Fresh from the Farm

Boulder Knoll Communiy Farm in the Advocate

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:34:00 -0500

Looks like we missed this one. Alan Bisbort of Cheshire discusses Boulder Knoll Community Farm in his March 3 article ”The Party’s Over” in the New Haven Advocate.

“Where I live, this effort — no matter how nascent or small — can be seen in the revival of what was once the largest working farm in town. It’s more than a desire to return to New England quaintness. It may be the path to the future. The farm was acquired about 10 years ago as open space, soon after which the environment commission (on which I sat at that time) wrote a management plan for the property that included a farming component. But then it died, paralyzed by town hall’s petty bickering.

Out of frustration, a group of active citizens came together to pitch the idea of a community-supported agriculture (CSA) project on the farm. After much wrangling (and the loss of a season’s planting), they finally got the approval. The first crops are going in this year and shares are being sold even as we speak. It is a small step (two acres will eventually be cultivated), but it is a step, and the whole town is jazzed. As a “subscriber” in the past to a CSA in another town, I was astonished by how much food could be grown on half an acre of carefully tended land.”

Click here to read the full article.

News from the Farm - Week of October 26, 2009

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:23:00 -0400

Garlic!
We’ll do a garlic planting on Sunday 11/1 at 1 pm. This is something kids could help with. We’ll need to clean out the beds before we plant.

Work needs
I’m working on preparing new beds for next year (including flower, raspberry and strawberry beds), weeding and composting this year’s beds, spreading leaf mulch, laying path material, pulling dead plants and trellises, putting row cover on winter greens. Please let me know if you can help at any time. I’d really like to get most everything done by Thanksgiving. Ha! Famous last words.

Gleaning
There’s still some food in the field. If you would like herbs, kale, collards, chard, komatsuna, tatsoi, carrots, beets, lettuce, spinach, green beans, you may harvest this food for yourself any time you want. This is one of the benefits of your membership in our CSA.

Soup kitchen donations
We continue to harvest for soup kitchens in Meriden and Waterbury. Their pick ups are on Thursdays. Thanks to members of Temple Kol Ami who are doing the pick ups and driving for these donations.

Wanted!
Leaves You can bring bags of leaves to improve our soil. Please put them directly into the garden inside the side gate near the road or the end gate near the herb garden. You can dump them out of the bags so you can use the bags again if you want.

Cardboard
If you have some large pieces of cardboard, please put them in the hoop house. They are REALLY useful for paths.

Congratulations

To Kim Stoner, President of the Friends of Boulder Knoll, who has won the Conservation Partner of the Year award from the Southwest CT Soil Conservation Service. They cited her tenacious work to get an agricultural operation going on the Boulder Knoll property as one of the endeavors worthy of this award.
To CSA members James McGrath and Kathryn Frund for being selected for the Board of Directors of Friends of Boulder Knoll. Thanks to both of you for volunteering for our community. Thanks to the existing Board members, and to Dan Groberg, who have done so much to support and promote the farm.

Recap of the produce we gave out this year.
See the attached spreadsheet. Not too bad for the first year with no tomatoes and minimal eggplant and peppers. Keep your eyes peeled for a survey about this year - pick up times, produce you wish for, work experience, communication, etc.

Thanks for all your positive support!
Brenda

News from the farm - Week of October 20, 2009

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:28:00 -0400

Annual Meeting
You are warmly invited to the annual meeting of the Friends of Boulder Knoll at 7 pm on Thursday, October 22, in the Old Chapel at Elim Park, 140 Cook Hill Road in Cheshire. We will review and celebrate the past year, elect this coming year’s Board of Directors and officers, and discuss plans for the coming year.

Work needs
I have been away for a few days but am back now ready to get the garden ready for next year. If you can spare a few hours during the week or the weekend, please let me know.

I am planning to be at the farm during afternoon hours for the next few weeks in good weather. I do have some flexibility, so if you would like to come out in the morning, please email or call me (home 393-1245 or cell 645-1734). We need to spread manure and compost on all the growing beds, pull out and compost plants, take down trellises, plant cover crop, mow, weed and put wood chips on paths.

Garlic Planting
Stay tuned for info about this November event.

