As of this writing, Natick Community Organic Farm (NCOF) has 11 lambs and nine piglets. Several kids and a calf are still due. Every morning seems to bring a new four-legged surprise, or sometimes a pair of them. NCOF’s livestock serves a practical purpose, such as providing us with fiber for clothing, manure for our gardens, or eggs and meat for our dinner tables. So soon we’ll be selling off most of our lambs, kids and piglets, keeping only what our land will support. While we are always sad to see the babies go, we take comfort in knowing that they’ve had a good start under our care.
Our greenhouses are so crammed with flower and vegetable seedlings that it has gotten hard to walk through them. Our farmers have begun hardening off the greens, like the kale, which can handle cooler temperatures, so that we can plant them and put some for sale on market stand. Like the plants, our farmers are itching to get in the fields.
This is a wonderful time of year to stroll along our woodland trail, which connects to the Eisenmenger trail on the Cochituate Aqueduct. Watch the new leaves unfurl, and look for woodland wildflowers. Maybe you’ll see a nesting Great Horned owl!
On April 19, please yell loudly for our charity runners Usha, Erik, Abby, and Ken in the Boston Marathon. They are “Trotting to Boston” on behalf of NCOF’s Teen programs. We are really grateful for their efforts.
Visit the farm for certified-organic mesclun mix and potatoes, plus our own eggs, maple syrup, honey and woolen yarn. Our barn-side market stand is now open during daylight hours for purchases. To join the farm’s 2017 CSA share program and for a complete list of upcoming activities for children and adults, visit www.natickfarm.org.
Issue Date:
April, 2017
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