Quinoa Stuffed Collard Greens

This summer I wrote an article on stuffed collards greens for the Lexington Farmers' Market for the town newspaper, the Lexington Minuteman, and I wanted to share it with you:

Nutritionist suggests way to stuff collard greens
By Annabelle Ho
Published July 11, 2013

Stuffed collard greens are a beautiful and delicious way to eat these veggies! Collard greens are light and nutrient-rich, providing fiber, vitamins K, A, and C, calcium, and more.  Quinoa also packs a nutritional punch. It offers all nine essential amino acids, magnesium, riboflavin (vitamin B2), phosphorous, and other nutrients. Technically a seed, and not a grain, quinoa is also gluten-free. Here is a simple recipe for quinoa stuffed collard greens.

Stuffed collard greens is a healthy recipe for summer dining

Stuffed collard greens

Makes 4 servings

Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup diced onion

2-3 minced garlic cloves

1 cup diced carrots

1 cup diced radishes

1 cup diced summer squash

2 teaspoons fresh oregano

3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

3 tablespoons lemon juice

8 large collard leaves

Directions:

1. Rinse the quinoa well in a strainer and drain, to remove the bitter residue. Add the quinoa, water, and salt in a saucepan. Cover and bring to a simmer, then simmer the quinoa for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
2. While the quinoa is cooking, warm the oil in a skillet on medium heat. Add the onions and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Next, add the garlic, carrots, radishes, summer squash, oregano, mint, and black pepper. Cover the vegetables and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are just tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in the lemon juice and cooked quinoa, and add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Remove the large part of the main stem from each collard leaf. Boil or steam the leaves until they are soft, about 1 minute. Lay the leaves flat on a plate to cool. When the leaves are cool enough to handle, lay a leaf flat, vein side up, with the leaf tip away from you. If the leaf has a space in the middle where the stem was cut away, overlap the two sides of the leaf slightly. Put about ½ cup of the quinoa filling in the bottom center of the leaf. Fold the sides of the leaf over the filling, and then roll it up carefully and tightly to form a package. Place in a lightly oiled 8-inch square baking pan, seam side down. Repeat with the rest of the collard greens.
4. Cover and bake the stuffed greens in a preheated 350°F oven for about 10 minutes, or until hot.

Variations:

Substitute the quinoa, vegetables, or herbs in this recipe for other ingredients that are local and in season.

The recipe was adapted from "Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health."

Many of these ingredients can be purchased from vendors at the Lexington Farmers' Market. Cook and enjoy.

Annabelle Ho is a Lexington resident with a Bachelor of Science in nutritional science from Boston University. She maintains a blog at herbalmedicinebox.com, and is a work-share volunteer at Waltham Fields Community Farm.

Cooking at Taberna de Haro

The Spanish wine and tapas restaurant, Taberna de Haro, has changed quite a bit since I first wrote about it three years ago.

Last year, we expanded the restaurant to include a full bar, offering bar tapas and mixed drinks.

The bar
(Photo courtesy of Taberna de Haro)

We also increased our patio seating and revamped our menu. And of course, we have our ever expanding wine list, currently with over 320 Spanish wines.

The patio
(Photo courtesy of Taberna de Haro)

In addition to being a server these past few years, I took on the position as a cook last year. It was a great experience to work in the restaurant in the front and the back of the house. I also enjoyed learning more about cooking and about how many of the dishes that we offer are made.

Making salad for the staff meal
(Photo courtesy of Celeste Radosevich)

My duties included preparing various menu items and weekly specials. I became an expert at cooking the classic Spanish omelette, the Tortilla Española (find a recipe here). Fun items that I also helped to make included pâté and our house-made Spanish blood sausage, morcilla.

House-Made Morcilla: Spanish blood sausage with sliced apple

On Tuesday nights, I was in charge of the cold and brick oven station. This included serving up our suckling pig special, cochinillo asado, cooked in the brick oven and served on Tuesday nights from October - May.

Whole roasted suckling pig

(Photo courtesy of Taberna de Haro)

Heating up the roasted suckling pig for the family meal
(Photo courtesy of Celeste Radosevich)

Other special dishes that I helped to prepare include:

Roasted duck breast over blood orange and frisée greens

Quail egg and house-made lamb bacon on tomato toast

Rabbit escabeche salad with pomegranate seeds and onion

Taberna de Haro is located at 999 Beacon St., Brookline, MA 02446. We offer authentic Spanish cuisine, including tapas, entrees, wines, and cocktails. Enjoy the rest of the patio season while it is still warm out, and look out for our roasted suckling pig, winter, and brick oven dishes returning in October! Visit the website and sign up for the newsletter for more information and to stay up to date about events.

