Boston Flora

Tag: Northeast Organic Farming Association

  • Saturday, November 17, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Putting Your Garden to Bed

    The late fall and winter is the perfect time to prepare for spring! In this Northeast Organic Farming Association workshop, to be held Saturday, November 17 from 1 – 3 at Brookline High School 115 Greenough Street in Brookline, we will learn about mulching, soil amendments, and garden clean-up that will give your edible garden a head-start for next year’s growing season!

    During part of the workshop we will get hands-on and help put part of the BHS garden to bed. There will be ample time for questions and group discussion to make sure that your garden will be ready to grow come spring!

    Instructor Sadie Richards recently finished a service year with FoodCorps, a national service organization engaging students in growing school gardens, facilitating hands-on food education, and increasing student access to local fresh fruits and vegetables. She holds an MPH in environmental health and is currently working as the Massachusetts FoodCorps Fellow, supporting the state’s 2nd year of FoodCorps service members.

    The cost to participate is $15 for Brookline High School students and faculty, $25 for NOFA members, and $30 for the general public.  You may register on line at www.nofamass.org.  For more information, contact Drew Love by email at drew@nofamass.org.

  • Friday, October 19, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm – Seed Saving with Bryan Connolly, Massachusetts State Botanist

    Bryan Connolly is the Massachusetts State Botanist for the Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program, Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. He will speak at Elm Bank on Friday, October 19, beginning at 6:30 pm, on Seed Saving.

    Bryan is also researching the taxonomy and uses of the native plant genus Aronia or Chokeberry for doctoral dissertation. He is the author of “The wisdom of plant heritage” the Northeast Organic Farming Association’s handbook on small-scale seed production, and a co-author of “Breeding Organic Vegetables Step By Step Guide” NOFA-NY, and “The Vascular Plants of Massachusetts: A County Checklist, First Revision”. His professional experience includes being a botanical consultant for the Connecticut Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, surveying rare plant populations for the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, coordinating a volunteer invasive plant survey at the New England Wild Flower Society, growing for FEDCO seeds, and instructing botany classes at Connecticut College and the University of Connecticut.

    Cost – $10.00 for Mass Hort members, $12.00 for non-members.
    Reservations may be made by calling 617-933-4943 or ordering online at https://www.masshort.org/secureforms/OnlineRegistrationForm_G2T.php. You may also pay at the class.

  • Wednesday, October 3, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm – Urban Chicken Keeping Workshop

    You don’t have to be a farmer to keep chickens. Terry Golson has more than sixteen years of experience keeping a small flock of laying hens in her backyard that supply eggs for her family’s table. In this slideshow and lecture, Terry will share everything you need to know to get started with your own chickens. She’ll cover selecting the right breeds, housing, feed, and how to keep the hens healthy, in this Northeast Organic Farming Association class to be held Wednesday, October 3 from 6:30 – 8:30 at Groundwork Somerville, 21 Properzi Way, Somerville. Terry will talk about chicken behavior, predators, and daily chores. She’ll show you how she composts the manure and makes use of it in her garden. Terry speaks and writes frequently on this topic. You can find out more about her and her hens at http://www.HenCam.com.  $25 for NOFA members, $30 for non-members.  If you have any questions contact Drew Love at drew@nofamass.org.  To register on line, visit http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/259982. Photo of Polish hen from www.oregonlive.com.

  • Saturday, September 22, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Fight the Frost!

    Northeast Organic Farming Association’s Cold Weather Gardening workshop will provide gardeners with practical tips and techniques to help their crops fare the cold New England winter. Our goal is to strategically extend our growing season by up to three months (Mar-Dec instead of Apr-Oct) or more if we’re lucky!

    Topics covered will include construction of cold frames and low tunnels; other row cover options; strategic warmth-adding techniques and more. We will briefly discuss which vegetables will fare best using this variety of season extension methods though, by the time of our workshop, gardeners should already have most of their cool/cold weather crops in the ground.  The class will take place Saturday, September 22 from 1 – 3 at Brookline High School, 115 Greenough Street in Brookline.  $15 for Brookline High School students and faculty, $25 for NOFA members, and $30 for everyone else.  Contact Drew Love at drew@nofamass.org with questions.  Sign up at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/265120.  Photo from www.waldeneffect.org.

  • Saturday, September 8, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Ewww! Gwoss! Cooking Local Veggies with Your Children

    Green veggies are amongst the most nutritious, affordable, and easy prep foods that are out there. But the common knowledge is that kids will bust down a steel plate door to either get to chocolate, or away from broccoli, brussels sprouts, kale etc.

    How do you change that?

    Join local celebrity chef, mom, and children’s food expert JJ Gonson from Cuisine en Locale, for a morning of cooking veggies with your children and learn how cooking together can transform your children’s affinity for those delicious local greens. The class will take place Saturday, September 8, from 10 – noon, at Kitchen, Inc., 201 Somerville Avenue in Somerville, and the cost includes produce that will be used for the class, as well as admission of one caretaker and child.  The program is sponsored by the Northeast Organic Farming Association, and costs $40 for NOFA members and $50 for non-members.  Contact Drew Love at drew@nofamass.org with any queries, and sign up at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/260179.

  • Saturday, September 1, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Sowing Seeds in Autumn

    Don’t let summer’s waning days put an early end to your gardening activity! Come learn which established crops will thrive in your garden through fall, and what you can still plant in September (and even October) in order to maximize your garden’s late-season potential – no greenhouse needed!