Extra Share
Thanks to all those who took the opportunity to receive an extra week of veggies from the farm. We opened this up to those on the waiting list after you signed up. We will receive over $250 in donations from existing members and friends for this (very cold) effort. If you haven’t sent your donation, please send a check made out to Friends of Boulder Knoll to PO Box 1329, Cheshire, CT 06410.

Compost
Keep it coming! We want kitchen waste including coffee grounds, egg shells, paper towels and napkins. I’d welcome leaves too (no large sticks please). Please place new stuff on the far right side of the bins.

Thanks to all of you, especially people who have come out to help even after they’ve put in all of their requisite hours and Fellis, who knows just when I need a hot cup of coffee, a muffin, or a warm veggie treat.

Brenda - Your exuberant and sometimes chilly farmer

Friends of Boulder Knoll Annual Meeting, October 22

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 21:09:10 -0400

Dear Friends of Boulder Knoll:

You are warmly invited to the annual meeting of the Friends of Boulder Knoll at 7 pm on Thursday, October 22, in the Old Chapel at Elim Park, 140 Cook Hill Road in Cheshire. We will review and celebrate the past year, elect this coming year’s Board of Directors and officers, and discuss plans for the coming year.

If you are not currently a member of the Friends of Boulder Knoll, we encourage you to join! The Friends of Boulder Knoll has as its primary mission the education of the local community about responsible uses of open space. Our current role is to work with the Town of Cheshire on the lease for the farm, to raise funds to help pay for all of the materials needed for farming, to plan programs for education and outdoor experience for a wide variety of audiences, and to work closely with our farmer on the Community Supported Agriculture program.

If you come to the annual meeting, please pay close attention to volunteers and signs directing you where to park. Elim Park is quite specific about parking.

I hope to see you on October 22!

Sincerely,
Kim Stoner, President, Friends of Boulder Knoll

UPDATE: Fall ABC Celebration Location Change

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:04:23 -0400

Hi folks,

Because of the threat of thunderstorms, the Fall ABC Celebration to benefit Friends of Boulder Knoll will be held at Greg Melville’s home at 474 Maple Avenue on Saturday, October 3rd from 10 AM - 6 PM, and on Sunday, October 4th from 1 PM - 6 PM. Call 439-7003 or 988-1844 for further information.

Art by Bruce Dumas, spring bulbs and Peace Preserves will be available for purchase on both days. Information about Friends of Boulder Knoll, the Boulder Knoll Farm, Energy Solutions and CSA membership will also be available.

The community potluck will be postponed until Sunday, October 4th, and will be held at Boulder Knoll Community Farm (800 Boulder Road in Cheshire) from 12-2 PM. Bread from Wave Hill Farms will be provided.

Hope to see you this weekend!

Recipes for the week of 9/28/09

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 23:21:00 -0400

Recipes

A good kale recipe:
http://www.localharvest.org/newsletter/20090924/recipes.html?r=nl

Potato salad with raw greens:
(Everyone has loved this salad when I’ve made it.)
Potatoes, cooked until tender and cut into cubes
Onion, chopped
Carrots, peppers, parsley, dill chopped - add or omit to your taste
Hard boiled egg if you like
Kale, chard, spinach, tat soi, or other greens, chopped pretty finely
Dressing - mayo (Vegannaise made from grapeseed oil is great!), lemon or lime juice, a little water - Whisk together and pour over the veggies.

Let the mixture set for a bit before serving so the greens wilt and flavors meld.

Autumn olive berries:
Here’s a fruit leather recipe using the wild berries we have on the farm. I’ll put them on the choice table a few more times, and you can pick your own if you like them. Some call this an invasive species but it’s a source of abundance for us this year!
http://wearemadeofdreamsandbones.blogspot.com/2008/10/autumn-olive-recipe-time.html

News from the farm - Week of September 23, 2009

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 23:19:00 -0400

Potato harvest this Friday from 430 - 530
Bring a garden fork, gloves and a kid or two. And good grief, let’s get some pictures!

Harvest Potluck postponed until Sunday, Oct 4th, noon - 2 p.m.
due to predicted rain. Please bring a dish made with CSA or other local ingredients. Please also bring your own eating utensils and bowl or plate if you can. We’ll have some there too. The benefit art and bulb sale will happen at 474 Maple Ave on Saturday from 10 - 6 even if it’s raining. If it rains on Sunday too, we’ll have the potluck indoors at 474 Maple Ave. Thanks Greg Melville for the use of your home.