Although I will not be returning as a cook in the fall, I will still be serving at Taberna de Haro. Come by and say hello! I will also be continuing my position as a CSA Distribution Coordinator at Waltham Fields Community Farm until the season ends in the end of October. Finally, I am looking forward to beginning a Master of Science in Food and Nutrition Program at Framingham State University this fall!

Wild Medicine Exhibit at The New York Botanical Garden

In my last trip to New York, I visited The New York Botanical Garden. I especially enjoyed the Wild Medicine Exhibit, which features healing plants from around the world and the Italian Renaissance Garden.

Here are just a few of the plants in the Wild Medicine Exhibit:

Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)

Although the foxglove plant is poisonous, it also contains chemicals, digoxin and digitoxin, that are used to treat heart disease. In the 1700s, foxglove was used as a medicinal plant in Ireland by local healers, to treat headaches, paralysis, boils, edema, and more. Despite its medicinal uses, foxglove in Ireland was also known as "dead man's thimbles," to warn against its toxicity. Today, chemicals derived from foxglove are active ingredients in prescription drugs approved to treat congenital heart defects and congestive heart failure (1).* 

Belladonna (Atropa belladonna)

(Photo source)

German chemist Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge is credited with having found the chemical atropine in belladonna. In 1809, Runge accidentally got a drop of belladonna extract in his eye, causing his eye to dilate. In 1833, Runge isolated atropine, belladonna's primary active chemical. Another highly poisonous plant, belladonna has been used for centuries. During the Italian Renaissance, women used the juice from the berries to dilate their eyes. This was regarded as elegant, however it could also eventually cause blindness. Today, doctors use atropine (with careful dosage to avoid the risk of poisoning), to dilate pupils, relax muscles, and raise heart rate (1).*

Spilanthes (Acmella oleracea)

Spilanthes is also known as the "toothache plant," because the red-and-yellow flowers release an anesthetic that decreases oral pain and encourages salivation when they are chewed. Spilanthes flowers can be dried and chewed to relieve toothaches, inflammation of the gums, and cold sores. The plant contains the chemical spilanthol, which has numbing and antibacterial properties (1).*

Besides the Wild Medicine Exhibit, there was much more to explore in The New York Botanical Garden. I also saw:

Miniature alpine gardens (trough gardens)

Jade vine (Strongylodon macrobotrys)

A native plant of the Philippines

Living stones (Lithops)

Living stones grow in the deserts of Namibia, South Africa, and Botswana. These plants camouflage  themselves to look like the stones nearby, to protect themselves from animals (1).

Tropical blueberries (Anthopterus wardii)

Tropical blueberries grow in the American tropics, and are relatives of the edible blueberries that you normally see in grocery stores, which are native to North America. Some tropical blueberries are edible, while others are poisonous. The higher in elevation the plant is, typically the more toxic its berries are. The antioxidant content of tropical berries can be 11 times as high as that of edible North American blueberries. While tropical blueberries have not been used medicinally in the past, scientists are researching if these berries can be used to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by reducing inflammation (1).* 

There is a lot to see in The New York Botanical Garden, and I would definitely come again. If you are interested in the Wild Medicine Exhibit, stop by The New York Botanical Garden before September 8! The garden is open year-round, Tuesdays-Sundays, and occasionally on Mondays. For more information, check out The New York Botanical Garden website.

Source:
1. Wild Medicine Exhibit at The New York Botanical Garden

*Please note that this information is for educational purposes only, and is not meant to prevent, diagnose, treat, or cure any disease. Please see your physician for further care.

Shiki: Japanese Restaurant

Hidden on Babcock Street in Coolidge Corner in Brookline is one of my favorite restaurants to dine at in the Boston area: the Japanese restaurant, Shiki.

I have been going to Shiki since it opened in 2007, and I have returned many times since. Shiki offers authentic Japanese cuisine (confirmed by my Japanese friends, and you will often find Japanese people dining in the restaurant). Shiki is a great place to go if you love seafood like I do. However, there are many non-seafood options if seafood is not your thing! Check out their menu.

I typically order the Take Kaiseki lunch set.

