Farming Lessons and Learning

I haven't been farming for very long, 

            and I don't know what more seasoned folks would say, but I feel that farming is humbling work.  Heck, I wouldn't even consider myself a farmer although my days (and nighttime dreams) are filled by this land.  

There are so many skills needed, so much memory and planning and strategizing, that I am in awe of our fearless leaders and farmers, Erinn, Dan and Anna.  Personally, it seems that every week is somehow interesting, filled with new discoveries or challenges.  I'm finding that small things hold so much weight - a seemingly little object, each and every piece, is crucial to the whole.  Twice this week I learned that lesson, once with a clamp on those blue irrigation hoses you may have seen around, and once on a turn-buckle on a tractor.  It's easy for something to snap, or get stuck, and have an otherwise simple, habitual task take a new turn.  I think I learn new skills by the week.  

Like many people, I didn't grow up farming or working with tools and it's both exasperating and exciting to have my limits challenged by inanimate objects.  I think most farmers live between the balance of trying not to reinvent the wheel, while trying to find fresh, efficient solutions. Sometimes I feel like a piece of steel is smarter than me - it certainly can be stronger.  These (long) moments, when I'm sitting on the ground wrestling with a wrench, pushes me to be more creative in my approach.  More thoughtful, as well, and to take a step back and look at a problem from a new angle.  It's a lesson worth learning and relearning.

Janelle leads the way with a load of rainbow chard

It's a hard time of the year to actually take that backwards step and reflect.  Yet, it's necessary and happens naturally - the tedious seems a little less so when I remember the reasons why I love to farm.  The quiet spring evenings spent looking over the front field feel like forever ago, and it's funny to imagine that in just a few weeks the mornings will be cool again.  I love hearing stories about WFCF and the community that peoples it; there are traces of everyone here.  I love that feeling around five in the afternoon where the morning felt like it happened years ago, and I've used my body and mind well that day.  It's been on my mind lately about how when we step off the farm road and into a field to harvest, it seems like all else slips away.  The work we do is all-encompassing and when you let it, truly meditative.  It is thoughtful and intentional work, and while a farmer can make a task her whole world, it is a task done for the world she lives in.  Farming is something that we give ourselves to, and we just gotta embrace the ride.

Enjoy the sunshine,

Janelle, Assistant Grower

Trials and Tribulations of This Summer

Although last week brought more of the same - yup, hot and dry - by Friday we at least had the first cloud cover that we've seen in weeks. The rain predicted for Friday, Saturday and Sunday didn't amount to much, and we're still very much feeling the effects of the drought that 99% of Massachusetts is experiencing.  It's not just that

we're moving our irrigation systems constantly, which has accounted for many, many labor hours this year, but that it has been impossible to get a buildup of soil moisture.  The depth of dryness is so extensive, the soil particles are so desiccated and the air has been so hot that the tension between getting water on as many crops as possible over the course of a week and having water on crops long enough to really soak them has been one we can't ease.   Lack of water leads to stressed crops which in turn makes them more susceptible to pests and disease.  We're seeing this effect heavily in our spring planted kale and collards, which are staples of the CSA distribution and our Outreach Market.  It used to be that flea beetle pressure would be high in the spring but by the time we were putting fall brassicas in the ground in mid-July, pressure would be low enough to not affect them too much.  There would be a perfect lull in the population and when the second generation appeared briefly in the hot days of August, the plants would be established enough to fend them off and be less appealing to the pest.  This summer is the worst pressure I've seen of the beetle, and our newly planted cabbages, kale, collards, broccoli, cauliflower, and especially Napa have already needed a spraying of the few approved controls we're able to use in organic production.  We seem to be in the midst of a population boom with the second generation coming on earlier than ever.  

Flea beetle damage is unsightly, but the produce is perfectly fine
 to eat (and may even contain higher amounts of phytochemicals 
good for human health) .

