February
28, 2013
RFP Update
The
Board of Selectmen approved the final RFP for
the Lexington Community Farm at their meeting
Monday evening. From the brief discussion at the
Selectmens' meeting, it appears that the RFP
incorporates some of the important public
comments on the initial draft. In particular,
it contains a greater emphasis on the benefits
the farm would bring to the community and
enables the Selectmen to appoint a committee
that will oversee the Community Farm.
Now that it has been approved, we expect the RFP
to be issued and advertised within two to three
weeks. The response will be due 60 days later,
and we expect a decision by early summer.
News
from the Goat Yard
How well do you know our goats? Can you tell who's
missing from this photo? Who's that in front
looking up at the camera. And can you tell which
one Naya is? (Hint: she's expecting new kids in
May).
Now that much of the snow has melted and the yard
is more accessible, you can re-acquaint yourself
with the herd! The LexFarm
Goat Yard will be re-opening for public
visiting hours, this Sunday, March 3 from 1 -
3 pm. We hope you'll come visit! Be
sure to wear boots and bring along some pine
branches for some very "Grateful for Greens"
goats!
Farm
History Panel
Sunday, March 17th, Science Lecture Hall,
LHS, 1 - 3 pm
Get your
Golden Ticket and don't miss it!
LexFarm
member Carolyn Goldstein has organized
an incredible panel of speakers for Sunday,
March 17th, for Lexington's 300th
Anniversary Incorporation Weekend Celebrations.
The panelists will include August "Gus"
Schumacher, Jr. who grew up on a farm in
Lexington, served as Commissioner of Food and
Agriculture for the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts, and currently serves on the 21st
Century Sustainable Agricultural Task Force of
the National Academy of Sciences.
You can
read more information here,
but this is a not-to-be-missed event and we are
expecting a full house at the Science Lecture
Hall at LHS on that day. Lexington residents can
purchase a "Golden Ticket" at the Town
Clerk's office for $1 that will
guarantee a seat.
We hope
to make some Golden Tickets available for
LexFarm members as well. (Members stay tuned!)
LAST CHANCE for Eating
with the Ecosystem!
February
28, nourish Restaurant,
Lexington, 6 - 9 pm
Tonight's the night!
Reservations: (781) 674-2400
Don't miss out on this wonderful
opportunity to dine on the FIRST Boston
Eating with the Ecosystem Food series!
This series was first initiated in Rhode
Island as a community-based effort to
support local, sustainable seafood and has
since made its ways over to Boston.
nourish
Restaurant will be hosting the first
part this evening, Eating
with the Ecosystem Boston sustainable
seafood series and will serve a
spectacular and unforgettable dinner
featuring seafood from Southern New
England waters, from Buzzards Bay to Long
Island Sound. You'll also get to learn
more about the difference you're making
eating local seafood from scientist Nathan
Rebuck and fisherman Katie Eagan,
and the impact it has on our delicate
ecosystem.
Future dinners include "Gulf of Maine"
on March 26th at The Local
Table in Acton and "Georges
Bank" at Ten Tables in
Jamaica Plain.
The dinner at nourish is the
first of the series and the most
affordably priced at $30 per person.
Reservations can be made through the
restaurant at (781) 674-2400.
Farm
to Lectern Speaker Series with Brian Donahue
March
7, Concord Museum, 7 pm, free admission
Join the Concord Museum in its
lecture series to hear farmer, author,
co-founder and former director of Land's Sake in
Weston, Brian Donahue will be discussing
his recent book, The Great Meadow: Farmers
and the Land in Colonial Concord and
Reclaiming the Commons: Community Farms and
Forests in a New England Town, in addition
to sharing his views on farming and agriculture
in New England.
Refreshments from The Concord Cheese Shop will
also be provided at this event. For more
information, please visit
http://concordmuseum.org/visit/calendar.html
or call the Concord Museum to make reservations
at 978-369-9763, ext. 216.
Community
Conversation on Climate Change
We saw a
number of LexFarm members at Tuesday's
"Community Conversation" on Lexington's
readiness for Climate Change. It was a great
chance to meet others interested in the topic,
and brainstorm all sorts of ideas. There will be
follow-up articles in the Colonial Times
newspaper, and we expect lots of ideas to take
root...stay tuned!
