Farmstand Hours:
Current hours:
Fri, Sat & Sun
9 - 5pm
Starting May 27th
Tuesday - Sunday
9am - 7pm
(Closed Mondays)
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Produce
this week includes...
Acorn and Butternut Squash, Asparagus, Avocados, Bananas, Beets, Broccoli, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Chard, Cilantro, Crimini Mushrooms, Cucumbers, Fennel, Fiddleheads, Galia Melons, Garlic, Ginger, Grapefruit, Herbs, Kale, Leeks, Lemons, Lettuce, Limes, Macintosh Apples, Mangoes, Mesclun, Onions, Parsley, Pea Greens, Peaches, Pears, Pineapple
Pink Lady Apples, Potatoes, Radishes, Red Peppers, Shallots, Spinach, Spring Garlic, Strawberries, Sunchokes, Tomatillos, Tomatoes, Turnips, Watermelon, Yams |
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Upcoming Events
Saturday, May 10th, 10am - Noon
Rain Gardening
Bruce Blanchard, Wenham Water Superintendent and member of the Wenham Citizens Water Advisory Committee will be at Green Meadows Farm from 10am - Noon to answer questions about water conservation and to talk about how to have a "Rain Garden". Free.
Thursday, May 15th, 7:00pm
"The Future of Food" Film screening at the Hamilton Wenham Community House, followed by a "Q&A" session with Farmer Andrew. This film is about genetically modified seeds used in conventional farming. www.thefutureoffood.com Free.
Saturday, May 17th, 1pm - 3pm May Day Celebrations
The students of the Cape Ann Waldorf School will present a collection of May dances performed to live music. There will be singing of May songs and an opportunity for onlookers to join in one or two simple Maypole dances.
Saturday, May 24th, 10am - 11:30am
The Best Plants for Kids Kids will learn how to plant and care for their vegetable or flower seedling. $10 includes seedling of their choice.
May 27th
New Summer Hours Begin: Tuesday through Sunday from 9am - 7pm
May 31st, 2pm - 4pm
2008 CSA Orientation
This is a great event for both new and returning CSA members. We'll tour the farm, learn about CSA distribution, and find out what's new for the 2008 growing season. | |
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| Farmer Andrew's Update
 So many things are happening on the farm it makes my head spin. We built another greenhouse, planted another acre of blueberries, 9 more sheep arrived, and the fields are quickly filling up with transplanted veggies.
The new greenhouse is up thanks to Nate's great carpentry skills and the rest of the crews' help. This greenhouse increases our ability to produce food earlier and later in the season. We plan on moving tomatoes in next week for the summer and then we'll most likely grow lettuce, chard and kale during the winter.
On Wednesday we planted an acre of blueberries across the street from the farmstand. The added bushes greatly increase our ability to meet the growing demand for organic blueberries.
Also on Wednesday, 9 more lambs joined our flock. One of these lambs will be added to our breeding stock. In 2 more weeks we are planning on getting 15 more lambs. If you want to visit them, they are in the livestock barn across from Mrs. Patton's house. Be careful, the fence is on and packs 6,000 volts of electricity!
Several members have asked me what is safe to plant outside. Just about all veggies can go outside now, the huge exception is tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, squashes and almost all annual flowers. Most farmers wait until after Memorial day to plant out these sensitive plants.
For anyone interested in our free range meats, we have several very large frozen turkeys for sale. Because for their size the price has been lowered to $2/lb. |
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New in the Farmstand:  Fiddlehead Ferns
Fiddleheads are the young coiled fern leaves (about an inch in diameter) of the ostrich fern. Nearly all ferns have fiddleheads, but those of the ostrich fern are unlike any other.
Fiddleheads are a New England delicacy that appears in the early spring during April and May. They are harvested almost as soon as they appear within an inch or two off the ground. Wash and cook the "heads" in a small amount of lightly salted boiling water for ten minutes, or steam for 20 minutes. Serve at once with melted butter. The quicker they are eaten, the more delicate their flavor. Cooked, chilled fiddleheads can be also served as a salad with an onion and vinegar dressing.
