News from the Farm

We hope you can join us at what promises to be a terrific event!

The environmental educator position is now filled. Thank you for your interest.

Boulder Knoll Community Farm CSA in Cheshire, CT is seeking an environment educator for the 2012 season.

Boulder Knoll Community Farm (BKCF) is a small-scale, environmentally sustainable farm in Cheshire, CT that provides healthy, local vegetables and fruit to 50 shareholders, local soup kitchens, and a New Haven restaurant.  Education is a central component and an essential element in the vision of the Friends of Boulder Knoll (FOBK), the farm’s sponsoring organization. FOBK believes that exposing the community, especially its youth, to the wonders, importance and value of agriculture, conservation, and outdoor recreation is critical to fostering future stewards of the environment. Our goal is to emphasis essential links between people, plants, and the earth, to develop interdisciplinary learning, and to promote environmental responsibility.

The Environmental Educator (EE) will be an energetic, well-organized environmentalist with experience in farming and education who will provide a variety of educational opportunities, primarily for school-age children, youth, and adults at the farm and off-site when appropriate.

The EE will work with the farmer to develop programs that provide hands-on experiences for children, youth and adults, including people with special needs.  Programs will enable people to understand where their food comes from, what it takes to get it there and the importance of eating healthy, whole foods.

Job Description

The EE will design, publicize and implement a variety of educational programs for children, youth and adults. Lessons may cover topics ranging from sustainable agriculture, food preparation, to wildlife habitat. Programming may include, but is not limited to, fall and spring school programs, field trips, community groups (youth and adult), community events, adult classes, and summer programs on the farm. The EE will support the mission of the farm by providing assistance in the farm operation and by working with CSA members, volunteers and interns. The farmer must approve the content and timing of educational programming.

All BKCF school programs will be tied to CT learning standards and the EE will work with local teachers and administrators to design and execute learning experiences. The EE may provide opportunities for the teacher’s to design customized follow-up lessons and activities.

The EE will work collaboratively with the farmer and will report to the FOBK Board. The EE will communicate periodically with the board regarding activities and success of the programs and will submit a written annual report on the educational program.

Qualifications:

The right person for this position will be able to demonstrate experience and basic theoretical knowledge in organic and sustainable food production systems, and ideally, will have worked an entire season on a farm or garden project. This is a position for someone seriously interested in sustainable farming, food, and community education. We offer the opportunity to be integrally involved in  a small organic farming operation and in farm education.

Specific skills include, but are not mandated:

• Background in Environmental Science, Agriculture, Education or related field;
• Demonstrated experience in working with youth in formal and/or informal education programs including working with people with special needs;
• Experience educating in an outdoor setting;
• Ability to link student learning to CT state curriculum standards;
• Demonstrated ability to get along and communicate with all ages;
• Enthusiasm for education, sustainable agriculture, and the environment, and an interest in service learning and volunteerism;
• Familiarity with farming and farm-based education, and a willingness to assist with physical farm tasks as needed;
• Ability to think strategically and creatively to enhance FOBK and BKCF while following the leadership of the farmer;
• First aid /CPR certified or willingness to obtain the training;
• Well organized, flexible, with an ability to take initiative and adapt to new situations.

Hours and Compensation:

The EE position is seasonal, 34 weeks, April through November. In general, the EE will make his/her own hours but is expected to work an average of 20 hours/week or approximately 600 hours for the season. The EE will be expected to work some of these hours on farm tasks so as to familiarize him/herself with the farm operation. Some work is required on evenings and weekends, depending on timing of educational programs. Attendance at occasional FOBK board meetings will be expected with prior notice.

The position requires a full season commitment.

The EE will work for the Friends of Boulder Knoll as an independent contractor. Worker’s compensation will be provided. The position offers no benefits, and no taxes will be withheld.

Salary range: $15 per hour for a total of $8,000 – $10,000, depending on hours worked and documented.

