News from Greg Maslowe, Farm Manager With fall coming and the fields full of vegetables, wildlife is returning to the farm. The deer and mice are starting to be a nuisance, but the hawks, owls, coyotes, and foxes are keeping the crop damage from getting out of hand. In the last issue of the newsletter, I began talking about why our produce sometimes looks different from what you buy in the grocery store. Part of this difference is due to our dependence on the work of volunteers. Volunteer efforts are crucial to the success of NACF. Despite its small size, there is more work than one farmer can manage alone. We rely on community members to help in all aspects of the farm, from planting to harvest, painting the farmhouse to fund-raising. When it comes to the harvest, this is especially true. Harvesting is the most labor-intensive part of farming—a time when all the work of the season literally comes to fruition. Each week we pick, wash, and sort hundreds of pounds of produce. For example, in a typical week we pick about 400 lbs of tomatoes alone! This labor requires the help of hard working volunteers. Working with volunteers means that I often have people picking vegetables for the first time. I love this, because an important role of the farm is to introduce people in very concrete ways to where their food comes from. Too many of us only know what vegetables look like after they have been culled, scrubbed, trimmed, and often waxed. Our volunteer group also includes many children. Again, I believe that introducing children to where food comes from is one of the missions of NACF. Working with children and adults new to harvesting means that sometimes our produce does not look as professional as it might if we had a hired harvesting crew. But this trade off is part of what makes us a community farm. I extend my heart felt thanks to all the volunteers who have harvested with me this season. Your efforts have made this season possible and I hope have enriched your lives. I look forward to working with you, along with all the NACF volunteers, in the years to come. -Greg Maslowe

Supporting the Farm As always, donations to the farm are greatly appreciated (and are now tax-deductible!). Please make checks payable to Newton Community Farm and send them to NCF, 303 Nahanton Street, Newton, MA 02459. This month, we have on our wish list a locking file cabinet for the farm office. If you have one you can donate (also tax-deductible), please contact Greg at (617) 797-1611 or NewtonCommunityFarm@comcast.net. Finally, we would like to thank National Lumber for the great discount they gave us on paint for the interior of the house!

Italian Pole Beans at Newton Community Farm If you observed the two green leafy tepees at the farm, you may have wondered what is growing on them. They are a special type of Italian pole bean. These beans came from the village of San Donato, Italy, located about 40 miles south of Rome. The seeds were brought to the U.S. by Donato Tempesta, the grandfather of a Newton resident, Sandra Corsetti. Donato, who arrived in the US in 1915 at the age of 15, lived in Brighton, MA, where he grew pole beans, tomatoes and arugula for 70 years. The Donato pole beans are capable of growing at least 15 feet tall. Donato’s rule was to plant only 2 beans to a tall pole, and to pick the beans while they were young and still flat. Sandra Corsetti shared some of her bean seeds with neighbor Margaret Fogel, who planted seeds for the Newton Community Farm. Sam Fogel and Greg built each tepee out of six, 10-foot long iron rebars. Sandra recommends cooking the beans as follows: saute garlic and onions until onions are golden in color. Next, add the beans and a little water and cook for several minutes. -Sam Fogel

Readying the farmhouse Greg and his family will be moving into the farmhouse by the end of the September, and there has been a lot of activity getting ready. The deleading contractor is essentially done, and teams of volunteers have been working to finish the upstairs and complete the kitchen which is getting a full renovation. We still need people to help with wall preparation, and painting walls, ceilings and trim. We will also need some folks to assemble IKEA cabinetry. There will be one final push the last week of September. If you can spare even a half day, we need you to show up and help out. Contact Sam Fogel (Sam@Fogel.com or 617-969-9039) or myself (pbarrer@verizon.net or 617-630-0923) to put yourself in this picture and finish readying the farmhouse for Greg and his family. -Peter Barrer

Save the Date – October 22nd – Harvest Festival! Come join us Sunday October 22nd between 12 noon and 3 pm to celebrate the success of our first growing season. Plans include tours, history of the farm, activities for adults and children, food, music and special recognitions/awards. More details will be provided on web site as plans are confirmed. It would be helpful for our planning process if you would rsvp to newtoncommunityfarm@yahoo.com and let us know if you are coming and how many children and adults plan to attend. If you do not have e-mail access, you may rsvp by telephone, just call 617-969-9039 and leave a message for Sam Fogel. If you have any interest in helping to plan this event (particularly activities for children), please let us know in your message. We look forward to seeing you there! -Carol Ann Faber

Thursday, Oct. 12 at 7:30pm: Farms and Families in 18th Century Newton We are pleased to be co-sponsoring this free lecture at the Newton History Museum. In the years leading up to the American Revolution, Newton's farm families worked together to provide good homes and hopeful futures for their children. Though we have the same goals today, these families' lives now seem remote to us because their records are buried in archives, and their farms are covered with streets and houses. In this talk, social historian Mary Fuhrer will recreate the world of 18th-century Newton farm families, and explain how she recovered their lost history. Mary Fuhrer holds a B.A. from Princeton University, an M.A. from George Mason University, and is currently a Ph.D. student at the University of New Hampshire. She has worked as a museum historian and educator for the past 10 years, including as project historian for archaeological excavations and exhibits on colonial farming and everyday life at both Fruitlands Museum and the Museum of Our National Heritage. This lecture is cosponsored by the Newton Schools Foundation, The Newton Hsitory Museum, Newton Farm Commission, and Newton Angino Community Farm.