Dear Farm Friends,

I hope this newsletter finds you enjoying the final weeks of the summer and preparing for the cooler fall days and crisp evenings that are starting to arrive. Fall always feels like a time of change—the start of school, donning warmer clothes, and the shifting colors of the landscape. At the Farm, we will be welcoming our cooler-weather crops soon, and we look forward to distributing our Late Fall CSA, the Autumn Hills Orchard Fruit CSA, and the Duck Hollow Farm Fall Flower CSA. (The veggie and fruit CSAs are now sold out. There is still space in the flower CSA.) We are planning our Fall Family Party, and we will also be part of the Art in Bloom workshop and the Green Expo in September and October.

We want to thank our wonderful spring and summer staff, volunteers, and interns, as they prepare to head off on their next adventures. The time you spent at the Farm is much appreciated, and we are so fortunate to have had the chance to work and learn together with you.

September marks the midpoint in our growing season and as such, it feels like the perfect time of year to acknowledge and give thanks to our 2023 Produce Donation Program sponsors the Rebecca Pomroy Foundation, the Hamilton Company Charitable Foundation, and Brookline Bank. Every year since NCF began, we have made it a priority to grow produce for our neighbors in need. This year, we are making our largest contribution so far to our terrific partner of 18 years, the Newton Food Pantry. We are very grateful for the generous financial support of our program sponsors who help make our donations of fresh vegetables, herbs, and fruit possible. More information can be found in the article below.

With gratitude,

Sue Bottino

Executive Director

Our Annual Fall Family Party will be on Saturday, October 14 from 9:30 am to noon! We'll have all your favorites: decorating pumpkins with natural materials (one pumpkin per child), a scavenger hunt, a group art project, chicken facts, and, back by popular demand, Farmer Asher will lead story time and play songs on his guitar. We hope you can join us. (Rain date is October 21.)

With support from our wonderful business sponsors, Wegmans Chestnut Hill and the Russian School of Math in Newton, we are able to offer our Fall Family Party FREE OF CHARGE this year! To make sure that we have enough supplies for everyone, preregistration is required. Scan the QR code above or click here to sign up.

This event is not possible without the help of many dedicated volunteers! We have a lot of fun together, and it feels so good to produce this event for the community. Please sign up to help with the preparations on Friday afternoon or at the Farm on Saturday here.

This summer, eight local high school students joined NCF as summer field crew interns. The program offers them the experience of working on this intensive market garden (the traditional term for small vegetable farms) where most of the work is done by hand. Students learn focus, care, and precision while they work quickly and efficiently in all kinds of weather, including the torrential downpours we had in July and August. They also develop their sense of personal responsibility, including punctuality and a strong work ethic. Every workday (Tuesday–Thursday mornings), interns and their supervisors engaged in educational conversations about organic farming, sustainability, farm finances, marketing, labor issues, and more. These conversations were largely directed by the interns’ interests, with the goal that all interns gain a well-rounded understanding of our food system.

According to NCF Farm Manager Greg Maslowe, "As always, the eight weeks of summer when we have our high school interns is some of my favorite time on the Farm. It's wonderful getting to know these young people every season, and our daily conversations about anything and everything related to agriculture produce new insights and lead in interesting directions. I was reminded of how important this program is when a high school intern who'd been at the Farm over 10 years ago visited the Farm a few weeks ago with his mom. He's now working on his own farm in Vermont and wanted to bring his mom here because NCF had been so important in starting him on his agricultural journey. Not all our interns end up farming, but over the years we've had so many come back and tell us how much they enjoyed their time here and how it continues to influence what they do and how they think about the world."

Since our inception in 2006, we have donated a portion of what we grow to local food pantries, Boston Area Gleaners, and other nonprofit organizations to help mitigate food insecurity in our community. We believe that helping individuals and families have access to fresh, nutritious, locally-grown produce is an important part of what we do and the demand continues to grow.

