibbled on the leaves enthusiastically, recognizing its fresh, tarty flavor, and so the war began. 

Taking down weed after weed, we learned about all of the different kinds we will be encountering over and over again, as we simultaneously learned about those that we were trying to rescue, taking note of the more treacherous weeds, like Parsnip, who will give you blisters and rashes if you touch her on a sunny day, and recognizing the fragility of baby Carrots and Rutabagas. We slowly mastered the weapons that would ease some of our efforts, like the scuffle hoe's fine blade. So many of our enemies were delicious and nutritious, helping us sustain our energies on harder days. We tackled through together, every weekday morning since.

This year's with a reliable WFCF volunteer.
From left to right: Gina, Martha Hamilton (volunteer extraordinaire), Anna, Annie & Leo

Any time you looked away, Amaranth would rise from the ground below us and spread her seeds before you could find her. Since nobody can predict where they will spread themselves, we'd focus on rows of specific vegetables to save the bunch at once, so all of the lettuce can grow together, for example, and hopefully feed all of our hungry stomachs on time. The fields are so healthy and nutritious, it almost seemed like the weeds grew faster every day.

On harsh, hot and humid days, it seemed like the battle would never end (and it probably wouldn't). Our spirits would run low, but we always had each other to bring ourselves back to life. Since the very beginning, we found the fields to be a safe space to establish a healthy support system. After all, if we hadn't done that, we would probably end up losing this war.

The Weed Crew soldiers were all very different, and we quickly learned to love that about each other. We would fight the heat with laughter, and weed through the rain with song. We became stronger in body and spirit, helping each other grow from our flaws and mistakes. Within the crew there were soldiers, artists, philosophers, psychologists, and even mermaids, from all kinds of different backgrounds. We learned about ourselves, our efforts, our culture, the things we loved and hated, and how harmonious our off-pitches can sound together if you just believe it's beautiful.

On certain days (Fridays and Saturdays!) our troop was generally reinforced with volunteers who came into the battle with open hearts and good intentions. Conversations about the world would be shed in all kinds of different light of progressive dreams. No matter where we came from or what we did, we all wanted to help the world, at least a little bit, somehow, because we recognized the importance of our individual efforts, decisions and participation. All of these dreams expressed were often quite invigorating and inspiring, imprinting lessons from conversations that I will never forget, and critical lessons about how important even the smallest of efforts can be.

As the summer comes to an end, so does the era of the Weed Crew this year for the Waltham Fields Community Farm. Thank you, all of you, who helped contribute to this battle, and all of you who casually inspired us with your good vibes. We grew stronger and will continue doing so, together, and it wouldn't be possible without the efforts of our community, from farmers to all supporting members.

But alas, the battle is truly eternal, and there is still Purslane out there wrapped around a Tomato that is trying to grow stronger, waiting for you to eat it. Let's give each other a helping hand! It truly is much better when we're in it together.

 

I will miss my fellow Weed Crew and wish them all the best in their upcoming ventures. We came in as strangers and are departing as family. I know each one of you are meant for greatness! 

 

Leo Martinez

Weed Crew Member, Farm Stand Assistant, & Outreach Market Assistant

 

Notes From the Field - Let the Harvest Roll In

This season I feel like I can officially call myself a farmer. This is my fourth season growing vegetables, but this year in particular I have formed a deeper connection with the profession. Maybe its because I am constantly checking the weather, going to sleep at 9pm, or that I am realizing the lasting affects of the past on our future. Or even that I am beginning to experience the farm as a whole system and learning to let go of things I cannot change. After work on Wednesday, I decided to just sit down on the grass near our fall brassica fields and take a look around. Seems like a novel idea, but its a rarity for a farmer. The light has become quite soft. The sun seems to be glowing more then shining, sitting just a touch lower in the sky. The dragonflies are zooming like helicopters over the forest land of kale, collards, and broccoli.

Like most weeks, last week was a strange one. It was cool, hot, muggy, rainy, and sunny, all in one. Tuesday we finally had a full-on rainy day; actually one of our first of the season, believe it or not. The kind of day where we are in full rain suits: brightly colored overalls, coats, and boots. And somehow our socks still became soggy and caused our toes to wrinkle like you have been in a bathtub way too long. It was glorious, though, from a farmer's perspective; all 15 acres getting water at the same time!  How genius our Earth can be!  Luckily Dan and Erinn were able to get a lot of direct seeding done before the rain. The fall greens, like arugula, braising mix, radishes, and turnips, are germinating beautifully in our far fields. We transplanted the giant kohlrabi and our 10th generation of lettuce.

