The Newton Farmer
March 2020
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In light of recent developments with COVID-19, Newton Community Farm is cancelling all events for the next ten days, March 11 through March 21. We are paying attention to announcements from the City of Newton and will update our website as we learn more.
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Here we go! Spring is coming soon, and we're getting ready for a wonderful year of produce, programs, and events at the Farm. I can't tell you the number of times I've had people say to me that winter must be a slow time at the Farm. But nothing could be further from the truth!
Winter is when we report back to the community with
our annual report,
do our budget for the new year, and plan the calendar of events and education programs, including our upcoming unique
online auctio
n,
which goes live on April 1. It's when we make our crop plan, start tens of thousands of seedlings in the greenhouse for the
Seedling Sale
(coming up May 16
–
17), register participants in our Summer CSA, order the chicks and plan our fundraising for the year. We organize and begin to hire summer camp
instructors
(registration is filling up quickly, and some weeks are sold out already!) and
summer interns
. And we start welcoming back our seasonal staff.
So as we dust off our rain boots and start spending more time outside, we're excited to share with you all that we have planned for 2020! Soon the Farm will be bustling with people, and I can't wait to see everyone again back at the Farm!
Sue Bottino
Executive Director
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Welcome Hope Kelley, Interim Director of Education
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We have found the perfect person to fill in as director of education while Reva Haselkorn is on parental leave through August! Hope Kelley believes that the restoration of our food systems begins at the intersection of sustainable agriculture and community engagement. She completed her B.A. in Journalism at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she worked as a writer for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and first encountered the local agriculture movement.
Hope has a long history of working at camps, both as a lead counselor at Sharon Country Day Camp and as a director at the Block Island Recreation Camp, and she has also taught ESL in both Boston and Thailand.
She has worked on multiple organic farms through Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms and has also been employed at Gibbet Hill Farm in Groton, MA. When she’s not at the Farm, you can find Hope surfing, hiking, and training for the Pan Mass Challenge.
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Growing Green Online Auction April 1
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15
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Don't miss our inaugural online auction,
"Growing Green,"
which will
go live on Wednesday, April 1, at 9 a.m. and end on Wednesday, April 15, at 5 p.m
. We have an amazing array of items including chicken-naming opportunities at the Farm as well as incredible donations by our supporters of items and experiences such as a personal bike tour of Newton; original artwork; consultations on interior design, home energy, and gardening; a gathering with a prominent movie and culture critic; catered meals; math and college essay tutoring; and a private tour of a local park. We will also be offering gift certificates donated by local businesses and travel packages made available by our auction partner.
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NCF is seeking lead farm educators for our 2020 summer programs for children age 3 to 13. Our summer programs combine farm and garden work with other hands-on activities to explore where our food comes from, the work that is involved in growing food, and how our food choices can affect our health, the health of the community, and the health of our environment. The weeklong programs include preparing daily healthy snacks, outdoor exploration, games, crafts, and hands-on projects.
This educator is responsible for teaching the curriculum ian each hour-long program for our youngest participants (with adult caregivers) in Farm Sprouts and Farm Babies. Typical activities include craft projects, story time, sing-alongs, movement, Farm exploration, and free play.
Unpaid opportunities for students to learn about sustainable growing practices and community farming in a fun, friendly environment. No experience is necessary, just a desire to learn and work hard.
Unpaid opportunities for students who have a combined passion for the natural world and for working with children in an educational setting. Interns work as part of a team in which following instructions, a flexible approach, and a positive, enthusiastic attitude are a must.
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We're at the Newton Free Library This Month
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NCF is at the library! Check out the beautiful display cases in the entrance through March for lots of information about what we're up to at the Farm! We also cosponsored, along with Green Newton, the "Spring in My Backyard"
program on March 10. We had a great time teaching kids about farming and worm composting.
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Upcoming Programs and Events
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Save the Date for Our Seedling Sale!
Spring is definitely in the air, and here at the Farm we've fired up the greenhouse and started the first round of seedlings for our
Seedling Sale
. This event, where we typically sell around 20,000 seedlings to more than 1,200 gardening enthusiasts, is coming up on May 16
–
17 at the Farm. Stay tuned to our website for more details.
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For Children
Farm Babies
(under 2.5 years with adult)
Interactive farm-themed story time, movement, and songs followed by time to socialize with others and free play for the kids. Outdoors when weather allows or in the big red barn as needed.
Saturdays,
9:00
–
10:00 a.m. (1st Saturday of the month) April 4, May 2, June 6
$7 per child when registering in advance; $10/child for drop-in. Preregistration is preferred but not required for this program.
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Farm Sprouts
(ages 2.5–5 with adult)
Foster curiosity through experiential learning by building a healthy foundation for a lifelong relationship with real food and the natural world. Enjoy outdoor exploration of the Learning Garden, animal encounters, story time, songs, and craft projects. Meets on the colorful mat near the Learning Garden or in the big red barn in bad weather.
Registration closes 24 hours prior to each session. There is no charge for adult caregivers. There is a maximum of 3 children per adult.
Tuesdays, March 24–April 21, 10:00–11:00 a.m.
$60 per child for five-week program; $15/child for individual sessions
Tuesdays, April 28–May 26, 10:00–11:00 a.m.
$60 per child for five-week program; $15/child for individual sessions
First Saturday of the month, April 4, May 2, June 6, 10:00–11:00 a.m.
(Register for one, two, or three classes)
$36/child for four-class pass; $15/child for individual class
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Meets weekly on early-release Tuesday afternoons for elementary-school kids. Start seedlings for planting at the Farm and at home, care for chickens, and help prepare the Learning Garden for the growing season. Rain or shine, we’ll spend most of the afternoon outdoors learning about the Farm, working in the garden, playing games, and doing projects.
8-week session on Tuesdays, March 31–May 26, 1:30–3:00 p.m. (No class April 21)
$160 per child
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For Adults
Join fellow community members for a fun cookbook-themed potluck dinner/book club in our historic barn. For spring, we will feature
the recipes of Alison Roman, author of
Dining In
and
Nothing Fancy
. (Many of the recipes can also be found on her
website
.)
Guests are asked to choose a recipe and make enough to share (6
–
8 servings). Feel free to follow a specific recipe or interpret to your own taste.
Want to join in the fun but prefer not to cook? No problem! Just pay $10 per person to help support the event.
Wednesday, April 1, 6:30–8:30 p.m.
For Families
The family that bakes together . . . eats delicious baked goods together! And has a ton of tasty educational fun. Come join our own Jay Vilar for a fun family baking day at the Farm. Make and enjoy sweet and savory baked goods with farm-fresh ingredients.
This class is designed for kids and adults to cook together and provides varied activities for a range of baking experience and ages (5 years+).
Sunday, April 5, 10:30 a.m.–noon
$60 per family (Each family must include at least one adult and may include up to four participants.)
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Your children can experience the beauty and bounty of the Farm and give their summer a whole new meaning! At NCF's Kids at the Farm Summer Camp, kids dig, plant, weed, and water. They harvest fresh produce, prepare delicious snacks, feed the chickens, collect eggs, and explore the world through the lens of farming and food. Register today! Some weeks are filling up, so don’t wait!
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NEWTON COMMUNITY FARM
303 Nahanton Street
Newton, MA 02459
617-916-9655
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