Tag Archives: lincoln

Fun in February

Posted on January 31, 2018 by Kelly R.

It’s the shortest month of the year but also one of the busiest! Before we’re looking back from March 1st, asking where the month just went and when it’ll warm up, take some time to check out all that’s going on at Drumlin.

See Ms. G’s Forecast on Groundhog Day – Friday February 2 at 10:00 am

Will we have 6 more weeks of winter or an early spring? Find out from the Official Groundhog of Massachusetts: Drumlin Farm’s Ms. G! After her annual forecast, explore the sanctuary for new activities and treats.

Move over Punxsutawney Phil, here comes Ms. G!

Go Birding In and Out of State

Need to get away? This month, we have two out of state birding trips that are sure to challenge your birding skills. Looking to stay local? Sign up for one of our birding programs that focuses on one of our favorite types of birds – raptors.

Preschool Open House – Saturday February 3 at 10:00 am

We can’t wait to learn with you! Give your child a fun, unique, and adventurous learning experience that will last a lifetime at Drumlin Farm Preschool. You’re invited to tour the sanctuary, meet staff, and learn more about our program at this upcoming open house.

Wonders of Wool: Needle Felting – Sunday, February 4 at 1:00 pm

Calling all crafters! Needle felting is a great way to relieve stress and create something from the heart. Take up this easy to learn, Pinterest-worthy, hobby perfect for practicing during the winter.

Doe – a deer – a needle felt deer!

Stew & Brew: Eat, Drink, and Be Merry – Friday, February 9 at 6:30 pm

Warm stew and cold brew, what could be better? Eat, drink, and be merry with stews made from local, seasonal ingredients, including Drumlin Farm-raised meats and veggies. Wash it down with a variety of beers from local breweries including Jack’s Abby, Rapscillion, and Cambridge Brewing Company.

Chickadee Birders: Birding 101 – Sunday, February 11 at 1:00 pm

Share your favorite hobby with your growing chickadees. Children ages 7-11, accompanied by an adult, are invited to learn the basics of birding and identifying. Fair warning, though, they may fall in love with it too!

Don’t Forget! Valentine’s Day is February 14

Love is in the air! Treat the special person in your life to a unique date at Drumlin Farm. Walk the trails hand in hand and enjoy the beautiful vistas from the top of the Drumlin, overlooking the expansive Boyce Field. Who knew farms could be so romantic?

Sign up for the Spring, Summer & Fall CSA – Early bird registration ends February 9th

Receive delicious, fresh, seasonal produce from our CSAs. You’ll thank yourself for signing up early when enjoying these fresh ingredients all year round.

Salads in the making

Get a Little Wild with Wild by the Fire: Sleepy Snakes– Friday, February 16 at 10:00 am

Our local reptiles have been sleeping, but a warm day in February might wake up a snake! We’ll learn how to slither and slide while we listen to sagas of serpents. We’ll also create a snake of our own to take home.

Three Day Weekend Celebration

President’s Day is Monday February 19th. At a loss for what to do with the kids on this free Monday? A trip to visit the animals is sure to excite them while keeping their brains engaged and spending important time outdoors.

Take a February Vacation – Monday February 19 to Friday February 23

Make February Vacation Week a real vacation with outdoor fun activities! With single-day and full-week options, we’re busy with sanctuary explorations, wildlife visits, and educational crafts and activities all week long.

Beekeeping for Beginners – Tuesdays, February 27 to March 27 at 7:00 pm

What’s the buzz? Take action in your life to personally support the hard working pollinators that make so much of our lives possible. Learn the basics of backyard beekeeping and look at honey in a whole new way.

6 Date Night Ideas at Drumlin Farm

Posted on August 11, 2017 by Staff

Photo by Ian Maclellan

Move over, Dinner and a Movie. We’ve got date nights that’ll make anyone swoon.

1. August 18: Summer Concert with Lula Wiles

Even the classic picnic dinner doesn’t stand a chance. Bring your romantic meal with you and chill out on the hill while Lula Wiles does the serenading for you.

2. September 6: Full Moon Yoga and Campfire at the Farm

Your post-namaste treat? S’mores, duh.

3. September 8: Friday Evening Hayride and Campfire

Yes, you’ll be sharing your date night with some families and kiddos, but if you’re a kid-at-heart, this is a cute way to spend your Friday evening with that special someone. Because s’mores.

4. September 19: Wild Edibles Walk

Scribble down notes as Russ Cohen shows you allofthethings you didn’t know you could eat. Then munch on snacks he’s prepared, like stinging nettle fritters, Japanese knotweed crumble, and black walnut bars. Stop at Lincoln Kitchen for dinner afterward.

5. September 23: Moon Over Drumlin

Tastings from award-winning Boston chefs, guest appearances from our animal ambassadors, and wine. Lots of wine.