The
planning committee for this second annual
Community Conversation included members of the
following Lexington groups: the League of
Women Voters; the Global Warming Action
Committee; Citizens for Lexington
Conservation; Sustainable Lexington; LexFarm;
the Planning Board, and the Town Manager's
office.
Membership Corner
Meet LexFarm
Member Rick Abrams "ACROSS Lexington"
We are extremely grateful to all those who support
our work through LexFarm membership. As you might
expect, our members are doing all sorts of great
work in the community, and we like to highlight
this work when we know about it.
We want to tell you about an exciting project in
Lexington spearheaded by LexFarm member Rick
Abrams called "ACROSS Lexington", a project
to build a town-wide network of paths and trails
to connect public lands, including recreation
areas and conservation land.
A Pilot
route is now available and Rick will be
leading a two-hour walk on that route on Sunday,
March 17th at 10 am as part
of Lexington's 300th anniversary Incorporation
Weekend. In addition, Rick has gifted the town
with a special fund in his honor upon retiring.
This fund will specifically help Lexington realize
this wonderful project. Thank You, Rick!
We would love to count you among our members! You
can join today by visiting lexfarm.org/membership
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 Ten: Juneberry (Amelanchier
canadensis)
The juneberry plant is named so
because the berries of the plant start to ripen
throughout June, which occur about six weeks
after they start to flower. It is also referred
to as the shadbush because its five-pointed,
white petaled flowers start to bloom around the
time shad fish swim upstream to reproduce. It's
other nickname, the "Serviceberry" tree, is
thought to be derived from the use of its
branches for decorations at Easter time, while
others believe the plant, when in bloom, served
as a sign that ground soil over the winter was
soft enough to dig up for burying the deceased.
The way to tell a juneberry tree is by its
smooth, gray bark, it's great height of 12
inches, and it's wide, ridged, bright green
leaves. Juneberries can grow in very high,
hard-to-reach parts of the tree and are enjoyed
by birds as well. They are commonly found by
rivers and lakes, and because of their
attractive appearance, they are also commonly
grown in parks and other landscaped areas.
Juneberries are very similar in appearance to
Highbush blueberries, except that they turn a
reddish-purple when fully ripe. While
juneberries are tasty to eat, resembling the
taste of cherries and almonds combined, they are
often afflicted with a fungus of a Cedar-apple
rust variety, covering the tree with fungal
growths and causing the berries to appear
misshapen and to ripen irregularly. When
healthy and ready for consumption, they can be
plucked and eaten from the tree (if you can
reach them), brought home for drying, or blended
with more pungent-flavored berries for pies, as
they can be mild in flavor when cooked. As a
food source, they are known to be high in iron,
potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus, in
addition to having somewhat higher calorie-
content than their blueberry counterparts.
Native Americans had often dried juneberries for
making Pemmican (a type of granola bar), as a
low-perishable food source to last them through
long journeys.
Further Thinking
Brickyard
Educational Farm is an educational
vegetable garden with a mission to provide
hands-on learning experiences for the children
of Montgomery County Maryland. Learn more about
them by watching this video.
Also, be sure to check out "Save
this Soil" in the online magazine Food Tank to
learn how this citizen campaign convinced town
officials to give up plans to convert their farm
into soccer fields.
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
Wild Edible Series
Further Thinking
Area Events
Note:
Member prices refer to membership in the
organization hosting the event.
March 1, Drumlin Farm, Lincoln, 3:30 - 5
pm
Maple
Magic
It's Maple Sugaring Time! Celebrate trees and
the magic sweetness of the maple in spring.
Visit the maple grove to check out the taps
and taste some sap. Hear about some
traditional ways of making this sweet treat
and compare that with today's methods. Listen
to stories of the first sugar makers and
delight your taste buds with an sweet maple
treat. Suitable for children ages 0 - 12 with
an adult.
$13 non-member, $11 member
March 2, Natick Community Organic Farm,
9 am - 3 pm
Maple
Magic Day
Learn about Native American and Colonial
sugaring techniques while experiencing how the
Farm sugars today. Annual Pancake Breakfast
from 8 - 11 am.