Please send inquiries to : jordans28@cox.net

A 16-week schedule of harvests has just wrapped up at the Boulder Knoll Community Farm. The season began in mid-June with the last weekly share distributed on Oct. 6

Read all about it at http://cheshire.patch.com/articles/cheshires-community-farm-wraps-up-season

Your share this week might include:

• carrots
• beets (Sunday) Thursday group will get them next week
• bok choi
• arugula
• New Zealand spinach which you can use like spinach (better for cooked recipes). Here’s a link to some more info about it. http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2010/06/pasta_with_tetragon_new_zealand_spinach.php
• tomatoes
• salad mix
• shallots
• braising greens
• mint (dry this for winter tea and such by putting it in a paper bag for a couple of weeks – when dry, crush into a jar)
• apples or pears
• Next week – sweet potatoes, fingerling potatoes, leeks, lots of other stuff

Potato harvesters needed!!

Potatoes and sweet potatoes will be harvested on Wed Sept 28th, Sat. Oct 1st and Wed. Oct 5th starting at ten on each day. This is sort of hard work, but fun and rewarding. Kids welcome. Let Amy amywojenski@yahoo.com know if you’d like to come to help.

Pick-up time for Sunday, Oct 2nd

We’re shortening the time that the shed will be staffed this Sunday so everyone (including me!) can go to the farm celebration next door. Please come between 3 and 4 if you want someone to greet you in the shed. At 4 pm we will put everyone’s shares in bags for pick-up

Reminder about work hours

If you have completed your member hours by Sept 30, you will be eligible to participated in a bonus 17th week of produce. I anticipate that this share will be distributed during the week of Oct 17th or Oct 24th. Stay tuned for details.

Thanks and hope to see you at the farm celebration on the 2nd,

Brenda

Farm distribution changes for the coming two weeks:

As some of you know, my daughter Alani is getting married next weekend and I will be away for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

We will harvest and distribute your Thursday (9/8) share on Thursday rather than changing it to Wednesday (like I had mentioned before).

We will change the Week 13 Sunday (9/11) harvest and distribution to Monday (9/12) from 4-6:30. If you can’t pick up on Monday and would like to switch to Thursday 9/15 please let me know.

Your share this week

I anticipate sharing out carrots, spaghetti squash, apples, kale/chard, tomatoes, and other treats.

Good night Irene!

We faired pretty well in the storm. Many plants came through fine. Lots of tomato, pepper, and kale plants were knocked over but will live. Some tomatoes and peppers were in water for a long time and are probably not going to make it. The squash is pretty much done because the leaves got badly shredded. Thank you to everyone who helped get the hoophouse and equipment secured. Nothing significant got damaged.

My power at home was out until last evening, so that’s why I’ve been incommunicado. Sorry for my absence.

Year-end potluck dinner and dance
Sunday, October 2, 4-7pm
Membership Dinner and Dance

A potluck Membership Dinner/Annual Meeting is being planned for Oct 2 from 4-7pm. Everyone who is connected with the farm in some way is welcome. The evening’s events will include potluck food prepared by everyone, a cheese spread from Caseus, live music with dancing, and a silent auction with items and services offered by CSA and members. Think about what items or services you might be able to donate! Tickets won’t be required but we’ll want to know who’s coming ahead of time. Pencil it in and I’ll send more info as the date gets closer!

Other fun events

Stay tuned for Julia’s email about the educational events for September and October – Amber’s delicious smoothy tasting, putting the garden to bed hands-on workshop, fall perennial plantings in Anne’s garden, to name a few.

Work needs

There won’t be any non-harvest work hours until the wedding is behind me (next week!). We really need folks to step up for harvests tomorrow and next Monday and for the rest of the Sunday and Thursday harvests this season. If you complete your work hours by the end of September (or have scheduled to work after that), you will be eligible to participate in a 17th week distribution later in October. Please keep your eye on the website work calendar for available work times. I encourage you to sign up for a harvest or distribution if you haven’t completed your hours.

See you at the farm!
Brenda

Your share this week is likely to include:

• French Fingerling potatoes (Sunday) (cute little red skinned potatoes with pink streaks thru the flesh)
• leeks
• tomatoes (I’m picking them a little less than fully ripe. Leave them on the counter for a few days. Don’t refrigerate tomatoes.)
• Sungold cherry tomatoes
• cukes, squash
• eggplant, peppers
• basil – get out the pesto recipes (Thursday)
• fruit (Melon? Early apples? We’ll be surprised)
• other good stuff

Cool Educational Events

Connecticut “Rocks!”: Minerals, Cross Dykes and Geology with Charles Dimmick
Tuesday August 23rd 4-6pm Rain or Shine

Retired Cheshire geologist Charles Dimmick will lead us in this special opportunity to visit a regionally famous geologic feature right on Boulder Knoll Road! On a short walk and exploration, we will discover the entrance to a 100 year old copper mine, the North/South and East/West cross dyke intrusion. We’ll also learn about minerals and rocks from around our farm and beyond. Bring a rock to share and take home a sample from our special pile! All ages are welcome. Please wear long pants and closed shoes.

