The Food Project: Youth. Food. Community.

WatermelonThe Lincoln/Boston Summer Youth Program came to a close this Wednesday, with a final celebration of food, fun, and family. In the evening the farm was filled with the family and loved ones of the 60 youth who participated in the program this summer. They shared highlights from the 7 and a half weeks they spent growing food for many people in the greater Boston area. The farm staff will surely miss them as we gear up one of the busiest part of the season yet, but we are also excited to welcome volunteers to the farm as our fall Serve and Grow season begins soon. I would like to take this space to write on behalf of all of the farm staff and thank the SYP for their hard work and dedication.

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Intersection of Blue Hill Ave and Dudley Street, Roxbury
Tuesday and Thursdays
3-7pm

At the Market

Yellow Watermelon
Red Watermelon
Potatoes
Green Peppers
Eggplant
Green Beans
Tomatoes
Green Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Lettuce Mix
Spicy Salad Mix
Cucumbers
Collard Greens
Swiss Chard
Basil
Sage
Parsley
Summer Squash
Corn (Thursday only)
Nashoba Brook Bakery Bread (Thursday only)

EBT/Food Stamp/SNAP, WIC and Senior Farmers Market Coupons, Debit and Cash Accepted! All season, any EBT/Food Stamp/SNAP purchase will be matched up to $10 at twenty Farmers Markets in Boston, including the Dudley Town Common Market.

It’s official folks. Our beloved Baker Bridge Farm is experiencing a drought. For the past few weeks we have watered fields that really need it while waiting for the rain, but no matter what the forecast says no rain comes. Last week, when Boston and other areas were hit with torrential rains, not a drop of rain was felt in our Lincoln farm. We usually save irrigating fields as a last resort as we truly believe in conserving our water as much as possible.

Currently, we are at near emergency levels and so we have instituted a watering regime, which means that we work through our weekends and come to the farm every three hours to switch the water and keep our crops healthy and growing. Despite these measures, we are feeling the lack of some of our staple crops like beets, carrots, and salad mix. The good news (and there is good news!) is that we are almost out of the worst of it. The next round of staple crops is almost ready, and our melons and tomatoes are really starting. There is, of course, no better cure for a tired and thirsty heart than a cold and juicy watermelon. Cheers and lets hope for some rain!

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Intersection of Blue Hill Ave and Dudley Street, Roxbury
Tuesday and Thursdays
3-7pm

At the Market

Yellow Watermelon
Red Watermelon
Asian Sun Jewel Melon
Peaches
Potatoes
Green Peppers
Eggplant
Garlic
Beets
Shell Beans
Green Beans
Green Tomatoes
Red Slicing Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Lettuce Mix
Spicy Salad Mix
Cucumbers
Carrots
Collard Greens
Swiss Chard
Scallions
Basil
Sage
Parsley
Summer Squash
Corn (Thursday only)
Nashoba Brook Bakery Bread (Thursday only)

EBT/Food Stamp/SNAP, WIC and Senior Farmers Market Coupons, Debit and Cash Accepted! All season, any EBT/Food Stamp/SNAP purchase will be matched up to $10 at twenty Farmers Markets in Boston, including the Dudley Town Common Market.

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By Intern Brian Nichols and Kathleen Banfield

Are you suddenly finding that you have more collards than you know what to do with? Do you want to save some kale or tomatoes for a cold winter day? Try freezing your vegetables! These vegetables will taste just as fresh as the day you picked them, and it can be quite satisfying to reminisce about your garden during our long, cold winters. Freezing some types of vegetables is actually a very simple process. Just follow the instructions below to stock up on those plants that produce more than you know what to do with!

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Shareholders often ask about the kinds of methods we use to control pests around the farm. Pest management on a farm is, of course, much different than in a garden. In a garden, if one rabbit or a whole lot of insects destroy your two chard plants, tragically, your crop is gone. On the farm, farmers like us, who use sustainable methods, need to integrate losses from pests into our planning.

When you have a whole field of onions, even if some pests munch a dozen or two of them, the loss is so marginal it does not affect your crop. Having said that, we are constantly thinking of new ways to minimize the losses around the farm. Pests come in different sizes, from the tiny flea beetles that make holes in the arugula to deer and groundhogs.

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Intersection of Blue Hill Ave and Dudley Street, Roxbury
Tuesday and Thursdays
3-7pm

At the Market

Green Peppers
Eggplant
Garlic
Beets
Shell Beans
Green Beans
Green Tomatoes
Red Slicing Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Lettuce
Cucumbers
Carrots
Collard Greens
Swiss Chard
Scallions
Basil
Sage
Parsley
Summer Squash
Corn (Thursday only)
Nashoba Brook Bakery Bread (Thursday only)

EBT/Food Stamp/SNAP, WIC and Senior Farmers Market Coupons, Debit and Cash Accepted! All season, any EBT/Food Stamp/SNAP purchase will be matched up to $10 at twenty Farmers Markets in Boston, including the Dudley Town Common Market.

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This week, as we look out onto the fields our hearts are content and full of anticipation. We see lush fields of winter squash (three acres!) at the edge of the farm, round musk and water melons are popping up everywhere in the melon field, our greens are coming back from the beating they took during the heat wave, and the vines are heavy with green tomatoes. The farm is in good shape.

A note about fruit- It is often the crops most fleeting in nature that cause the greatest excitement both during and long after the season has ended. Images of strawberries, melons, or tomatoes come fastest to our minds when we think about farming, although as you well know the farming season consists more of the less showy but reliable and satisfying greens and roots. The sweetest crops stay in the spotlight long after they are gone. I’m speaking, of course, of fruit.

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Intersection of Blue Hill Ave and Dudley Street, Roxbury
Tuesday and Thursdays
3-7pm

At the Market

Green Peppers
Eggplant
Garlic
Shell Beans
Green Beans
Green Tomatoes
Red Slicing Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Calalloo
Cucumbers
Carrots
Collard Greens
Swiss Chard
Scallions
Basil
Sage
Summer Squash
Corn (Thursday only)
Nashoba Brook Bakery Bread (Thursday only)

EBT/Food Stamp/SNAP, WIC and Senior Farmers Market Coupons, Debit and Cash Accepted! All season, any EBT/Food Stamp/SNAP purchase will be matched up to $10 at twenty Farmers Markets in Boston, including the Dudley Town Common Market.

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Since our summer program started in June we have harvested roughly 14,000 pounds of produce and from this we have donated thousands of pounds to our shelter, soup kitchen, and pantry partners. To give you an idea of how we accomplish this task, let me introduce you to our Tuesday harvest. The day starts at 6:30am when the farm staff works hard to harvest greens and lettuce before the sun starts beating on them. As the youth arrive on the farm, crews quickly go out to the fields and the task of harvesting 2,000 lbs of produce begins. As crates upon crates of squash, carrots, and potatoes arrive at the wash station, one crew works on weighing, recording, washing, and packing for each different destination. After lunch it’s off to the city as we deliver the Cambridge, Somerville, and Arlington CSA shares, drop off produce at five hunger relief organizations, and then to our farmers’ market in Roxbury—all in two hours!

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