April
11, 2013
Community
Farm Proposal Update
 In preparing our
proposal to the Town of Lexington for a
community farm, LexFarm is gearing up for an
exciting new phase of our mission. It includes
all the challenges of starting a farm,
expanding our education programs, and developing
the financial support we will need
to fund these initiatives.
If you have expertise in development and
fundraising and are interested in helping us
build the future of LexFarm, please contact Ken
Karnofsky or Janet
Kern.
Patriots'
Day Parade - Please sign up ASAP to claim
your Giant Vegetable!!
April
14, Lexington Parade Route, 2 pm start time
 There is still time to
sign up and join us to march in the Patriots'
Day parade with our giant vegetables this
Sunday!
Bring your family and friends - the more the
merrier, but please let us know you're coming:
Register here
and let us know if you need a t-shirt!
News from the Goat
Yard - Learn and Work: Pasture Planting
April
20, LexFarm Goat Yard, 10 am - 12 noon
 We are still guessing as
to how many kids Naya is carrying, but a few
newsletters from now, we should know! She seems
healthy and active, and happy along with the
rest of the herd that the clover outside the
yard is starting to sprout!
Speaking of clover....Join Charlie
Radoslovich (founder of Rad Urban Farmers
and LexFarm Board Member) and Sam Anderson
(Livestock Program Coordinator at New Entry
Sustainable Farming Project) for a "Learn
and Work: Pasture Planting!"
On Saturday, April 20th, from 10 am - noon,
Sam and Charlie will be leading the planting of
a miniature pasture of oats, clover and chicory
at the LexFarm Goat Yard! You'll learn about
principles of soil fertility, rehabilitating
marginal land, and creating and maintaining
pastures - and you can come back in the months
ahead to see how your handiwork is growing!
Bring a shovel if you have one!
Waltham
Fields Community Farm Presents: SPROUT
April
26, Charles River Museum of Industry,
Waltham, 6:30 - 9:30 pm
Our friends at Waltham Fields Community Farm
are once again hosting their amazing Silent
Auction Fundraiser and Spring Celebration, Sprout,
featuring DELICIOUS FOOD by JJ Gonson and
Cuisine en Locale, OPEN BAR (beer and wine) and
LIVE JAZZ. It's a great event with great people
to support a wonderful local community farm.
Hope to see you there!
For
tickets and more information follow this link.
Membership Corner
Show
Your Support, Become a Member
A
donation of $20.00 for an individual
membership or $35.00 for a family membership
will help us meet our current expenses and
plan for the future. You can sign up online here
or send a check payable to Lexington
Community Farm Coalition at P.O. Box 554,
Lexington, MA 02420. If you have any
questions, contact
us.
Wild
Edible Plant Series
This
series covers wild
edible plants
found in New
England as told in
Russ Cohen's book,
"Wild Plants I
Have Known... and
Eaten." If you
haven't had the
chance, take some
time to read this
delightfully
informative book
to find out more
on wild plants for
sustainable
eating.
Note: If you are unfamiliar
with harvesting wild edibles,
please consult a plant expert
before attempting to forage on
your own.
Part Thirteen: Dame's Rocket (Hesperis
Matronalis)
 Dame's Rocket is an invasive
species and a close relative to familiar
edibles like arugula, mustard, and radish,
tasting similar to sweet radish with a hint of
garlic. They grow generous amounts of white
and purple, four-petaled flowers, generally
around May to early June. Dame's Rocket are
often mistaken for "phlox" due to their
similar appearance, although members of the
phlox family have five-petaled flowers instead
of four. They are tastiest when eaten raw in
salads and are best preserved by being kept in
a sealed bag with a damp paper towel, lasting
one to two weeks when refrigerated. When in
season, don't be shy about harvesting as much
as you'd like, as Dame's Rocket are never hard
to find and picking them would help indigenous
plants from having to compete with these
invasives.
Further Thinking
In
recent news, the Local Farms, Food
and Jobs Act of 2013 bill was recently
introduced to Congress, a bill that would
support farmers and ranchers in receiving
substantial income to produce more locally
grown foods. Read more about it here.
We welcome your feedback
Please write us at newsl...@lexfarm.org
with your feedback regarding the Update or if
you have suggestions for area events that we can
announce.
Jeanne Lin and Allison
Moody
|
Membership Corner
Become a Member Now
Wild Edible Series
Area Events
Note:
member prices refer to membership in the
organization hosting the event.
April
20,
Boston, 1 pm
Perennial
Chef: Early Spring Edition!
April
can be the cruelest month for eating locally,
for while spring is in the air, the exciting
variety of spring vegetables may not be
available just yet. And after a long winter of
full of root vegetables and cold-weather
greens, who wouldn't feel just a little
uninspired? Here's Julia Shanks and her "25
Tips for Going Local without Going Crazy" to
the rescue! This workshop will explore how to
make late winter food exciting again,
preparing recipes with whatever is locally
available that week, delivered by Farmers To
You.
$40
non-members, $30 NOFA members
April
25, Newton Community Farm, 7 - 9 pm
Make
Your Own Cheese
Fresh, delicious ricotta and mozzarella cheeses
are simple to make and require relatively little
time. Learn how by participating in making both
kinds of cheese. Information will be provided
on sources of supplies to enable you to make
cheese at home.
$30 non-members, $27 members
April 28, Newton Community Farm, 2 - 3 pm
Backyard
Chickens
If you are interested in learning about keeping
chickens in your backyard come to this
informative workshop and welcome a new batch of
chickens to the farm. Topics covered will
include costs, responsibilities, breeds, and
different options for containing your hens. If
you want practical info about backyard chickens,
this is the workshop for you!
$25 non-members, $20 members
Conferences/Seminars
April 13, Medford, MA
Cultivating
a New Food Economy Summit
Come participate
in this summit on how the new economy framework
can influence how we view our food system. Hear
from notable guest speakers and how they are
leading the way.
Board members
Janet Kern, President
Ken Karnofsky, Vice-President
Derek Moody, Treasurer
Nancy Gold
Jay Luker
Brenda Netreba
Betsy Pollack
Charlie Radoslovich
|
