Stearns Farm news, etc.
Documentary Film: Disappearing Act: A World Without Bees
Wed 9 Jun 2010 4:57pm
Wednesday, June 16, 7:00pm, Main Library, Costin Room
Framingham Public Library and Whole Foods Market Framingham present a timely documentary from the award-winning producers of the PBS Chefs A’ Field series. This episode investigates the looming crisis of disappearing bees. Honeybees pollinate over one-third of the foods we eat and they are dying off in record numbers from something scientists call Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). In addition to exploring the profound effect of their loss on U.S. agriculture and the economy, the film also tells the ways in which these important creatures can be helped.
Refreshments provided by Whole Food Market Framingham
more here . . .
Stearns Farm Spring Celebration and Orientation
Fri 14 May 2010 9:11am
Stearns Farm Spring Celebration and Orientation
SUNDAY, MAY 23, 2010
| 11:00–11:30 | Orientation for New Members (or anyone who would like a refresher on how pick up days work) |
| 11:30–12:00 | Walking Tour of the Farm with Kathy Huckins |
| 12:00 | Potluck: Bring a dish to share (that serves about 8) Remember to bring plates, cups and silverware. We will not provide disposable dishes. Farmer’s Welcome By Kathy Huckins Poems read by Brian Huckins |
| 1:00 | Music by String Along New England Traditional New England Contra Dance Music performed by Steven Cushing, Damaris Rohsenow, and Jim Guinness, traditional musicians Herb Identification Walk in Penelope’s Garden Rock painting in the Children’s Garden After the music Hay Rides |
more here . . .
FARM LIFE IN SOUTH SUDBURY at the SUDBURY TOWN HALL, on MARCH 7th, 2010 at 2pm.
Wed 3 Mar 2010 5:23pm
The SUDBURY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Inc.
Presents: FARM LIFE IN SOUTH SUDBURY
At the SUDBURY TOWN HALL, on MARCH 7th, 2010 at 2pm.
Our local FARMER: ERNIE BEER will entertain and inform you, as only he can, about FARM LIFE IN SOUTH SUDBURY from the 1880's to the 1950's. The part of Sudbury the program is about is the lower end of LANDHAM ROAD. See it thru the eyes of families that lived in that area, and took pictures of their Farms, thru the years. SEE how where you now live once was a busy farm.
FARMER BEER will be taking you on an antique PHOTOGRAPHIC tour of the extensive Ames & Smith Farms, plus the Wright Farm.
We want to thank the McGraw Family, Town Historian Curt Garfield, the Wright Family, and Hal Cutler for their help in this program.
Hal Cutler's restored 1933 FORD Model BB Stake Body TRUCK will be on display in front of the Sudbury Town Hall during the program,as this truck was used in the Landham Road area from the 30's on. By the way if you have a picture of Hal's truck in use, back then, Hal will give the SHS a reward of $100. The Truck's doors once said "R.R.Cutler, So. Sudbury".
Refreshments will be served after the entertainment.
ALL WELCOME!
Sincerely,
The Officers & Board of Trustees,
SUDBURY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Inc.
http://www.sudbury01776.org
more here . . .
CSA Fair and Film in Somerville, January 11 @ 6pm
Tue 5 Jan 2010 7:13pm
Monday January 11 is the day of the FIRST-EVER SOMERVILLE FARM SHARE FAIR, followed by a special film screening of "The Power of Community" at the Somerville Public Library (79 Highland Ave)
- SOMERVILLE FARM SHARE FAIR :: 6PM - Free Admission
presented by Somerville Climate Action + Boston Localvores + Groundwork Somerville
Each year, local farms throughout the Greater Boston region offer weekly subscriptions to their delicious, fresh, and often-organic produce — delivered right close to home. But getting information on these shares (called CSAs, or community-supported agriculture) can be near-impossible. This year, we're bringing all of the farms together in one place, so you can get the information you need to get signed up. Bring in your checkbook to reserve a share!