For the first time ever, we've decided to use row cover on a few beds of July planted Napa seedlings, a control method we usually reserve for the cooler weather afforded by the spring.  We've had to spray our spring planting multiple times and I was surprised and disappointed to see our purple kale practically black with flea beetles last week.  And despite getting the irrigation going on them at least weekly, the plants seem to have stopped growing altogether in the droughty heat wave.  There have been many hours spent weeding, feeding and watering our earlier planting of kale and collards and I am hoping that they'll pull through the next month to bridge the gap to the new planting.  But if the flea beetle pressure on them continues to be too strong to contain then we'll have to make the tough decision to mow it early in order to ensure the health of our fall crops.  As for now, we're taking a break from harvesting both kale and collards with the hope that a little more tending will get them back on track. 

Weed crew has their hands full this season.

One of the other big challenges the drought has presented has been with our direct seeded crops.  Most of what we grow is started in the greenhouse and transplanted out into the fields as seedlings.  A few crops, namely carrots, dill, cilantro and beans, are seeded multiple times throughout the season directly in ground.  Usually just a little soil moisture is enough to get these guys germinated and popping through the soil, either ahead of or neck and neck with the plentiful weed seeds in our fields.   This year we're struggling with all in-field germination, which has been erratic, unreliable and sometimes just not there.  The weeds, however, are as opportunistic as ever, and the irrigation that we're putting on our direct seeded beds has frustratingly been enough to encourage weed germination but not our crops.  When this happens, it becomes extremely difficult to cultivate or even hand weed the beds.  A flush of weeds grows rapidly, and if we've got our cilantro or carrots coming up a week later at best, and another week or so before the crops are established enough to actually weed around, then we end up in quite a pickle.  At that point, the weeds are so well rooted that it becomes even more disruptive to pull them out and increases the likelihood of pulling out the small, tender, just barely there crop.  On top of that, the soil is probably pretty dry, because we probably have the irrigation going on the newly planted lettuce that we're trying to keep alive in the 95 degree heat.  Weeding small crops in these hot and dry conditions can actually disrupt the plants to create more harm than good.  My hope here is that you can start to understand why the beans, dill and cilantro you may be picking in the next couple weeks are such a hairy jungle.  Luckily, the cherry and plum tomatoes have strong fruit sets and we're starting to see some more consistent ripening with them.  We're getting water on the tomatillos and husk cherries as much as we can and hoping to see them, along with the chiles, come on in the next few weeks.

 It's tough to keep energy and attitude from faltering in the kind of weather we've had this season.The past few weeks in particular have been so hot and trying that it's demanded a real commitment to community and camaraderie from everyone working in the fields.  Thankfully, everyone was able to rise above the impossible drain of the heat waves and keep on keeping on.  By Friday we had those precious clouds all day (though not filled with nearly as much rain as we would have liked) and I was feeling the cumulative fatigue of countless 90+ degree days and relentless sun.   But with a spirit true to both farm crews this year, everyone rallied for a 3:30 power push, getting the last of our cauliflower planted in record time, all of us racing against our own exhaustion.  With a final burst of energy, we surged through the end of July together.

Enjoy the harvest!  
-Erinn, Farm Manager

for the farm staff

Let's All Do A Rain Dance!

As I see it now, the theme of the summer is easily summed up in two words: HOT and DRY.  It literally feels like the dust bowl out there and I can't really remember the last time we had a soaking rain.  The sun felt strong this week and although it's physically challenging work, I feel more connected to our Earth and our food through this challenging weather.  We as farmers spend most of our waking hours absorbed in the same environment as the food we grow and eat.  It feels similar to when you share a meal with someone and you are all eating the same thing.  Knowing that we as a crew and as a community share the same sun rays as the plants, the same temperature, and live on the same soil, keeps me going on those long, hot days.  There is a freedom in simply being in our environment in all weather and letting go of our comfort zones.  This is when I see the most growth and change in my life.      

Our morning routine this week has been to head straight for the water and in every direction possible.  We are using all the tricks we can.  Our aluminum pipe system has taken up residence in our newly planted west field, taking care of our fall brassicas, chard, lettuce, and beets.  This system which delivers the most water through overhead sprinklers requires us to move about 7 long aluminum pipes across the fields.  It feels as though you could pole vault with these - they are much lighter than one would think.  It's quite empowering to carry them on your shoulder and I must say that Erinn and Dan both do it with such grace, each able to carry two pipes at once. 