    This workshop will focus mainly on cold-hardy plant selection and will also include basic tips on planting cover crops for healthy soil. Approaches for mitigating early frosts will be touched on as well. Individuals with existing gardens as well as those with new gardens built late in the season, or school gardens to be planted when students return, will learn techniques to make the most of their growing space before winter arrives.

    The class will be held Saturday, September 1 from 1 – 3 at Brookline High School, 115 Greenough Street in Brookline. $15 for Brookline High School students and faculty, $25 for Northeast Organic Farming Association members, and $30 for the general public. If you have any questions about this first of NOFA’s Fall Urban Gardening series, contact Drew Love at drew@nofamass.org. Register on line at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/265119.  Photo from www.higgeldygarden.com.

  • Saturday, February 4, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Cheese-Making Workshop

    With the abundance of local and raw milk, homeowners can now expand their domestic arts into the realm of cheese making. This Berkshire Botanical Garden program on Saturday, February 4, from 1 – 3 will introduce the craft of basic fresh cheese making, both concepts and process. Participants will watch and help local homesteader/farmer Dominic Palumbo, from Moon in the Pond Farm, make a simple “Farm Cheese.” The program will conclude with a tasting and tips for how to turn your wonderful cheese into the perfect treat for family or guests including how and what to serve it with. This program will be held off site.

    Dominic Palumbo owns Moon in the Pond Farm, a NOFA (Northeast Organic Farmers Association) certified organic farm in Sheffield, MA. He produces organic eggs, milk, meat, wool, yarn and honey. Register on line at www.berkshirebotanical.org ($30 BBG members, $35 non-members) and directions will be sent.

  • August 15 Deadline – NOFA Bulk Order Program

    Don’t miss the opportunity to save money on your fall mineral amendments and fertilizers, cover crop seeds, Vermont compost and potting soils, Nutrient Density Supply drenches and foliar sprays, seed starting supplies, pest controls and BPA-free small and wide mouth canning lids. Just one week left to participate in the biannual NOFA/Mass bulk order.

    Here’s how it works:

    You need stuff for your farm or garden or backyard.  You take a look at the Northeast Organic Farming Association online Bulk Order form and find what you need from all the brand-name suppliers.  You order from NOFA. Whatever you need. One thing – or ten things.  A whole bunch of us do the same thing, and the nice suppliers give us a discount. That’s why it’s called “BULK.” You send in your order and payment.  The stuff is delivered to designated locations across the state. You can check out our website to find a delivery site near you.  You help support NOFA in the process.

    Download an order form at http://www.nofamass.org/programs/bulkorder/index.php or drop off/pick-up an order form at the at the NOFA Summer Conference in Amherst. ORDERS MUST BE POSTMARKED BY AUGUST 15th. All sized growers, from the farm to the backyard, are welcome to participate. Questions? Contact Cathleen O’Keefe, Bulk Order Coordinator, bulkorder@nofamass.org, (413) 584-6786 with any questions.

  • Tuesday, August 16, 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Growing Organic Fruit Trees in a Backyard

    Why not grow organic apples in the backyard? This Northeast Organic Farming Association workshop on Tuesday, August 16, from 6 – 8:30 pm, will go over how to plant and care for fruit trees using organic methods. After a pruning demonstration, John Bemis, from Hutchins Farm, will cover materials, varieties, rootstocks, as well as disease and pest management. He will be sure to touch on the likely challenges growers face and variable responses to those challenges. $25 NOFA members/$30 Non-members. The event will take place at City Natives, 30 Edgewater Drive in Boston.

    John Bemis is a partner at Hutchins Farm in Concord, MA. He has been organically growing vegetables for over 35 years and currently oversees nine acres of apple trees. He studied agriculture and construction in Peru through the Peace Corps and has a degree from MIT in Architecture.

    To register for the workshop or for more information visit www.nofamass.org or contact Laura Eppstein at (617) 913-0538, or by email at laura@nofamass.org. Ulla Norup Milbrath’s Gravenstein apples below from www.ullam.typepad.com.

  • Friday, August 12 – Sunday, August 14 – NOFA 2011 Summer Conference

    Join the Northeast Organic Farming Association on Friday, August 12 through Sunday August 14 on the campus of UMass/Amherst, and attend over 200 workshops on organic gardening, farming, food politics, permaculture, homesteading, landscaping, draft-animal power, alternative energy, livestock, cooking, and more! Hundreds of vendors and exhibitors will be on hand, along with live entertainment, childrens and teen conferences, country fair and farmers market, plus silent auction. This year NOFA is proud to feature the Northeast Animal-Power Field Days. Spend the weekend or come for the day. Activities for all ages.

    Sponsored by: Whole Foods, Stonyfield Farm, Farm Family, Jeff Clements Law Office, Greenleaf Foundation, Vermont Compost, Franklin Community Cooperative, Boston Organics, Groton Wellness, Neighboring Food Coop Association, Bejo Seeds, Chelsea Green Publishing, Northeast Animal-Power Field Days, River Valley Market, RMA, UMass Amherst, North County Organics, and Harris Seeds. Keynote speakers will be Eric Toensmeier, a perennial edibles expert (pictured below, courtesy of www.gazettenet.com,) and Dr. Ignacio Chapela of University of California/Berkeley, a GMO activist. Register now at www.nofasummerconference.org, email info@nofasummerconference.org, or call 413-230-7835.