- THE POWER OF COMMUNITY :: 7PM - Free Admission
presented by State Rep. Denise Provost + Transition Somerville
After the Soviet Union collapsed in 1990, Cuba faced catastrophic cuts in its oil and food supplies. In the face of the crisis, creative communities came together to transition to a more sustainable path, through organic farming and urban gardening. Their inspiring story offers hope for us all as we enter an era of rising fuel costs and impending global warming threats. Please join us after the film for a brief discussion.
more here . . .
Global Climate Action Day, Sat. Oct 24, 2009
Thu 15 Oct 2009 1:00pm
On October 24, join people all over the world to take a stand for a safe climate future. In December political leaders will meet in Copenhagen to iron out the treaty that may determine the Earth's future. This event is intended to focus politicians awareness on the science and the citizens over special interests. A regional rally is being held at Old North Bridge in Concord, MA at 2pm (flyer here). There will also be a rally in Sudbury on the town common (rt 27 & Concord Rd) at 10am followed by lunch and forming carpools to the Concord rally. The global event has been organized by 350.org and locally by http://gwenet.org.
Many churches including First Parish's of Framingham (4pm) and Sudbury (10am) will be tolling their bells 350 times on Oct 24 to call attention to the urgent need to reduce the atmospheric CO2 level to 350 ppm.
Why is 350 the most important number now for you, your children and the Earth?
See 350.orgmore here . . .
NOFA food preservation workshops on September 19th
Thu 3 Sep 2009 9:13am
The Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA/Mass) is holding workshops on how to preserve food from the fall harvest in two Boston area locations on September 19. The event is part of the Massachusetts Food Preservation Workshop Day, which has been organized to meet the resurgence of interest in local foods and self-reliance. One workshop will be held from 10:00am to 4:00pm at the Natick Community Organic Farm on 117 Eliot Street in South Natick and another will be held from 9:00am to 12:00pm at the home of Jill Ebbott on 70 Beaconsfield Road in Brookline. Similar events will be held in 9 other towns and cities throughout the state (link) on the same day.
“Every year people are making more backyard gardens and enjoying the tremendous wealth of produce available from local farms in the fall. To enjoy this bounty into the winter it’s helpful to re-learn some techniques for preserving food at home that our grandparents probably used but that many of us haven’t learned yet,” said Ben Grosscup, the event organizer. “With this event, we're offering the public an opportunity to learn from experienced food preservation educators the basic skills they need to get started.”
Sharon Kane of Ashland is a major proponent of lacto-fermented foods, which is the food preservation technique that she’ll be focusing on at the Natick workshop. In lacto-fermentation, salt is added to suppress the bacteria species that cause food to spoil while also fostering the growth of beneficial lacto bacillus bacteria that produce the natural preservative, lactic acid. “Lacto-fermentation works on the principle that fresh vegetables are covered with beneficial microbes, which given the right environment, multiply and then transform the sugars and the starches in produce into beneficial bacteria, yeasts, vitamins, and enzymes,” said Kane.
Kane got started as a food educator based on her own personal struggles with illness. “I was once quite over-prescribed with anti-biotics, and the result was that the beneficial bacteria in my body had been severely diminished,” she said. “When I first started incorporating lacto-fermented vegetables into my diet, I immediately felt a boost in my energy level and overall health. When you eat lacto-fermented vegetables, you are getting a really powerful dose of pro-biotics, and for just a few dollars – the same cost as the vegetables themselves plus a little salt.
“Live foods like this are the best kind of food we can be eating. The process is also simple and ancient, and it adds both flavor and nutritional value to everyday foods like cabbage and cucumbers.”
The workshop will provide hands-on opportunities to learn the techniques, as well as explaining the scientific principles that make the process work, and the health benefits of lacto-fermentation.
The workshop in Brookline will be taught by Jill Ebbott, NOFA/Mass board member, pregnancy nutrition counselor, and avid practitioner of lacto-fermentation, which is the food preservation technique on which her workshop will focus.
