September
27, 2012
Community Farm
RFP Update
Thanks to
all those who contributed to the public comment
period for the draft Request for Proposals for a
community farm. For those who are interested, we
have published the comments that we provided
to the Board of Selectmen on our website.
On Monday, September 24th, the
Board of Selectmen discussed the comments they
had received and made some critical decisions.
Most of the discussion centered around the definition
of a community farm and whether the
evaluative criteria for selecting an
organization needed to include more community
benefits. We believe we heard clear support on
the Board for adding such criteria to the RFP.
Also as a result of their discussion, the Board
decided to establish an Agricultural
Commission to help with some of these
details and also help evaluate the final RFP. In
addition, they decided to extend an offer to
Dennis Busa to continue to farm the land for the
2013 growing season, given that the RFP process
would not be completed in time for a new
operation to be planned for 2013. No timeline
was set for the final RFP, but our sense was
that it may be delayed past 2012.
We support this decision and any that
encourage a process to produce the best
community farm for Lexington in the long term.
LexFarm at the Country Fair!
 LexFarm members were very busy on
Saturday at the Country Fair celebrating
Lexington's 300th anniversary.� We started with
the Blue Ribbon Contests where our panel of
judges shown here: Charlie Radoslovich,
Sarah Feldman, Carla Fortmann and
Don Kozak � tasted tomatoes, admired
container gardens,� and measured sunflower
heads. They are holding the prize-winning
sunflower, grown by LexFarm member John
Dreyer.
Dave Sears of William Raveis Real
Estate joined us to award the prize for
"Best of Show" in our Farm Gateways photo
contest to the winning photographer, Arnav
Mukherjee. You can see all the
entries, including Arnav's photo, titled "Rustic
Morning at Wilson Farms" on our website.� All
winning photos are on display in the window at
William Raveis Real Estate, 1713 Mass.
Ave., Lexington. Special thanks to Vlad
Selsky for all the photo printing.
But the most fun of all at the fair, hands down,
were the Beat the Beet! vegetable races.
Thanks to Charlie Rad, we had a ramp,
the cars...and the vegetables. We raced potatoes
and cucumbers and a butternut squash...and at
the end of the day the winners took on the giant
beet! Watch a video
of the ultimate challenge, and then start
planning your vegetable garden for next year's
LexFarm Giant Zucchini races...coming to
a farm near you in 2013!�
Goat
Yard Update:� Meet us at the Goat Yard!
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Every Sunday, LexFarm Goat Yard, 3 - 5 pm
 The LexFarm Goat Yard is
now open every Sunday from 3 - 5 pm.
We are starting an acorn collection for the
goats to enjoy during the winter months, so
collect them before the squirrels do and drop
them off at the Goat
Yard.
Remember, LexFarm members and Goat
"Adopters" get free admission to
the Goat Yard during visiting hours, so come on
by!
LexFarm
Presents:� "If These Walls Could Speak..."
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Sunday, October 7, Minute Man National
Historical Park, 1 pm
 In collaboration
with LexFarm, join park ranger Polly Kienle
for an educational tour of the Jacob
Whittemore House, Minute Man National
Historical Park's only structure in Lexington.
Using original documents, discover the nuances
of operating an 18th-century farm. What you
learn about Jacob Whittemore and his family may
surprise you!�
This program was developed
especially for LexFarm supporters and members, as
part of LexFarm's mission for education about
farms and farming...including farming history in
Lexington! Appropriate
for ages 12 and up. Participation
is FREE but space is limited to 30 people.�
Please register by Friday, October 5th
by sending an email to Carolyn Goldstein at caro...@aol.com
Membership
Corner
Thank
you to LexFarm Members
 LexFarm's
Board of Directors would like to say
"thank you" to so many LexFarm members who have
been helping out in various ways over the last
several months, as we've been organizing our
response to the community farm RFP, keeping the
Goat Yard operating, and getting ready to
participate in Lexington's 300th anniversary
celebrations:
Thank You to
all LexFarm members who wrote letters
during the public comment period on the
Town of Lexington's draft RFP for a
community farm. And thank you to members
Ingrid and Maeve Gallagher,
Rachel Caldwell-Glixon, Judith
Glixon and Lexington
High School seniors
Sophie Goemans, Lydia Gold and
Miriam Lipschutz, who have been helping out
at the LexFarm Goat Yard over the past several
weeks.
Thank You to those members who helped out with
the Country Fair by volunteering or donating
raffle prizes: Ellen McDonald, Danielle
Boudrot, Karen Longeteig, and Carol
Damm. And to those members who purchased
raffle tickets...we're glad some of you won!
And a very special thank you to member Carolyn
Goldstein who worked on the 300th
anniversary committee representing LexFarm and
who organized our participation in the Country
Fair on Saturday.