Due to the short season for fiddleheads, some people like to preserve them to be used later. To freeze fiddleheads, prepare them as you would for the table. Blanch a small amount at a time for two minutes. Cool and drain. Pack into moisture- and vapor-proof containers and store them in the freezer.
Fiddlehead Fern Recipes:
Marinated Fiddlehead Salad
Fiddlehead Fern Saute with Bacon or Pancetta |
 New Product: Effie's Oatcakes
From The Boston Globe, April 9th, 2008:
Dealing their Oats: Who would have thought that a fourth-generation farmhouse recipe from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia could turn into a hot new product? Joan MacIsaac and Irene Costello, both from Milton, took Joan's family recipe for oatcakes - thin, crisp, buttery oat cookies - and coined them Effie's Homemade Oatcakes after Joan's mother. The treats, similar to shortbread, are baked with natural ingredients and are a perfect afternoon indulgence with a cup of tea. |
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Don't Kill Trees to Collect Leaves... Biodegradable Bags and Kitchen Composters Now Available in the Farmstand
We've been looking for an inexpensive kitchen composter for a while now and have tested a few on the market. We really like this one by "Biobag" because the corn plastic liners make taking out the compost a breeze. The actual container needs little cleaning, compared to other kitchen units that need a good scrub each time they are emptied.The bags themselves break down in your outdoor compost. One feature of the BioBag is that it "breathes" without leaking. This unique benefit allows heat and moisture to evaporate, which keeps food "fresher" longer. Try BioBags for storing your fruits and vegetables. Store your vegetables to maintain freshness, and then use the same bag to line your composting pail.
 BioBag Tall Kitchen waste bags are sized equivalent to regular plastic bags and fit most kitchen waste cans.
We're also excited about the lawn and leaf bags. Paper bags are difficult to use and store, have a limited fill capacity (usually 28 gallons), and do not hold up well in wet weather. BioBags "give", allowing more waste to be collected per bag and can be set at curbside for up to 12 days before the collected waste will begin to break the bag down. |
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Farm Film Shorts
We'd like to thank Ben Patton, Joanne's son, for kicking off the beginning of what we hope to be a long list of short farm films on our website. "About Green Meadows Farm", also titled "Fresh Produce" was produced during last year's FRED Teen Film Workshop. You can now view other clips of farm life: "Forestry on the Farm", "Trialing Swiss Chard", and "Meet the Chickens" are all available at www.gmfarm.com, We'll be adding more as the season progresses, and are also taking special requests. If there is an aspect of farm life that you would like to see captured on film, please let us know!
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Rain Gardening Information Table
Come by the farmstand on Saturday, May 10th between 10am and Noon to visit with Bruce Blanchard, Wenham Water Superintendent and member of the Wenham Citizens Water Advisory Committee. Mr. Blanchard will be at Green Meadows Farm from 10am - Noon to answer questions about water conservation and to talk about how to have a "Rain Garden". 
The following is from the 2008 Greenscape Guide: A rain garden is a bowl-shaped garden designed to collect and absorb runoff from a roof or parking lot. Rain gardens are constructed by filling a basin in a low-lying area with a special soil blend, hearty plants, mulch and sometimes a layer of gravel.
By capturing runoff, rain gardens prevent polluted stormwater from going down the storm drain and out to our rivers, ponds and bays. Rain gardens also help replenish our aquifers and groundwater-fed rivers and ponds by recharging rainwater into the ground rather than down stormdrains. In fact, rain gardens absorb 30% more water than the same size area of lawn!
Sponsored by Green Meadows Farm, Greenscapes, Corliss Nursery and Landscaping, Hamilton-Wenham Green, and the Wenham Citizens Water Advisory Committee. | |
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