October is usually the last month for farmer's markets in this area, as frost takes over and a few farms just go into winter shares. It looks like there's a new winter farmer's market in Natick. It's located at the Johnson Elementary School gymnasium along Route 27, and runs on Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through March.
It looks like Wayland also has a market, Saturdays 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Russell’s Garden Center.
Thank heavens for January thaw yesterday. I love January's little reminder that spring will be here in a couple months.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Farm Share Fair
According to a post in the Davis Square LiveJournal community, there is a Farm Share Fair and Film on Monday January 11 at the Somerville Public Library. It should be a chance to learn about local farms and the structure of the different farm shares. If you're looking for a share this spring, it's good to ask all your questions at the beginning, about how to pay, when you pick up, and if you need to contribute through volunteering on farm.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Loans for CSA members
I notice that my credit union has a program for a no-interest loans for CSAs. The farmer needs money in the spring, and yet a family's food budget doesn't always accommodate a $700 share at the beginning of the season. I find the farm share I participate in cost effective over the long run, particularly for the taste and quality of the food. This is a nice bridge, and I'm happy that my credit union offers this program.
To a new year...
I see that I stopped writing in August...in my head it was September, when the semester picked up and I realized I'd bitten off more than I could chew!
But that's ok. You can always go back.
The summer was a sad one, by farming standards. Worst season in 40 years for veggie farmers, with tomato blight and just cold wet everywhere. Terrible time for squash and, really, anything that needed to grow and ripen. Greens coming out of our ears. Healthy, yes. But we get sick of greens by the end of June, and there wasn't a lot to take over this season!
My brother and I went out to Chestnut Farms a few months back, on a perfect day as usual. The meat farm did quite well with the wet weather...never had the cows had such a lush, green season. The grass just kept a'coming and the pigs were in hog heaven in the mud. We had some goat meat this year, and the goat meat curry tasted delicious!
This year I'm going to do something different. The veggie farm share includes a tremendous amount of food, and it requires a couple of good cooks and a few helpful others to eat it. I'm going to scale back a bit and start a plot at Codman Community Farms this summer, I hope. There will be limited lettuce! And a lot more of the bok choy and greens I like. It's cold, cold January and I'm dreaming of stinky manure and little green things popping out of the ground. On to the seed catalogs!
I'm hoping to learn a bit more about heirloom seeds and possibly seed saving. Been reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle very slowly (we're in tomato season now), and really loved the information about seed saving and rare breeds. If you don't grow a breed, it will die out in a few years. Seems a huge loss. And the loss is usually just because something isn't shelf stable, not because it's not delicious. Let us preserve the delicious.
But that's ok. You can always go back.
The summer was a sad one, by farming standards. Worst season in 40 years for veggie farmers, with tomato blight and just cold wet everywhere. Terrible time for squash and, really, anything that needed to grow and ripen. Greens coming out of our ears. Healthy, yes. But we get sick of greens by the end of June, and there wasn't a lot to take over this season!
My brother and I went out to Chestnut Farms a few months back, on a perfect day as usual. The meat farm did quite well with the wet weather...never had the cows had such a lush, green season. The grass just kept a'coming and the pigs were in hog heaven in the mud. We had some goat meat this year, and the goat meat curry tasted delicious!
This year I'm going to do something different. The veggie farm share includes a tremendous amount of food, and it requires a couple of good cooks and a few helpful others to eat it. I'm going to scale back a bit and start a plot at Codman Community Farms this summer, I hope. There will be limited lettuce! And a lot more of the bok choy and greens I like. It's cold, cold January and I'm dreaming of stinky manure and little green things popping out of the ground. On to the seed catalogs!
I'm hoping to learn a bit more about heirloom seeds and possibly seed saving. Been reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle very slowly (we're in tomato season now), and really loved the information about seed saving and rare breeds. If you don't grow a breed, it will die out in a few years. Seems a huge loss. And the loss is usually just because something isn't shelf stable, not because it's not delicious. Let us preserve the delicious.
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