Summer CSA Info, Next Week's Happenings & Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello folks,

Powisset Farm CSA share sign-up will begin this Tuesday, November 24th. There are a few changes to next year’s CSA. Please read about these changes below:

The cost of the 2016 Powisset Farm Summer CSA will remain at $650 this year for a full size share. Unfortunately, we will no longer be offering small shares in 2016, as they have become increasingly difficult to manage from a production and distribution standpoint. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. If a full size share is too large for your household, we welcome and encourage shareholders to make their own arrangements to split shares. We understand the desire for a smaller share size and are working towards a distribution model that provides you with the produce you desire and is sustainable for the farm. Please remember that the farm stand is also a great way to access our produce.

The CSA will run for 20 weeks, from mid-June through mid-October. The exact start date will be weather dependent, so stay tuned via our CSA blog for updates!

Pick-up days will remain the same this year and are as follows:

·         Tuesday (2PM-6PM)

·         Thursday (10AM-6PM)

·         Saturday (10AM-4PM)

We plan to maintain the system of free choice with regard to pick-up day; you can come on whatever distribution day best suits your schedule in a given week. As Tuesdays and Thursdays tend to be quieter days on the farm, we do encourage shareholders to come on those days so that Saturday pick-ups are not too packed.

In order to sign-up for the 2016 Summer CSA you will need to have a Trustees membership that is valid through October 31, 2016. The deposit for the 2016 Summer CSA share is $325. This is equal to half the cost of the share.

Sign-ups will be entirely on-line in 2016. Please visit our CSA website to sign up.

Farmer Zannah

While this week is quiet with Thanksgiving on Thursday, the following couple weeks are particularly busy at the farm!

Upcoming Events!

As many of you know we have been hosting the Westwood Public Library on Mondays for Story Hour while their roof is on the mend. They will be here until Dec. 8^th. Or longer…if their roof project continues….

• Sat, Dec. 5^th - Maria Speck, the Grains                               Guru will be giving a talk followed by a cooking demo (including tasting) and the   opportunity to purchase her book, Simply Ancient Grains.
• Sun, Dec. 6^th -  My mother, Claudine Nacamuli, having grown up    in Egypt surrounded by Middle Eastern Foods, will be teaching      us how to make the dessert that everyone loves - baklava!
• Tues, Dec. 8^th – Nicole Lewis (aka Nicole1) will be leading a “Baking with Einkorn” class. Einkorn is used by those with gluten sensitivity (as well as those, like me, who just enjoy its taste and texture). We will not only get our hands dirty but leave with a   sample of the Einkorn flour.
• Thurs, Dec. 10^th – For those who want to get crafty, join us for Sylvia’s Art Bar while we have fun creating this mixed media piece (see above right). Even the non-creative are welcome!
• Tues., Dec. 15^th – Nicole Lewis’ last class of 2015 will be a sequel to her DIY Skincare Class where we will be making skincare gifts for the holidays from scratch! On the menu will be hand scrub, sweet body scrub and silky body butter. 

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Powisset Farm!

Meet Your New Farmer!!

Hello wonderful Powisset Farm Community!

I am happy to announce two awesome and wonderful things!
1. Your new farmer, Zannah Porter has started her time at Powisset Farm!
2. Our Pre-Thanksgiving farm stand is happening tomorrow, Saturday the 21st from 10am-2pm!

....introducing...Farmer Zannah!  Hooray!!!

I would like to give a very big hello to the Powisset Farm community. My name is Zannah Porter and I am the new Farm Manager at Powisset Farm. I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and tell you all a little bit about myself. I had the privilege of growing up surrounded by undeveloped land and romping through the fields and forests around Blacksburg, Virginia. My father is a botanist and helped foster a fascination with the flora and fauna that surrounded me. I attended Warren Wilson College where I studied Outdoor Leadership and spent some of my free time volunteering on the college farm. I spent several years being a farm groupie, volunteering on friend’s farms around the country. When I moved to Massachusetts seven years ago, I had the opportunity to work on a farm and actually get paid for it! I fell hard for farming and for three seasons at Land’s Sake farm in Weston. I then spent four seasons at Waltham Fields Community Farm where I have been a Farm Manager for the past two seasons.

