“Everyone in Newton has driven by,” says Newton Community Farm’s Executive Director, Sue Bottino. “But not everyone knows that we produce 50,000 pounds of produce a year on just under two acres of land.” Another thing people might not know is that Newton Community Farms has been delivering produce to the Newton Food Pantry since the farm’s inception in 2006.
The farm, which has existed on the property in some form since 1679, was purchased by the City of Newton from the Angino family under a conservation agreement which ensures that it will be preserved as a farm with a historic landscape. When Greg Maslowe started managing the farm 17 years ago, he wanted to use it as a way of bringing the community together. He was surprised to learn that the Newton Food Pantry had no regular contributors of fresh produce, and immediately set up a partnership. That partnership has grown over nearly two decades to the point where Newton Community Farm is donating about $14,000 worth of produce to the Newton Food Pantry this year and hopes to give even more next year.
The farm has a variety of seasonal staff and volunteers, but Greg and Sue are the only year-round, full-time employees. “We have a volunteer who takes produce to the Newton Food Pantry every Wednesday for seven months,” says Sue, describing the seasonal donation. This past year, Sue reached out to Denise Daniels, Pantry Manager, and Dr. Regina Wu, President of the Newton Food Pantry, to see how the farm could support the pantry’s mission to provide culturally relevant food to its clients. “After that conversation, we’ve been growing more bok choy, mustard greens, cilantro and long beans, largely due to the influence of the pantry,” says Sue. “Regina suggested the pantry’s clients would like these things, and we’re happy to grow them.”
There are three pillars to the Newton Community Farm’s Mission:
Model sustainable agriculture.
The farm produces 50,000 pounds of produce per year on just under two acres of land. Sue says, “We bring in additional produce that takes a long time to grow or needs a lot of space from other local farms like Drumlin and Verrill Farm. We’re actually pretty famous for our tomatoes — heirloom tomatoes, field tomatoes, cherry tomatoes.” They are also trying new crops, she says, and never stop experimenting: “Shishito peppers, these really cool ‘fairy tale’ eggplants that are purple and white. We have about 140–160 beds — some where we grow the same crop for the season, but most of them are turned over more frequently. Some beds get turned over three times a year.”
Educate the public on sustainable gardening and environmental stewardship.
Newton Community Farm has run a steady stream of fun and educational programs, including summer camps for kids, a fall family party, history classes in partnership with Historic Newton and virtual speakers. More about the wide variety of programming, and the exciting events coming up in October and November, can be found on the farm’s website.
Preserve the open space and culture of farming.
The Newton Community Farm is the last working farm in Newton, and as stewards of this legacy, Sue, Greg, the staff and the volunteers work hard to preserve it. They sell produce and plants through Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs, their on-site farm stand, the Newton Farmers’ Market on Saturdays and an annual spring seedling sale. This allows them not only to sustain the farm but to be part of the ecosystem supporting families in our community. “I definitely think food insecurity has grown,” says Sue. “We really enjoy working with the Newton Food Pantry because they are on the front lines. They know the clients and can make sure people in need get food. We are grateful to have a role to play though we know we’re not the experts. We are happy to grow the food and donate it and know that it’s helping in some way.”