Roots

Farmers have roots, too. 

I had the chance to cook brunch for some of my oldest farming mentors this weekend.  What an incredible feeling to be surrounded by those that love and believe in small-scale organic farming so much that they take apprentices under their wings each year to pass on the tradition.  And then to walk the fields with them here at Moose Hill Farm; encouraging me that the vegetables will push through the trauma of being in standing water for two weeks, that we should be proud of what has already been accomplished just since October, to carry on the traditions of what I was taught to my apprentices. 

It made me go back and think of the names of all the farms that I have worked on and learned from: Dilmun Hill Student Farm, Brookside Berry Farm, Natick Community Organic Farm, Drumlin Farm, Powisset Farm, The Belmont CSA, Stucker Quarter Horse Ranch, Everett Family Farm, Yellow Wall Farm, The Neighborhood Farm.  I worked, learned and eventually taught the longest at Powisset Farm.  Powisset is one of Moose Hill Farm's sister farms (also owned by The Trustees of Reservations) in Dover, MA.  This week you will be receiving Powisset's garlic scapes in your share.  The scape is essentially the flower of a garlic plant.  Lots of farmers snap these off the plant so that the root (the garlic bulb) grows bigger instead.  Since garlic needs to be planted the year before you harvest it, Moose Hill Farm does not have any garlic scapes this year, so Powisset is sharing thiers with us.  I helped Powisset plant some of their garlic last fall so I feel very connected to it.  In fact, I have planted garlic every year that Powisset has been a farm.  In a sense, you will be enjoying some of my farming roots this week.

Also in the share this week is cabbage, radicchio, carrots, blue spice basil, lettuce, beets, broccoli, and kohlrabi.  There are lots of snow peas for you to pick out in the fields!

Farmer Molly and the crew

So nice to meet you!

What a joy to finally meet the people that get to enjoy our produce!

It was our pleasure last week to finally have CSA members come out to the farm to pick up their veggies for the week.  It gave the crew and I the needed energy-boost to know all our hard work for the last few months was all worth it!  Especially as we battled very wet fields last week and are heading into a week of trying to save water-logged crops while hoping the fields dry out fast enough so that our summer crops can be planted.  We are so thankful for all your positive support! 

The crew and I hope we get to personally meet even more of you this week.  Next week I will be featuring profiles of Moose Hill Farm's stellar farm apprentices in this blog so you can know who is out in the fields working hard for you!  They are a really great crew and I am very thankful for them.

This week you can look forward to getting out into the fields to pick the first of the shelling peas (if you have some rainboots to wear, I highly recommend bringing them.  It is VERY muddy here.).  And we will have lettuce, kale, kohlrabi, broccoli or cauliflower, arugula, napa cabbage, bok choi, radish, swiss chard and scallions for you under the tents.

Your farmers showing off their Popeye arms - we've been eating the farm's spinach too!

 



Farmer Molly and the crew

It Takes a Community to Build a Community Farm

It's here!  The CSA is starting next week!  The crew and I can hardly believe it's happening!

Things have changed so much around here since October.  None of the fields were plowed and there certainly weren't any tender spring vegetables growing.  There wasn't a single chicken let alone almost 300 laying hens!  And there was no greenhouse filled with all the plants that will produce the crops for the entire growing season.  But slowly things started to happen and now there are vegetables waiting to be picked in the fields and eggs ready to go home with you.  (I wish I had a photo of all the veggies growing in the fields right now, but it is pouring rain as I write this. So you will have to imagine bright green pea shoots, newly-hilled beds of potatoes, dark green onion plants, tender-looking greens like spinach and swiss chard, baby broccoli crowns, and bright green and red heads of lettuce to name a few.   Now imagine a freshly plowed field further up the hill waiting for all the summer crops like tomatoes and summer squash and peppers to be planted in.) 

There are so many people that need to be thanked for playing such an important role in starting up this farm.  It really has taken a community to get this farm going, which feels right.  I can't think of anything more communal than the act of agriculture and of eating.  Feeding our land while feeding our community. 

And so we begin another leg of this farm's journey together next week.  CSA members can come pick up on either Tuesday or Thursday from 1:30-6:30 or on Saturday from 1:30-5:30.  Eggs will be available for sale on all pick-up days.  Don't forget to bring your bags!  There will be no pick-your-own this week (maybe shelling peas by next week!) but we will be harvesting these items for you to take home: Lettuce, Spinach, Bok Choy, Kale, Scallions, Broccoli, herb seedlings, and maybe some arugula, radishes and turnips. 

Don't belong to the CSA?  We still have shares available!  CSA style not a good fit for you?  Try our farm stands!  We will have a farm stand open to the public on Thursdays, starting on June 27th from 1:30-6:30.  We will also open a farm stand at Bird Park in Walpole on Saturdays, starting on June 29th, from 9:00-12:00. Eggs will be available at both locations.  

Can't wait to see you at the farm!
Farmer Molly and the crew