March
28, 2013
RFP
for Community Farm Published
The
Town Manager's office has published the
Request for Proposals (RFP) for the
Community Farm on the Busa property.�
LexFarm is working on a proposal that will
emphasize farm-based education and other
broad community benefits, combined with a
strong business plan to create a
self-sustaining farm operation.� Proposals
are due on June 3rd, and we expect
an award to be made by mid-summer.
If you would like more information about the
proposal, please contact Ken Karnofsky
at kenk...@gmail.com
Join
the Patriots' Day Parade with LexFarm!
We are pulling
out the giant carrots and dusting off the
walking pea pod...getting ready to march in
Lexington's Patriots' Day parade on Sunday,
April 14th!� (Note that it's on
Sunday this year because of Lexington's
300th anniversary ) This is one of the most
FUN events for everyone associated with
LexFarm as we make our way down
Massachusetts Ave. with our giant veggies
while thousands cheer us on!
Please let us know NOW if you plan to join
us...we need to prepare the vegetables and
order t-shirts! Please Sign Up Today!
http://bit.ly/Patriots_Day_Parade_Signup
If you are interested in helping to repair
and make more vegetable "puppets", please
contact board member Nancy Gold: nancya...@gmail.com
Farming:
Then and Now History Panel Recap
On March 17th,
LexFarm presented a Farm History panel
spanning 300 years of farming in Lexington
and the region. We were extremely fortunate
to have rich knowledge and presentations
from historians Dr. Mary Fuhrer and
Richard Kollen along with farmers Don
Wilson and Gus Schumacher who
shared experiences from their family farms
in Lexington. We are hoping to get the video
from the event, and add some additional
information and slides from Dennis Busa's
research to provide an interesting and
representative look at farming challenges in
this area over time.
If you have skills and
interest in video production, and an
interest in this project, please contact
us at in...@lexfarm.org.
Meanwhile, we send many thanks to LexFarm
member and historian Carolyn Goldstein
who organized and moderated the panel of
speakers.
LEXGWAC
Presents:� "Gasland" Film Screening
April
10th, Cary Memorial Library,
Large Meeting Room, 7 - 9pm
LexGWAC is
presenting "Gasland" a documentary on the
real effects on a small town of hydraulic
fracturing, commonly known as� "Fracking."
This event is free to the
public; for more information on the
event, please visit here.
News
from the Goat Yard
It's been a long winter for goats and
humans, with snow still on the the ground,
and green forage still only the rare pine
branch that makes its way to the yard...but
all that is about to change: LexFarm Member
Sam Anderson, who manages the
livestock and poultry programs at� New Entry Sustainable
Farming Project, is leading a goat
forage planting project this spring. The
first step will be to loosen the soil a bit
and spread a layer of compost. Then, mark
your calendar for Saturday, April 20th
when we'll have a planting workshop. By
summer, there should be some clover, oats
and chicory...delicious!
Kim Goldinger reports
that there have been sounds and other signs
of coyotes in the Busa Farm and goat yard
area, but we are fortunate that the goats
have a very secure barn where they stay from
early dusk to late dawn. Naya, the pregnant
doe, continues to do well and is expected to
kid in early May. No indication yet of how
many little ones will be jumping around the
yard this spring... stay tuned!
Membership
Corner
LexFarm
Board welcomes Nancy Gold and
Betsy Pollack
LexFarm held its 3rd Annual Meeting of
members on Sunday, April 24th, and
welcomed new board members Nancy Gold
and Betsy Pollack. Nancy brings a
wealth of experience educating and working
with children and the arts and
environment. She is leading the children's
educational programming for LexFarm, among
a few other things. Betsy first got
involved with LexFarm as one of our "peas
in a pod" when we marched in the Patriots'
Day parade in 2011! In addition to being a
good sport, she brings experience in
software development combined with a love
of food and growing projects. Betsy is
using her experience to help with our many
communications needs, from the website to
the newsletter. Please read more about
Nancy and Betsy on our website: http://lexfarm.org/aboutus/
LexFarm
Annual Meeting highlighted by
Karen Masterson
We
had a great Annual Meeting on Sunday at the
Depot in Lexington, when we elected our
2013-14 Officers and Board of Directors. We
reviewed another event-filled year, and
looked ahead to LexFarm's proposal to the
Town of Lexington for a community farm in
2014!
The highlight of the meeting was hearing Karen
Masterson, owner of nourish
Restaurant, speak about her wide range of
experiences with farms and growing food,
from her upbringing in Canada to the
challenges and considerations of sourcing
food from local farms and fisherman for her
restaurant in Lexington Center.