$6 for the tour and demonstrations,
additional cost for breakfast
March 2, Stoneham, 12 noon - 1 pm
Tapping
of the Trees
Come to the Fells ‘sugar bush’ to learn how to
tap maple trees. Sponsored by the Department
of Conservation and Recreation. Meet at the
Botume House, 4 Woodland Road, Stoneham.
Free
March 2, Drumlin Farm, Lincoln, 12 noon
- 4 pm
Simple
Cheesemaking
Cheese is delicious and fun! You can easily
make tasty cheeses from milk - both cow and
goat - or cream. During this workshop, you
will make and sample several different
cheeses, including yogurt cheeses, paneer,
mozzarella, and fresh goat. You will leave
with samples, recipes, resources, and the
confidence you need to pursue cheesemaking,
one of the oldest forms of food preservation,
on your own.
$67 non-member, $55 member
March 4, Habitat, Belmont, 6:30 - 9 pm
Container
Gardening Workshop
Join Jodie Gilson, an herb grower who has been
providing Habitat with herbs since their first
herb sale over 10 years ago. Learn how to
create container gardens with herbs, asian
greens, and more. Refreshments will be served.
$5 at the door
March 9, Habitat, Belmont, 10 am - 3 pm
Sugaring
Celebration
Bring the kids and grandparents and learn how
maple syrup is made from sugar maple trees.
You'll try your hand at a few sugaring
activities, hear stories, and visit a few
places on the property including the tapped
sugar trees. Then boil down a little of our
sap and taste the results!
$10 non-member, $8 member
March 9, Brookline, 1 - 3 pm
Products
of the Hive: An Introduction to DIY
Adventuring with Honey, Wax, and Propolis
Participants will learn some amazing facts
about each of these products including how and
why they are produced by the bees and their
medicinal properties. You will also review
some simple recipes and how-to instruction for
creating (and labeling) herb infused honey,
candles, and lip balm. Finally everyone will
taste some infused honey and create lip balm
from an easy-to-follow recipe.
$30 non-member, $25 NOFA member
March 9, Lexington, 7 - 11 pm
Go Green Dance
Every year the band, Trial Run, puts on a
charity dance. This year the money raised
will be used to increase GWAC’s efforts to
bring climate change awareness and action
programs to Lexington and greater Boston area.
So come out for a night of classic rock,
blues, and a dash of Motown.
$20 at the door, discounted tickets
available in advance
March 12, Habitat, Belmont, 3:30 -
5 pm
The
Secret Life of Maple Syrup
Have you ever wondered where real maple syrup
comes from? How do you find it? What makes it
magically flow every spring? In this class,
you'll even collect sap, boil it down, and
sample your very own syrup! Suitable for
children ages 6 - 10.
$17 non-member, $14 member
March 16 & 17, Drumlin Farm,
Lincoln, 9 am - 1 pm
Sap-to-Syrup
Farmer's Breakfast
Real Vermont maple syrup on fresh pancakes is
the centerpiece of Mass Audubon's Drumlin
Farm's annual Sap-to-Syrup Farmer's Breakfast,
but don't forget about the homemade sausage
and roasted potatoes! Before or after
your breakfast, walk the sap-to-syrup trail to
explore the natural history of maple trees,
and see how sap is collected from Drumlin
Farm's sugar bush.
$15 for adults, $12 for children, Free for
children under 2
March 16 & 23, Newton Community
Farm, 9:30 - 11 am
Defensive
Urban Gardening
You have just spent your weekend planting your
little seedlings only to come and inspect your
work a day later to find that some local
critter has had a tasty snack!! Ways to
outsmart local critters, birds and insects is
just one of the topics to be covered in this
two part class. You will also address issues
such as protecting against extreme
temperatures, fungi, birds and insects using
methods such as nets, row cover and even some
more creative techniques.
$45 non-member, $40 member
Conferences/Seminars
March
22 - 23, Concord, NH
New
England Meat Conference
The goal of the New England Meat Conference
is to enhance the production, processing,
and marketing of sustainable, nutritious,
humanely-raised, and delicious meat from New
England farms by providing educational and
networking opportunities for meat producers,
processors and consumers.
Board
Members
Janet Kern, President
Ken Karnofsky, Vice-President
Derek Moody, Treasurer
Ellen Frye
Jay Luker
Brenda Netreba
Charlie Radoslovich
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