Take (Bamboo) Kaiseki Lunch Set

"A combination of sashimi, broiled fish, tempura, and cooked vegetables. Served with miso soup, salad, and rice (white or the day's mixed rice)."

Although if I am particularly hungry, I sometimes order the Matsu Kaiseki lunch set instead. Mmmmm.

Matsu (Pine) Kaiseki Lunch Set

"Combination of mini appetizers, sashimi, oshizushi (pressed sushi), mini chawanmushi (egg custard), broiled fish, and tempura. Served with salad and a small udon noodle soup."

Shiki is open for lunch and dinner, six days a week (it is closed in-between meals, and closed on Mondays). For lunch, you can choose from a variety of lunch sets and sushi a la carte. Small plates are offered for dinner a la carte. I have been to Shiki for both lunch and dinner, although I typically go for lunch, because the prices are so reasonable. Whenever you go and whatever you order, though, is sure to be beautiful and delicious.

Hokkai Donburi Lunch Set

 "Assortment of seafood - crab meat, salmon roe, scallop, and sea urchin [served over rice]. Served with miso soup and salad."

Shiki is located at 9 Babcock Street, Brookline, MA 02446. T: (617) 738-0200. Go to the website to take a look at their hours, their menu, and for more information. Visit today! You won't regret it.

Natural Cold and Flu Prevention and Remedies

It has been a pretty bad cold and flu season this winter, but luckily I was prepared with natural prevention methods and remedies! However, before we get started, what is the difference between the cold and the flu?

The cold and flu are both respiratory illnesses, but they are caused by different viruses. Because the two illnesses share many symptoms, it can be difficult to determine the difference between them based on symptoms alone. Here are some tips on how to differentiate between the two. Generally, the flu is more severe than the common cold, and a temperature of over 101 degrees F may indicate the flu rather than a cold. A runny or stuffy nose is common with a cold, and colds usually do not result in serious health problems, such as bacterial infections or hospitalizations.

Here are a few possible ways to prevent or treat the cold or flu:

1. Fresh, Raw Garlic

A very affordable and easily accessible option! Raw garlic is a "potent antibiotic...it has immune-stimulating properties as well as antibacterial and antiviral effects." The major compound in garlic that provides health benefits is allicin. However, allicin is only formed when the garlic is crushed or finely chopped, and exposed to the air for a few minutes. Take raw garlic (a few cloves a day) at the first onset of symptoms. To make the raw garlic more palatable, crush it, chop it finely, and add it to your food. Read more about allicin and raw garlic benefits from Dr. Weil.

Garlic (photo source)

2. Medicinal Mushrooms

Medicinal mushrooms are a great way to boost one's overall immunity and to fight disease, with different mushrooms offering different health benefits. Although there still is a lot that we need to learn about them, "Preliminary studies on mushrooms have revealed novel antibiotics, anti-cancer chemotherapeutic agents, immunomodulators, and a slew of active constituents."

For example, maitake mushrooms have "anticancer, antiviral, and immune-system enhancing effects and may also help control both high blood pressure and blood sugare levels." In addition, reishi can "improve immune function and inhibit the growth of some malignant tumors. It also shows significant anti-inflammatory effects, reduces allergic responsiveness, and protects the liver."

Turkey tail mushroom (Trametes versicolor) 

- Benefits -

Photo source

To learn more about medicinal mushrooms, read this introductory article by Paul Stamets, Mycologist, an interview with Paul Stamets, and his website for more information about medicinal mushrooms and mushroom products. In addition, The Boston School of Herbal Studies routinely offers Medicinal Mushroom Classes taught by Melanie Rose. I attended their Medicinal Mushroom Class in October, and learned a lot! One recommended source Melanie recommended to purchase mushroom products from was Mushroom Harvest based in Athens, Ohio, with the 14 Mushroom Powder Blend a favorite of hers. Finally, if you live in the Boston area, look into the Boston Mycological Club, which "was organized in 1895 to study mushrooms and other fungi, to collect and spread information concerning them, and to encourage interest with exhibitions, lectures, and publications."