Last share-out harvest next week
Anticipate a distribution of potatoes, leeks, lettuce, parsnips, bok choi, maybe beets or carrots, parsley, broccoli or broccoli raab.

Extra share on Thursday, Oct 15th!
For a $10 donation to the Friends of Boulder Knoll, I will provide an extra share on Thursday, Oct 15 from 5 - 6:30.We are opening this up to folks on the waiting list and other members of the wider Friends of Boulder Knoll organization, but shares are quite limited. Please sign up by emailing me at mariebrenda@SBCglobal.net or at the farm at next week’s pick up. If we get a big response, Thursday could be too late so let me know soon if you are a Thursday pick-up. There will probably be many different kinds of greens, broccoli, bok choi, carrots, lettuce, parsley, etc.

Request
Please remember to tell me if you can’t pick up or email or call (393-1245 or 645-1734) if you have forgotten. I’ll be happy to save it for you. Doing the work to harvest food that isn’t picked up wastes time on busy harvest days.

Recipes
Don’t forget to check out this week’s recipes on our blog at http://tr.im/AhSf

Home Energy Solutions: Deadline Extended!

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:12:00 -0400

Want to have your home green-ified? Now you have extra time! The deadline for the Home Energy Solutions program has been extended until October 24!

Visit http://tr.im/fobkgreen for more information.

For a small co-pay of $75.00, CRI will analyze your home, install energy efficiency improvements and offer specific recommendations through the the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund (CEEF) sponsored program called Home Energy Solutions. Plus, Friends of Boulder Knoll receives a $25 donation for every home inspection performed! It’s a win win win! Be green, save green, raise green!

Check out how to make your home more energy efficient at http://tr.im/fobkgreen !

Recipe: Fried Green Tomatoes

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:02:00 -0400

B,L & (Fried Green) T
Fry ½ lb of bacon - remove from pan - save the grease.
Slice green tomatoes and dredge in corn muffin mix.
Fry the coated tomatoes in the bacon grease until golden brown.
Construct the B.L.& (fried green) T on your favorite bread.

From the Whistle Stop Café: Fried Green Tomatoes

3-4 green tomatoes
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup corn meal
1/2 tsp salt & pepper
Milk
Vegetable oil

Mix together flour, cornmeal, salt & pepper. Add enough milk to create a thick batter. Heat 2 inches of oil in a large skillet. Batter each tomato slice, and wipe off excess. Carefully place in hot oil, browning on both sides. (may or may not need turning, depending on the amount of oil) To cool, drain in a colander to keep tomatoes from becoming soggy. Salt to taste.

ABC's Celebration: Press Release

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:00:14 -0400

Friends of Boulder Knoll to Host Fall, “ABC’s Celebration: Art, Bulbs and Community,” Oct. 3 & 4

Over two days - Sat., October 3rd and Sunday, the 4th - Friends of Boulder Knoll will celebrate its first season of Boulder Knoll Community Farm with a Fall “ABC’s Celebration” - featuring an art show & sale, fall bulbs for purchase and a Community Farm tour. All members of the local community - as well as other towns - are invited to attend the event, which is free. All proceeds from sales at the event will support the Friends of Boulder Knoll, Inc.. The Friends is a community-based, non-profit organization in Cheshire, CT with the mission of educating community members in the responsible uses of open space.

The art show, featuring the works of Meriden artist Bruce Dumas, will be held on Saturday, October 3^rd, 2009 from 10 AM to 6 PM at the Gidding’s Farm, 915 Boulder Road, Cheshire - (adjacent to Boulder Knoll Community Farm) - and on Sunday, October 4^th, 2009 from 1 PM to 6 PM at the home of Greg Melville, 474 Maple Avenue, in Cheshire. In case of rain on Saturday, the art show will be held at the Melville home, 474 Maple Avenue.

Bruce Dumas works with acrylics on canvas and board, representing the landscapes, seascapes, and harbor scenes encountered on his field trips throughout the east coast (www.bruceadumas.com). Original paintings and fine art prints will be available for purchase. Thirty percent of the sales of Mr. Dumas’s art will be donated to Friends of Boulder Knoll.