            I am very excited to be part of the Powisset Farm community. I have already met so many amazing folks and am just awed by your love and dedication to this community. I look forward to meeting you, growing delicious vegetables for you, and celebrating this very special place with you.

Your Farm Manager

Zannah 

Don't Forget! Pre-Thanksgiving Farm Stand at Powisset tomorrow, Saturday the 21st from 10am-2pm! 

 If you are a winter CSA member, please come to the farm this Friday or Saturday for your share!  If you are not a member, but would love to fill your baskets and bellies with awesome Powisset produce, please come visit us at the farm stand!  We will have all that you need for your Thanksgiving festivities and more!

 

Hours:

Friday: 1pm-6pm

Saturday: 10am-2pm

In the share and at the stand:

potatoes,  sweet potatoes, parsnips, turnips, radishes, lettuce, spinach, kale, leeks, onions, shallots, garlic, butternut squash, carrots, beets, swiss chard, lettuce mix, diakon, kohlrabi, & more!

In addition to the beautiful veggies, it will be filled lots of tasty extras including Bushel & Crumb pies, fresh organic cranberries, apples, Crescent Ridge milk and eggnog and of course, welsh cakes! Stop by and grab these wonderful extras to complete your holiday feasts.

Farm Stand Open this weekend! Come Load up for the Holiday!

Winter Share Pick-Up #2 and Pre-Thanksgiving Farm Stand!

If you are a winter CSA member, please come to the farm this Friday or Saturday for your share!  If you are not a member, but would love to fill your baskets and bellies with awesome Powisset produce, please come visit us at the farm stand!  We will have all that you need for your Thanksgiving festivities and more!

 

Hours:

Friday: 1pm-6pm

Saturday: 10am-2pm

In the share and at the stand:

potatoes,  sweet potatoes, parsnips, turnips, radishes, lettuce, spinach, kale, leeks, onions, shallots, garlic, butternut squash, carrots, beets, swiss chard, lettuce mix, broccoli (we hope), diakon, kohlrabi, & more!

In addition to the beautiful veggies, it will be filled lots of tasty extras including Bushel & Crumb pies, fresh organic cranberries, Crescent Ridge milk and eggnog and of course, welsh cakes! Stop by and grab these wonderful extras to complete your holiday feasts.

We can't wait to see you soon!

Meryl, Zannah & the Powisset Farm Crew

Past & Upcoming Events at Powisset!

On Saturday, Nov 7th, Hale Reservation and the Trustees held the 2nd Annual Tri-Town Hike. Over 110 people participated and hiked the full 12 miles or a 4-mile section. Most people started, ended or passed through Powisset Farm and enjoyed some soup and other warm snacks along the way. Thank you to all of you who participated in such a fun event!

And, on Thursday, Nov. 12th Powisset greeted the Sherborn Council on Aging with a "Cooking with Annie" class. On the menu: Lentil soup (with swiss chard and carrots from the farm), Butternut squash ravioli, and an Easy tiramisu. Everyone had a blast as they worked (as you can see) and bellies went home happy!

This Tuesday, Nov. 17th, 6:30pm our very own Nicole Lewis (N2) is leading a Make & Take DIY Skincare Workshop for those of you who want to learn how to make your own skin care products (like me). We'll be making cleansing oil, toner and moisturizer. The Westwood Public Library continues to host Story Hour every Monday at 11am . On Wednesday, Nov. 18th, 1:00pm they will be hosting Make & Take: Colonial Crafts in preparation for Thanksgiving!

Update! We have a new date for our Baklava class, Sunday, Dec. 6th., 10am! Due to the high demand from the baklava-loving community this class is filling fast (only a few spots left!) so sign up soon.