These days, most of the working hours are committed to harvesting, washing, packing, and storing. We are moving into that time of year that our challenging, back breaking work of bending to harvest eggplant and peppers, kneeling to pull up on some of the biggest carrots I've ever seen, and standing to bunch the new kale, chard, and collards lasts the entire day. This is when my yoga practice is even more important than I realize. Tomatoes are beginning to ramp up. We harvested around 700 pounds this past Friday.  Zannah even brought a ripe watermelon back from our Weston fields, so they might be on their way soon.

Gretta [one of the farm tractors] broke again and Dan, Erinn, and Zannah had to crank start her, but she failed yet again. This meant we had to till a bit more than we would have liked in order to get a smooth bed top and incorporate fertilizer for the direct seeded crops. However, Tim came to work Thursday and she started right up! What are the odds? He must have a magic touch. I guess we all have our fussy days and maybe there is no rhyme or reason. We were then able to cultivate our three row crops nicely so that we all can hopefully enjoy more leafy greens without too many other plants getting in the way. We found some time to begin cleaning and sorting the garlic that has been curing in the greenhouse. It took a team effort, but the field crew also took on the task of tying another line on the tomatillos and tomatoes so that it will be easier for picking. I have been taking some time to care for the hoop houses and the basil in the Big Hoop is looking mighty fine and will be ready to pick soon. We said good-bye to Ali, one of our Forest Foundation interns who brought an amazing energy to our crew. This upcoming week will also be the last week for the other interns, Cassie and Alisa, along with the Weed Crew.  It's going to be a celebratory week for all the hard work everyone has contributed.

This week also marks a huge milestone for an incredible person who has grown this organization into full bloom. Starting this week, our Executive Director, Claire, will be training Shannon Taylor, who is to replace her, over the next few weeks. I have been able to get to know Claire over the past couple years and look up to her in so many ways. She is such a strong leader, creative thinker, and thoughtful, caring person. I have been lucky to work for and along side her. Thank you Claire.    

Looking back to some of former Farm Manager, Amanda Cather's past Notes from the Field, she writes, "During the growing season, farms are never a finished product. Crops and weeds are always growing, flowering, moving past their prime, and being turned under to make room for whatever comes next." The farm is always in constant change. It's a wild and chaotic place, but it's a challenge we like to take, otherwise we wouldn't keep coming back for more. Amanda says, "The most significant hurdle of every farm season is quieting the worries of the mind so that the land and the moment tell us where our efforts are most needed." Hopefully with each day we can adapt to the changes around us and thrive together. Let the harvest roll in and let our bellies be full.

Anna Kelchlin, Assistant Grower

For the Farm Crew 

Meet Our Youth Crew

Our youngest staff members this summer are our 7-person Youth Crew. They are a group of local teens who help out in all aspects of the farm. They harvest vegetables for our CSA and outreach market, weed the fields, maintain the learning garden, work at the Outreach Market, and much more. Here is a brief introduction to all of our Youth Crew! #AGsummerjobs

Emily Olick Llano

Emily first became interested in sustainability after taking an environmental science class at her high school. Her favorite part about working at Waltham Fields is seeing a farm in an urban setting. In her free time Emily enjoys playing soccer and plays center defense at Cambridge Ringe Latin High School. A fun fact about Emily is that she is half Colombian and can speak fluent Spanish.





Maureen Tendo

Maureen lives in Watertown but was born and raised in Uganda. Her favorite part about working on the farm is working at the Outreach Market in Waltham. She likes interacting directly with people and loves seeing them happy. In her free time Maureen dances. She enjoys free-style and African dance and used to be a part of a dance team in Uganda.



Leslie Kay

This is Leslie's second year on the youth crew. She enjoys weeding the most on the farm. It seems mundane, but she loves getting to be productive while working alongside the weed crew. When she first started working at Waltham Fields she was surprised by how many different types of vegetables and different varieties of one vegetable there are. Leslie is passionate about food access and sustainability. She runs for the Waltham High School cross country and track teams.

Beverly Kauma

Beverly likes the farm because of all of the different people she gets to meet. Her favorite part about youth crew is working at the Outreach Market. Before working at Waltham Fields, Beverly used to help out on her family's farm in Uganda where they raised pigs, cows, goats, and chickens to sell. In her free time Beverly enjoys swimming and she used to be a part of a swim team in Uganda.