Ebbott says that although many people today are not familiar with lacto-fermentation – largely due to the packaging standards of commercial agribusiness – many cultures throughout the world have been using this technique to preserve food for millennia. “Fermentation is part of our ancestral wisdom. It allows us to step back in time, take control of our health as our ancestors did, and turn away from our toxic food culture. Real food is powerful, and it's a part of self-reliance.”
Participants in Brookline will also learn techniques for culturing dairy and making yoghurt, whey, and a simple cream cheese, and brewing some very nutritious non-alcoholic beverages including lacto-fermented sodas, beet kvass, and kombucha. Workshop participants are encouraged to bring their own questions to the workshops.
"You can save money, lessen your dependence on the global corporate food chain, and provide wonderful flavor and nutrition all year round for your family by incorporating these food preservation techniques into your life,” said Grosscup. “The best time to preserve food is the same as when backyard gardens and local farm stands reach the height of the season’s harvest. Savoring fresh summer flavors is an enjoyable way to make it through the winter.”
In addition to South Natick and Brookline, workshops are also being held in, Concord, Groton, Princeton, Winchendon Springs, Shelburne, Cummington, Northampton, Springfield, and Great Barrington.
To register, visit www.nofamass.org, or contact Ben Grosscup 413-658-5374, <ben.grosscup
nofamass.org>. The Natick workshop cost is $50, and there is a $5 discount for membership in NOFA/Mass. There is also a $5 discount for registration on or before September 5, 2009. Pre-registration is requested, but on-site registration is available for an extra $5 charge. If you plan to do a walk-in registration, please call in advance to find out if there is space availability. A potluck lunch will be shared at the Natick event, and registrants are invited to bring something to share or bring their own lunch. The Brookline workshop is $35 with a $3 discount for non members.###
CALENDAR LISTING
FOOD PRESERVATION WORKSHOPS IN BOSTON AREA
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2009
A) Natick Community Organic Farm, 117 Eliot St, South Natick
10am-4pm $45 NOFA members and $50 non members
B) Home of Jill Ebbott, 70 Beaconsfield Road, Brookline
9am-12 noon
$32 NOFA members and $35 non members
The Natick workshop will focus on lacto-fermentation a process in which salt is added to suppress the bacteria species that cause food to spoil while also fostering the growth of beneficial lacto bacillus bacteria that produce the natural preservative, lactic acid.
Participants in Brookline will learn techniques for lacto-fermentation, culturing dairy and making yoghurt, whey, and a simple cream cheese, and brewing some very nutritious non-alcoholic beverages including lacto-fermented sodas, beet kvass, and kombucha. Workshop participants are encouraged to bring their own questions to the workshops.
This event is part of the Massachusetts Food Preservation Workshop Day, which has been organized to meet the resurgence of interest in local foods and self-reliance. In addition to South Natick and Brookline, workshops are also being held in, Concord, Groton, Princeton, Winchendon Springs, Shelburne, Cummington, Northampton, Springfield, and Great Barrington.
To register, visit www.nofamass.org, or contact Ben Grosscup 413-658-5374, <ben.grosscup
nofamass.org>. Pre-registration is requested, but on-site registration is available for an extra $5 charge. If you are planning to do a walk-in registration, please call in advance to find out if there is space availability. A potluck lunch will be shared at the Natick workshop, and registrants are invited to bring something to share or bring their own lunch.more here . . .
A Stearns Farm Sharer's review of the film Food Inc.
Wed 22 Jul 2009 10:42am
This afternoon M. and I saw the documentary film "Food, Inc." in Waltham, which I feel is an absolute must see for all. (Also being shown at Coolidge Corner.) Encourage your friends to go.