Second, we have the water reel (not to be confused with the water wheel which is used when transplanting).  This is just a couple years old now and let me tell you, it's a work out setting it up.  It is a retractable hose with a sprinkler attached that covers about 7 beds in either direction depending on the wind.  When Janelle and I pull it out at 7am, we debate over who will get the full body workout and who gets just intense arm strengthening.  It's a great way to wake up in the morning if you ever get a chance to try it.
Yet another way is our drip lines that remain under our biodegradable plastic used with our tomato, eggplant, and onion crops to name a few.  Although this takes more time and possibly more money upfront to lay down on the beds, it is ultimately a more efficient system and requires us only to turn the faucet or pump on for a few hours assuming the pump is working...  It does require time for setup and repairing of holes, but the water goes directly to the roots avoiding the pathways and foliage of the plants.  It also does not compact the soil as much as an overhead sprinkler system. 
Lastly, we are even using your run-of-the-mill home oscillating sprinkler which works great for directly seeded crops like our carrots, but also has saved the flowers which I will

add are STUNNING! Erinn has done an amazing job! With all of these methods of watering we must think strategically in order to be most efficient with our time and energy as well as conserving water where possible - which is what farming is all about.  We need to think about how long the water reel will take to run, which pipes have more pressure, what crops are in dire need, what covers the most amount of space, what will need transplanting next, etc.   

Last week marks the end of an era and the beginning of many others.  Summer education programs started last week and it's refreshing to have so many young people on the farm.  There is so much discovery and exploration happening and it puts a smile on my face.  A couple weeks ago a little girl asked me as I was in the wash station, "Are you a farmer?" and I replied "Yes I am, who are you?" and she proceeded to tell me her name.  It's such a delight to have so many levels of education happening in one place. 


We finished harvesting the garlic which had been in the ground since November, so it felt like a big deal.  This particular garlic really went through the ringer.  It sprouted in December and then we quickly mulched it with leaves.  It definitely experienced some deep frosts and did not receive much water or fertilization.  We didn't even need to weed it all season!  But to both Erinn's and my surprise it is some of the most beautiful garlic we have had in a few years.  The garlic will now cure in our greenhouse for a couple of weeks so that it will be able to store for the winter months.   

As for the summer vegetables, such as tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and carrots, they are moving along and should be ready very soon.  Luckily for these crops the heat and sunshine is perfect - we just need to keep watering.  The routine continues of seed, transplant, water, weed, water, harvest, and repeat.  And did I say water?      

I will leave you with a quote Amanda shared a few years back at this midsummer time. "The beat of time is like the throb of a healthy heart, strong, steady and reassuring...it is the richness and the ripeness of the earth again made manifest. And man participates, if he will, not as proprietor but as a participant in life itself." -Hal Borland.

Enjoy the summer, the harvest, and the world around us,

Anna Kelchlin

Assistant Farm Manager

for the Farm

The Full Strength of July

It seems as though the season is moving along at such a quick pace.  It's already the second week of July!  Cooler weather crops have come and gone, and we are settling surely into the summertime.  We are nearing the end of greenhouse seeding for the season (just two weeks left!)...thus closing the spring and looking ahead to the fall

as we start to plant autumnal brassicas.  I was amazed, standing in the field the other afternoon with Erinn and Anna as we checked on the recently transplanted broccoli seedlings: they're taking root so fast!

The crew seems to be mimicking that rooting behavior.  Last week we welcomed a fourth field crew member Andre to the team and it feels like we are really hummin' now.  The jokes and camaraderie are as plentiful as the harvest.  We've enjoyed fresh cucumber popsicles made by Stacey, and ended one Friday with an intense race to plant celery.  We split into two teams, and among all of us we planted two 200' beds in under fifteen minutes!  Imagine eight sweaty farmers at the end of their week, bent over planting, yelling, laughing, and moving faster than tractors, all within inches of each other.  Strategizing, competition and motivation were at an all-time high.  It was neck and neck to the end and totally incredible.  And, in case you were wondering, my team won...

