WFCF Friends of the Farm ENewsletter June 2024

WFCF Farm Friends Newslettter June 2024

CSA 2024: Ready, Set, GO!

A hearty welcome, and welcome back to our new and returning 2024 CSA members!

Your joy and enthusiasm the past two weeks has made all our hard work rebuilding greenhouses and utilities infrastructure worthwhile.

We still have 20-week, 10-week, 20-week "lil" shares and mushroom shares available, and are happy to prorate them. We also have fruit, late season mushroom, and extended shares, which have not yet started.

To sign up for a prorated 20-week, 10-week, Lil 20-week share, please email us. To sign up for a fruit share, a late-season mushroom share, or an extended share, please visit our website. We have heard that "seasoned" members have helped us spread awareness of the CSA and we are excited to welcome many new shareholders to the farm this season. We thank you for your advocacy, tremendously.

While our 20-week subsidized and SNAP shares are sold out, please reach out if you need food assistance. To register for extended season SNAP and subsidized CSA shares, email ana@communityfarms.org

Help Spread the Word about Our Available CSA Shares

We could use your help actively passing along our CSA flyers friends, family, neighbors, organizations, groups, and coworkers who would benefit from our healthy, local fresh food.

PDF in English

PDF en Español

We Want YOU for Our Ride for Food Team

Challenge yourself in the name of fighting local food insecurity by signing up as a member of Team WFCF at this year's Ride for Food on October 6 and Off the Beaten Path!

You can ride your bike any number of distances or walk 5K on October 6, or take part virtually in an experience of your own design any time between now and November.

Our team had a blast last year and raised over $13,000 for WFCF. We think we can top that this year!

Learn more and sign up here.

We All Scream For ICE CREAM... and sorbet!

WFCF Ice Cream Social

Friday, June 21 5:30-7:30 pm

Rancatore's Ice Cream will dish out scoops of farm-fresh Rhubarb Sorbet and Fresh Mint Ice Cream, spun with love by Ranc’s with rhubarb and mints grown right here on the land WFCF stewards!

WFCF's Summer Education Team will help top off your sundaes with unlimited toppings. Sundaes are $8.00 each.

Don't Miss the Second Annual Ice Cream Eating Contest at 7 pm with special guest announcer, Edgar B. Herwick III! Watch and cheer as WFCF Director of Education & Community Engagement, Jessica Herwick (AKA Miss Jess), defends her title as the 2023 WFCF Ice Cream Eating Champion against Rancatore's Manager and farm-fresh flavor maker, Tyler Whitehorn.

Cast your vote for Jess or Tyler!

Vote ahead of time using the link above, and/or bring your dollars and vote for your favored contenders by donating to the human YOU think will prove they love ice cream the most! All proceeds will benefit Education programs at WFCF.

Join us for our weekly drop-off, on-farm, enrichment program for rising 1st through 8th grade youth June 26 -August 30, 2024. Programs take place Monday through Friday from 9:00 am. until 1:00 pm, "mini" weeks run on a shorter schedule to accommodate holidays.

FULL WEEK $325.00

Waltham Resident Discount $276.25

MINI WEEK $225.00

Waltham Resident Discount $191.25

Youth will be immersed in the working farm and the land WFCF stewards. Participants interact daily with the farming experience, including growing and harvesting their own food in the soil, learning about insects, compost, plants, trees, soil health, nutrition, pollinators, educated farm hens, friendly fiber rabbits and more through hands-on exploration.

Learn more & register

It's A Greenhouse!

Greenhouse #2 is resurrected! We are thrilled to share the team from Atlantic High Tunnel completed their second greenhouse installation this week. You may have also noticed that we closed an expansive trench after new electrical service for all operational areas was installed by the great teams at Wheaton Electric and G.D. McCarthy Inc..The relocation of our electrical service was recently required of WFCF by the City of Waltham.

We await installation of 4 new propane tanks as well as plumbing for GH#2 and then our farm team will plant peppers in GH#2 for this season!

Stay tuned for a date to joyfully celebrate and dedicate this vital infrastructure.

Feels so good!

Shop LOCAL at WFCF Farm Stand

Wednesdays 2:30-6:30pm

Thursdays 2:30-6:30pm

Fridays 2:30-6:30pm

Saturdays 9:30am-2:30pm

Stretch Your Fruit & Veggie

Budget with Farm Bucks

When you purchase produce at our farm stand with Farm Bucks, you'll receive 10-15% of your money back on a physical card to use in the Farm Stand during the 2024 season. You can use Farm Bucks to purchase produce in the Farm Stand - think fruit, veggies, corn! Farm Bucks make terrific gifts. Farm Bucks cards must be used by the end of the 2024 season. Purchase FarmBucks online here .

One Friday CSA Work Share Left!

We are looking for a work share on Friday to round out our team and help with our CSA Distributions this season. Our CSA work shares are the face of the farm as they welcome everyone to our Farm Stand for CSA pick up or Farm Stand shopping. This is a great position for someone looking for a one-day a week commitment in exchange for a FULL VEGETABLE SHARE.

Full job description & hours

email ana@communityfarms.org to apply

Make a Difference as a WFCF Volunteer

Group Volunteering on Weekdays Are you looking for a way to reconnect with co-workers that is a meaningful outdoor experience? We offer group volunteering shifts through mid-October. Please reach out to volunteer@communityfarms.org for more information, or check out our volunteer web page.

Special! Tuesday Outreach Market Help Volunteer with farm staff for our low-income outreach market as we pivot back to prepandemic, farm-stand style. We are excited to offer volunteer opportunities to help with this fun, vibrant and necessary program! We need committed volunteers to help on Tuesday afternoons doing a variety of tasks, from packing the van to staffing the market table. More info here.

Individual and Family/Household Volunteering Drop by at 9am on Friday or Saturday and help! Come promptly at 9am and Marina will meet you on the lawn. Volunteers are crucial to our weeding efforts so veggies can access sun and nutrients.

Crop Mob June 22

9am - noon

Come by anytime and help out in the farm fields! Snacks provided!

Learn from the Best

as a Harvester Work Share

Harvest produce one morning a week alongside our farm team for the CSA every week, from now until the last week of October, in exchange for a half-priced CSA share. This is an amazing learning/ job training opportunity, and a chance to get to know the farm on another level, and to experience the seasonality of our growing season.

Read the full Harvester work share description .

Email andy@communityfarms.org to apply

Share Your CSA Tips & Tricks with Us

YOU, our CSA shareholders, both new and enduring, hold a wealth of knowledge and hard-earned wisdom that will greatly help other members if you share it.

Please send your favorite recipes, storage, preserving, and meal planning tips or anything else that comes to mind when you think about using your CSA.

Send your ideas here

Stop & Shop Watertown

Give Backs to WFCF

We’re Blooming For Good again over at the Stop & Shop at 700 Pleasant Street, Watertown! For the month of June, any purchased bouquet tagged “Blooming For Good” will result in $1 toward WFCF. Thank you for your participation!