Upcoming 2024 Programs and Events

FARM SPONSORED EVENTS

Fall Family Party – Registration Full! Sunday, October 6 9:30 a.m. to noon Newton Community Farm This popular event is lots of fun for the whole family! There will be a farm scavenger hunt, pumpkin decorating, seed matching game, and more!   Thank you to our Fun Day sponsor, Wegmans!  Thanks to their generosity, this event is offered free of charge!  Thank you!

OTHER 2024 EVENTS IN NEWTON

Check out NCF’s table and composting worm display at the following events in Newton:

• GreenEXPO (October 20 – stay tuned for more details)

• Pumpkin Smash (November)

PAST EVENTS

Library display (April, May)

Amazing Owls  

Featuring Norman Smith, Raptor Specialist, MA Audubon

Sunday April 28, 4 to 5 pm, NCF’s Barn, Free

Norman Smith is a naturalist who has worked for MA Audubon since 1974. He recently retired as Director of Blue Hills Trailside Museum and Norman Smith Environmental Education Center in Milton, MA.  He continues to work on raptor research in a part-time role.  His mission is to use the information from his research to stimulate a passion in everyone he meets to help us better understand, appreciate and care for this world in which we live.   Norman shared details and photos of his fascinating work with these amazing creatures.

Can We Live More Sustainably?

In celebration of Earth Day, the Boston Globe presented a panel discussion on living sustainably.  Greg Maslowe, NCF’s Farm Manager, participated as a panelist! 

Description:     How many pairs of jeans do you really need in your wardrobe? How can you cut down on plastic purchases? And does it even make a difference? Questions like this abound when trying to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle. Reporter Erin Douglas talks with local sustainability leaders about practical tips for fighting the climate crisis in our homes, closets and shopping carts, and whether individual action can spark cultural and global change.

Click here to listen to the recorded program.

Thank you to our event sponsors

Kids’ Fall Fun Party at the Farm! Sold Out!

Join us for this fun-filled, outdoor family event celebrating the transition to a new season. Each child can decorate a pumpkin using found nature items, make custom fall tea to take home, and learn about the chickens. We will also demonstrate how apple cider is made, have local apples for participants to enjoy, and offer a scavenger hunt revealing hidden features of the fall season. We hope to have you with us as we celebrate the bounty of autumn! Masks are required for all. In the event of inclement weather, we will have materials available to pick up and take home instead.

Friday, October 22, 2021
3:30 – 5:00 pm

Fee: $10 per child (no charge for adult caregivers). All prices are per child and children must be accompanied by an adult with a maximum of 3 children per adult. This event is designed for children of all ages with accompanying adults. This is not a drop-off program; adults must stay at the party. Registration is required. Sign up here today!

Parking is on street on Winchester or Nahanton. Please do not park in the Farm driveway.

Celebrate 15 Years at Newton Community Farm!

Buy your tickets HERE! This event is sold out!

Enjoy a special evening at the Farm on Saturday, September 25 from 5-8 pm. Mix and mingle with friends old and new. This is a casual get-together with food, music, and fun. Feel free to bring your own chair if you like.

Tickets are $36 each and include a light meal of tacofied cuisine from the food truck HG80 out of Providence RI. (Choices will include two tacos: spring roll, BBQ chicken, fish ‘n chips, and Indian curry; Israeli salad or handsliced potato chips, and scratch-made sparkling drinks). Enjoy live music by the Rubin Brothers based in Cambridge, as they perform American popular music from ragtime to doo-wop. And bid on terrific offerings including tickets to venues, services, artwork, and housewares in our silent auction. (Click on the link to see all the items!) We’ll also have Farm t-shirts available for purchase.

If the event is cancelled due to bad weather, the food will be available for pick up to take home and enjoy. The silent auction will be moved online for a later date.

Limited number of tickets available! Tickets must be pre-purchased before the event. No ticket sales at the event.

Tell your friends. Thank you!

We are looking for volunteers to help with set-up, staffing check-in tables, selling t-shirts, helping to make this party a low-waste event, and staffing the silent auction tables. If you are coming to the party and have already bought a ticket and wouldn’t mind helping out for a shift, please sign up here. We appreciate your help!

