First CSA Distribution

First Color in the Flower Bed

One of the most exciting weeks of the year has arrived. The farm stand will be open for CSA pickups starting tomorrow and we are looking forward to seeing everyone again. Seeding and transplanting will certainly continue, but this week adds the task of harvesting to our schedule. It is great to mix another interesting job into the day, but it is particularly rewarding to see our many hours of hard work pay off. As you know, this produce has been a long time in the making. These vegetables will now conclude their journey by making their way into your kitchens. Here is where we are able to receive your feedback and hopefully see smiles on the faces of friends and customers who have waited for months to regain access to their fresh, local produce once again.

Strawberries on the Lawn

This time of the year also brings other changes to the farm. We will be adding additional summer staff to our existing group of three (plus our excellent band of volunteers). Powisset will welcome back some employees from past summers, a volunteer who proved herself this spring, and a couple new faces who are seeking to experience the challenge of agriculture. The additional crew will allow us to better keep up with jobs around the farm as we reach the peak season.

Dragonfly Operating the Cultivating Tractor

This past week was filled with seeding, weeding, transplanting, and cultivation on the tractor. Plastic mulch has done a good job of preventing pests and weeds from totally overwhelming certain crops, but there is still hand-weeding to be done at the base of the plants. There is also the chore of keeping up with weeds that grow in the aisles between beds. The grass that grows here can look beautiful, but it will eventually harbor pests and overtake our crops. These aisles can partially be managed by quickly driving over the beds with the tractor while dragging an implement that rips out unwanted vegetation and buries it under the soil. This is not a perfect system, but it can save a lot of time and energy spent hand-weeding many miles of beds. As far as transplanting goes, we were able to put in squashes, pumpkins, cucumbers, melons, eggplants, and peppers. Some of these crops can be quite vulnerable to ravenous pests that frequent the farm. However, they are also some of the most sought-after food that we grow. We will keep doing our best and hope for some good fortune that they will stay strong and provide the return we are looking for.

• After much ado, here is the lineup for this week's CSA distribution. If you have purchased a half-share, please check your email for information about when to pick up.
• Green Garlic
• Head Lettuce
• Kale
• Radishes
• Spinach
• Salanova
• Cilantro
• Dill
• Pick your own herbs in the herb garden (strawberries will be available another week soon)

If you are interested in enjoying a new experience at the farm, please check out our upcoming biergarten. Notch Brewing will be serving up a good time at Powisset this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It is a beautiful time to enjoy the property, and we would love to see you there.

Hope to see you soon,

Jeff Hoodlet

Farm Apprentice

Ready for Business!

Powisset has a Little Lamb

After months of preparation, Springfest was a huge success at Powisset Farm. Thank you to everyone who came out to enjoy the new barnyard, the vendors, and the beautiful property. It was such a pleasure being able to share the farm with so many wonderful families that are willing to support the Trustees. While we always feel lucky to spend our time at Powisset, it is so gratifying to meet the people who make our work possible. I was able to shake hands with people who have been CSA members for years and meet other members who just signed up this week. I can safely say that we had the largest turnout of any event that has taken place on the farm. The success of Springfest would not have been possible without the hard work and vision of our engagement site manager, Nicole. She does such great work at our site and it has been the utmost pleasure to know her and work with her. People like Nicole bring the kindness and success that the Trustees is known for.

Ready for Planting!

While wearing a carrot suit was interesting, the highlight of my day was leading a small group of visitors on a tour of the farm. We sincerely enjoy what we do, but it is hard work done with the goal of sharing it with our community. Being able to educate both children and adults about different aspects of agriculture was a total pleasure. Of course the barnyard was a huge hit, but these visitors took great interest in seeing the journey that their favorite vegetables take from seeding in the greenhouse to washing for sale. Leading this tour was also a reminder of how much I have been taught in such a short time. I first came to Powisset Farm only a year ago and the staff has done such a great job of sharing their passion that I am now able pass along some of this knowledge to others who are interested in the field.

Diane and Andrew on a Field Walk

Much of our focus in the past couple weeks has been on preparing for the festival, but the crops have not gone unnoticed. More vegetables have been planted, and a few are even ready to harvest. Rows of lettuce are looking big and beautiful, as are radishes, kale, and strawberries. As the calendar flips into the month of June, our growing season should pick up despite the cooler temperatures this week. Our first round of plantings begins to reach maturity and the typically warmer weather should allow the crops to grow even more quickly. The herb garden has been planted and will provide outstanding flavor and garnish to accompany the fresh produce that is grown only paces away. This will include rosemary, thyme, sage, summer savory, pipicha, chives, marjoram, oregano, and more. The nearby flower garden is also almost full and will provide vibrant beauty to the farm and to the tables of CSA members throughout the summer.