            Despite the dry weather, the farm looks lush right now.  The squash and zucchini plants are deep green and huge, and I've never seen such consistently beautiful lettuce.  Both our Lyman and Weston fields are in the groove as well, and the potato plants are up to my knees! Some highlights of the past week have felt like benchmarks.  Dan and Erinn finished tying the first round of tomatoes, and we began the garlic harvest last week.  I won't say too much, but it's coming out of the ground and looking impressive.  The flower field is blooming and every day I fall more in love with the snapdragons.  We are watering nonstop.  I must say I am feeling the full strength of July now.

As we make our way into another warm week, I remind myself of the ebb and flow of this work.  There are patterns and rhythms, joys and frustrations.  Sweltering days and moments of reprieve.  It seems as though we are finding our stride now.  Erinn asked me the other day what my favorite thing to do on the farm is... I simply can't choose.  Since April, I have learned so much about farming, and while our days follow a pattern, there's always something new, whether it be a small victory or an interesting challenge.  The first harvest of the morning is always my favorite and I hope you enjoy it on your plates as much as I enjoy harvesting it from the field.

Until next time ~     Janelle, for the crew

Notes from the Field: Pictures of Summer

From my nine seasons on this wonderful farm I have lots of photographs. I have been here so long that I have pictures that are actually printed out on paper! (That's how we used to do it.) I have lots of photos of the initial days of spring, onions and tiny brassicas germinating in the greenhouse, picture perfect lettuce starts, the orderly beauty of the first tractor work of the season, cutting furrows directly into winter, exposing the promise inherent in freshly tilled soil. I have photos of favas beans emerging, freshly flame weeded carrots popping up in perfect, clean rows and beautiful cucurbit plantings domed in deep green lines with gaudy yellow flowers showing beneath their foliage. 

But my photos chronologically usually end right about now and usually pick up again sometime in mid-October, when the light starts to slant away and the beginning of the end appears on the horizon. I have lots of photos in May and June, lots in October and November, and a tiny handful of July and August.

This is because now is 'go time' for your farmers, even for part time farmers like me. For the next two-three months we are flat out: greenhouse seeding, transplanting, weeding and cultivating, making beds so we can keep planting, watering (watering!!!) and harvesting, harvesting, harvesting. Picking, washing and packing the beautiful bounty of our work, to fill the CSA barn for distributions and to provide for many in need in our communities.

It is a wonderful time of year, and yet it's difficult for me to stop and snap a few pictures, unrelated to pictures of broken things that need to be fixed (what is that part number...?) or pictures of unfamiliar insects or plant disease (whoa, what is that?).

The season is chugging along here, nearly July and hard to believe. Our wonderful seasonal crews are getting tan and trained and faster and better at all of the things that we're throwing at them. It's a joy to see so many people back at the farm after the months of solitary work, adding staff through the spring and then finally an explosion of people as the first shares of the season hits the stand. This year

has been particularly enjoyable for me so far. I credit our staff and a healthy dose of sunshine, and a great thanks for the wonderful people in my life. We are all nose down right now, and will be for the next several months, and we will be tired and sore and sunburned. But this job makes it easy to feel like it's worth it and I'm hoping that this is the year that I get a few mid-summer shots, tomatoes ripening, cukes and squash, melons vining out, chilis...you get the picture.

Enjoy the harvest,

For all of the crew,

Dan

Notes From The Field: Sunshine

Summer time is upon us in full bloom and I must say when I step back, breathe, and look at the whole picture, the farm is absolutely radiant.  The sun is now at its highest point in the sky extending its rays with great intensity upon each and every being below.  Last week the sun made itself known.  It's that time of year when we must pull out the big hats, the sun lotion, and hydrate.  Even the greenhouses must wear sun protection.  The shade cloths will go up this week so that the seedlings can tolerate the heat to come.  This is the time of year when our farming days come the closest to the length of the daylight.  It would be neat to see a time lapse of all the places we go and the work we do throughout the day: we are like humming birds, never stopping to rest our wings. 

Each morning Janelle and I harvested lettuce at our Lyman Fields, rushing to get the harvest done to be back before the field crew begins at 8am. The field crew was the newest edition to the staff last week and is making the transition into farm life in June: harvest and a lot of transplanting.  The mornings start off cool but before we know it the sweaters are off and a sweat is already broken.  Erinn and Naomi harvested the last of the lettuce for the Waltham Public Schools.  Radishes are beginning to bulb up and the bok choy is a bit bigger than the last generation. 