Gardening in a Small Space on a Budget

Part of NewtonEats, a week of programs (August 22–28, 2021) focused on raising awareness about food insecurity in Newton and the US.

Monday, August 23

6–7 pm

Helping Kids Develop Healthy Eating Habits
Online event
Tuesday, February 2
11am –Noon

On Tuesday, February 2 from 11 am–noon we hosted an informative, virtual presentation on how to help children develop healthy eating habits. Brendan Smith, a licensed dietitian nutritionist at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, will offered strategies on:

• Incorporating more fruits and vegetables into children’s diets.
• Involving children in meal planning and preparation.
• Enticing picky eaters.
• Addressing dietary needs specific to children’s health.

Watch the recording here.
View presentation slides here.

Healthy Eating Strategies for Busy Professionals
Online event
Wednesday, February 24
6–7 pm 

Newton-Wellesley Hospital dietitian Gregory Mayette will teach strategies for busy professionals so that they can commit to good nutrition and find the time and energy to eat healthier. He will offer strategies on how to:

• Define “healthy eating” and some of the key aspects of what constitutes a balanced eating approach.
• Develop a plan to implement and maintain a balanced eating approach when time to devote to it is limited.
• Create quick, healthy meals and snacks.
• Make healthier choices with pre-packaged and restaurant foods.

Watch the recording here.
View presentation slides here.

Healthy Cooking for Seniors
Online event
Wednesday, March 31
11 am–Noon 

Newton-Wellesley Hospital dietitian Caila Yates will help seniors who might feel that making healthy, homemade meals is too much work for only one or two people in a smaller household. Topics will cover simple cooking strategies, easy shopping techniques, and ways to enjoy healthy cooking of small, nutritious meals with a focus on nutritional needs of seniors. She will offer strategies on how to:  

• Plan for nutritious, seasonal meal ideas for 1-2 people.
• Make grocery shopping hassle-free.
• Address dietary needs specific to nutrition needs of older adult

Watch the video recording here.
View presentation slides here.

Best Practices For Home Gardening 
Online event
Thursday, April 22
11 am–Noon

Avid gardener and Newton resident Barney Keezell will help home gardeners get the most out of their gardens in this one-hour online program. Learn what you need to jumpstart your garden this growing season. Barney teaches everything from planting techniques, maintenance, pest control, and best practices for growing in our climate, whether you’re growing in a container, raised bed, or your backyard. 

Topics will include:

• Preparing your garden beds
• Choosing the right plants
• Managing pests
• Answering your specific gardening questions

About the speaker: Barney Keezell comes from a family of farmers and is a lifelong gardener. He graduated from the organic landscaping program at NOFA (Northeast Organic Farming Association) and has been gardening at his home in Newton for decades. He is also a consultant for home gardeners in the Newton area. Barney is a former Newton Community Farm board member and an “Ask the Expert” gardener for the annual NCF Seedling Sale.

Watch the video recording here.

Eat Your Yard: A Guide to Edible Landscaping
Online event
Wednesday, May 19
6–7 pm

Unleash the potential of your yard by transforming it into a beautiful, vibrant area that offers a bountiful feast. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced gardener living in a city or the suburbs, edible landscaping expert Crystal Stevens will give you ideas on how to make use of your space with a colorful and abundant array of plants.

The program will include:

• Practical gardening methods and maintenance on issues from weeding to wintering, including foodscaping, container gardening, and saving seeds
• Permaculture principles including soil-building techniques, garden preparation, raised beds, and natural/non-toxic DIY pesticides
• Guidance on culinary and medicinal herbs, edible flowers, mushrooms, fruits, vegetables, and wild edibles
  Answers to your specific questions

About the speaker: Crystal Stevens is an author, artist/teacher, herbalist, permaculturist, and regenerative farmer. She has written three books—Grow Create Inspire, Worms at Work, and Your Edible Yard—and speaks at conferences and Mother Earth News fairs across the US. She has taught a resilient living series for over a decade. With her husband Eric, she co-founded FLOURISH, which encompasses a farm, a plant nursery, an apothecary, design services, and educational programming and she is also co-founder of Tend & Flourish School of Botanicals. Stevens is co-leader of the Celeste Farm CSA collective, which includes produce from the farm as well as from other women and BIPOC farmers. She lives in Godfrey, Illinois with her family. 