3. Astragalus 

Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus) "has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for thousands of years." Astragalus has antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties. In addition, it "stimulates the immune system, suggesting that it may help prevent colds." The root of the plant is used medicinally, and it may be found in Chinese food stores, some health food stores, and also online, such as at Mountain Rose Herbs. Astragalus root can be simmered in teas and soups, and can also be found in liquid, capsule, and tablet form. Read more about astragalus root from Dr. Weil, The University of Maryland Medical Center, and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

Slices of dried astragalus root 

(photo source)

4. Essential Oils for Respiratory Issues

At the Farm to Pharmacy Intensive, David Crow of Floracopeia reiterated numerous times about the benefits of conifer and eucalyptus essential oils to help to prevent and to treat respiratory ailments. They can be taken by steam inhalations, in a diffuser, and more. (Please note that it is not safe to take essential oils internally!) For more information about essential oils in general, read about my experiences taking an Aromatherapy Course and the Farm to Pharmacy Intensive.

Heavenly Scent Diffuser/Nebulizer

5. Umcka^® 

Umcka^® ColdCare is a homeopathic remedy made with Pelargonium sidoides extract (EPs 7630) 1X, "a medicinal plant unique to South Africa. In clinical studies, EPs 7630 shortens the duration and reduces severity of throat, nasal and bronchial irritations. It also naturally releives congestion, cough, headache, and hoarseness." Umcka^® Cold Care is available in liquid form, chewable tablets, and powder form for adults and children. In addition, Umcka^® offers a Cold and Flu line, made with Pelargonium sidoides extract (EPs 7630) 1X and an Alpha^® CF blend. Visit the Umcka® website for more information and check out their FAQ page.

6. Elderberry Syrup

While currently there is only preliminary research demonstrating potential benefits of elderberries for the cold and flu, it has been used historically in traditional European medicine for the cold and flu. I thought that making elderberry syrup would be something fun to try, so I made my first batch in October. It is tasty, too!

To make the elderberry syrup, I followed the recipe from Mountain Rose Herbs, with one small difference. I learned from the Farm to Pharmacy Intensive that simmering elderberries (or any vegetable or fruit) significantly reduces vitamin C content. Therefore, instead of simmering the elderberries, I:

• Boiled 3 cups of water
• Poured the boiled water over 1/2 cup dried elderberries in a bowl
• Covered the bowl well and let the infusion steep overnight

The next day:

• I mashed the elderberries with a potato masher to release the juices
• Strained out the liquid using cheesecloth and a colander 
• Stirred in 1 cup of honey to the liquid
• Put the elderberry syrup in jars to refrigerate, and voilà! Done. 

The elderberry syrup lasts 2-3 months in the fridge, and as for dosage, I just followed the recommendation from Mountain Rose Herbs' recipe: "Take a tablespoon daily to ward off illness and a teaspoon every 2-3 hours while sick."

Elderberry syrup, batch one

I have taken elderberry syrup most days since I first made it in October, and surprisingly I did not get sick when my family and I flew to Las Vegas for my cousin's wedding in early December (I have a bad habit of getting sick when I travel). I was sick with a cold for one week in late December, when my elderberry syrup had already spoiled and I had not made a new batch yet (the syrup had lasted two months). I made a new elderberry syrup (cut down to 1/3 of the batch) the day after I realized I was starting to get sick. Luckily I did not experience any physical symptoms at all, and I only felt "fogginess" in my head (I was taking the 14 Mushroom Powder Blend, conifer essential oils in the diffuser, and Umcka^® at the same time though, so all may have contributed to help to reduce the severity of my cold, and prevented me from getting sick most of the winter).

If you have any other suggestions for natural cold and flu preventative tips and treatments, please share!

Farm to Pharmacy Intensive

Last week, I participated in the Farm to Pharmacy Intensive with David Crow and William Siff at Goldthread Herb Farm. The farm is located in the foothills of the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts, and we were very lucky to have nice weather the majority of the time! Over the week, we learned about herbs in many different ways, including plant walks outdoors, harvesting, making various products with the herbs, and lectures. The concepts were taught incorporating Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurvedic principles.

Learning in the outdoor classroom with William Siff

The intensive went from Saturday, September 22 - Friday, September 28. With the exception of Friday and Saturday, class went from 9 am - 6 pm, with delicious vegetarian lunches catered by The Bakers Oven located in Shelburne Falls. The schedule varied each day, according to the weather.

A major focus of the program was how to apply herbalism at home. Therefore, we learned a lot about working with herbs that are relatively harmless, have a wide range of therapeutic benefits, are cost-effective, and are easy to grow in North America (if you are interested in growing your own herbs, check out The Medicinal Herb Grower by Richo Cech of Horizon Herbs). For example, applying herbalism can be as simple as using culinary herbs, which can have immense health benefits. This includes the oreganos, thymes, basils, sages, onions, garlic, and more.