Finally, a huge thank you to newsletter editors,
members Jeanne Lin and Allison Moody,
who are devoted to keeping everyone up to date
and informed as we continue to grow in many
directions!"
If you�re not yet a member but would like to
show your support, join now!
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 Brenda Netreba at membe...@lexfarm.org.
Further
Thinking
For
those of you who've always wanted to grow your
own vegetables, but don't have the space, i-Grow
may be the best solution:� rent growing space
online and have a farmer grow your produce and
send it to you.� Read this article
to learn more about this new trend.�
We
welcome your feedback
Please
write us at newsl...@lexfarm.org
with all feedback regarding the Update or if
you have suggestions for area events that we
can announce.
Jeanne Lin and Allison Moody
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Membership Corner
Further Thinking
Area Events
Note:
Member prices refer to membership in the
organization hosting the event.
September 29, City Natives, Mattapan,
10 am - 12:30 pm
Finding
Health in the Garden
Want to turn over a new leaf this fall? Join
dietitian Jessica Jones-Hughes for a
conversation about finding physical well-being
in the garden. Following the discussion,
you'll learn to make delicious, time-saving
meals with garden harvests that your family
will love. Preregistration required.
Free
September 29, Jamaica Plain, 1:30 -
3:30 pm
Preserving
the Bounty!
You have planned and grown an amazing garden!
You are enjoying the fruits of your labor but
feel a bit overwhelmed by the bounty - it's
time to learn how to put some of it up for
later! Come learn the basics of boiling water
bath canning and pressure canning. You will
prepare some recipes for each type of food
preservation using fresh organic fruits and
vegetables.
$30 non-member, $25 NOFA member
October 3, Somerville, 6:30 - 8:30
pm
Urban
Chicken Keeping
You don't have to be a farmer to keep
chickens. Terry Golson has more than sixteen
years of experience keeping a small flock of
laying hens in her backyard that supply eggs
for her family's table. In this slideshow and
lecture, Terry will share everything you need
to know to get started with your own chickens.
She'll cover selecting the right breeds,
housing, feed, and how to keep the hens
healthy. Terry will talk about chicken
behavior, predators, and daily chores. She'll
show you how she composts the manure and makes
use of it in her garden.
$30 non-member, $25 NOFA
member
October 4, City Natives, Mattapan,
5:30 - 6:30 pm
Fall
Soil Care
It's time to give your soil a little T.L.C.
Come get your hands dirty planting cover
crops, adding soil amendments and laying mulch
to prepare for next season! Registration
required.
Free
October 6, Boston, 11 am - 6 pm
Boston
Fish Pier Seafood Festival
This is the official public kickoff of the
non-profit, all volunteer Boston Fisheries
Foundation, and will be the first all-seafood
festival held in Boston. It will be a day of
sensational seafood tastings, oyster and
lobsters, clambakes and chef demos,
educational events, and family fun.
$10, $8 for students
October 7, Rose Kennedy Greenway,
11 am - 5 pm
Boston
Local Food Festival
This festival is Boston's premier food
festival promoting the joys of eating local
food and includes local farmers, some of the
best restaurants in New England, specialty
foods, a �Seafood Throwdown�, Meat Cutting
Demos and Chef Demos.
Free
October 12, Concord, 7 pm
Farm
to Lectern Speakers Series: Gary Hirshberg
The Concord Museum welcomes Gary Hirshberg,
the educator, activist, co-founder and
chairman of Stonyfield, the successful organic
yogurt company. Author of Stirring It Up:
How to Make Money and Save the World,
Gary is an advocate for change in national
food and agriculture policies and a passionate
speaker on sustainability, the profitability
of green business, and organic agriculture. In
his talk, �Inventing a Truly Sustainable
Future,� Hirshberg proposes that it won�t be
possible to have a truly sustainable future if
our food makes us sick. Reservations
requested.
Free
October 13, Concord Museum, 10 am -
3 pm
Family
Farm Day
Hands-on activities explore Concord�s farming
history and celebrate our present-day farms.
Handle tools from 3,000 years ago, use a cider
press, make and taste sauerkraut with Gaining
Ground, decorate pumpkins, visit with chickens
from Drumlin Farm, make cornhusk dolls, enjoy
refreshments by Trail�s End Caf�, and much
more!
Free with Museum admission
October 13, Mattapan, 10 am - 2 pm
Harvest
Festival and Perennial Divide
Help Boston Natural Areas Network celebrate
the harvest season with honey bees and
fresh-pressed cider. Dig up your perennials to
share and shop for plants from the City
Natives nursery.
Conferences/Seminars
Board
Members
Janet Kern, President
Ken Karnofsky, Vice-President
Derek Moody, Treasurer
Margaret Heitz, Clerk
Ellen Frye
Jay Luker
Brenda Netreba
Charlie Radoslovich
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