6. Flowers from the Market

OK. It’s not really a date night. And it’s not at the farm. But every Saturday, we’re at the Union Square Farmers Market slinging gorgeous bouquets. And bonus for all you single folks: Treat. Yo. Self.

Summer Crops Update: August 16

Posted on August 16, 2016 by Staff

Crops Updates are provided by Drumlin Farm Crops Manager Matt Celona.

MorningHarvest2

We Got Rain. We Need More.
We did get about one inch of rain on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Many crops look revived and happy. However, it’s a good bet that the warm weather will last, since the outlook is for 90s continuing into next week and beyond. That’s not good news for the farmers or the crops. According to Weather Underground, Lincoln received 16 inches below the precipitation average in 2015. To date in 2016, we are 19 inches below average! This drought is at least two years in the making.

How Are the Crops Doing?
The young bean plants that we watered through the driest stretch are now mature and looking good. The second round of eggplant is fairing much better than the first. These are perfect for grilling whole or sautéing. Our last round of sweet corn is beginning to mature, while storage beets, rutabaga, turnips, and radish have finally germinated. Unfortunately, it looks like the seedings of storage carrots are not going to come up. We’re in uncharted territory with the emergency carrot seedings that we tried over the following weeks —we hope that we can still get a good harvest out of these, but it’ll depend on how mild the fall is.

We’re going to have to take very good care of all fall crops in order to maximize yields from plants that are already stressed by the heat and lack of water. We’re hoeing and fertilizing storage crops, stringing the second succession of tomatoes, and preparing fields for fall cover-cropping.

Many Thanks to Our Volunteers and Workers
This morning, teacher-naturalist Sally Farrow brought a group of Lowell City Corps youth to help us harvest onions. The kids apply to the city for summer employment in environmental work, and thanks to Sally’s relationship with Lowell schools, they have come here for the past two years. Additionally, volunteers Anne and Sheila removed crab grass from the Brussels sprouts patch—not an easy job even when the weather is nice!

Last Friday, we said goodbye to fieldworker Maggie as she returns to Colby for her senior year. Thanks, Maggie, and all of our volunteers for your good work and positive energy!

See you in the field,
Your Farmers

Summer Crops Update: August 4

Posted on August 4, 2016 by Staff

FlowerinRain

Rain!
Hooray! The light rain this past weekend amounted to only 0.1 inches in Lincoln, so Monday morning’s steady rain was a welcome sight. It appears the rain has worked its way below the soil surface. We had been watering via bucket brigade and by raising the transplanter above crops and driving over the plants with the water streaming down. We’ll see how the crops hold up this week!

Bucket Brigades Brought To You By
Volunteers helped us water beans and chard last Tuesday between harvesting potatoes. Food and Farm Educator Emma led groups of campers in hand-watering flowers and string beans in the front field. The whole team, with help from many volunteers, has been working hard to water melons, strawberries, eggplant, and peppers during the drought and heat wave. Thanks to all of them for their dedication and good cheer during this stretch of extreme weather!

Living with New England Wildlife
Now it’s time to catch up on other pressing jobs like stringing tomatoes and battling pests. We installed an electric fence around our watermelon patch to keep the coyotes out. Last year, they damaged almost every watermelon! The deer have been swiftly eating sweet potato vines, too, so we’ve sprayed garlic oil on the leaves to keep them away.

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Flower Harvest
Farmer Jessica has been doing a fabulous job leading the Friday flower harvest and making beautiful bouquets at the Union Square Farmers Market. Many thanks to last year’s CSA coordinator Katerina for taking the time to give Jessica pointers in flower arranging. For those who remember Katerina, she is now the head flower grower at Allandale Farm.

Drumlin Farm on WBUR
Reporter Andrea Shea of WBUR is a fan of our produce and frequents the Union Square Farmers Market. It was there that she made a connection with us and reported on the effects of the drought in Massachusetts. It’s a great story to read and hear, and paints a picture of how farmers across the state are handling the dry weather.

The Farm Stand: Designed by Farmer Katie
Farmer Katie has been responsible for setting up an attractive veggie display at the farm stand, and today you can find white corn, melons, and heirloom tomatoes. Note the impressive size of the corn and tomatoes! We were never able to water these crops by hand, so all that growth is the result of minimal rain and healthy soil maintained by our sustainable growing practices.

See you in the field,
Your Farmers

Drumlin Farm Friday to Friday: May 20–27

Posted on May 17, 2016 by Staff

drumlin1

What a busy week ahead of us! Fill up your calendar with what’s coming up.

View the full online catalog here

Friday, May 20

Friday Evening Hayride and Campfire
4 and 6 pm | All ages
Join us for a hayride as spring moves into summer. Watch for birds flying at dusk and evening fireflies before stopping at our campfire for stories, s’mores, and a special nighttime visitor.

