Monday, May 30, 2016

Today we celebrated the 9th annual Powisset Farm Spring Fest. The morning was a bit dodgy with heavy ("much needed!" says the farmer) rain. We had hundreds of folks show up for the trail run and kickoff to Spring Fest. A big thank you to all the folks who showed up and helped make this an incredibly fun event.

THIS WEEK is CSA orientation. This is a great time for new members to check out the farm and learn the ins and outs of CSA membership. Returning members are also welcome!

Orientation sessions will be held Tuesday and Thursday, May 31 and Jun 2 from 4 - 6pm. Feel free to stop by anytime in that window. We will talk about share collection, Pick-Your-Own, and answer all of your questions about the growing season and what we have in store !

The first CSA distribution is just a week away! A quick reminder, pick up days are Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. You may choose which day you wish to pick up your share. If you prefer a more mellow visit to the farm I recommend picking up on Tuesday. If you like to feel the hustle and bustle on the farm, Saturday is your day.

Pick up times are:

Tuesday 2-6
Thursday 10-6
Saturday 10-4

Pick Your Own and Farm Stand hours are the same as share distribution hours.

It's been a bit of a squirrely spring. We had cool weather through most of April and May. The weather this past week has been unseasonably hot (as I am sure you've noticed as well). Last week we spent time setting up and moving around irrigation, trying to keep the plants well hydrated. The rain we had today should help the plants grow quickly during the long lighted days of June. It is phenomenal to be a farmer this time of year. With moisture and 15 hours of sunlight, plants literally grow inches in a day. We can't wait to share this magical world with you.

See you soon!

Zannah & the farm crew

What's happening on the Farm:

Over the past few weeks the farm has come alive with activity. The killdeer have returned to the fields, laid eggs , and are raising their young. Speaking of laying eggs, our chickens have started laying! The eggs are on the small side now as the chickens are not yet fully mature. We should start having eggs available for sale in the farm stand later in June.

The crops in the fields are growing by inches every day. As are the weeds... The crew is almost fully staffed at this point and we are working through big projects that require many hands. We had a group from Dassault Systems volunteer a few weeks ago and help us seed our potatoes as well as transplant onions. Volunteers are very helpful in getting projects done at Powisset. In addition to corporate volunteer groups we also have regular volunteers who help in the greenhouse, flower garden, herb garden, and fields. We couldn't do all that we do without them. If you are interested in volunteer opportunities please visit The Trustees website. This time of year the first pests begin to emerge. This passed week we have seen the flea beetle population explode! If you have visited the farm you are sure to have noticed the sea of white fabric covering one of our fields. This material is called floating row cover. It creates a physical barrier to keep pests off the crops. Under the floating row cover there are broccoli, cabbage, kale, radishes, and salad turnips growing.

 

 

The first CSA distribution is scheduled for Tuesday June 7th. Remember that you can choose from Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday to pick up your share. If you split a share please remember that you cannot pick up separately. Please either pick up the share together or have one representative from your share group pick up the whole share at once. 

 

Distribution and farm stand hours:

 

Tuesday 2-6

Thursday 10-6

Saturday 10-4

 

CSA Orientation:

CSA orientation is suggested for members who are new to the CSA and folks who may have questions before the CSA starts. Orientation is Tuesday May 31st from 4-6 and Thursday June 2nd from 4-6. We will be available to walk folks through the process of picking up their share and familiarize folks with the pick your own area. The orientation will take from 15 - 30 minutes. You can drop in on whatever day (Tuesday or Thursday) and time (between 4 - 6) works best for your schedule.

 

We have cattle! Connor, The Trustees Livestock Manager, delivered 6 steer today. They are located on the pasture at the south end of the farm.  

 

Zannah, on behalf of the farm crew

 

 

Past + Upcoming Events!

Well, let's start with upcoming events since Springfest is the only thing on my mind this week! Join us on Memorial Day, May 30th, for the Powisset Farm Trail Run! The 1.5 miler begins at 8:00am followed by the 5.6 & 8.3 distances. After the race is Springfest - a day of fun, live music, food & beer/wine, kids crafts & activities, farm tours with Zannah (one at 11:00am and one at 2:00pm), a goat milking demo, and over 40 vendors. Come ride the bike blender, borrowed from Bikes Not Bombs, and come meet our new chickens and piglets! If you are brave enough, enter into our 125 second cake eating contest (by emailing nnacamuli@thetrustees.org) which will take place at 1:30pm. 

And going backwards....During the month of May, we have hosted the Council on Aging of Dover for weekly Wednesday cooking classes and last week, we created a great spring meal of a green salad, chicken salad and a bacon, leek & cheese quiche. Not only were they yummy but these guys had a great time working together and then dining together.

On Thursday, we were lucky to have Shruti Mehta, originally from India, here to teach us the basics of an Indian meal. We sauteed, fried, and blended to make a feast. Our meal consisted of Creamed Corn & Vegetable Fritters served with Date & Tamarind Chutney, Masoor Dal, Palak Paneer (one of the most famous spinach & cheese dishes), Green Pea Pulao, and to top it off Mango Lassis  to cool everything off! Shruti will be back in the fall since this class was sold out with a waitlist! Check our web site for updates.

Past + Upcoming Events

The rain continued through the week and the sun said hello just before our Mothers Day Brunch on Sunday...and then the rain came back. Regardless of the weather, a good time was had by all - some stuffed their faces, kids planted seedlings for their moms and most of us Powisset's new piglets. Thank you to all of the mothers, fathers, kids, grandparents who shared the day with us.

We would like to thank Boston Jewish Educational Programs (BJEP) for holding their Spring Festival here at Powisset on May 1st. They broke out into groups - some worked in the fields, some learned how to make beer, some enjoyed a horticulturist walk and some learned about bees from beekeeper and friend, Peter Hauschka.

And, what's to come this week? On Saturday, May 14th, we will hold a Composting Workshop with Janice McPhilips of Holly Hill Farm and at night a BYO Picnic and Astronomy Night with Physics and Astronomy Teacher, Al Navarro. I am fairly confident with the amount of rainfall that we have gotten that it has to be a beautiful and clear night.

Looking ahead to Springfest (May 30th)...at 1:30pm, we will be holding a 125 second cake eating contest, to celebrate the 125th birthday of the Trustees. If there any brave souls who would like to enter into the contest please email me at nnacamuli@thetrustees.org. We will be limiting the field to 10 contestants.

If you are one of our Facebook followers, you may have already watched the Chronicle segment which focused on The Trustees. If you have not yet seen it, you must! Segment 3 is almost all dedicated to Powisset and you will see an interview with our General Manager, Jason Hill, a DIY Skincare class with Nicole Lewis and you will also get to see our piggies, Queenie & Shortcake.
Segment 1: http://www.wcvb.com/chronicle/chronicle-115-special-places/39347526
Segment 2: http://www.wcvb.com/chronicle/chronicle-if-these-walls-could-talk/39347572 
Segment 3: http://www.wcvb.com/chronicle/chronicle-treasures-of-the-trustees/39347552
Segment 4: http://www.wcvb.com/chronicle/chronicle-hobnob-with-the-upper-crust/39347394