A bulb sale will also be conducted at the same locations and times on Saturday and Sunday with top quality daffodils, tulips and crocuses for fall planting. A special ‘Boulder Knoll Sunflower’ daffodil mix will be available. ‘Garden Angels’ can purchase bulbs that will be planted en masse this October at Boulder Knoll Community Farm. All profits from the bulb sales will also be donated to the Friends of Boulder Knoll.

Tours of the Boulder Knoll Community Farm and gardens will be conducted on Saturday, October 3^rd by shareholders of the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) group at Boulder Knoll Community Farm, located at 800 Boulder Road in Cheshire. The farm is environmentally-sustainable and pesticide-free, and has provided healthy, local produce and herbs to thirty-five CSA shareholders this summer in its first year of operation. A portion of the crop was also donated weekly to neighborhood food banks. Information about the educational programs that have been conducted this year will be available. The CSA will double in size next year, and questions about what a CSA is, the benefits, costs and responsibilities of shareholders will be answered at the event.

A Community Potluck Luncheon will be held on Saturday, October 3^rd, 2009 from noon to 2 PM in the CSA shed at Boulder Knoll Community Farm. All are welcome to celebrate our community with a shared meal – if you wish to participate, please bring a recipe and something to eat made with CSA or local produce.

For further information, contact Greg Melville at 203-439-7003 or gwmelville@earthlink.net, or go to www.friendsofboulderknoll.com.

Tell Your Friends: Arts, Bulbs, and Community

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:52:00 -0400

Arts, Bulbs, and Community: A Benefit for Friends of Boulder Knoll

Friends of Boulder Knoll will hold a bulb sale, art show and sale and community garden tour Oct. 3 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Boulder Knoll Community Farm on Boulder Road in Cheshire. A community potluck luncheon is planned from noon to 2 p.m.; bring a recipe and something made from community-supported agriculture or local produce. (Rain location is 474 Maple Ave., Cheshire.)

The art show and sale, featuring the farm and nature paintings of Bruce Dumas and the sale of bulbs, including daffodils, crocuses and tulips, will continue Oct. 4 from 1 to 6 p.m. at 474 Maple Ave. For more details, click here.

Thanks to Nancy Schoeffler for featuring Friends of Boulder Knoll in her column in Friday’s Hartford Courant!

Home Energy Solutions

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:05:00 -0400

We have recently established an agreement with a residential energy services company, Competitive Resources Incorporated (CRI), to provide our members and their friends and families with an outstanding opportunity to have the energy efficiency of their homes improved. Though a special Referral Program, CRI will donate needed funds to our organization for every home that receives this valuable service.

For more information, please visit http://tr.im/fobkgreen

Art, Bulbs, and Community Benefit

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:03:16 -0400

Join us for Art, Bulbs, and Community: A Benefit for Friends of Boulder Knoll on October 3 and 4.

For more information, visit http://tr.im/fobkabc

News from the farm for the week of August 30, 09

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 16:54:00 -0400

Greetings!

Harvest and prep continues to be a very important work priority. This week will be sunny and cool - a good time to pitch in if you can.

I am anticipating the following harvest this week:

Leeks
Tomatoes
Basil (regular and specialty)
Lettuce, arugula, tatsoi salad bag
Garlic
Beans (if we have another harvester besides me)
Choice could be
- Beets
- Carrots
- Squash
- Eggplant
- Peppers
- Tomatillos, hot pepper

Tag Sale Saturday, Sept 5. The Greg and Susan could use some help setting up early Saturday a.m. They are also taking donations of plant divisions to sell. Please call Susan @ 988-1844 or Greg @ 439-7003 if you can help in some way.

Work needs Several members have contributed above and beyond the call of duty. Thank you! There are a few members who have a bit of time to go. Please get in touch with Liz Aldred to schedule time. I’m thinking about a potato harvest for next Sunday morning. Please let me know if you can come to help - and bring the kids!

See you at the farm!
Brenda

Tag Sale Reminder

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 11:46:16 -0400

TAG AND PLANT SALE to benefit Friends of Boulder Knoll, Saturday, August 29th, 8-3, 474 Maple Avenue. Multi-household sale with books, toys, clothes, furniture, household items, sports equipment, etc… all in good or excellent condition. Perennials for fall planting will be available. Rain date Saturday, September 5th.

"Also, although my husband, Dr. Bob Giddings, has been heavily involved with the Friends of Boulder..."