Because the intensive was located at the herb farm, we were able to do some outdoor hands-on learning. At the end of September in Massachusetts, the growing season is coming to an end, so we harvested herbs and seeds, and we prepared plant beds for rest for the winter. We also garbled herbs, which is the process of separating the part of the plant that will be used from the parts that aren't wanted. For instance, removing the stems from dried peppermint leaves for storage purposes. Here is a nicely illustrated blog post describing how to easily garble herbs.

Wire mesh screen used for garbling herbs

We also learned about composting,

Vermicomposting in the greenhouse

and about many properties of the herbs that were present at the farm.

Ashwagandha, an important herb in Ayurvedic tradition and a strong restorative that strengthens the immune system

In addition, we learned about essential oils with David Crow from Floracopeia (the quality of the essential oils from Floracopeia is simply amazing).

One essential oil we learned about in particular was helichrysum. It is considered the "best essential oil for a first aid remedy. It excels at supporting the skin in healthy healing...Very few oils can boast such a broad spectrum of effective therapeutic use...Its overall cleansing effect and its ability to support a healthy inflammatory response make helichrysum a great support to the respiratory, immune, and neurological systems providing mood uplifting and stress reduction benefits to boot." Learn more about what David Crow has to say about helichrysum in this article and about "the best helichrysum essential oil in the world" in this video.

On Thursday, we distilled local hemlock to make hydrosol and essential oil with Goldthread's distillery. This process involved stripping the hemlock needles,

 

Stripping hemlock needles

and placing the needles in a chamber in the 85-gallon still. With a fire and water, steam was created underneath, allowing the hot steam to pass upwards through the plant material, carrying the essential oil with it. The steam with the essential oil then went through a cold condensing unit, where the steam and essential oil recondensed. The liquid collected in a container, and because of the different densities, the oil separated from the water. The oil produced is the hemlock essential oil. After the essential oil is decanted off, the remaining aromatic liquid, which contains trace amounts of the essential oil, is known as a hydrosol. Hydrosols have numerous applications, such as for body care and as natural air fresheners.

Hemlock Distillation 

Hemlock essential oil (on top) and hydrosol (below)

While in Conway, I also explored the area, including a visit to the Ashfield Farmers Market nearby.

Ashfield Farmers Market

On Friday, I went on a tour of South River Miso, which is located right in Conway.

Miso is a seasoning often used to make miso soup in Japanese cuisine. However, it can be used in many other food preparations as well. As a fermented product, miso is reported to have numerous health benefits, such as cancer prevention, and in promoting health as a probiotic. At South River Miso, making miso involves cooking the beans, inoculating brown rice with spores of the mold Aspergillus oryzae to make koji, treading the beans by feet for an hour (wearing clean organic cotton socks, of course!), adding the rice koji, and then fermenting the miso in the wooden vats for 3 weeks, or even up to 3 years. This process produces not only miso, but also tamari, which is the liquid that collects in the vats of miso. Tamari is similar to soy sauce, but it has a lighter and sweeter taste. Check out these videos for a tour of South River Miso and to see how they make their products.

South River Miso's Fermentation Building. Tamari fermenting in the carboys (left) and miso fermenting in the vats (right).

South River Miso makes many varieties of miso, including traditional misos made with brown rice, and untraditional flavors, such as chickpea miso. I purchased some chickpea miso tamari and brown rice koji as a starter to make amazaké again. All of South River Miso's products can be ordered online from their website, and their miso can also be found at many Whole Foods markets.

It was a wonderful week away, and I learned a lot. Having already taken some herbalism and aromatherapy classes, I enjoyed learning from new teachers with different backgrounds, and also learning from a great group of peers. One major difference in this program compared to some of my previous classes was the emphasis on Ayurvedic principles and Traditional Chinese Medicine. If you are interested in other events offered by David Crow and William Siff, visit Floracopeia's website and Goldthread Herb Farm and Apothecary!

 Goldthread Herb Farm

A Summer at Waltham Fields Community Farm

This summer, I worked on the weed crew at Waltham Fields Community Farm.

Founded in 1995, Waltham Fields Community Farm is a nonprofit organization "engaged in food production, hunger relief, and education." The farm consists of 11 acres, it supports a 500-share CSA, and it offers various other programs. Some of the produce grown at the farm this season included kale,

Kale. Harvest from the bottom up, and it continues to grow and produce new leaves!

swiss chard,

Swiss chard was everywhere

a variety of flowers, and much more.

