Yesterday was a different story, cold and gray all day long. The best place to be? In the greenhouse, where it felt tropical by comparison, just look at the foggy camera lens!

Regardless of  the weather we are busy at the farm! Next weekend is our Winter Fun Day (cross your fingers for snow so we can create a snow sculpture).

The following week is Groundhog Day, and everyone’s favorite local groundhog, Ms. G will be making an appearance at 9:30 am to deliver her forecast. The nice folks at Whole Foods Wayland have donated some snacks and warm beverages (we’ll enjoy those in the Pond House immediately following the forecast). Ms. G loves a good audience so come join us! The forecast (and goodies, crafts & stories at 10 am) are all free. We’ll have additional events throughout the day that are free with paid admission (and free for members).

Looking ahead a bit we have an exciting new event Local Favorites: A Taste of Wine and Cheese, on March 2, from 5:30-7:30 pm.  Guests will taste local cheese, local wine, and hang out by a warm fire in the Nature Center. It should be a relaxing fun evening! To register please contact the registrar at 781-259-2206.

And for those of you dreaming of summer, it’s time to register for camp. All of Mass Audubon’s camps (18 day camps, and an overnight camp Wildwood) are now open for registration. Drumlin Farm camp sessions fill quickly, so download a registration form and mail it in!

I think we can all agree that we’d prefer to eat foods that haven’t been treated with chemical pesticides, fungicides or fertilizers. It’s common sense: don’t put stuff that’s contacted stuff with skull and crossbones on the package in your mouth. And the organic label gives us some assurance that the foods we’re ingesting are clean in this way. But what if you’d like to know how the farm that produced your organic broccoli manages soil fertility, or where their irrigation water comes from, or what their position is on using plastics in the greenhouse or in the fields to suppress weeds. An article entitled “Organic Agriculture May be Outgrowing its Ideals” published this December in the New York Times describes the agricultural boom in the Mexican Baja peninsula where organic farmers are “planting the beach” and sucking ground water dry in order to keep up with the American demand for organic tomatoes, basil and peppers. These farms mono-crop, ship foods thousands of miles, and use energy in an unregulated manner to run greenhouses. So from the standpoint of sustainability or environmental common sense, what makes these products desirable aside from the fact that chemicals haven’t been applied to them?    

At Drumlin Farm, we try to pay attention to as many environmental factors as possible in growing the food we eat and sell to the public. We don’t irrigate because we don’t want to use fuel to pump water to irrigate crops. Instead, we build soil organic matter by resting fields two out of every seven growing seasons and by applying compost that we make at the farm from our own animal manures. Soils high in organic matter have a greater capacity to hold water and nourish crops even during dry conditions. The organic standard does not require farms to rest fields, or use compost, or control their use of water, or limit the amount of plastic they use to suppress weeds. If you’ve ever traveled south of Santa Cruz, you may have seen fields that stretch to the horizon covered in black plastic and planted to strawberries. These fields may or may not be certified organic, yet all that plastic will have to be thrown away at the end of each season. At Drumlin Farm, instead of using black plastic, we cultivate the soil in order to control weeds. We do this by hand with hoes or with implements that we pull behind a tractor. And yes, in doing this we burn diesel fuel and thereby emit greenhouse gases. We have room to further “green” our approach, and yet we are already leagues beyond what certifying agencies require of organic farms. We want to inspire our customers to think more deeply about sustainable farming practices, and we feel that the organic label begins and ends that conversation at an unacceptably basic level: this food is safe; it hasn’t been poisoned. But what other farming practices are behind that organic strawberry? We need to know the answer to this question in order to advocate for more sustainable farming practices and to make more responsible choices.

- Matt, Drumlin Farm Crops Manager

By this time in the winter we really should have some nice snow photos, so when I saw flakes this morning I ran out to take a photo. This is about as deep as it got, and it really only stuck on the ice of the poultry pond.

Our new little calves are growing up quickly. This one has a coat with amazing texture.

Several of the other cows were quite interested in what the chickens were doing, and probably most interested in what they were eating.

After checking on the chickens, it was time to visit the sow and see what she was up to.

All in all a quiet day on the farm. We’re gearing up for a busy late winter with February and April school vacation week programs, Groundhog Day, Winter Fun Day, and the very popular Stew and Brew.

Until next week, wishing you wonderful outdoor experiences!

Play the slide show

In reality the sanctuary is home to a large flock of wild turkeys. Staff members see the turkeys pretty much every day. Generally they are around first thing in the morning, and  later in the afternoon. In the early morning we see them in the trees roosting, and because they’re not so graceful we can often hear them coming down from their roost, or going up into them in the evening. They love to hang out around the welcome area, but they can be found all over the farm. And they definitely aren’t scared of people.

Did you know that the conical-shaped protrusion on the top of their head is called a snood?