The Covid-19 pandemic, coupled with skyrocketing inflation, particularly in the price of groceries and specifically fresh produce, has increased the prevalence of food insecurity and the need for our Produce Donation Program over the past several years. And we are increasing our donations in response. In 2021 we increased our Produce Donation Program to approximately 3,300 lbs. of food valued at $12,000 that was distributed multiple times each week over the seven-month growing season. In 2022 we increased donations, primarily to the Newton Food Pantry and also their Newton Community freedge extension for a total of $14,000 in value. Some of the most popular items we donate include carrots, bok choi, radishes, beets, lettuce and salad greens, garlic, squash, peppers, and eggplant. In 2023 we are donating at least $15,500 in produce, which is approximately 10% in value of what we grow. We are continuing to focus on providing culturally-relevant and high-demand produce.

Thank you to the wonderful sponsors of our 2023 Produce Donation Program. We are so grateful for the financial support of the Rebecca Pomroy Foundation, the Hamilton Company Charitable Foundation, and Brookline Bank to help us feed our neighbors.

Stop by the Newton Community Farm tent at the Green Expo in Newton Centre on Sunday, October 15, 11 am–4 pm. This event is sponsored by Green Newton and held in conjunction with the City of Newton’s Harvest Fair. You can find more details here.

Shop at:

Our on-site farm stand on Winchester Street, near the intersection with Nahanton Street. We are open Thursdays and Fridays, 1:30–6 pm, and Saturdays, 9:30 am–1 pm. Click here to read our weekly updates of what produce we plan to have available and check to make sure we are not closed for inclement weather or other reasons. At the farm stand we welcome WIC, Elder checks, cash, check with ID and phone number, and credit cards.

Newton Farmers' Market on Saturdays at the Newton North High School rear parking lot at 352 Lowell Avenue, 9:30 am–12:30 pm. At the farmers' market, we welcome SNAP/HIP, WIC, Elder checks, cash, check with ID and phone number, and credit cards. Please note: NCF will not be at the market on September 2.

Duck Hollow Farm, a small-scale farm in Sherborn, MA, is offering beautiful, organically grown flowers each week during their fall growing season. This is a four-week program, with one bouquet each week, August 30–September 20. (Prorating is available if you miss the first week.) Pick up at Newton Farm on Wednesdays or Thursdays, 2–7 pm. The price is $100. To sign up, click here. If you have any questions, please email laurel@al-freshco.com. Thank you for supporting local farms.

Quick Summer Kale Salad

Chop kale into small pieces and lightly massage for a minute. This helps break the fibers down and make the kale less tough. Add chopped beets, orange or apple slices, a sprinkle of nuts, and crumbled cheese of your choice—goat or feta would be great with this. Nuts are a great salad topping to add a boost of heart-healthy fats! Add any other proteins you’d like or enjoy this as a side salad. Top with your favorite dressing such as balsamic glaze and a drizzle of olive oil, pictured here.

Recipe by Inna Kagan, local Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

Please join us to discuss We Are the Ark: Returning Our Gardens to Their True Nature Through Acts of Restorative Kindness by Mary Reynolds with wonderful illustrations by Ruth Evans on Thursday, September 14, 7–8:30. We will meet in person at the Farm with the option to join virtually, too. To get more details and the Zoom link if you want to attend online, email sue@newtoncommunityfarm.org

Back by popular demand! The City of Newton is hosting "Art in Bloom Newton" on Friday, September 22, from 6 to 8:30 pm. In this workshop, participants will create their own artistic floral design from local garden-fresh blooms, with artwork by Newton artists as your inspiration. Learn about creative and sustainable floral design using local flowers and foraged accents under the guidance of gardener and sustainable florist Susan Margolin, owner of Lotus & Lettuce, artisan floral design from seed to vase.

There will be an artist's talk where registrants will have the opportunity to ask questions and understand the artist's creative process. Bring a vase/vessel and take your floral design home at the conclusion of the workshop. All flowers and greens provided are grown locally in a collaborative effort with Newton Community Farm and Lotus & Lettuce. Also, bring a few stems of your choice (twigs, branches, seed pods etc.) to add your own personal flair. 

The class will be held at Newton Cultural Development Offices, 1294 Centre Street, Newton Centre, and the cost is $75 per person. Spaces limited. Click here to register.

NEWTON COMMUNITY FARM

303 Nahanton Street

Newton, MA 02459

617-916-9655

www.newtoncommunityfarm.org

information@newtoncommunityfarm.org