Raw Food Smoothies and Recipes: Healthy Living with Amber Beitler
Thursday August 25th 4:30-5:30pm + Sunday August 28th 3:30-5:00pm

Want to try something new with your CSA share or local produce? How about a smoothie?? Previous CSA member Amber Beitler will be on deck during CSA share-outs, handing out smoothie samples, sharing recipes and tips on smoothie creation and presenting on healthy living.

Annual Tag Sale – Sept 3rd – Donate to ours or rent your own space!

This is a major fund-raiser for the Friends of Boulder Knoll. Please collect good quality items and bring them cleaned and pre-priced to the Cheshire green early in the morning on Saturday, Sept 3rd. We need lots of volunteers1

We need people available day of event to assist with organizing, setting up, breaking down, taking money, available to help with breaks. Please email me to sign up for the day, a couple hours, whatever you can give so we have a general idea of time. I’ll email the final list of helpers with a map of where our shared spots will be on the green before the event.

HOURS we need people: 7am – 1:30pm

• 7am – 9am – set up tables, help people bringing items unload and set up on/at tables, ensure everything is cleaned and priced, help direct shared spaces to their appropriate spots for set up.
• 9am – noon – sell, sell, sell,
• noon – 1:30 clean up, breakdown tables, sort out anything left to go to Goodwill and trash
• 2pm Meet up for nachos and margaritas for our 3rd annual “Thank Goodness It’s Done” celebration 🙂

Please contact CSA member and Board member Meredith Berger meredith.berger@yale.edu to volunteer to help, or with questions.

Individuals and organizations can also set up their own tag sale spaces – $10 for individuals, $25 for organizations. The foot traffic is great – lots of folks stop for this tag sale because there are so many vendors. Contact Meredith to sign up for a space.

Advance notice of upcoming pick-up schedule change

Please note the following:

• Thursday, Sept. 8 pick up will be moved to Wednesday, Sept 7, from 4 – 6:30
• Sunday, Sept. 11 pick-up will be moved to Monday, Sept 12 from 4 – 6:30

My daughter, Alani, is getting married in a weekend-long event and these changes seem like the best way to make sure the harvests are fully staffed. Please let me know if you have to change your pick-up days this week because of these changes. Thanks for your understanding.

See you at the farm
Brenda

Your share this week will include all the usual summer veggies, including some bell peppers. Eggplants and tomatoes are coming in slowly – we’re still feeling the delay caused by the weeks of June rain. I think we may have a pint of Sungold cherry tomatoes this week for everyone. You might also receive fingerling potatoes and onions. I’m not sure what the fruit will be. Maybe melons, which were amazing last week!

The group is getting better about remembering to pick up shares! Thanks for letting me know if you’ll be late or that you need to cancel. Please remember to tell me ahead of time (the day before if at all possible) if you won’t be picking up your share that week. If you are letting someone else pick up your share, please tell them how to get in touch with me if they can’t make it.

The pulling party

Thank you to those who partied with the weeds today. We had a good time, got sweaty and dirty, and felt really good about how the kale, chard and tomatillo beds looked when we were done. It’s amazing what a focused group can do. Thank you!! We saved some weeds for the rest of you, so if you didn’t have a chance to come today you didn’t miss all the fun.

Interesting animal happenings

Today two people were picking up cardboard to bring down into the garden. They uncovered a little snake who had gotten stuck on the packing tape on one of the cardboards. They carefully unstuck it and it slithered off in a flash. We have no idea how long it had been there but it is amazing that they found it still in good condition. If you bring cardboard to the farm (yes we can still use big sheets), please remove tape if it’s very sticky. I had no idea that it was a hazard to animals, but I guess lots of different creatures could have gotten stuck on it.

Today we saw a very large grey hawk being bothered by two mockingbirds. It sure looked like an osprey but what was it doing over the farm?