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6/21/2016 Gmail - June 2012 Newton Farmer

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=39145d013f&view=pt&q=newton%20farmer%202012&qs=true&search=query&msg=138004bb6402d674&siml=13800… 1/10

Jenn Martin <[email protected]>

June 2012 Newton Farmer

Newton Community Farm <[email protected]> Mon, Jun 18, 2012 at 11:52 AMReplyTo: Newton Community Farm <reply0317231c2af5f4dbb17b[email protected]>To: [email protected]

Dear Farm Friends,

I have a problem with memory. As I get older Ifind, like many others, that my shorttermmemory is falling down on the job. So when I getmy CSA share home it’s hard to remember whichpack of greens is the spinach, which the arugula,which the stirfry mix. After all, they all looksimilar, and the farm may be growing a varietythat doesn’t look exactly like the kinds that we’reused to seeing in the supermarket (or Russo’s).So here’s an idea that I’m going to try this week:bringing labels to the farm to stick on the bags of

produce that need identification as I gather them for my share. It maymake it easier to make the best use of the goodies from the farm.

Susan TornheimNewsletter [email protected]

From the Farmers

June 2012



June has washed over us like a wave, filling up the beds with rich spring

greens, climbing cucumber vines, and flowering tomatoes. The annual

seedling sale is our marker that the farm season has well and truly begun.

Our thanks go to all of the volunteers and the folks who stopped by to get

seedlings to fill their gardens. You made our biggest fundraiser of the year

a success. As usual, some of our excess seedlings go to support new farms

after the sale (like the farm project at Newton South), and the rest will be

available at our farm stand for the next week or two (so stop by if you

missed the event and need basil, tomato, and cucumber starts).

Thanks to contractor Mark Quigley and everyone who made donations after

our farm stand was burned. We opened the doors of our brandnew stand

on June 2! It’s a beautiful little building, and if you haven’t seen it yet, you

should come by and check it out. We’re open five days a week, 2:00 to

7:00 Tuesday through Friday, and 10:00 to 2:00 on Saturday. We’ll have it

stocked with all of the goodness coming out of the fields, and our

apprentice Leona will be there to help.

We’d like to acknowledge the farm community of which we are a part here

in the MetroWest. Last month our hardworking little walkbehind tractor

refused to start. It’s a great machine―an Italianmade model perfect for

the scale, from a culture that never gave up on the validity of the small

farm. The problem is, there are very few local folks who know how to work

on them, and the mechanics are in high demand. Although we’ll use our

tractor throughout the year, springtime is when we need it the most―to

mow down cover crop and cultivate beds to plant―in truth, to turn the

winter’s field into the abundant farm you know. If it weren’t for the loan of

a friend’s machine, and for the hard work of volunteers who worked with us

to turn the soil by hand, we would have been sunk. The supportive,

cooperative spirit of the small farm community that has been cultivated

here is really something special.

Speaking of which, by the

time this is published the CSA

will have started! We look

forward to seeing all of our old

members and welcoming our

new ones. We really think this

year will be a great one.

Thanks to all who support the

farm through membership in

our CSA. You make it possible

for us to donate fresh produce

to the Waban food bank every

week. Starting this month we

have also begun donating food

through Food to Your Table, an organization set up by two of our CSA

members, Joan Balaban and Amy Silberstein, to get healthy food to folks in

need.

The newest member of our crew, Loren Crigler, started last week. She has



worked on farms all over the world and brings a lot of experience and a

fresh perspective to the farm. She’s also a senior in the agroecology

program at UMass Amherst and will be working with us throughout the

season and studying our methods for her academic research. We’ve also

been working with Boston Cares, hosting a TeamWorks series, which brings

volunteers together to help out in the fields. The farm is bustling with

activity, and it’s great to have all of the extra hands. Come and join

us―open volunteer hours are Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from

9 to 12. While you’re here, there are lots of new things to check out as

well: Our new movable greenhouse is full of tomatoes, and our exhibition

learning garden is planted with heritage grains, popcorn, okra, loofa

sponges, birdhouse gourds, medicinal and culinary herbs, and other local

exotics that you can grow in your home garden. We’ll see you there.