"Stake" and Tomatoes

The CSA will begin on Tuesday, June 12! Please keep an eye on the blog or your email for more information about pick-ups. If you are a new member or would like a refresher, we will be holding two orientations in the share distribution room in the main barn this Saturday 6/9 at 9:00am and 10:00am. We will run through how the CSA distribution works and provide a tour of the farm stand and pick-your-own areas. Be advised that the main driveway will be closed as we are paving the entrance and visitor parking areas. Please park in the field next to the barn where the event parking is located.

If you have any questions about agriculture, the CSA, or the Trustees, please feel free to reach out to us! We would be glad to chat with you. We are also still accepting CSA members for this season. You can sign up here!

Hope to see you soon!

Jeff Hoodlet

Farm Apprentice

Reemay for Days

Piglets Discovering the Outside World

Powisset Farm is looking as good as ever and just in time for the beginning of our busiest season. I am quickly learning that so much of farming is about planning for the future. Months are spent making repairs, adding soil amendments, ordering seeds, planting seeds, tending to the crops, and doing all of it with proper timing so the finished product can be harvested only hours before it is scheduled to leave the farm stand. Of course, all the planning in the world cannot control pests and the weather. For that, we must make careful adjustments as necessary. Our manager Andrew is doing a great job at these things, as well as at teaching the crew how and why we do what we do.

Rows of Reemay

One of the most common and effective ways of protecting crops is to cover it with a fabric called reemay. This material can provide additional heat, protect from frost, and prevent pests from making contact with the plants. While using this can sometimes cause excessive heat, utilizing row cover provides an important clean alternative to pesticides that are so often used at commercial farm operations.

Rows of Chard, Lettuce, Beets, Fennel, and Scallions

While you have seen us in the fields for months, there will soon be many new faces on the property. The next few weeks will bring the Trail Run Series, Springfest, and the opening of our farm stand. In addition to the new greenhouse, Powisset will be adding a new barnyard. This will allow visitors to get a glimpse into the livestock operations that are so integral to the Trustees’ farms. The barnyard looks fantastic and will transform the visitor experience by bringing rabbits, goats, and sheep into the mix.

Barnyard Looking Good!

As mentioned, the farm and the crops are looking great so far. If you are interested in bringing fresh, local produce to your table, please consider purchasing a CSA share at Powisset Farm. We have a great variety of vegetables lined up for this summer and we would love to have you join our community.

Hope to see you soon!

Jeff Hoodlet

Farm Apprentice

Join us on Sunday, June 3^rd for Powisset Farm's 10^th Annual Springfest, a day-long celebration of the farm and spring! This festival will include activities for all ages including a vendor village, pony rides, kids crafts, face painting, farm tours, local food (including The Powisset Cafe) and beverages (Jack's Abby and Lookout Farm), live music (The Railroad House Band), animals (pigs, chickens, sheep, bunnies and goats), a pie-eating contest, and much more. The farm stand will be open for spring veggie shopping and will be stocked with local products! Join The Trustees and get free admission! For more information visit thetrustees.org/powissetfarmspringfest.

-Nicole Nacamuli
Engagement Site Manager, Powisset Farm

Plants are in the Ground

Many thanks to the EMD group!

The fields at Powisset are starting to look very different. The last couple weeks have brought many volunteer groups to the property and allowed us to complete a great deal of work. Two groups of Boston high schoolers came out to learn about farming and foraging while pruning raspberries and weeding strawberries. A great group from EMD Serono, Inc. traveled to the farm and spent many hours transplanting chard, onions, fennel, and beets. Of course, our loyal weekly volunteers were also on hand to continue with seeding and putting up fencing to protect the crops from the deer. Along with the planting mentioned above, we have also put in beds of broccoli, cauliflower, peas, fava beans, and sunflowers. The fields will quickly start filling up with crops from this point forward, and seedling trays will cycle from the greenhouse to the fields and back again, only to be seeded with another crop to be harvested later in the season.

Belted Galloways and food trucks at Weir River Farm

The weather couldn’t be better for enjoying a day at the farm, and there are many events taking place at various Trustees locations around Massachusetts. Last weekend, Weir River Farm held its annual Sheep Shearing Festival and I made my way to Hingham to check on some of our piglets and see what they had going on. It was a great day filled with food and activities, all taking place on yet another beautiful property. While Powisset Farm has been more focused on fruit and vegetable production, we will be adding new animals to our barnyard this year. This will create a great opportunity to have fun while learning more about a different area of agriculture.

While you are encouraged to feel welcome at the farm any time, we will be having our Springfest on June 3. In the meantime, keep an eye on the events page to see which other activities you might be interested in!

Ready to transplant

As always, let us know if you have any questions about the CSA or farming in general. Our 10-week and 20-week shares, as well as a fruit share add-on, are available HERE.

