Farmstand Hours:
Tuesday - Sunday
9am - 7pm
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Produce
this week 
For Distribution:
Chard, Kale, Carrots, Beets, Summer Squash, Tomatoes, Cilantro, Arugla, Peppers, Eggplant, Hot Peppers, Cherry Tomatoes, Garlic, Onions
Pick Your Own:
String Beans, Thyme, Basil & Oregano in the front field, next to the farmstand.
Purslane - unlimited!
Flower Share:
18 stems (unlimited weeds) and 5 sunflowers
Other Produce Available for Purchase |
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Upcoming Events
Saturday, September 6th 10am - 3pm
Market Day at the Wenham Museum. Visit more than 50 booths of artisans, fine arts, and specialty food purveyors. Games,
face painting and crafts for the kids. Green Meadows Farm will be there selling produce.
Fridays 9:00am - 10:00am, September 19, 26, October 3 and 10. Morning Chores Fall Session, Ages 3 - 5 with parent.Start out the day by helping feed and water the pigs, chickens and other farm animals. Learn about how to care for animals and be confident around them. Boots recommended. Cost $40/4 classes ($36 members) . Please call our farm office at 978-468-3720 to sign up.
Saturday, September 20th, 11am "Lunch Lessons" Cooking Demo for Moms and Dads. Learn ways to get stubborn kids to eat better food. $10 per person, please sign up at the farmstand.
Sunday, Sept. 21st, 1pm - 6pm Mercury Brewing Company Harvest Festival at Green Meadows Farm. Join us at the farm for a great afternoon of local beer, music by Orville Giddings, and food by Ipswich Clambake. Admission is free!
Sept. 22nd - 25th
Wicked Awesome Wellness Week. Free lectures on hedaches, aging, nutrition and more. All classes held at the Hamilton-Wenham Chiropractic office, located at 78 Willow Street. See flyer at the farmstand for details, or call 978-462-0606.
Saturday, Sept 27th
Green Energy Fair
Hamilton-Wenham Community House and Hamilton-Wenham Library.
Sunday, Sept 28th, 6:30 - 8:00. Local, Sustainable, Delicious: A Seasonal
Celebration Featuring Boston's Best Chefs! Join the Chef's Collaborative at Persephone in Boston for an evening of small plates prepared by eight of Boston's leading chefs. Tickets are $100 each and can be purchased online here.
Saturday, October 4th Operation Troop Support at Green Meadows Farm. Families with a relative currently deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan or veterans who have served there and their families are invited to be
Green Meadows Farm's guests for refreshments, farm activities, and
entertainment by Dan Clark, "The Singing Trooper".
RSVP to our farm office: (978) 468-3720.
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| Farmer Andrew's Update
 Can you believe it's already September? Field conditions have been ideal. The crew has been busy planting out fall beets and lettuce, doing the last of the direct seeding for the year and, of coarse, harvesting.
Last weekend we had some members in a field doing some picking. The crop wasn't open for picking and had been fertilized moments before with a fish emulsion. As a friendly reminder, please be careful harvesting from fields not currently open. Although we strictly follow organic standards, there are still permitted pesticides and fertilizers that should not be touched immediately following application.
The eggs keep coming in . Please pick some up next time you come by the farm. |
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Crew Spotlight: Kiersten Hess
 Kiersten is 22 years old and joined the farm after graduating from Gordon College this spring with a major in Sociology. What really interested Kiersten in working at the farm was the idea of being part of something responsible and sustainable for our community and earth. She knew she could feel good about contributing to Green Meadows Farm's success. We quickly realized how responsible and organized she is, and Kiersten is now in charge of grocery ordering and the grocery co-op. Kiersten was raised in Santa Barbara, CA. When she "grows up" she'd like to be enjoying life. Her favorite vegetable is cucumber. When she's not "farmstanding", she likes to ride her bike, play soccer, play guitar, explore the North Shore and go to the beach.
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 Much of the eggplant we grow at the farm is "Orient Express", an Asian variety that is much sweeter than the Italian varieties. We also have a nice crop of Calliope eggplant (pictured here), an India hybrid that has lavender skin with white stripes.
From Farmer John's Cookbook
You should eat them as soon as possible, as they don't store well. Wrap unwashed eggplant in a towel (not in plastic) to absorb any moisture and keep it in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator. Farm-fresh eggplant should not taste bitter. Many recipes call for salting in order to make the vegetable less watery and more absorbent - much like draining tofu. Salting is not an essential step, but it can greatly enhance the taste and texture of your dish and is well worth the extra effort.
Cooking Tips:
Stir-fry or saute 1-inch-cubed eggplant in a very hot wok or saute pan with oil until eggplant has released much of its water and is very soft.