 

 Fresh flower bouquet

I saw okra growing for the first time, too!

 Okra flower

The weed crew position was part-time, Mondays - Fridays from 8 am - noon, from June - August. The crew consisted of four members, and from Tuesday - Friday we worked with drop-in volunteers, from 9 am - noon. It was great to meet and to work with volunteers of different ages and backgrounds! Most of the work that we did was by hand, and we occasionally used hand-tools. The weeding we did ranged from detailed work such as weeding carrots, to weeding weeds that were taller than me (I am five feet tall).

One great benefit of the job was receiving fresh produce from the farm. I fermented both pickling and salad cucumbers using the recipe from the book Real Food Fermentation (a book that I contributed writing to), and both batches of fermented pickles came out very crispy. I had grape leaves on hand to add to the fermenting jars as well, which are supposed to help pickled cucumbers to keep their crunch.

Fermenting cucumber pickles

Other ways I preserved the harvest included making sauerkraut and a variety of pestos, freezing, and canning tomatoes with other members of the weed crew. To make the tomato sauce, we modified a recipe from Pick Your Own, took the appropriate precautions in order to avoid botulism, and with three people, six hours of work, and a water bath canning set, we had canned 10 pint jars of tomato sauce.

Canned tomato sauce

 Cantaloupe ice cream

(Recipe from Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book) 

Despite Waltham Fields Community Farm's abundance of tomatoes this year, this has been a tough tomato year for some farms in the area because of late blight. Late blight appears sporadically in the northeast, and unfortunately returned this season. Also known as "Phytophthora infestans," late blight caused the Irish Potato Famine in the 1840s, and it infects tomatoes and potatoes. If late blight is not managed, it can destroy entire crops in days. While some farms in the area lost crops due to late blight, others who have been able to manage the disease have had a very productive tomato season. Read more about late blight in this handout, and for photos and for more information, visit this webpage.

Another crop we weeded was parsnips, a crop that we needed to weed in long pants, long sleeves, and gloves! Why? Because parsnips contain furocoumarins, a photosensitive compound that can cause phytophotodermatitis. If the plant juice from parsnips gets on your skin and the skin gets exposed to sunlight, it can cause serious burns and blisters that can last even up to a year. Although many people are already familiar with these burns from wild parsnips, the burns can occur with cultivated parsnips, as well. Luckily we were warned about the dangers of parsnip beforehand! For more information and pictures regarding parsnips burns, check out these articles: "Burned by wild parsnip," "Parsnips gave me blisters! Gardener covered in sores after brushing against vegetable leaves," and Parsnip Dangers from Wikipedia.

Over the summer, I also attended several meetings with Emasscraft, the Eastern Massachusetts Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training. "CRAFT is a free, collaborative group...From April through October farmers, farm workers and apprentices from CRAFT farms gather at one farm for a visit and/or workshop. Each visit includes an overview of the farm as well as a discussion about one or two specific topics. CRAFT discussions are also scheduled November through March if there is sufficient interest" (http://emasscraft.org/wordpress).

I went to three CRAFT meetings this season. At the meetings, I learned about weed management techniques at Drumlin Farm, tomatoes at Wright-Locke Farm (a farm that I also wrote an article about for the Lexington Farmers' Market), and irrigation systems at Moraine Farm. I enjoyed visiting new farms, and seeing how each farm operates differently from one another. The schedule for Emasscraft meetings can be found here, and I would highly recommend signing up for their listserv.

It was a great summer working on the weed crew, and also with the wonderful staff at the farm.

Waltham Fields Community Farm Staff of 2012 (minus Marla)

(photo courtesy of Waltham Fields Community Farm)

Although I am sad to no longer be working at Waltham Fields Community Farm, I am looking forward to sharing a winter CSA with some of my fellow weed crew members this winter. Waltham Fields Community Farm's annual Waltham Farm Day is also coming up on Saturday, September 22! For more information about Waltham Fields Community Farm, visit their website.

Red sunflower

I am also excited for some new opportunities that are coming up. I will be participating in Goldthread Herb Farm and Apothecary's Farm to Pharmacy Intensive this September 22-28. This week I also begin working at Blue Heron Organic Farm in Lincoln, and in addition to my waitressing hours at the Spanish wine and tapas restaurant Taberna de Haro, I will be working as a cook. Stop by the farm or the restaurant sometime and say hello!