After seeing the film I don't think I ever want to purchase beef again (unless grass fed on a small farm) and not purchase chicken from a factory farm. Same for pork. The first thing M. said after the film was that if she owned Monsanto or Tyson stock she would sell it immediately. Only about 3 major manufacturers of food now exist in USA. The FDA effectively does nothing. Food is grown and processed in a humongous mass production method with lots of machinery and in a manner where all is teetering on the edge of disaster. Disaster due to animal disease barely kept under control and growing animal feed and food as a gigantic monoculture. Human treatment of animals no longer exists. See http://www.foodincmovie.com and http://www.takepart.com/foodinc
I already knew the meat industry was not ethical and free of disease, etc., but this film obtained "inside" pictures the food manufacturers don't want the public to see. One of the farmers finally felt the way she was forced to grow chickens was too unethical to continue to keep quiet so let her and her farm be filmed. Her whole operation got fired for doing this. She now finds that if she needs antibiotics when sick, she can no longer use any. 73,000 Americans get sick each year from food born disease and obesity is out of control and farmland is going down-hill while many streams are highly polluted. The real cost of food far exceeds what one spends in the supermarket.
The film drives home that if we are to stay healthy and assist the planet being more sustainable there is an urgent need to purchase food locally grown by small farmers and to be members of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and Community Supported Fishery (CSF), and/or shop at farmers markets.
more here . . .
WBUR program on sustainable AG in MA
Sat 20 Jun 2009 7:53am
Here's a link to the hour-long documentary about sustainable agriculture in MA that WBUR ran last Friday. CSAs played a starring role.
http://www.radioboston.org/shows/2009/06/10/local-sustainable-agriculture-2/
Nomi
more here . . .
Come to the Spring Celebration, Sunday June 7th, New sharers 11am, Potluck at noon.
Wed 3 Jun 2009 4:55pm
This Sunday, June 7th we are kicking off our 2009 season with a Spring Celebration. Meet new sharers, talk to board members, rekindle old relationships, share new recipes, bring friends and enjoy the beauty of our farm. Pick-ups will start a few days later, on June 9th and 12th.
Come at 11:00 for a new sharer orientation. It can also be a refresher for seasoned members. We will discuss the logistics of picking up your share as well as what to do with it when you get home. At 11:30 we will walk the fields and discuss our growing practices. You will be introduced to the new locations of most of our crops. Crop rotation is one of our organic practices; it is not meant to confuse you.
Our potluck will begin at noon. This is your opportunity to shine by bringing in your favorite dish that feeds around 8 people. Please bring a card stating the ingredients of your dish. It helps those with restricted diets make healthy choices. Have fun, be creative and colorful. We all love to eat, especially food prepared by others. TO BE ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE, WE ARE NOT USING DISPOSIBLE PRODUCTS. PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN PLATES, UTENSILS, CUPS AND NAPKINS. You can wash them at the sink before you go home.
After feasting and poetry and a welcoming to all, we are pleased to have a performance of traditional New England barn dance music by Steven Cushing and Damaris Rohsenow. As we are tapping and clapping and maybe even dancing, the children are invited to paint rocks that will be used to define areas in the children's garden. The Herb Garden crew will give a tour of Penelope's Herb Garden. Following the music performance we will offer hayrides for the kids, young and old.
A note about our parking lot. We are switching the exit and entrance to our farm. Please turn into what used to be the exit at the west end of the lot and go out the east end by the mailbox. Be patient with those who forget.
Come, sit under the apple tree and celebrate the beginning of our season. I look forward to seeing you Sunday.
Peace,
Kathy Huckins, Farm Manager
PS If you have any questions or would like to volunteer to help with setup or cleanup for the day, please contact Gudrun Baubock at gudrunbaubock
gmail.com .more here . . .
Great Solar Panel Deal in MA
Wed 27 May 2009 11:34am
If you or someone you know has a nice south facing roof you should check this out: http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/articles/2009/05/24/sun_for_rent/
- It's an old energy problem with a new solution: After decades of facing prohibitively high costs to install solar panels, Massachusetts residents will be able to lease the panels for a tiny fraction of their upfront cost.
