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Barrett's Mill Farm | CSA & Farm Store

449 Barretts Mill Rd
Concord, MA, 01742
978-254-5609

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Barrett's Mill Farm | CSA & Farm Store

  • About
    • What We Grow
    • Growing Practices
    • The Farmers
    • Jobs
    • In the News
    • Contact
  • CSA
    • CSA Options
    • Photo Tour of the CSA
    • Member Guide
    • FAQs
  • Barrett's Bucks
  • PYO Flowers
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February: seasonal preparations

February 23, 2017 Lise Holdorf
Melissa begins to set up the greenhouse for seeding in March.

Melissa begins to set up the greenhouse for seeding in March.

February always seems to catch us by surprise. It still feels like we are in the depths of winter, but right around the last week or two of February we are reminded that our greenhouse seeding schedule starts March 1st! In many ways we are very prepared for the start of the season (we have all of our seeds and potting soil ready to go!), but there is always a shift in mentality that goes along with the arrival of March. We won't be in full gear yet, but we will have plants that require care and watering every day, including on our once carefree Saturdays and Sundays!  The increase in daily responsibilities on the farm is balanced by the invigorating influence of plant growth as the farm comes to life again for another season.

With increasingly busy days before us, we are also focusing our energies on recruiting new CSA members while we still have non-farming hours to spare. As many of you know, we are increasing our acreage in order to add 50 new CSA members. Sign-ups have been going well and we are making a push to try to fill those remaining spots as soon as possible so that we can get down to the business of growing food! To that end, we recently made a couple of yard signs promoting the CSA (see picture below). We have a few places lined up for the signs once the snow melts and the ground thaws, but we do have one extra sign. If you live on a busy road in West Concord, Concord Center or Acton and you might be willing to put one of our signs up for a week in March or April, email Lise at lise@barrettsmillfarm.com!

 
 
 
 

January: Welcoming new CSA members and Lise's new family member!

January 11, 2017 Lise Holdorf

The new year on the farm is off to a great start. So far 2017 has brought many returning CSA and Barrett's Bucks members, new customers, and Lise and Matt's baby girl named Madlyn born January 6th! As the newest farm resident Madlyn is already getting to know the property while joining Lise for walks when the sun comes out. 

The new year has also meant new crew members for the 2017 season! We have hired an Assistant Grower and in next few weeks we will be adding one or two more people to fill out our 2017 line-up.  We are also very excited to welcome back many of last year's part time crew members to the farm again in the spring. 

Early sign-up discounts for both CSA and Barrett's Bucks memberships continue until January 15th so sign up yourself and send your friends our way! As we've mentioned, we will be increasing our CSA size this season in order to grow our business so there is room for friends and family to join you at the farm! Anyone who refers someone who signs up for the Main Season CSA will receive an additional $10 Barrett's Bucks for 2017.

December: Reflecting on our 3rd season at the farm and planning for 2017

December 16, 2016 Lise Holdorf

This December marks the end of our third season on the McGrath property as Barrett's Mill Farm! This year we made great progress in setting ourselves up for the future: we built a new greenhouse, planted a new asparagus patch, established more blueberry bushes, began leasing 4.5 acres of new land, and purchased a water wheel transplanter as well as more irrigation supplies. In addition to investing in equipment and infrastructure we took steps to meet customers' needs for flexibility, including increased hours for the store and CSA. We also took actions important for improving soil quality, such as cover cropping to improve soil organic matter and spreading lime on our fields to increase the soil pH. In order to have the capacity to meet our regular production and store coverage needs, as well as tackle some of our longer-range projects, we tripled our labor budget by employing two full time assistant growers as well as a total of seven part time crew members over the course of the season. We have set the stage for the business size, both in terms of productivity and customer base, that we think will make our farm successful and financially stable in the long run. In fact, all of this investment in labor and in future planning turned out to have a shorter payback than anticipated, as it allowed us to have a successful and productive season this year in spite of some tough drought conditions!

The increase in crew size, customer numbers, and donation opportunities this season also meant more great community connections. We enjoyed teaching the new farm crew, many of whom had never worked on a farm before. Busy Saturdays became the highlight of the farm week! The crew was energized by the constant flow of enthusiastic farm store customers and CSA members enjoying the results of the their hard work and sharing in their enjoyment of picking in the fields. Food donations this year included our gift of a season-long CSA membership to Minute Man Arc, weekly donations to Open Table of Maynard and Concord, as well as pick-ups by the Boston Area Gleaners. Our families are still a big part of our farm community! Lise's dad continued to be the expert carpenter on the farm, Melissa's aunt helped out in the farm store on Saturday afternoons and Lise's mom continued to be the farm store, greenhouse seeder, and general supporter extraordinaire.  