Mithni Lagene

Mithni's favorite thing to do on the farm is harvest. She sees harvesting as the prize at the finish line after all of the other things they do. When she is not working Mithni keeps very busy; she sings gospel music at church and is the children's choir director. She also draws, writes, and dances whenever she can find the time. Mithni is from Haiti and can speak Haitian Creole, French, and English and is proficient in Spanish.

Devlynne Loder

Devlynne's favorite job to do on the farm is work in the CSA barn because she loves constantly being busy and interacting with the shareholders. When she is not working she likes to hang out with friends and loves to swim. She has always enjoyed cooking but since working here she has gotten a lot better at cooking with vegetables. A fun fact about Devlynne is that she plans on joining the Army after she is done with high school.

Gabby Dalton

This is Gabby's second year working on youth crew. Her favorite thing about the farm is the relationships you build getting to know everyone who works here. She says that before she started working here she didn't realize how much everyone relies on each other and how important each person on the farm is. Photography is Gabby's main hobby and she wants to be a wedding and family photographer.  Gabby is also learning sign language in her free time.

Notes from the Field - Mid-Season Musings

It's been a funny season so far.  In May, we didn't get any rain until the last day of the month.  June was a bit better, book-ended by an inch or two of rain in the beginning and end of the month.  And then July came on, relentlessly hot and dry.  None of the irrigation systems could keep up with the depth of dryness in the parched soils.  Every so often we'd get a threat of rain, or even a few drizzles from the sky, but never anything that amounted to what Dan would call "having a significant impact on agricultural crops" until the hail and wind storm on Tuesday.  That morning, we delayed the harvest as thunder rolled and lightening lit up the sky, but no rain came to pass.  We ended the day in much the same way, all of us standing in the doorway, watching the giant redwood sway in the gusty storm while golf ball sized hail bounced off the pavement.

Walking out after the storm to assess the damage, we saw our beautiful fall crop of collards tattered and torn, ripe and green cherry tomatoes scattered on the ground and dings in all manner of fruiting crops.  Although everything was desperate for a good soak, it was an unfortunate way to finally get it.  Over the next couple of weeks, you'll see the damage of the storm play out on the stand, as we bring in those torn collards, frayed lettuces and dinged cucumbers.  You've already seen the long term impact of the warm and very dry May in a few crops: potatoes, radishes and turnips all germinated poorly during that time and they were almost non-existent on the stand.  Now, another few weeks will come to pass that exemplify what it means to "share the risk" of a CSA growing season.  The veggies may not look quite as beautiful as we strive for, but they taste just as great.

This week also marks the halfway point in the CSA season.  We're starting week 10 a bit slower than we expected.  Peppers are starting to come in but eggplant and tomatoes are really taking their time.  You heard last week from Zannah about the plight of the eggplant at Gateways, though we're still holding out hope that they'll turn a corner.  I can't figure the tomatoes, though.  Maybe this happens every year but it's more noticeable because it's a week or so later, but I'm making myself crazy waiting for all the fruit out there to ripen.  Some plants look strong and healthy, some have a fair amount of septoria leaf spot and early blight, soil borne diseases that we deal with annually.  But all of them have a great fruit set on them.  It's just all still green.  Except for the 300 pounds we've harvested so far.  If there's one thing the July heat wave was perfect for, it was ripening tomatoes.  Every day for the past two weeks, I'd walk out to the tomatoes, waiting for the great red flush to begin.  No such luck.  It's got to happen sometime, but I've given up trying to predict when that will be.

The cucumbers, squash and zucchini are starting a slow decline, though we should see some amount on the stand through the rest of the month at least.   We've got one more planting of squash and zucchini to come on over at our Lyman fields but I think we've ridden the peak of the cucumber harvest.  Summer onions are still looking good and we'll have some more Red Longs this week and hopefully some nice Walla Wallas soon as well.  We'll start picking a new planting of chard, kale and collards, and despite the hail, the plants are looking beautiful in the front farm field.

This past weekend, the sunlight and the air felt like autumn.  And as much as I'm anxious for all those tomatoes to ripen to really mark the summer season, I'm also looking forward to the arugula, mustard greens and salad turnips that were seeded just after the hail/rainstorm last week.  They won't be on the stand for another 3-6 weeks but the germination is looking fantastic.  I'm feeling optimistic about fall...

Enjoy the harvest,

Erinn Roberts, Farm Manager