Brush slices of eggplant with oil or melted butter and broil or grill until brown; turn over and brown the other side.
Pierce a whole eggplant in a few places with a knife, lightly coat with olive oil, and bake at 375 degrees until the eggplant is very soft and has collapsed some, 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the size. One use for the baked interior is Baba Ghanouj.
Coat 1-inch-cubed eggplant pieces in oil and salt and roast at 375 degrees until soft and nicely browned. Or, brush slices of eggplant with a thin layer of oil and bake or broil on an oiled baking sheet. The results are great on sandwiches or as an alternative to the fried eggplant slices called for in some dishes.
Spicy Asian Eggplant with Tofu and Red Pepper
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Organic Wine Talk and Tasting
 Last week we were joined by Dan Rossi, a wine consultant who is a graduate and post graduate of the German wine academy Kloster Eberbach and the Kobrand international wine school. We had a nice group who put up with the misquitoes long enough to taste nine organic and biodynamic wines:
Mionetto Prosecco - Italy, Prosecco, $12.99
Hopler Grunerveltliner - Austria, Grunerveltliner, $15.99
Charles Krug - California, Sauvignon Blanc, $14.99
Bonterra Viognier - California, Viognier, $17.99
Kreuznacher Kronenberg Spatlese - Germany, Riesling, $9.99
Our Daily Red - California, Meritage, $9.99
Ladybug Red - California, Meritage, $12.99
Red Truck - California, Meritage, $10.99
Lolonis - California, Cabernet, $17.99
Group favorites included the Prosecco and Red Truck. We'd like to thank Dan for his time, and his knowledge about the grape growing process and wine making traditions. We encourage you to visit Community Package Store in Hamilton to try these wines, and to ask Dan for suggestions. Dan also does private wine tastings, a great evening for a group to get together and explore new wines! |
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Product Spotlight: Z Crackers
 Z Crackers was started by Pam and Keith Pollack. They owned a pizzeria on Long Island, NY. It turned out to be a great experience for them, and opened their eyes to the possibilities of other types of food businesses. After selling the pizzeria, they began making pizzas in their Brooklyn apartment and selling them around Manhattan. Shortly after, they bought a home and a bakery around the corner and extended their repertoire to include several different kinds of pizza and Z crackers. The Z Crackers took off and now the Pollacks focus solely on the crackers. We like them because of their clean, whole grain ingredients and excellent taste. Try them with our local cheeses!
New Shipment of Ever So Humble Pies
We love the Ever So Humble Pie Company! They are a very small family operation out of Walpole, MA. Each pie is hand-crafted with locally sourced ingredients, and they contain no artificial colors, flavors, preservatives or hydrogenated oils. Flavors currently in our freezer include: Blueberry, Cherry, Strawberry Rhubarb, Rhubarb Streusel, Jumble Berry, and Very Berry. They also make mini pies called "Cutie Pies" - great name! |
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Water Warning for Hamilton
 The Town of Hamilton water supply was tested on August 13, 2008 and the laboratory results were reported to the Town on August 28, 2008. A sample from the Idlewood Water Treatment Plant was found to contain 32.2 parts per billion (ppb) of Perchlorate. A sample from the School Street Well was found to contain 44.4 ppb of Perchlorate. The Town turned off the School Street Well. A repeat sample from the Idlewood plant was collected to ensure accuracy of the original sample and to validate that the Perchlorate levels are true. A sample was also collected from the water distribution system at the Fire Station. Perchlorate was not detected in the repeat sample or the Fire Station sample. The Massachusetts Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for perchlorate is 2.0 ppb.
Possible Health Effects: Perchlorate interferes with the normal function of the thyroid gland and thus has the potential to affect growth and development and could cause brain damage and other adverse effects, particularly in fetuses and infants.
 Perchlorate is an inorganic chemical widely used as an oxidizer in fireworks, blasting agents and in other industrial products. It can also occur due to aging of hypochlorite used to disinfect water supplies. The last monitoring for perchlorate at the Idlewood plant and the School Street Well in April 2007 did not detect perchlorate in the water. The August 28, 2008 samples from the Idlewood plant and Fire Station did not find Perchlorate in the Town water supply. Additional testing will be done before this health advisory is lifted. The School Street Well will remain out of service until the well has been tested and determined safe for use. The Town is investigating the source of the contamination and evaluating next steps in cooperation with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. For more information and updates on the situation, please call Hamilton Water Department at (978) 468-5581.
Green Meadows Farm irrigates our fields with water from rain collection ponds and our livestock drink water primarily from private wells. We will not be using tap water for coffee, prepared foods, or in any other food production. | |
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