A major aspect of our December review and planning is of course devoted to the vegetables. The colorful variety and long picking season for cherry tomatoes this year made them a crop highlight for 2016. The hot summer was also great for watermelons and a small but tasty cantaloupe crop. Our potatoes suffered from pest pressure and the drought, however we hope to address these problems this year by preventing early leaf hopper damage, adjusting our irrigation method, and hilling the potatoes earlier. In 2017 we have fine-tuned our planting timing and selected for crop varieties that worked well. We also always like to try a few new things, so we will be planting a bed of edamame, adding some variety to our cut flower plantings, and trialing a bed of sweet potatoes for our November CSA.

Other plans for 2017 include organic certification, an increase in CSA membership, and the first vegetable crops on our new land across the street. We like to set goals for the upcoming season to ensure that we are always improving! Right now we are brainstorming ideas to improve farm stand traffic during the hot summer vacation months, both through making the farm stand area more of a refuge from the heat, as well as by offering an even wider variety of produce in between the popular strawberry and tomato seasons. This year we are also researching ways to become more efficient in our use of space in the fields and would like to continue to improve the appearance of the farmstead.  As a relatively new business we feel so lucky to have such large supportive group of regular customers and we are looking forward to a successful fourth year! 

November pick-ups and field news

November 15, 2016 Lise Holdorf
Lise mulching strawberries for the winter. The plants were planted last April and will fruit in June!

Lise mulching strawberries for the winter. The plants were planted last April and will fruit in June!

The harvest for the November CSA has softened the transition for us from days spent out in the field and store to our winter office work. It has been nice to continue the harvest for many reasons: we enjoy the time out in the fields, we are happy with our yields for fall favorites such as carrots, leeks and squash, and we enjoy feeding our customers for a longer season. We are also glad we have had enough produce to continue our weekly donations to Open Table and occasionally the Boston Area Gleaners.  In addition to preparing for the November CSA pick-ups, this month we have been working on late fall projects such as strawberry mulching, collecting samples for soil testing, and barn clean up. Our list for the near future includes taking down the deer fences, continuing to pack the barn for the winter to keep as much equipment out of the winter elements as possible, and picking up and putting away the last of the irrigation tube that remains in the fields where we are still harvesting. We are looking forward to seeing November CSA Members as well as those who placed bulk orders on Thursday November 17th from 2-7pm in the greenhouse!

Romanesco cauliflower

Romanesco cauliflower

In the November CSA this week:

  • Romanesco cauliflower
  • Salanova lettuce mix
  • Scallions
  • Butternut squash
  • Brussels sprouts
  • Garlic
  • Lettuce
  • Carrots
  • Beets
  • Leeks
  • Cabbage
  • Kale
  • Collards
  • Turnips
  • Celeriac
  • Watermelon radish
  • Daikon radish
  • Parsley
  • Potatoes from Hutchins Farm

 

Peanut-Sesame Slaw with Soba Noodles

Author: Cookie and Kate

Ingredients

Slaw

  • 4 ounces soba noodles
  • 1 small purple or green cabbage, sliced into quarters and core removed
  • ½ pound (about 12) Brussels sprouts, optional
  • 4 carrots, peeled
  • 1 bunch green onions, trimmed and sliced into thin rounds

Peanut-sesame dressing

  • ½ cup peanut butter
  • 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar or rice vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
  • 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari or other soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
  • 2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced

Garnish

  • Sprinkle of coarsely chopped peanuts
  • Handful of cilantro, coarsely torn
  • 1 lime, sliced into wedges

Instructions

  1. Cook the soba noodles: bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water before returning to pot.
  2. Prepare the vegetables: This is easier in a food processor than by hand. If using a food processor, shred the cabbage and sprouts with the slicing disk, then grate the carrots using the grating disk. Or use a chef's knife to chop the cabbage and sprouts into thin strips, then coarsely grate the carrots.
  3. Prepare the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients until smooth. If the mixture should be thick but drizzly; if it's too thick, whisk in water in 1 tablespoon increments until it is. You might need to add a little salt, to taste, since the flavors have been diluted.
  4. In a large serving bowl, combine the cooked soba noodles, shredded cabbage and sprouts, grated carrots, and chopped green onions. Pour dressing over the vegetables and toss to coat (you may or may not need all of the dressing). For best flavor, let the slaw marinate for 20 minutes before serving.
  5. Serve slaw with a sprinkling of chopped peanuts, torn cilantro and a lime wedge
  • Adapted from River Cottage Veg.

November CSA starts this Thursday!

October 31, 2016 Lise Holdorf

Morning rainbow on our last store day of the season.