The garlic scapes we picked in the morning were so juicy and aromatic that even that evening in my yoga class I could smell them as I came into downward-facing dog.  I'm glad I love the smell of garlic!

We were able to plant the rest of the peppers and cantaloupe last week at our fields in Weston.  Our 4th generation of beets went in at Lyman as well as the eggplant thanks to a volunteer group through Boston Cares.  At our Waltham site we put in round two of cucumbers as well as okra and more lettuce.  On Saturday we had an amazing turn out for our biannual Crop Mob - we were able to collect and put away all the bags, hoops, and floating row cover from the spring brassica plantings.  This was a huge feat and had been weighing on our minds.  

Crop Mobsters rescuing the Swiss chard! 

Now we will be able to fertilize, cultivate, and water the kale, collards, and cabbages.  In addition, we weeded two beds of Swiss chard and 5 beds of carrots.  It is refreshing to see how people who have never met each other can come together and work together to create such a change in the landscape.  Thank you all so much for supporting this event.  If you weren't able to make it we will be hosting one more on July 23rd.

June is a challenging time of year in that we have an overwhelming amount of work to do, but more so in that it is a time of transition.  With each week harvest increases in size, time, and space.  We are heading into the hot, sunny and dry weather when we must think constantly about irrigation.  There is still seeding to be done both in the greenhouses and in the fields.  Transplanting must continue at a steady rate as well as everything that leads up to it.  And don't forget the weeds.  They are fierce and seem to jump out of nowhere when you aren't looking.  They are sneaky that's for sure.  But through these challenging times comes transformation.  There is the reward of knowing we work hard and the sense of accomplishment that comes with our dedication.  We are always learning and through this a deep sense of community forms.  We work closely together and we are like family.  

Kamelia, Lauren, Erinn and Shannon bring out fixin's for homemade ice cream
sandwiches to celebrate Naomi's birthday during lunch break.

I feel grateful for the people I work with and for the opportunity to work with the land and so close to our food.  I just want to say thank you for all the support from the farm staff and the members of Waltham Fields Community Farm.  It's so easy to get caught up in day-to-day details. 

I'm learning that it's important to observe through clear and calm eyes and remember to take time to look back on where we have been.  Remember when there were almost no leaves on the trees and the fields were barren only a couple months ago?  And also to bring ourselves to the present of where we are today, once again the fields bursting with a multitude of the color green, full of growth and bounty.  The rhythm of the farm life continues.

Looking forward to seeing some of you at the next Saturday pick up!  Enjoy the harvest,

Anna

Assistant Farm Manager

For the Farm Crew

Notes From The Field: Push and Pull

The past week has been all about finding our harvest rhythm again and these smaller early harvests make it a bit easier for us to do that. Just like that, full days that can be dedicated to bed prep, transplanting, cultivating or greenhouse work are gone. Harvesting is rewarding work and this transition is a great one to be in the midst of, but it does take some more mental gymnastics and shifting of expectations to juggle all of the other work needed to ensure we have crops to harvest in 6, 12 or 20 weeks from now. Now that the CSA has begun, we'll be harvesting every morning, working together to get in tender greens before the heat sets in and hustling through the late morning to wrap things up by lunch. Time flies in the afternoon as we race to get in transplants, put plastic mulch down for another round of cucumbers or seed 30 trays of Swiss chard in the greenhouse. All throughout the mornings, I'm invigorated when I look out across a field to see weed crew extricating kale from giant amaranth or teasing tiny carrots away from just germinating lamb's quarters. They came out of the gates strong this past week and hand weeded or hoed roughly 10,000 row feet...
...in other words, they weeded... 

almost 2 miles of the farm!