While we applauded the work Karen is doing
to bring awareness to the issues facing us
as we enjoy our restaurant meals, she
applauded and encouraged us to continue to
engage and educate the public through our
own hard work ofestablishing a community
farm. In all, it was a thought-provoking and
inspiring afternoon.
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 Twelve: European
Barberry (Berberis Vulgaris)
The European barberry bush, not to be
confused with the extremely invasive
Japanese barberry (berberis thunbergii),
had once commonly grown in New England
around the 18th century when it was known
as the "Common Barberry," yet is now less
common.� You can distinguish it from it's
distant relative in several ways.� The
European barberry grows up to 6-8 feet
tall, has ridged leaves, and produces
drooping clusters of egg-shaped, red
berries about a centimeter long in size,
while the Japanese barberry only grows 3-4
feet in height and has smooth-edged leaves
with orange-reddish berries that grow
singularly.� An easy way to remember this
difference is that Japan is a single
country (single berries) while Europe is
made up of a cluster of countries (berry
clusters).� The difference in taste
between both edible fruit is that the E.
barberry is juicier and more appetizing,
while J. barberries are known to be dry
and bitter-tasting.� While the E. barberry
is much less common in these parts
compared to the greatly unwanted J.
barberry, they can still be found growing
by 18th and 19th century farm houses and
along road sides.� They had once been a
popular fruit then, usually made as
preserves and eaten with roasted meats.�
You can find barberry bushes growing in
May when they are covered in clusters of
yellow, pungent-smelling flowers.�
Barberries do not ripen for eating until
the Fall, with their peak
picking time in mid-autumn, and can
grow well into wintertime and even the
following spring.� Barberries resemble
cranberries in flavor, although much
seedier when eaten raw.� They are best for
making jellies and fruit preserves as they
are high in pectin.
As for their health properties, barberry
stem and root bark are used to improve
liver function and bile flow by many
herbalists.� A few studies have also shown
they are good for reducing low-density
lipoproteins (LDLs), or "bad cholesterol."
�� � �� �
Further
Thinking
In
a recent article from Grist, an
urban garden run by low-income families in
a Cincinnati neighborhood, known as Eco
Garden, was recently saved from
urban housing development.� 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
Welcome New Board
Members
Annual Meeting Recap
Wild Edible Series
Further Thinking
Urban Garden Saved
from Housing Development Plans
Area Events
Note: member prices refer
to membership in the organization
hosting the event.
March
30, Newton
Community Farm, 9 am - 12 noon
4 Season
Gardening: Garden Structures and
Planting
Assist
in the building of a simple three bin
composting system and learn how to
incorporate and build simple trellises
and arbors into your garden
infrastructure. Begin early season
planting and learn about transplanting
and direct sowing as well as tips on
watering.
$45
non-member, $40 member
March
30,
Drumlin Farm, 10 am - 4 pm
Woolapalooza
t's a
sure sign of spring�time to shear the
sheep! Festival highlights include
Drumlin Farm's new spring babies,
sheep shearing and sheepherding
demonstrations, hands-on activities
for all ages, and all natural, locally
grown and harvested Drumlin Farm food.
Local fiber artisans will offer
demonstrations and sell their handmade
products. Follow the "Sheep-to-Sweater
Interpretive Trail" to learn how
fleece on a sheep becomes the warm
woolen sweater you wear.
$12
non-members, $10 members
April
6,�Brookline High,
Brookline, 1 - 3 pm
Gardening in
Small Spaces
Learn how to grow vegetables in small
spaces, including tiny plots and
growing containers.� This course will
cover planning and supplies to get you
started growing.��
$30 non-members, $24
NOFA members
April
6,
Garden in the Woods,
Framingham, 1:30 - 4:30 pm
Pruning
Shrubs with the Pros
Early
spring is an excellent
time to prune many woody
plants. In this hands-on
workshop, participants
work in small groups to
practice on woody members
of the Garden's shrub
collection. Discover ways
to enhance a plant's
vigor, health, and
appearance and learn which
tools to use, when to
prune, and how the plant
responds.
$43
non-members, $36 members
Conferences/Seminars
April
13, Medford, MA, 9 am
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 to make it more
environmentally friendly and
socially just.� Hear from notable
guest speakers and how they are
leading the way.
Free
Board
members
Janet Kern, President
Ken
Karnofsky, Vice-President
Derek Moody,
Treasurer
Nancy Gold
Jay Luker
Brenda Netreba
Betsy Pollack
Charlie Radoslovich
|