April
25, 2013
RFP Update
 We are busy
working on our proposal for the Town of
Lexington's community farm on the Busa Farm
property. We're very excited about all it
provides: farm-based education for all ages, food
assistance to those in need, walking trails to
connect to other public land, and of course,
wonderful, fresh, organic, locally-grown food for
ALL. You can play a big part in supporting our
proposal that has been four years in the making:
Please consider
a generous donation today so we can
demonstrate strong and widespread community
support when we submit our proposal by June 3rd.
THANK YOU.
Vermiculture
Workshop Sunday!
April
28th, Sunday, Busa Farm, 4 - 6 pm
![worm compost]() LexFarm and
the Whipple Hill Food Cooperative join
together to present this workshop, led by
LexFarm board member Nancy Gold:
Vermiculture, or composting with worms,
creates a water-soluble, nutrient-rich
fertilizer that can be used as a soil
conditioner in your home garden. This is an
easy way to get your food scraps out of the
waste stream while creating your own
fertilizer.
In this class we will put together a worm
bin for each participant and you can see an
established bin. Upon leaving the class you
will be set up and ready to begin composting
your fruit & vegetable scraps in a bin
that can easily be stored in your basement or
garage. Fee is $20 for supplies, $15 for
LexFarm members. Register with
the Whipple Hill group here.
Click the button to "Join and RSVP": joining
the group is free (and reversible, as you
like.).
LexFarm
Learn and Work: Pasture Planting
On Saturday, April 20th, Sam Anderson,
Livestock Program Coordinator at New Entry
Sustainable Farming Project, led a group
of LexFarm volunteers in a Learn and Work event
to plant an experimental pasture at the LexFarm
Goat Yard. First, a portion of the grazing
enclosure was weeded. Then, oats, clover, and
chicory seeds were sown. The oats will provide
a tasty treat for the goats, the clover will
"fix" the nitrogen in the soil, and chicory will
provide tannins to boost the digestive health of
the goats. Finally, the seeds were covered with
many wheelbarrows of compost. Depending on the
weather, the seeds should start to germinate in
the next week, and the pasture will fill in over
the next few months.
As it grows, the result
of the pasture planting can be compared with
other areas. Half of the enclosure was left
unplanted with the existing vegetation in
place. In addition, an area was seeded, but
will be fenced off from the goats to see how
the pasture fills in without being grazed and
fertilized by the goats.
Thanks to all the
volunteers who came out to make this project
quick work by many hands. We hope you'll visit
the goat yard this spring and summer and
follow the progress!
Goat
Yard Update
 The goats
are enjoying the recent warm weather and the many
visitors that stopped by during public visiting
hours this past Sunday. We are watching Naya and
expect that she will deliver her kids within a few
weeks, possibly the first week of May. Follow us
on Twitter
or Facebook
to hear the news as soon as it happens!
A Seed
Story
May
14th, Tuesday, Children's Storytime Room,
Cary Library, 4 - 5 pm
 Have your
little ones ever wondered where seeds come from
and how plants grow?
Come to this story time, A Seed Story, and learn
about different kinds of seeds, the plant life
cycle, and plant vegetable seeds to take home.
This program is for children grades K-2;
pre-registration is required. Attendance
is limited to 15. Sign up in person
at the library beginning Tuesday, April 30th at
7:00 p.m. Phone reservations (781-862-6288)
accepted at the library beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Visit our website
to find out more.
Membership Corner
Membership
Renewals
Is it time to renew your LexFarm
membership?
Please help us by checking to see if your
membership has expired as we have not sent
out reminder notices recently. Your
membership can be easily renewed online at http://lexfarm.org/membership/,
or by sending a check payable to Lexington
Community Farm Coalition at P.O. Box 554,
Lexington, MA 02420. If you have
any questions, contact us at membe...@lexfarm.org.
Thanks in advance for your continued support!