Megan Talley

Joshua Faller

Dinner on the Farm on July 17Newton Community Farm cordially

invites you to our Dinner on the

Farm on Tuesday, July 17, from

6:30 to 9:00 p.m. Spend a delightful

evening on the farm enjoying a

wonderful dinner (featuring our own

farm’s veggies) prepared by a

professional chef. Enjoy the food,

delicious wines, lively conversation,

and relaxing music by the Dixie

Butterhounds string band, all while

watching the sun set over the farm’s

beautiful landscape.

Reservations are $50 per person for

the general public and $40 per person (a 20% reduction) if you are or

become a Friend of the Farm (click for information). We expect 40% to 50%of the cost will be taxdeductible. Make your check payable to Newton

Community Farm and send it to the farm office at 303 Nahanton St.,

Newton MA 02459. Or pay online. Proceeds from this popular event helpfund our education and outreach programs and NCF’s food pantry

donations.

Unfortunately, we are unable to have a rain date for this dinner. In the

unlikely event we must cancel, you can request a refund or convert your

reservation to a contribution. For more information or any questions, please

contact Jerry Regosin at 7405032669 or [email protected].

If you cannot attend and haven’t yet contributed to us this year, please

consider supporting our goals by making a donation and/or becoming a

Friend of the Farm. Please go to our Web site for more information. Thankyou for your support!



Rochelle Rosen

Summer ClassesIt is hard to believe that localschools are finishing up for thesummer months. Despite this, wehave been fortunate enough overrecent weeks to work with studentsat both Burr Elementary School andMasonRice Elementary School. Itwas exciting to talk with studentsabout the important work that isdone at the farm and to begin toexplore with them where we get ourfood from and how nature helps toprovide for us. While the school year may be coming to an end, we aregearing up for an exciting summer of educational programs.

The Mid Season Bounty and Thinking Ahead 6/30, 9–noon (TedChapman)A gardening class that looks at some of the tasks that need to be done atthis time of year as well as tips on how to harvest and store your produce.

NEW ** Family Yoga at the Farm offers the ideal combination of naturalbeauty and relaxation and is designed for children ages 4 to 8 years old toenjoy alongside a parent or caregiver. Students will learn yoga poses andbreathing exercises to keep their bodies strong and flexible while havinglots of laughs and enjoying the natural beauty of the farm. Friday, 7/20,7/27, 8/17, 8/24, 9:30–10:30 a.m.

Summer Programs for YouthThere is still time to sign up for oursummer programs. Please read on to learnmore about these exciting weeklyprograms for youngsters of all ages.

SAY Farmers, entering grades 6–9Tuesday–Friday, 7/10–7/20, 9–12:30p.m., 2week session This programcombines handson farming with an indepth look at environmental sustainability

and local food systems. Participants explore a range of important social andenvironmental issues through discussion, activities, and games.

Farmer in Training, entering grades 3–5 Tuesday–Friday, 6/26–8/24, 912:30 p.m., 1week session Spend time outdoors exploring plant andanimal life. Discover how food gets to your table and how our choices canaffect the health of our bodies, our community, and our environment.



Little Diggers, entering grades 1–2 Tuesdays, 6/26–8/28, 2–3:30 p.m., 1

day session Explore the farm as we begin to learn where our food comes

from. Each week we will read a story and have fun getting dirty with hands

on activities like planting seedlings or harvesting fresh produce.

Farm Sprouts, preschool–kindergarten Tuesdays, 6/26–8/28, 10–11a.m.,

1day session Thursdays, 6/28–8/30, 10–11 a.m., 1day session Learn

about farm life through stories and handson activities. Explore how bees

make honey and how to grow vegetables from seeds. **This program is

fully enrolled. However, please contact our education coordinator at

[email protected] to have your name placed on our waitinglist.

To learn more about any of these exciting programs, or for registration

details, please visit us online. You can also contact our educationcoordinator, Alison Wilson, directly at education@newtoncommunity

farm.org.