Dan took advantage of the great cultivating weather we've had (hot, dry, windy) and zipped around killing weeds with the Super As, then took it down a few notches to flame weed the carrots, which is most effective when walking at a snail's pace. In the words of Robert Frost, we have many more miles (of weeding) to go this season, and your help would be such a boost if you can make it out to Crop Mob this Saturday. We're hoping for a critical mass of volunteers to make a big impact on our weed population, so come on out to the farm if you have some free time between 9am-noon this Saturday. Stay a little while after for some tasty snacks from Basil Tree catering. The difference that a few extra hands can make during the beginning of weed-bonanza season is tremendous and helps make our crops healthy and vigorous; it also helps our weed crew stay happy! 

Anna, Erinn, Janelle, and the early season garlic. 

This week's share will have some beautiful red and green butterhead lettuce and Swiss chard, both of which we hope to have on the stand pretty consistently throughout the season. Garlic scapes and radishes will make their debut, and will be an option in your share the next couple of weeks. I'm a big fan of the chicory family and heads of frisee will be the first of a few crops from that family that we'll be harvesting over the coming weeks. (If you don't like it raw try it sautéed with garlic scapes, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.) Kale, bok choy and spinach will round things out. On the horizon we've got a few nice plantings of beets coming on, along with some very baby summer squash that should be ready for picking soon. Pick your own crops are coming along nicely and we'll see some more peas and herbs added to the list soon. For this week though, I hope you enjoy the quintessential taste of early CSA with the sugar snap peas. I also hope you'll find some stillness and solace in the quiet rows of green and coming abundance while you're out in the fields this week.


With Gratitude,
Erinn, for the farm team

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

Notes from the Field - Autumnal Greetings and Partings

This week you have probably noticed dramatic changes in the farm landscape--tomato stakes have been pulled, large chunks of tomato and brassica fields have been mowed, cover crop is growing strong after the 5+ inches of rain we received ten days ago.  Normally, this time of year we're keeping our eye on the many beds of roots that we're counting on for the Winter CSA Share, looking to strike a balance between giving them time in the cold weather to sweeten up but avoiding the decimation that we know our local vole and goose populations are capable of.  More recently our big concern turned out to be the cabbage field.  Knowing that many inches of rain was forecasted, we realized that the tender, flat drum head cabbages (aptly named Tendersweet) would all burst with any extra bit of moisture.  We harvested half the field one day, and the rest the next.  As it turned out, the other green cabbages and one variety of red were also on the verge of bursting and they quickly made it onto the next episode of what Roy deemed our farm reality TV show, "Cabbage Rescue".  We're usually maxed out for cold storage during this time of year, but having a cooler full of cabbages this early in October makes it feel particularly tight.  Luckily, they're a crop that will hold in the right conditions for many months, and I'm feeling relieved to know that we have them safely out of the field.

In addition to cabbages, you're starting to see the autumn greens really rolling in, most of which tend to fall into the "farmers' favorite" category-the unique deliciousness of broccoli raab and mustard greens is a much talked about topic during the morning harvest.  Unfortunately, some of our fall roots have made a poor showing this year.  We seeded parsnips two or three times through early to mid-summer, with no luck at all.  They're a finicky germinator and though we usually get something from a planting, this year's hot and dry weather seemed to be too much for those little wisps of seeds to find their potential.  Rutabagas and purple top turnips also took a hit from the extreme weather, and while they germinated and their greens have been looking great, the root formation is very spotty.  Much as we tried to get water rotated through the farm consistently, it was a big challenge to get enough moisture in a year when most fields needed two weekly rounds of irrigation.  But salad turnips and red radishes have come along nicely throughout the fall.  Leeks have been stellar, and you'll see them once again this week, as well as some delicious garlic.

The most dramatic event of the week will happen quietly on the farm, when Zannah Porter works her final day with us on Saturday.  Zannah joined us in 2012 after spending a couple of years at Land's Sake farm in Weston.  She ran the gauntlet in her interview, sitting down with Amanda, Andy, Dan and myself.  We all knew afterwards that she could be an important addition and complement to the farm, and four years later, you can see that we were proven correct. By her second season, she was managing the Gateways property in Weston, which has remained her focus in subsequent years.  She has also taken careful care of our equipment fleet, staying on top of maintenance and researching and making new purchases to increase efficiency and production.  Zannah has cared deeply about and taken deep care of Waltham Fields from the start and working with her has been one of the highlights of my time here.  She has a strong appreciation for the natural and non-human world going on around her, and farming is just one expression of that.  By working with Zannah, we've all vicariously enjoyed canoe trips through Maine, hikes in the White Mountains, childhood romps through Virginian creeks and woods, stints working for a white water rafting company and all sorts of other adventures.  And then of course, there's Banjo, the favorite farm dog of the past four years. Both of them will be missed dearly, but we couldn't be happier for her to take on her next adventure as the head Farm Manager at Powisset Farm.  This farm won't be the same without her, so if you see her around the fields this week, give her a big thank you.