Watch the video recording here.

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Pickling Made Easy – Preserving Summer in a Jar
Location: Newton Community Farm
In-person: Limited to 10
Thursday, June 24
5:30–7:00 pm
Cost: $20 

Learn the art of pickling and make delicious, preserved foods. Pickling allows you to capture fruit and vegetable “fresh-from-the-garden” flavors to enjoy throughout the year. Jon Orren, our local pickling expert, will walk you through the fundamentals of canning, pickling, and preserving fresh local food. Pickling and food preservation starts with understanding how long-term food storage works.

In this workshop you will:

• learn canning basics and techniques
• create classic cucumber pickles
• receive pickle recipes to try at home 
• find out how easy this great homesteading skill is for creating the most delicious sweet and savory pickles

About the speaker: Jon Orren is a teacher at Newton South High School (NSHS) for more than 300 students in culinary arts, nutrition, food science, and special education life skills classes. He also directs NSHS’s Sustainable Agriculture Program and advises the students who manage the school’s 2,500 square foot organic garden and composting program. Jon is a certified culinary instructor and food handler with many years of experience as a personal chef, food writer, and cook in numerous Boston and New York City restaurants. He also launched Wheelhouse Pickles, a small-batch artisanal pickle company in NYC in the early 2000’s. Jon is a former NCF Board member and a supporter and volunteer at the Farm.

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2020 Past Events:

Crisis Farming: The Essential Work of Feeding a Community

The 2020 growing season at Newton Community Farm has been a year like no other. With pandemic quarantining, social distancing, growing food insecurity, and increased focus on the importance of local food systems, there’s so much to talk about right now.
Newton Community Farm is holding a special online event on October 20 at 7:30 pm. “Crisis Farming: The Essential Work of Feeding a Community” will feature an insightful conversation with Farm Manager Greg Maslowe on the challenges facing small community farms and building the resilience of our local food system. This program will address how the Farm has adapted and thrived during the pandemic and the role NCF plays in addressing local food security.

This event is FREE and open to all. Preregistration is required to receive the link for this virtual event. Two lucky registrants will win food/farming book bundles from Newtonville Books. If you would like to contribute toward our fundraising goal, you can make your donation here. Please invite your friends and family and help spread the word!

Please join us! Register Here
Help us reach our Online Fundraising Goal.

Premier Sponsor: The Village Bank
Community partners: Green Newton and Archstone Law Group.
Host Committee:

• Jeffrey Baker and Dede Vittori
• Marc and Carol Bard
• Allan Beth and Eileen Chodos
• Adrian and Laura Bishop
• Peter Boberg and Sunwoo Kahng
• Dean and Sue Bottino
• Jess Brooks and Russell Neufeld
• Larry and Pat Burdick
• Ty Burr and Lori Yarvis
• Claire and Daniel Caine
• Gerry Caron and Sheila Cusack
• Stephanie Cogen and Jeff Kopf
• Harvey and Tina Crosby
• Elissa Fenster and William Greenberg
• Amy and Paul Holt
• Elizabeth and Kristoff Homan
• Marietta Joseph
• Mark Kadar and Barbara Seal
• Rebecca and Mark Leiter
• Matt Pawa and Elyse Rosenblum
• Lisa and Roman Schumann
• Beth and Hugh Wilkinson

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2020 Seedling Sale, April – May:

Thank you for everyone who purchased your seedlings with us this year.

Happy Gardening!

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Growing Green Online Auction

In light of recent developments with COVID-19, we are postponing our Growing Green Online Auction. We look forward to rescheduling this event in the future and will keep you posted when we do. Thank you for your understanding and support.

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To support our growing programs, we’ll be holding our first-ever online auction. Funds raised will help grow 140 beds of produce, teach hundreds of children and adults about farming, the environment and where our food comes from, and plan for the Seedling Sale, Dinner on the Farm, Fall Festival and picnic concerts, and the many other activities we offer. 