New Farm Stand Open for Business

Ribbon Cutting on June 14

Construction is complete on the beautiful new

Winchester Street farm stand that replaces the

one that burned down in February. We opened

for produce sales on June 2 and will now be open

through the summer. Click here for our farmstand schedule.

The stand has more space to display produce, a

front porch to protect produce from direct

sunlight, and more room inside to accommodate

more than one customer at a time. The stand

and its approach are completely wheelchair

accessible.

We are very thankful to all the people who made

the new farm stand possible, in particular

general contractor Mark Quigley for offering his

company’s labor and his personal project

management.

Peter Barrer

Seedling Sale

The Seedling Sale went beautifully this year, and we would like to thank



everyone who helped to make it such a success.With their efforts, everything came togetherflawlessly and without a hitch. Our community isonly as successful as our members, and so we’rehappy to count these volunteers among them:

Karen Emmons, GinnaVogt, Erika Keller

Rogoff, Val Treloar, Stan Mescon, Robin Mescon,Dede Vittori, Ellie Huberman, Mithra Merryman,Ellie Kan, Judy Nichols, Michael Goldman, AnneDrowns, Macy Tubman, Caroline Kerrigan, BeccyMosher, Nick Lake, Robin Maltz, Bernice Cramer,Tess Schmalbach, Kelly Lake, BarbaraAndersson, Lisa Berman, Rick Dinjian, PaulGarrity, Linda Huang, Ken Mallory, MargaretMallory, Anna Mosher, Gail Harris, AmyChartock, Danny Baker, Peter Barrer, SharonSevransky, Clair Caine, Humi Vishniavsky,Deborah Simmond, Anne Ryder, EileenFreidbergDale, Alexandra Ananth, Adam Drufke,Jamie MacEachern, Noah Kopf, Ellen Fine,Barbara Thomas, Trudy Lanman, and AlisonWilson.

Leona Palmer

Learn About Farm Life, 1917–2002

Have you ever wondered about the history of our farm before the Anginofamily sold it to the city of Newton in 2005? “I love all the details of what itwas like to live there,” says Lucy CaldwellStair, a longtime farm supporterwho wrote a brief history based on documents and interviews withgrandchildren of Crescenzo Angino, who moved into the farmhouse around1917. For example, the grapevines date back to the Anginos who madetheir own wine using a wine press in the basement. Customs were differentback then: The children took wine in their school lunches back in the 1920s,says CaldwellStair.



You can learn more about thehistory of Newton CommunityFarm by clicking here. You canalso find the history from thefarm’s home page. Click"Story" under the red heading“Learn more about NewtonCommunity Farm!”

Susan Weiner

Controlling Winter Moths

The winter moth (Operophterabrumata, insect order Lepidoptera)is an extremely damaging insectinvader from Europe that isbecoming a worse problem everyyear. At this time there is no naturalpredator to keep it in check, andwith climate change the infestationwill increase. To stop the mothsfrom eating the leaves off manytypes of trees, which will eventuallykill the trees, we must understand

the winter moth’s life cycle and use physical, chemical, and biologicalmethods of attack.

One very effective thing homeowners can do is to put sticky or

greased tape around the trunk of endangered trees in October

every year. See the details below. For more information, look at theUniversity of Massachusetts Web pages www.umassgreeninfo.org/fact_sheets/defoliators/winter_moth.pdf and www.umassgreeninfo.org orwww.massnrc.org/pests/pestFAQsheets/winter%20moth.html.

Life Cycle of Winter Moths

End of October to early January

• Adult male and female moths hatch from pupae that have been present inthe soil since June.• Male moths are light brown and are strongly attracted to lights and canfly.• Females are gray, almost wingless, and cannot fly.• Females move to the base of a tree and emit a pheromone that attracts acloud of males.• Females lay eggs on tree trunks and limbs, in the bark, or on lichens. Adults then die.• Eggs are initially green, then turn orange, and become very dark in Marchbefore hatching.



MidMarch to June

• Eggs hatch from midMarch to April, when the temperature averages 55degrees F, just before or when buds appear.• Larvae (tiny caterpillars 1 mm long) eat buds, as well as young andmature leaves. Caterpillars also hang from a silk thread and “balloon”through air from location to location.• If the buds have not opened at the time of hatching, the larvae starve. •The larvae form pupas and become somewhat dormant in soil.

