Farmstand Hours:
Wed - Fri 9 - 7pm
Sat & Sun 9 - 5pm |
Upcoming Events
Summer Harvest Drawing Classes with Kathleen Speranza
Ages 5 - 8, Aug 19th
Ages 9 - 13, Aug 26th
Ages 14 - Adult, Sept 23rd
$25 ($20 members) pre-registration required, sign up at farmstand.
Saturday Drop In Workshoops
$8 for CSA members $16 per member families, Meet at 9:30am under the tent:
Flowers and Butterflies Explore wildflowers and annuals that we've planted in the fields. We'll also look for butterflies and dragonflies around the farm. Saturday, August 25
Farm Chores Help to feed and give water to the pigs, chickens and other farm animals. Boots recommended. Saturday, September 8
Harvesting and Tasting Join us in the fields to harvest your very own vegetables to taste! We'll try a variety of crops and talk about great ways to prepare them at home. Saturday, September 15
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This Week's Share
Veggies:
Swiss Chard, Kale, Wild Greens, Radishes, Cabbage, Collards, Spinach, Tomatoes, Summer Squash, Cukes, Carrots, Beets, Garlic, Peppers, Hot Peppers.
PYO:
Parsley, Thyme, Oregano, Savory, Basil, Dill, Cilantro, String Beans, Blueberries (for all CSA members, not just fruit shares) Cherry Tomatoes!!!
Flower Shares:
20 stems, 3 Sun Flowers
Additional organic produce available for purchase |
Massachusetts Mums
Our farmstand is getting ready for the fall with our new mums, grown by Richard Bonano of Pleasant Valley Gardens in Methuen, Mass.
A little about the farmer...
Richard Bonano's family started Pleasant Valley Gardens in 1910 upon his great-grandfather's arrival from Italy. When he learned his uncle wanted to sell his share of the farm, Richard took his Ph. D. in Weed Science to work back at the family farm. He wholesales vegetables and flowers to Whole Foods Market, so we're thrilled to have his top quality mums greeting our customers here at Green Meadows Farm. | |
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Farmer Andrew's Report
What a storm on Monday! We had at least one lightening bolts hit our largest growing field. Aside from this last thunderstorm, growing conditions have been perfect. Squash, cukes, and tomatoes are yielding well. Peppers and eggplants are starting to perform.
I've seen a few members come by the Monday evening farmers market over on Cabot Street in Beverly. Thanks for coming by and helping this market get off the ground. I'm very proud that the farm is producing a bounty of vegetables and we can provide these vegetables in a more urban setting. We are approved to accept WIC, Farmers Market Coupons and food stamps at this market.
One important PYO notice that members really need to follow: In the "Pick Your Own" Field next to the farmstand, we have put a sign up asking members not to pick the tomatoes from a certain bed. It is very important that members stay out of this bed, otherwise our tomato season will only last a few more weeks. Many of the tomato plants are diseased with 'Early Blight'. Blight spreads very easily in the rain, is extremely contagious, which is why all tomatoe beds are closed during rainy days, shortly after a rain or on dewy mornings. If your distribution happens to fall on a rainy day, come back some other day to do your picking. Despite the sign that's up, I had to chase a couple young members out of the quarenteed bed on Saturday. We can't simply "rip out" the infected plants due to risk of contamination to the other plants during the process. Don't worry, blight does not harm humans, so eating a tomato from a plant with blight will not be toxic. |
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 Tomato 101
We've had quite a few questions about our tomatos so we thought we'd do an article explaining the different varities we grow here on the farm.
Botanically speaking, the tomato you eat is a fruit. So are watermelon, green pepper, eggplant, cucumber, and squash. A "fruit" is any fleshy material covering a seed or seeds.
Horticulturally speaking, the tomato is a vegetable plant. Most fruits, from a horticulture perspective, are grown on a woody plant (apples, cherries, raspberries, oranges); the exception is strawberries.
In 1893, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the tomato was a "vegetable" and therefore subject to import taxes. The suit was brought by a consortium of growers who wanted it declared a vegetable to protect U.S. crop development and prices.