And in recent news from our Wildlife Care Department, we now have a captive turkey that we are working with so that it can be taken out on programs! It’s a fantastic addition to our collection of native wildlife. This turkey was found abandoned and alone as a young poult, and came to Drumlin Farm from a wildlife rehabilitator.

Do you have turkeys in your yard? Have you had turkeys “attack” your car? What other wildlife sightings have you had recently?

The new barn is looking fabulous. The crew was working on the cupola yesterday. I wonder what kind of weathervane it will have.

The new structure in our Learning Garden is taking shape.

The goal of this new exhibit is to help visitors get excited and about food and where it comes from. Kids will be able to “harvest” a three-foot beet, climb through an underground tunnel, drive the tractor to market, and follow a tomato from farm to fork.  It’s late in the season so the giant veggies that it will display may only make a brief appearance this season before they head to the root cellar, but come visit when it’s open and look for the giant earthworm!

There’s a beautiful trellis on the side of the structure. Look for it to be in full bloom next summer.

Out in the pasture the cows were enjoying the sun. Looks like someone’s the odd man out.

And right next door, the piglets. They never seem to all sleep facing one direction. It’s always some sort of odd arrangement like here, a group of one, a group of two, and then a group of three—all smushed together  for optimum comfort!

Today it sure feels like winter, but even when we think it’s dark and cold I found something growing, a little grass growing right out of a straw bale left in a sunny spot.

And a final parting thought. Not many visitors venture out to the fields this time of year, but it’s really beautiful, a wide open space to see the sky.

There’s also something about the dormancy of the fields that’s amazing – so much potential, and so peaceful.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Drumlin Farm is closed Thursday for the holiday, but will reopen on Friday.

(Thanks to Henrietta for the great photo.)

Meanwhile, at the bottom of our entrance hill the construction continues. The barn is looking really nice, and yesterday we had a new “mini-barn” delivered that sits beside the new big barn. The “mini-barn” will be a veggie wash station for our crops crew and a pickup area for our summer CSA.

And I wasn’t the only one enjoying the goings on at the construction site. Can you see my feathered friend keeping a close look out?

For those of you curious about the new fisher, it is out on display, but we’ve roped off the area to let him/her get used to being in the new enclosure. Very soon everyone will be able to see it.

In other news on the farm our winter CSA distributions have begun. I know the root veggies can get old come March, but for now salads with late fall greens, crispy Kohlrabi and beautiful watermelon radish are a special treat!

Tomorrow’s going to be beautiful, why not join us for a Naturalist Walk?

The ideas are simple, and leave plenty of room for creativity. Root vegetables are fantastic roasted with salt, pepper, olive oil, and your choice of fresh (or dried) herbs. Drumlin Farm staff members are also a fan of the root mash (boil or roast the veggies before mashing) which can include any combination of potato, turnips, parsnips, kohlrabi, celeriac, parsnips, rutabaga, and carrots. Try it with butter, chicken or vegetable stock, or if you're going for sweetness, try maple syrup, brown sugar and a bit of ginger.

Here’s a family recipe from our preschool director Paula

Nana’s Candied Sweet Potatoes

6 sweet potatoes boiled in skins
Cool slightly, peel, and cut into halves or quarters

In large, deep-sided frying pan melt one stick butter, and add 1 cup chopped walnuts and 1 cup maple syrup. Heat almost to boiling, stirring constantly. Add sweet potatoes, turning gently in low boil for 15 minutes. Transfer to casserole and keep warm until dinner.

Visitors also frequently ask us what to do with the variety of greens we offer at the farmstand. Many of our greens are great raw, even greens that at first glance seem tough. Kale, cut up finely, works well in a salad with a vinegar-based dressing. (Kale also makes delicious chips. Recipes are all over for these quick easy snacks.) The collard greens require a bit longer cooking time, but can be simply boiled and tossed with vinegar as a quick side dish. Cabbage can be used raw or cooked.

From our camp director Becky, a quick tasty raw salad.

Cabbage—any color, shredded

1 head cilantro leaves, chopped

Juice of 2 limes

Sea salt

Combine all together and serve.  Adjust lime juice to own liking

What’s your favorite way to prepare Drumlin Farm veggies? How about our meat?

The new space is going to be great! We'll keep sharing updates.
After a rather unpleasant start to the week with mostly everyone without power Friday was a beautiful blue sky day. What foliage there is left really shined against the deep blue.

Does this squash kind of look like it was once round but was deflated, or perhaps melted? Really it's just the shape it grew in, but it gave me a chuckle.

And last but not least on this brief Friday round-up, thanks to everyone who joined us last week for Tales of the Night. It was a brisk evening weather wise, but we had a blast! The farm was bustling and folks really seemed to be enjoying the event (and the wonderful carved pumpkins).

Thanks again to all of the volunteers (we had a ton- and from a number of different organizations) who helped the day of the event, and in the week leading up to it carving the pumpkins.

Looks like the Intel volunteers got creative carving those pumpkins!

Thanks again- we hope to see everyone again next year!

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