The store and the regular season CSA are done for 2016, but we still have the November CSA to look forward to, and it is shaping up nicely! There are 5 more spots available for the November CSA, so if you've been mulling it over, there is still a little bit of time to sign up! Just send an email to Melissa at melissa@barrettsmillfarm.com. The November CSA will work similarly to our regular season CSA - you will fill a bag with the veggies of your choice - but you will get even more items to take home outside the bag as well. We'll also provide a handy chart with storage tips in addition to recipe ideas.

This morning we walked the fields to get an idea of what will be available and compiled the following list. Many of the items will be available for all 3 pick-ups, but some may only be available for one or two - we will note which ones in parentheses.

Likely November CSA contents:

A sampling of the variety of vegetables in the November CSA.

  • Butternut squash
  • Brussels sprouts
  • Garlic
  • Lettuce
  • Carrots
  • Beets
  • Leeks
  • Cabbage
  • Kale
  • Collards
  • Turnips
  • Celeriac
  • Watermelon radish
  • Daikon radish
  • Parsley
  • Romanesco cauliflower (1st week, possibly later depending on weather)
  • Celery (1st week, possibly later depending on weather)
  • Fennel (1st week, possibly later depending on weather)
  • Escarole (1st week)
  • Spinach (likely 2nd week)
  • Shallots (2nd week)
  • Potatoes from Hutchins Farm (2nd and 3rd week)
  • Salanova (likely 3rd week)
  • Dried hot peppers (3rd week)

 

Roasted Carrot Ginger Soup

from The Mediterranean Dish

  • 3 lb carrots, peeled
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • 4 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
  • 5½ cups vegetable broth, divided
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp allspice
  • 1½ cup heavy cream (or fat-free half and half, for a lighter version)
  • Fresh mint for garnish

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Arrange the carrots on a large lightly oiled baking sheet. Season the carrots lightly with salt and pepper and drizzle generously with olive oil. Roast in the 425 degrees F heated-oven for 45 minutes, turn over mid-way through. When carrots are fork tender and nicely caramelized, remove them from the oven and set aside briefly.

Once cool enough to touch, cut the carrots into chunks and place them in a large food processor with the garlic, ginger and 3 cups of the broth. Puree until the mixture is smooth.

Transfer the carrot puree into a heavy cooking pot. Add the remaining broth, corridor and allspice. Place the pot on medium heat and watch carefully as the soup will bubble. Stir occasionally.

Turn the heat to medium-low and stir in the heavy cream. Once heated through, remove from the stove.

Transfer to serving bowls and garnish with fresh mint leaves. Serve with your favorite rustic bread.

 

Butternut Squash Pie

by Kay Rentschler on cooking.nytimes.com

For the crust:

  • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening, chilled
  • 5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, in 5 pieces
  • 4 teaspoons beaten egg from 1 large egg

For the filling:

  • 2 large eggs plus 2 egg yolks
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ½ cup dark brown sugar
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • Pinch cayenne pepper
  • 1 ½ cups roasted squash purée, packed (see recipe)
  • 1 ¼ cups heavy cream
  • Candied squash and ginger relish, for garnish (optional; see recipe)
  • Whipped cream, for garnish (optional)

For the crust: Combine flour and salt in food processor bowl, and pulse. Remove lid, scatter vegetable shortening and butter over surface, and pulse 5 or 6 times.

Combine beaten egg and 3 tablespoons ice water. Pulse liquid into dry ingredients, continuing until mixture is evenly moist and dough looks curdy, 10 seconds. Turn onto work surface, and press firmly into disc, adding drops of water if dough feels dry. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or overnight.

Roll dough into 15-inch round on lightly floured surface, and fit into shallow 9-inch pie pan. Trim and crimp edges. Refrigerate 1 hour. Meanwhile place large pizza stone on lowest rack in oven, and heat at 425 degrees for 1 hour.

Line chilled pie pan with aluminum foil and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake until crust dries out and crimped edges begin to color, 3 to 5 minutes. Lower heat to 300.

While crust bakes, prepare filling: combine eggs, vanilla, sugars, salt and spices in food processor, and process until smooth. Add squash purée, and process until smooth. With machine running, pour in heavy cream, and process to combine. Scrape filling into hot prebaked shell, and bake on pizza stone until filling is set 2/3 in from perimeter and center still jiggles, about 40 minutes. Remove from oven, and cool to room temperature on rack. Garnish with whipped cream and the candied squash and ginger relish if desired.

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Barrett's Mill Farm  |  449 Barrett's Mill Road  |  Concord, MA 01742


 

2025 Farm Store Schedule

Open May - October 25th

Tuesday - Friday 11am - 6pm
Saturday 9am - 3pm

2025 CSA Schedule

Starts June 11th

Wednesday 11am - 6:30pm
Saturday 9am - 3pm

 

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