Tomatoes belong to the same family (Solanaceae) as potatoes, peppers and eggplants. Lycopersicon esculentum (tomato) is a perennial plant in the tropics but in northern climates it is grown as an annual. The tomato is a native of the Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador area of the Andes Mountains. It was not until the early 19th century that the tomato was considered suitable as a food crop in the northeastern United States.
Most of the varities grown at Green Meadows are "Heirloom", meaning an old variety with "old fashoned" tomato taste.
Cherry Tomatoes:
Sungold (photo to the right) tomatoes are everyone's favortie and especially ideal for children. They are orange when ripe and very sweet tasting. Other cherry tomato varities include red cherry, grape and pear. These are red when ripe and the names come from the obvious shapes they resemble.
 Tomatillos (pictured left) are also known as husk cherries and common in many mexican dishes. The fruit is ripe when firm and green. Even though they are green, they should not be confused with green tomatoes, which are simply unripe red tomatoes. Ground cherries (pictured right) are the most unusual cherry tomato that we grow.  Ground cherries taste like a tomato/pineapple or strawberry blend and we hear they are terrific dipped in chocolate.
Paste Tomatoes:
"P  lum or Paste" tomatoes are the best choice for sauces and drying because of their low water content. We grow Amish Paste (shown left), San Marzano, Debarao and Romas. They are excellent for canning, sauces, soups, etc.
Slicers: "Beefstake" is the general name given to large tomatoes grown for slicing. Their flavor depends on the ratio of sugar to acid. One of our favorite slicer is "Striped  German" because of it's flavor. Often passed up by retail customers because of the cracking that can occur on the flesh, these tomatoes are what summer is all about! Bandywines are also a customer favorite and have a deep blood red color and ugly appearance on the outside, but the taste is amazing. Moskvich is the most popular tomato we sell, because of it's uniform round appearance, similar to what people are used to purchasing in the grocery store.
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The American Traveling Morrice - Coming to the Farm!
On Thursday, August 23rd at 4:30pm, the farm will be stage to dance group "The Traveling Morrice".
The American Travelling Morrice is comprised of dancers and musicians from across North America and abroad. While many of them perform regularly with teams in our hometowns, they come together for one week each year to form the Travelling Morrice. Since 1976, the group has toured throughout the Northeastern United States.
 Morris dancing is an English country tradition, with roots in medieval street theatre. For hundreds of years, teams of white-clad men have capered and stepped through the intricate patterns of the dance, clashing wooden sticks and waving handkerchiefs in time to lively traditional tunes.
The American Travelling Morrice continues this tradition for a week each summer, bringing the morris dance to a new geographical region. Since 1976, the men have toured throughout New York, New England and Pennsylvania, with performances at such settings as The House of Seven Gables, Newport Folk Festival, and Old Montreal.
A morris "stand" is a colorful spectacle. The dancers, with small bells strapped to their legs, leap through complex figures accompanied by the music of the accordion, fiddle, or the ancient pipe and tabor. Directing the proceedings with comical grace is the all-licensed Fool, whose antics amuse the onlookers and harass the dancers. Moreover, it was thought in ancient times that morris dancing brought good luck and prosperity to the community. Click here for more information on the Traveling Morrice. |
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Product Spotlight: Appledore Cove
 Jeff Garstka and Tom Gorski met while working for a high tech company in the Boston area. They became friends and soon discovered they shared a fun loving entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for food!
One day a conversation between the two sparked the idea of producing Tom's coveted family recipe for marinara sauce and selling it at local festivals. Soon, using the freshest locally grown produce and herbs, they were inspired to create other products in small batches as well.
Their small selection of carefully hand prepared jams, salsas (and of course, Tom's grandmothers marinara sauce) were introduced at Market Square Day, a local festival in 2002. The pair had stayed up the entire night before, hand labeling jars and packing their rented van in just enough time to set up for the festival.
Since that day Appledore Cove's product line has expanded but their dedication and passion to create the most flavorful products in small batches has endured. Check out our selection of Appledore Cove in our grocery section! |
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