After a few nail-biting weeks during which late blight was confirmed in two fields in Hadley, Massachusetts, and rumors flew about a possible outbreak at a farm within Route 495, things are looking much better. Our tomato plants are starting to produce heavily, and farmers all around the area are a much happier lot than they were last year. Unless, that is, you ask about lettuce. While the hot weather has been a blessing for the tomato crop, most farms have experienced problems getting lettuce to germinate in the heat. And if they can get it to germinate, many have had problems getting it to grow in the field. Such is the nature of nature: it just doesn’t seem to have our best interests at heart.

So we talk about weather because it keeps us on our toes. It makes us happy, sad, frustrated, wet, sunburned, cold, and sweaty. We talk about it because it’s all around us all the time. We can’t do anything about it―we’re just like everyone else―but it matters. So we talk about the weather.

As I said, this year no one’s complaining about the weather in terms of tomatoes. Plants are thriving, and the harvests are heavy. Apparently, a little too heavy. While customers at the farm are raving about the tomatoes and rejoicing at their return this year, the field crew―those intrepid high school students who choose to spend their summer vacation working at the farm―are already sick of tomatoes. After only a couple of weeks of serious harvests. I actually had workers who were happy to get back to weeding because it meant not having to deal with tomatoes! Lest you think that these are the words of a sun-addled teenager who is clearly not thinking straight, let’s recount our day yesterday (when this amazing sentiment was expressed).

After finishing the CSA and farm-stand harvest, we moved on to picking tomatoes. (We pick tomatoes three times a week, every week, from late July through killing frosts in late October.) We pick into buckets, and at this time of year most of the ripe fruit is still low to the ground, so a few people go up and down 40 or so beds on their hands and knees picking fruit. The buckets, each weighing about 30 pounds when full, then get carried (two at a time to make each trip as efficient as possible—that’s 60 pounds of tomatoes each trip) to the barn where another group is sorting them. Once sorted, the tomatoes then get moved to the back of the barn to either continue ripening or get put out for sale later that day. Yesterday we did this all afternoon, harvesting, carrying, sorting, and stacking more than 400 pounds of tomatoes! And we’ll do it again Saturday. Then Tuesday. Then Thursday. Then…. Personally, I think it’s a little early to be sick of it, but for a high school student (or anyone else) in their first season working at the farm, 400 pounds of tomatoes is enough to make you sick of them. So we take pity, and when the tomato harvest is done for the day we graciously let them get back to weeding.

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** Fifth Annual Harvest Festival **
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Sunday, September 26, 2010
1:00-4:00 p.m.
At Newton Community Farm
Free to attend. We will have food for sale.

Join us in celebration of our fifth growing season on the farm. Live music, children’s activities, cooking demonstrations, farm tours, food, gardening demonstrations…and more! Everyone is welcome!

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** Lecture: Canning and Preserving Garden Fresh Vegetables **
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(or how a city mouse learned to be a country mouse)
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
7:30 p.m.
Druker Auditorium at Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St., Newton Centre
Free

Lisa Janice Cohen will discuss the practice of preserving; provide resources for further learning; and tell the story of how one self-described “city mouse,” who could barely boil water, has become committed to preserving.

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** Lumiere Dinner **
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Tuesday, October 19, 2010
7 p.m.
At Lumiere Restaurant, 1293 Washington St., West Newton

Celebrated chef Michael Leviton hosts a special dinner benefiting Newton Community Farm.

For more information, click here for our Events Web page.

For middle school students, our Farmer-in-Training program is going strong. We just wrapped up a great week: our six farmers-in-training spent time in the fields helping Greg with harvests and farm chores; they enjoyed learning to prepare some tasty recipes that made good use of some of the produce we are growing; and we spent time exploring the ways in which our decisions impact the world around us. We still have a few slots open for the week of August 23, and we’d love to end our second year of this program with a big group, so please spread the word!

For those of you who are over the age of 10 and are feeling neglected, we have some great offerings for adults in August as well. We are very excited to host an Art in the Garden workshop. Whether you are an accomplished artist or a budding painter, we would love to have you take part in our first art workshop. And for those who would like to learn about backyard composting (or have questions about your compost pile), please come by for our Outdoor Composting at Home workshop hosted by our friends from Green Decade on Saturday, August 28. Register early for our classes to reserve a spot.

Looking ahead, our Lactofermentation Workshop on September 16 will teach you how to use this ancient preservation method to preserve vegetables by pickling them. We hope to see you on the farm this month!

Kelly Lake

Every Tuesday in July and August: Farm Sprouts (for preschoolers)
August 19: Salsa Kids (for students entering grades 3-5)
August 25: Art in the Garden
August 28: Outdoor Composting at Home (hosted by Green Decade)
September 16: Lactofermentation Workshop

For more information, click here.

A dance major from the University of Oklahoma with lots of gymnastic, pilates, and yoga experience, she enjoys physical work and being in nature. She tried professional dancing in New York City but didn’t feel the necessary commitment. Instead, she felt the pull of the land and the need to connect with her food source. Megan worked at Union Square Farmers’ Market and eventually moved on to one of the farms supplying produce to the city. Being with people and watching the farmland transform during a season brings her great satisfaction, and she believes that community farming is one of the best ways to make a difference in this world. She feels that she needs more learning time―like at least another year at Newton Community Farm!―before one day taking over a farm with her friends.

Margaret Mallory

Kimberly started her food career at age 14 when she worked as a bus girl at a restaurant. She eventually earned a degree in culinary arts from Johnson & Wales University and started Feast Creative Catering two and a half years ago. The chef’s on-site catering company prepares all dishes from scratch at her customers’ homes or other venues. “We come in with a small army and create magic,” says Kimberly. She enjoys the creativity of creating different food and décor for her customers. “A lot of joy comes with catering. I get to participate in celebrations,” she adds.

The farm is a special place for Kimberly. “I’m in awe of what Greg creates,” she says. “It’s nice to be so in touch with your food.” She appreciates the hard work that the entire community puts into growing the crops. This is why she has very generously volunteered her culinary skills at the farm for the past two years, including catering the 2009 Farm Donor Appreciation night and running the food area at the Harvest Festival. Kimberly prepared Dinner at the Farm with an all-volunteer crew of Newton residents―Judy Alton, Carol McKrill, Mahala Davenport, Becka Smillie, Jonathan McKrill, Kim Parra, and Molly Silverman―who feel “excited and grateful that the farm exists.”

Below is the purslane recipe that Kimberly prepared for Dinner at the Farm. To learn more about Feast Creative Catering’s services for groups of 25 to 300 people, call 617-721-9459.

Susan Weiner

Purslane, Salmon, Potato, and Eggs

1 lb. potatoes, boiled and pan fried
8 oz. purslane, washed and trimmed
1 lb. salmon fillets, broiled and cut into portions
6 boiled eggs, cooled and halved
Juice of 2 lemons
½ cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Chill potatoes, purslane, salmon, and eggs. To serve, place them on a large platter. Drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil and sprinkle with salt and fresh ground pepper.

Kimberly Cox
Feast Creative Catering
617-721-9459
feastcatering@comcast.net

And both tomatoes and corn go into Tomato Corn Salsa, which you can see if you click the link below. Enjoy!

Susan Tornheim

Click here to see the Tomato Corn Salsa recipe.

If you can help us with any of these items, please contact Greg Maslowe at 617-916-9655 or at greg@newtoncommunityfarm.org. We are a 501(c)3 organization. Your donations may be tax-deductible. Thank you for your support!