Enjoy this great weather,

Jeff Hoodlet

Farm Apprentice

Heating Up

Garlic

Things continue to heat up at the farm while the temperatures look like they are about to level out at last. For the first time this year, the forecast ahead shows warmer days without any temperature drops into the 30s. All of our seedlings have stayed sheltered in the greenhouse until now, rather than risk an overnight freeze on the hardening off tables. The onions are certainly ready to stretch their legs, and they will be moving outside this week without a doubt. We can tell that some plants are ready to move into bigger pots because they are strong enough to pull out of the trays while their root systems hold the soil from their cell intact. It is always exciting to make the rounds in the greenhouse and see which seedlings have grown more leaves overnight. These are all signs that operations are inching towards the fields.

Aside from the plants, our crew has been hard at work updating the farm in other areas. Kate has been doing work on the walk-in cooler and building tables for the new greenhouse. Others have been making various repairs and organizing workstations and storage areas to improve efficiency as the season goes on. After fixing some of the fence posts in the upcoming week, the electric fencing will go up to protect our crops from the many deer that come to enjoy the Powisset buffet. The season will only get busier and these upgrades will allow us to focus more of our attention on the produce.

Strawberries

The volunteers deserve a special shout-out this week. We have been lucky to have yet another great group of people helping us out this season, and they have stuck with us to assist with all kinds of chores on some pretty bone-chilling days. Let’s hope that the weather is kind to us, because they certainly deserve some sunshine!

Remember that while we are a working farm, Powisset also offers scenic walking trails on the grounds. Please drop by to enjoy a nice spring day and see what we have going on! You are likely to see pigs, wildlife, and the early stages of fruit and vegetable production. If you are thinking about having local produce this summer, we would be glad to answer any questions you might have for us. You can sign up for a 10-week or 20-week share, as well as a fruit share add-on by clicking HERE.

Best,

Jeff Hoodlet

Farm Apprentice

Let the Growing Begin!

Things have continued to pick up at the farm over the past week. As the seedlings continue to grow, the empty space in the greenhouse continues to shrink. The small seeds that were so meticulously dropped into their trays are now starting to take form and become recognizable from their neighbors. Before long, some will be moved out of the greenhouse to toughen up for the year ahead. Unlike these transplants, we will soon be direct-seeding certain crops right into the fields where they will grow this season. There is also progress with the plants that have spent the entire winter beneath the snow, waiting to be brought to life by the warmth and sun of spring. The strawberry plants have regained their color and we hope to see garlic popping through the soil in the coming days.

Maintenance also continues on the farm, as we try to finish tractor, barn, and other chores before growing consumes almost all of our time. In preparation for getting the machinery into its best condition, the Trustees held a two-day tractor operation, safety, and maintenance course at Appleton Farms. The class was instructed by Shane LaBrake, a very knowledgeable man with years of experience in farming and tractor operation. While both the seasoned and new farmers took away many lessons from the course, the biggest was the importance of mindfulness while performing work in such an environment. Not only will this make the job much safer, but it will also make it more efficient and less frustrating. We would like to thank Shane for his time and efforts in improving the atmosphere around tractors on our farms this season.

As things continue to move along, we get closer to the start of our CSA in June. We are still seeking members for this year, and would love to have you join the Powisset Farm family! I am always impressed by the community that gathers at Powisset to enjoy the camaraderie, produce, and beautiful property where our farm resides. This season we are offering 10-week and 20-week CSA shares, as well as a fruit share add-on. Please let us know if you have any questions, we would be glad to chat with you!

Hope to see you soon!

Jeff Hoodlet
Farm Apprentice

Spring Has Arrived!

Despite the fact that we have seen snow this week, it is most certainly spring at Powisset Farm. The birds are chirping, the pigs are playing, and the vibrant colors are slowly streaming back into the vegetation. With the indispensable help of our volunteer crew, the greenhouse is starting sprout thousands of seedlings that will become the food you and I will eat in a few short months. Many of our volunteers are familiar faces that have stuck around through many beautiful days spent in the fields and the occasional days spent hauling equipment in the snow. Other volunteers are new, carrying fresh personality in with the spring breeze. It is always a great group of people that brings a plentiful batch of smiles, knowledge, and kindness to our work.

While the seedlings are certainly the change that most directly connects to our produce, there are many other transformations taking place at the farm. Andrew mentioned our new farm crew in a previous post, but a new greenhouse and wash station are also in the works for this season. Both of these updates will help us generate the best food possible for you, the vital supporters and fans of Powisset Farm.

Aside from plant life, spring also brings animal life to the farm. Some of these animals will be seen in the barnyard before long, while others can be found on the trails that meander throughout the property. If you’re looking for a place to enjoy a sunny day, keep your eyes peeled for wildlife as small as chipmunks and as large as deer if you go for a walk on our trails.

10-week and 20-week CSA shares are available this season, as well as a fruit share add-on. If you’re interested in having some great local produce this summer, please consider our farm. If you would like to learn more, we would love to talk to you!

Hope to see you soon!

Jeff Hoodlet

Farm Apprentice