Instead of paying $25,000 or more to buy solar panels, homeowners will have to shell out only about $1,000 to install the energy collecting devices on roofs. The companies involved in the leases say most homeowners will be able to recoup the initial cost within seven years through electricity savings - and then save money on future bills by locking in the rate they pay for the electricity generated by the leased panels.
...The Bay State is not expected to have such generous rebates for long. Already, 716 Commonwealth Solar rebates have been awarded, amounting to more than $25.5 million, according to state officials. Of that, 587 are homes, 113 are commercial or industrial buildings, and 16 are public entities.
more here . . .
How to use your Stearns Farm popcorn
Thu 8 Jan 2009 3:38pm
Stearns Farm Assistant Grower, Chris Kantlehner, tell us how to make the perfect bowl of local, organic popcorn—from start to finish.
You can also see this on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqGpoi-v9KE.
more here . . .
2008 Stearns Farm CSA Harvest Festival
Thu 25 Sep 2008 10:59am
STEARNS FARM HARVEST FESTIVAL
Sunday, September 28th
COME CELEBRATE THE BOUNTY OF OUR 2008 SEASON
12:00 Dedication of the Root Cellar
- POTLUCK: Please bring a main dish, side dish, or dessert to feed 8 people. This is a time to showcase recipes using produce from our farm. Coffee, tea (hot and cold) will be provided.
Remember to bring your own plates, cups, and silverware! There will be no paper goods available.
1:30 BRIEF ANNUAL MEETING led by the Stearns Farm Board
- REFLECTIONS on a decade of farming at Stearns by Kathy Huckins
1:30 on PAINT YOUR OWN PUMPKIN
- MAKE AN HERB/FLOWER WREATH
- PRINT YOUR OWN T-SHIRT with farm vegetables
- FACE PAINTING
- HERB GARDEN WALK AND TEA TASTING
2:00 on COME FOR A HAYRIDE
- MUSIC by bluegrass band THREE TALL PINES
- Stearns’ Own POPCORN
more here . . .
Reaping dividends - Boston Globe article on local CSAs
Fri 15 Aug 2008 9:01am
By Christina Pazzanese, Boston Globe, August 14, 2008. "Across the state, CSA programs appear to be thriving, said David Webber, farmers market coordinator for the state's Department of Agricultural Resources. 'What we've been seeing this year, the CSAs have sold out and most have a waiting list,' ... there are 68 CSAs listed with the state, and he estimates there could be as many as 91 in Massachusetts. 'We're seeing a lot of farms that were doing farmers markets are now doing CSAs,' he said, noting one of the first CSA farms in the country was launched in 1985 in Western Massachusetts, at Indian Line Farm in Great Barrington."
link to article
more here . . .
A Wild Ramble — learning about wild edible plants
Wed 9 Jul 2008 9:42am
Tuesday July 22nd, the Stearns Farm community will have the opportunity to experience something quite original. The Sudbury River Valley is home to over 100 species of edible wild plants, many of which are even more nutritious than their cultivated counterparts. Russ Cohen, expert forager and author of Wild Plants I Have Known...and Eaten, will be taking us on a two hour ramble through Stearns Farm and the adjacent woodlands to learn about more than two dozen species of edible wild plants. Pending favorable weather conditions, several edible mushroom species may be encountered as well. Keys to identifying each species will be provided, along with information on edible portions, seasons of availability and preparation methods. Russ will also give us general guidelines for safe and environmentally-responsible foraging.
The ramble will take place on the evening of Tuesday, July 22, and sign-ups will take place soon, so stay tuned. You won't want to miss out on this unique adventure!
more here . . .
The Harvest Festival Sunday, Sept 30th
Sun 7 Oct 2007 12:00am
A collage of photos from our 2007 Harvest Festival.
Photos thanks to Claudia Gustafson.
more here . . .
Revision 1. Last edited Wed 9 Jul 2008 9:24am by TomYelton