To view the entire catalog of upcoming classes and events, visit our web site at tinyurl.com/powfarmevents.

This Farm is Alive!

Here at Powisset farm lately we have been having that “pinch me” feeling.  Like, could this weather really be so nice for so many weeks?  Is it possible that we can be harvesting winter carrots and parsnips in short sleeves with the sun and blue sky keeping us warm?  Is it possible that we are allowed to work with so much beauty surrounding us at every moment?  The leaves! The colors! The sky!  We run the tractor down a row of roots and pull up the most glorious orange carrots out of moist dark brown soil and it feels like the best work we could ever do in this life.  

Even in this slow, end-of-fall season, the farm feels alive and we get to notice all the smaller aspects of this place as if its tiny details have been amplified as every leaf falls. Tonight, as the sky turned pink and took my breath away, I watched as a local cross country team finished their work out on the farm road.  Then I thought to the morning, when the little ones from the nearby library came out for story hour.  And then I watched the chickens run free in their newly expanded run while the pigs looked on, seeming amused.  This farm is alive with so many people nurturing and growing our farm community; giving it new shape and new life over and over again!  

Tomorrow our new farm manager starts, (pic and bio to come soon),  and again I thought, ‘pinch me!’ Is my time here really coming to an end!? And it is.  But the farm’s beauty keeps on giving and I plan on filling every cell of my being with these gorgeous moments, and keep some in a box on my shelf when I need a dose of Powisset farm.

Come to say goodbye with me!  My farewell bash: Saturday November 14!  Starts at 4pm! Parade at 6pm!  Here’s the link to the invite:  feel free to share: https://www.facebook.com/events/1672182709734686/

stay in touch with me: my new email: meryl.latronica@gmail.com

Peas,

Meryl and the Powisset farm crew

 

Farm Stand & Winter CSA!

The Farm Stand and winter csa pick-up #1 will be happening this week on Friday, Nov 6 from 1pm-6:00pm and Saturday, Nov. 7 from 10am-2pm. Stock up for the upcoming holidays! Come by and grab veggies, pork, milk and other goodies. We will have bulk bags of your favorite root veggies for sale! come visit us!!

The Farm Stand will also be open the following dates and times:

Friday, Nov. 20, 1pm-6:00pm
Saturday, Nov 21, 10am-2pm
Saturday, Dec. 5, 10am-2pm
Saturday, Dec 19, 10am-2pm

Past & Upcoming Events & booking private events at Powisset!

A belated thank you to all of you who came out for our Friday Fall Farm Dinner on Oct. 23rd! We had a blast and hope you did too. We are currently working on ways to heat the barn so we can hold these on a regular basis through the winter. Stay tuned for more info!

This week is filled with activity. On Thursday evening (Nov. 5th), join me and Simca Horwitz, head baker at our beloved Bushel & Crumb for a Easy as Pie baking class. You do know that Halloween is over and the next holiday is Thanksgiving?! Simca will show us how to bake both a savory and a sweet pie. And I promise, there will be eating involved.

On Saturday, Nov. 7th we are co-hosting the Tri-town hike with our friend at the Hale Reservation. You can hike one of the 4 mile sections....or the full 12 miles! And, the whole week looks seasonably warm, so we may luck out in the weather department. 

And, just added...for those of you who love to get crafty, save the date for Sylvia's Art Bar at Powisset:

Thursday, Dec. 10th. During this fun evening, Sylvia will walk us through the process of utilizing canvas, paper and paint to create a beautiful (and possibly gift-worthy) 12x12 mixed media piece. Online registration will be available soon, but for now, to register or for more information please contact Nicole at nnacamuli@thetrustees.org.

For a whole list of our upcoming events, please visit our web site.

Lastly, for those of you who are looking for event space - for a birthday party, meeting, for a private cooking class for your friends, please think of Powisset! We have gotten lots of inquiries over the years but have not been able to accommodate many requests--now we can! For more information about private events, please contact Nicole at nnacamuli@thetrustees.org or 508.785.0339 x3003.