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 19:17:00 -0400

“Also, although my husband, Dr. Bob Giddings, has been heavily involved with the Friends of Boulder Knoll and the Community Supported Agriculture program that the Friends have started on the town-owned farm next door to our home, I am not a member of either group. I just volunteer at the farm and donate plants to the program. This is the type of operation that I believe in. Grass roots volunteer efforts to provide a source of locally grown vegetables and educational efforts with students. Having survived the mud traps during the rainy season (was that all summer?), I enjoy weeding the herb garden and working with the Waterbury youth who learned about gardening. It is important to use the wonderful open space that the town has preserved, and this is one good way to do so.”

- Anne Giddings, wife on Friends of Boulder Knoll Board member Bob Giddings, discusses Boulder Knoll Community Farm on Tim White Listens.

News from the Farm - Week of August 23, 2009

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 15:21:00 -0400

Hi everyone -

Tag Sale -
Next Saturday, August 29, 8 am ‘til 3 pm to benefit Friends of Boulder Knoll
474 Maple Ave, Cheshire, (Greg Melville’s home) just north of Hines Hardware.

Good items still welcomed including plants from your garden.
Help at the sale would also be great!

Contact organizer Susan Fox-Erlich at FoxErlich@aol.com or Greg Melville at gwmelville@earthlink.net.

Please spread the word and come by next Saturday for good stuff!

This week’s share may include

Tomatoes
Squash
Lettuce
Cukes (maybe)
Leeks
Little sweet turnips
Greens
Regular Italian and specialty basil (lemon, lime or Thai)
Choice - eggplant, tomatillos, beans, beets or carrots
Herb garden - pick your own

Work needed: Harvest and prep Monday and Thursday

Plant perennials in next year’s cutting garden
Sheet mulch the cutting garden
Transplant lettuce
Wednesday evening around 5:30 - help unload composted manure from a truck
Turn the 1st and 2nd compost piles
Weed squash, broccoli, etc.

Thanks To Liz Aldred who’s doing the big job of soliciting and keeping track of work. I so appreciate it.

See you at the farm!

Brenda

Attend this year’s Community Farming Conference on Saturday, Oct. 31 at the Connecticut...

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 12:15:31 -0400

Attend this year’s Community Farming Conference on Saturday, Oct. 31 at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven, CT from 8:30am to 4:00pm. Visit http://tr.im/wTrE for more information.

You can now find Friends of Boulder Knoll in more places! Visit us on Twitter at...

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 22:11:41 -0400

You can now find Friends of Boulder Knoll in more places! Visit us on Twitter at twitter.friendsofboulderknoll.com and on Facebook at facebook.friendsofboulderknoll.com.

NEW DATE: FBK Plant and Tag Sale

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 22:47:57 -0400

Friends,

We have changed the date and time of the FBK Plant and Tag Sale to
Saturday, August 29th form 8-3 PM at 474 Maple Avenue (Greg Melville’s
house in Cheshire).

WE’VE GOTTEN A NICE START ON ITEMS…BUT, WE’D LIKE TO HAVE A LOT MORE,
AS OUR GOAL IS TO RAISE $1,000!

ITEMS WE’D LIKE:

Art, books, clothes, sports equipment, games, toys, small appliances,
electronic and office equipment and home furnishings and furniture -
all in good or decent condition. Don’t forget the bric- a brac, school
supplies and anything else that you have that needs a new home.
Perhaps you are ready to part with that fabulous antique that Aunt
Mollie gave you for some occasion and has never been out of the box. :)

And: Perennials from your garden(s) that you would like to split or remove and donate to the Sale, as well. I have hoses here for watering.

SO:

PLEASE, BRING YOUR CLEAN & TAGGED ITEMS TO ME HERE, IF YOU WISH TO
DONATE & INCLUDE THEM - AS SOON AS YOU CAN, AHEAD OF THE SALE…Plants
should come SAT. ideally, but earlier is o.k., if necessary.

NOTE:
GREG WILL BE AROUND MOST OF THIS WEEK & NEXT, SO: JUST GIVE GREG A
SHOUT @439-7003 OR SUSAN @ 988-1844 - or email us at
gwmelville@earthloink.net or foxerlich@aol.com.

THANKS & Hope to see you.

- GREG & SUSAN

Susan Fox
101 Patton Drive
Cheshire, CT 06410
Cell: (203) 988-1844
Email foxerlich@aol.com