We will have more than 50 amazing items, services and experiences on which to bid! Auction items to look forward to include ski experiences, private catered dinners, original artwork, and much more.

Start Date: Wednesday, April 1st at 9:00 am

End Date: Wednesday, April 15th at 5:00 pm 

Stay tuned for the auction link!

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2019 Past Events:

Winter  Handmade Pasta Making

Join Le Cordon Bleu trained chef, Reva Haselkorn, to make seasonal pasta dishes featuring produce from the farm. Learn to make fresh pasta with pastured farm eggs, savory fillings and sauces and build technique to take home to your own kitchen. We will taste as we go and sit down to eat together as part of each class. This class combines demonstration and hands-on participation.

 Register Here

Winter

Thursday, December 19, 7:00 – 9:00PM
Tentative menu: Herbed Potato Agnolotti with Cabbage and Apple, Beet Pasta with Lemon & Goat Cheese

Fee: $55 per class

Participants under 18 must be accompanied by a participating adult.

Pasta is better with a friend! Use COUPON CODE: BringAFriend and get 50% off 1 registration when you buy 1 at full price.

Join our Friend of the Farm program at the Friend ($45) level or above and receive 10% off all adult programs in 2019. You must join the Friend of the Farm program before (in a separate transaction) registering to receive the discount. All discounts are applied at checkout.

Allergies and Dietary Restrictions: Please contact education@newtoncommunityfarm.org for questions or concerns regarding allergies and dietary restrictions. We will make every attempt to accommodate your needs.

Winter Family Baking

The family that bakes together . . . eats delicious baked goods together! And has a ton of tasty educational fun.

Come join Chef Reva Haselkorn for a fun family baking day at the farm. Make and enjoy sweet and savory baked goods with farm fresh ingredients.

This class is designed for kids and adults to cook together and provides varied activities for a range of baking experience and ages (5 years+).

Sunday, November 24, 2019
10:30AM – 12:00PM

Fee: $60 per family (each family must include at least one adult and may include up to 4 participants)

Register: Here

​Newton Family Singers 10th Anniversary Concert

Since 2009, the Newton Family Singers have been bringing intergenerational choral concerts to the Newton community. For their tenth anniversary concert on November 24, NFS has invited Newton Community Farm to showcase our organization! NFS has chosen to highlight the community efforts of 10 charities and net proceeds from the concert will be given to these organizations. We’re looking forward to connecting with the community.

Come clap and sing along to family-friendly live music. NFS will perform the music of Tom Petty and Fleetwood Mac. For more information go to www.newtonfamilysingers.org Thank you, NFS, for including us!

Sunday, November 24, 2019 at 4:00PM

Location: JCC Greater Boston, 333 Nahanton Street in Newton

Fee: $12.00 Adult | $10.00 Child

Register: Here

Halloween on the Farm

Friday, November 1, 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. 

This fun-filled, family event with crafts, games, music, and spooky stories is the perfect way to continue Halloween celebrations and show off costumes. For children of all ages with accompanying adults. Rain or shine! Please register online, $10 per child. Adults free.

Concert & Picnic Evenings at the Farm
FREE COMMUNITY EVENT! Registration is NOT required.
“Carry in, carry out, please.”

Wednesday, October 16, 5:00 – 7:00PM

Enjoy live music from local band, The Circuit Breakers, at our end of the season concert picnic night at the farm. Bring a picnic dinner and a blanket, enjoy the music, connect with old friends and make new ones as we gather to celebrate the bounty of the harvest!

Fall Festival: September 22, 11am-3pm Join us on the farm for a day of family fun. Celebrate the fall season with music, food, activities, and games!

Thank you to our event sponsors!

Dinner on the Farm: July 22, 6-8:30pm! Join us for an evening at the farm featuring delicious food from Gourmet Caterers who’ve created a delicious produce-forward menu for all to enjoy. Registration is now closed. 

Ticket prices
Friend of the Farm at the $120 level – $85 SOLD OUT
General Admission – $95 SOLD OUT
Table of 6 – $600 SOLD OUT
Table of 8 – $800 SOLD OUT
Table of 10 – $1000 SOLD OUT

Thank you to our generous Corporate Partners for making this event possible.