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 Fourteen: Dandelions
 Dandelions are readily available
for picking around the spring time, best for
harvesting around late April to early May. It is
best to eat them when the leaves are still young
and tender and the flowers are still buds,
otherwise, when mature they can taste bitter.
Dandelions can generally be found along the
edges of farms, athletic fields, or even your
own back yard. Once you've collected
dandelions, put them in a container with cold
water and stir them around to remove any dirt.
After they are cleaned, boil them for only a
minute, then serve them as is, add them to your
favorite vegetable dishes, or freeze them for
later use. They make tasty greens with flavors
that resemble artichoke and spinach.
Further Thinking
With Earth Day recently behind us, there are still
some things we can do to help the environment.
This article on 13
Things Everyone Can Do in 2013 can guide you
through adopting more eco-friendly and sustainable
food practices.
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
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Membership Corner
Wild Edible Series
Area Events
Note:
member prices refer to membership in the
organization hosting the event.
April 27, Drumlin
Farm, 12 noon - 4 pm
Cheesemaking
- The Next Level
Fresh cheeses are wonderful but they are only
the beginning. Come learn about cultures,
beneficial bacteria, pressing, and curing. You
will explore methods of creating delicious aged
cheeses with relatively little equipment and
fuss. You will discuss aging, creating a cheese
cave, and building a cheese press. Registrants
must have taken Simple Cheesemaking or have
equivalent experience.
$78 non-members, $65 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
May 4, Lincoln, 9:30 - 12 noon
Small-Scale
Agriculture - Spring is Here
Winter planning is over and now it's time to get
to work. This is an opportunity to experience a
very successful home gardening set-up with a
master gardener. You will also cover all the
basics of getting started for the season. Learn
how to create a working compost system, bed
preparation, planting seeds, transplanting
seedlings, dividing herbs, pruning blueberries,
raspberries and fruit trees, and cover crops.
$40 non-members, $30 MA Audubon members
May 7, June 4, and July 9, Waltham Fields
Community Farm, 5:30 - 7:30 pm
Herbal
Remedies Workshop Series
Join Katherine Gekas, herbalist and WFCF member,
for 3 two-hour introductory workshop series
about herbal remedies. Each of the three
workshops you will learn about two to three
medicinal herbs found growing on the farm.
Katherine will guide participants on how to
identify and harvest herbs then how to prepare
one or two products of each herb that you will
able to take home at the end of the workshop.
$70 non-members, $60 members
May 11, May 18 and May 19, Waltham
Fields Community Farm, 9 am - 4 pm
Seedling
Sales
Waltham Fields Community Farm is happy to offer
you seedlings for your home and community garden
plots. You will find a good selection of compact
plant varieties ideal for smaller garden spaces.
They always buy non-treated seeds, and organic
seeds when possible, and grow using organic
methods with nutrient-rich potting soil in their
greenhouses.
May 11, Waltham Fields Community Farm, 10
am - 12 noon
Container
Garden Workshop
Join Dede Dussault, creator and tender of WFCF's
own food-focused container garden. Learn how to
prepare and take care of your very own container
garden. Dede will share with you her favorite
containers, plants that grow well together, and
types of soil mixes that work best in
containers. You will leave with one planted
container to get you off to a good start; all
supplies provided.
$40 non-members, $30 members
May 11 and 12, Newton Community Farm,
12 noon - 3 pm
Seedling
Sale
Start your garden with hearty seedlings from
Newton Community Farm! Choose from a wide array
of vegetable and herb varieties, the same ones
they have used and tested in their fields. All
the seedlings are hardened off and most are
ready for planting upon pick-up. Talk to expert
gardeners who will be on hand to answer your
questions.
$5 for four or six packs of plants
Board members
Janet Kern, President
Ken Karnofsky, Vice-President
Derek Moody, Treasurer
Nancy Gold
Jay
Luker
Brenda Netreba
Betsy Pollack
Charlie Radoslovich
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