Brookwood Farm Annual Recap

State officials and other stakeholders are pictured during a recent tour of Brookwood Farm in Canton.

Brookwood Community Farm, a nonprofit working farm located on Blue Hill River Road in Canton, recently wrapped up a very successful year with a great tour of the farm attended by DCR Commissioner Brian Arrigo along with Brookwood board members, board chair Vivien Morris and food access manager Vickey Siggers from Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition, state Senator Bill Driscoll, and Joanne Tierney from Rep. Bill Galvin’s office. Brookwood Board President Cathy Smith gave a lively review of the many evolutions in the farm’s nearly two-decade history. The farmers gave a tour of the washing station, freshly planted garlic, and fields of cover crops, exhibiting their extensive botanical, agricultural, and operational knowledge. They also discussed the reach of the donation program, Brookwood’s partnering organizations, and the education, mentorship, and professional development provided through many avenues of the farm.

Other recent highlights include a very successful End of Season Sale, which was made possible by Brookwood’s team of volunteers who worked diligently to pack pre-ordered Harvest Boxes and assemble bulk bags in the week leading up to the sale. The sale featured a great variety of storage vegetables, Brookwood honey, local maple syrup, heirloom cranberry varieties, and much more. Brookwood would like to thank everyone who came and helped make this final hurrah such a success!

Growing season review

Brookwood kicked off the spring season with its annual Seedling Sale in early May. This marked the first opportunity to welcome back returning members, introduce new folks to the farm, learn from Massachusetts Master Gardeners, and enjoy music from members of the Southeastern Philharmonic Orchestra and the Wampatuck Senior Orchestra. Not to mention all the beautiful seedlings going to the homes and gardens of our community!

The Spring CSA marked the beginning of Brookwood’s 26-week CSA program with an abundance of tender greens, beautiful heads of lettuce, snappy radishes, vibrant microgreens, and the beginning of the summer vending season at the Roslindale Farmers Market. The farmers also took time to explore and learn from beekeeper and friend of the farm Kristin McDonnell about the beehives kept on the farm. Farmers had the pleasure of hosting three junior interns from Milton Academy, who learned about farming, food production, and marketing. Brookwood also had learning visits from afterschool programs, local school classes, and a corporate service day from Baskin Robbins, with participants helping to prep fields and plant seeds while learning about the history of the farm and land. Teach Peace Prints also hosted a workshop on the farm that taught the art of eco-printing and sent participants home with newly acquired skills and handmade natural works of textile art.

Brookwood’s summer season was a very wet and rainy one, a stark contrast to the 2022 season, which was impacted by record droughts. Despite the rain, the heat was persistent, often requiring the farmers to work on days with temperatures exceeding 90 degrees. The Farm Stand and CSA were stocked with so many tasty vegetables, including fan favorites like our pick-your-own cherry tomatoes, shishito peppers, napa cabbage, and beets. The beginning of June marked the start of Brookwood’s produce donations with volunteers taking fresh vegetables to their 10 partnering food pantries. In July the farm hosted a visit from the Boston Area Gleaners to harvest surplus spring vegetables, with a total of 471 pounds being donated to food-insecure neighbors. In early August Brookwood celebrated America’s Farmers Market Celebration Week with a booth at the Canton Farmers Market, where farmers discussed Massachusetts-grown local produce and eating seasonally, and raffled off a CSA basket of fresh vegetables from the farm.

The fall is always so beautiful as farmers watch the leaves turn from green to a beautiful medley of red, orange, and yellow in the Blue Hills. Brookwood CSA members enjoyed an abundance of colorful carrots, three tasty varieties of onions, and a bumper crop of sunchokes! Volunteers had a blast hosting a table at the Trillium Fall Fest, where they spread awareness of the farm, discussed seasonal produce, and raffled off two CSA baskets. Brookwood also hosted a very successful team at this year’s Ride for Food, raising just shy of $25,000 to support its food access programming.

The team at Brookwood Farm would like to thank the entire community for supporting its mission, investing in local agriculture, and enjoying time on the farm. We hope you had an amazing 2023, and we can’t wait to have you back on the farm in 2024!

Learn more at brookwoodcommunityfarm.org.

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