Erinn Roberts
Farm Manager

Notes from the Field - Harvest Moon

Sunday night was the harvest moon, which also happened to be a lunar eclipse (and a super moon and blood moon too!).  It was a special evening to see the glowing orange sphere that blocked the light of the sun so perfectly, aligning the earth, moon, and sun just right on a clear, warm night.  This moon brought a lot of people out and I felt a sense of community and connection to where we live.  It makes complete sense that we call it the harvest moon considering this is how we spend the majority of our waking hours these weeks.  It is a time when the community comes together and shares the bounty of the harvest.

We are in the midst of the bountiful fall harvest and the farm is truly shining.  All of our hard work, long hours, and sore bodies are paying off.  The other day Dan told me that Waltham Fields is a fall farm and it's true.  The cabbages are as large as bowling balls, the carrots are sweet and crunchy, and the heads of broccoli are small trees.  The crops that we grew in the spring time are now making their way back into the mix.  Once again we have radishes, haukeri turnips, bok choy, endive and escarole. 

There is excitement over the change in season.  I find myself with the desire to cook more complicated meals that require hot ovens and big pots.  Just as bees and squirrels are packing away food for the winter, so are we.  My husband Ben and I have been on a kick of pickling carrots, freezing tomato sauce, and making pesto to try to capture the essence of summer for the cold months ahead.   

This past week we finished our watermelon harvest with flying colors.  Watermelon deserves the highest achievement award this year for its taste, texture, size and color.  We have begun the long haul of sweet potato harvest, which is a delicate process.  First, we must mow the heart shaped leaves and vines and then pitch fork each plant.  Next we begin the excavation process of carefully uncovering what almost feels like fossils.  Sweet potatoes have sensitive skin so even a scratch of a nail can injure the outer pink layer preventing it from healing fully.  They must cure in a warm place for a couple weeks so that they can fully develop their sugars and store long term through the winter.  On another note, our onions and garlic have been all cleaned up and accounted for, so now we are able to assess how much is to be distributed between the summer and winter shares.

The energy of the farm has settled down a bit.  It's more peaceful with room for full breaths.  We are ever affected by our environments.  With the equinox just behind us, the light and dark are more equal to each other, leaving me with a greater sense of balance.  The morning air is fresh, crisp, and chilly.  On the farm this week we found ourselves in winter hats and beginning to wear layers.  It's a challenge to wake up in the morning since the sunrise is not until 6:30am and wake up time for me is at 5:45.  Despite our more relaxed state of mind, knowing that the hustle and bustle of the summer has past, there is still a lot to be done.  With every moment that we are not harvesting, there are still weeds to pull, drip tape and tomato stakes to clean up, and cover crops to be sowed.  Here I would like to give a special thanks to Barbara, a volunteer who has done tremendous work for us these past couple weeks.  She has single-handedly saved our next planting of fennel as well as beets and cauliflower.  Thank you so much. 

It continues to be extremely dry and we are irrigating most days.  Once again we hooked up our old irrigation pipes and an oscillating sprinkler in addition to the water reel that has proved vital to the life of our crops this year.  We received our seed garlic in the mail and will soon be dividing the bulbs into cloves and preparing its new seven-month home. 

As we move into the colder, darker, more restful part of the season we will continue to harvest.  While the summer crops of tomatoes, eggplants, and summer squashes are coming to their end, cauliflower, braising mixes, and turnips are just about to show us their stuff.  It's the time of year for celebration and reflection.  And most important of all deep sleep and good eating.

Enjoy the bounty, 

Anna Kelchlin, Assistant Grower

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