Tools to Combat Winter MothsNo single treatment is presently available for this infestation. In general,there are two approaches: treetargeted and insecttargeted. One treetargeted approach, which works well, is to put some type of sticky orgreased tape around trees in the fall. An insecttargeted approach is to usea bacterial pathogen of the winter moth like Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt).

Early October Moth StageThis is a very critical stage for control.

• Wind sticky tape around the tree trunk about 10 to 15 inches fromthe ground. Wind the tape around to make a band about 10 inches wide,but lesser widths work also. Replace the tape as insects stick and fill allavailable spaces. (Prepared sticky bands can be obtained fromEnvirometrics Systems Inc. of London, Ontario, Canada, or made usingTanglefoot, a product available from Tanglefoot Co., Grand Rapids,Michigan. I also use masking tape covered with Vasoline, although stickytape is more effective.)• Insect traps, using light to attract male moths, are also helpful.• Pyrethrum insecticide derived from the flower heads of a Europeanchrysanthemum is also available and effective (this naturally derivedmaterial is completely biodegradable).• If you do nothing in October, you can still prevent eggs from hatching inMarch and April. I cannot stress enough how important it is to usesticky tape.

March and April EggLaying Stage• Use dormant horticultural oil sprays to smother the eggs. Spray treesladen with eggs before the eggs hatch. (You will need to use a magnifyingglass to identify eggs.) This is particularly important for blueberries. Oilshould be used only during a warm snap when temperatures are above 45degrees F.

March and April Egg Hatching Stage• Spinosad, a natural compound derived from a soil bacterium(Saccharopolyspora spinosa), sold as “Bulls Eye BioInsecticide” or“Monterey Garden Insect Spray,” should be used before trees blossom, asthis compound is highly toxic to honeybees. Spinosad can be usedalternately with Bacillus thuringiensis to reduce chances of acquiredresistance.• Pyrethrum, a plantderived insecticide, is effective.

March, April, and May Caterpillar Stage after larvae hatch



• Spray the bark with Bt, the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (varietykurstaki), to kill young larvae. (One commercial Bt brand is “Thuricide” by

Bonide.)

• Use pyrethrum after buds have opened.

You can also put a physical cover on sensitive plants with lightweight cropcover materials (which let 80% of the sunlight in and also breathe) during

periods of infestation. It should be possible to cover dwarf fruit trees and

bush plants such as blueberry to avoid infestation during the ballooning

stage. This is perhaps the best option for people with a limited number of

small trees and/or bushes. The cover can be used along with dormant oil to

kill egg masses and prevent secondary infestation.

Water severely damaged plants well to help them recover.

Future ControlBiological control of the winter moth has been successful in Nova Scotia

through the introduction of a parasitic fly (Cyzenis albicans). This fly hasbeen tested in Massachusetts and is being cultured for mass application in

the next few years.

Sam Fogel

Introducing Rochelle Rosen

Rochelle Rosen joined the farm at the end of April as our new

administrator. For those who haven't met her yet, this clip will help you puta face to her name.

Mark Geffen

Recipes

I love beets, and beets are being harvested now. So check out SpicyBalsamic Beets on our farm wiki of shared recipes. In this easy recipe yousimmer 1½ pounds of beets until they are tender and then add a dressing

that uses pantry staples plus a bit of bottled horseradish. Another recipe

that uses both beets and cabbage is Russian Cabbage Borscht. Beets,potatoes, cabbage, and fresh dill make a tasty and satisfying hot soup that

is a great meal with the addition of some cheese and a crusty loaf of bread.

Susan Tornheim

Wish List

• Large metal trash cans with lids

• Clean 5gallon buckets with lids

Please contact us if you have any questions about this newsletter or ideas for future



issues, or if you want to be added to our mailing list. Just email Susan Tornheim [email protected]. For more information about the farm, email our farm managers,Megan and Joshua, at [email protected] or check out our Web page atnewtoncommunityfarm.org (or click on the image at the top of the page).

updates on class listings, events, NCF news and more!

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