Teen Night at Drumlin Farm
7–10 pm | Teens
Explore Drumlin Farm’s trails by moonlight, stargaze at the top of the drumlin, and listen for owls and night creatures.

Saturday, May 21

warbler

Birding by Ear Field Trip: Wompatuck State Park
6:30 am–1:30 pm | Adults
Spring migrants and returning breeders establishing territories offer wonderful opportunities for a tremendous variety of sounds to learn and practice.

Discovery Day: Birds, Birds, Birds
10 am–4 pm | All ages
What is it about birds that makes them so fascinating? Visit our new Wildlife Blind, practice backyard bird ID with a teacher-naturalist, and meet some of our songbirds and raptors!

Sunday, May 22

Bird Banding at West Hill
7:15 am–1:30 pm | Ages 9+ w/Adult
Join us at the bird banding station at West Hill Park in Uxbridge. We will walk the net lanes and hopefully catch a variety of warblers, vireos, thrushes, flycatchers, and sparrows.

Sunday Morning Birds at Drumlin Farm
8–9:30 am | Adults
Drumlin Farm has a great variety of habitats and gets a nice mix of migrants and residents in the spring. These walks are for birders of all levels. Pre-registration is not required.

Chickadee Birders: Family Bird Walk
1–3 pm | Ages 7+ w/Adult
This Sunday afternoon offers a special opportunity to enjoy our spring migrants, especially the colorful warblers! Learn about blue bird nesting boxes and banding at Drumlin Farm.

Teen Know Your Food: Cows and Cheese
2–5 pm | Teens
During this workshop, we will visit the dairy barn to milk the cow, then return to kitchen make and sample fresh cheeses, including ricotta and mozzarella.

Tuesday, May 24

Rock-a-bye Babies
3:30–5 pm | Ages 2+ w/Adult
Make a nest-helper for our feathered friends, listen to their songs, and search for the best places to build a spring home for the birds.

Wednesday, May 25

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Wild Edibles Walk
6–9 pm | Adults
Join Russ Cohen, expert forager and author of Wild Plants I Have Known…and Eaten, for a walk around Drumlin Farm to learn about at least eighteen of the tastiest wild plant species in our midst.

Thursday, May 26

Thursday Morning Bird Walk
Time TBD | Adults
Call 781-259-2200, ext. BIRD (2473) the Wednesday before each program for a recorded listing of the exact time and location. Pre-registration is not available.

Turtle Time
10–11:30 am | All ages w/Adult
Discover what these ancient creatures have to teach us. We’ll meet several of New England’s turtles and learn of their habits and habitats.

Warblers 101: Lecture
7–9 pm | Adults
More than 30 species of warblers can be found in Massachusetts during spring migration, and more than 20 regularly breed in the state. This lecture will provide a logical framework for ID and offer tips on making the most of quick, limited views. Sign up for Warblers 101: Field Trip here.

Meet the Staff: Geoff Nelson, Property Manager

Posted on May 2, 2016 by Staff

“There is no typical day.”

Geoff Nelson, who has worked at Drumlin Farm since 2008, knows just about everything there is to know about the facilities, buildings, and grounds of the wildlife sanctuary and Mass Audubon headquarters, which is located just across the street.

“Our work is very weather dependent,” he said. “On any given day, we may be plowing the driveways or cutting away trees felled by a windstorm.”

In addition to keeping the wildlife sanctuary in top shape for our visitors, Geoff and his team are responsible for coordinating with contractors, overseeing volunteer projects, maintaining the beautiful landscape, or even building a Native American-inspired shelter for Drumlin Farm Community Preschool students.

As a kid, Geoff was an outdoor enthusiast, always exploring or building forts with his childhood friends. Before Geoff became the property manager at the farm, he studied graphic arts and photography at Lyndon State College, and like many of the people who work here, his career path evolved over the years to suit his passions for the environment.

“It came from a concern for the environment and the need to do all I can to integrate this with environmental education, especially for our children,” said Geoff.

His passions led him to work at the Hemlock Overlook Center for Outdoor education, as well as The Discovery Museum, where he was the exhibits director. While there, he put his college studies to work by building interactive exhibits for museum visitors of all ages. And to Geoff, the correlation between science and activities at Drumlin Farm is built in to the landscape and buildings.

“In the past, there was a big disconnect between earth science studied in school and the world of nature,” he said. “Now, the public is beginning to see the interrelatedness of farms to their everyday lives.”

The work Geoff does as property manager is part of a larger system that touches everything and everyone working on the farm.

Geoff’s love for the outdoors hasn’t changed one bit since childhood. Today, he spends weekends and vacations biking and hiking, and even once worked as a ridge runner for the Appalachian Mountain Club.

It’s pretty clear that Geoff’s role at Drumlin Farm suits him perfectly!