Tag Archives: spring

May-be Our Favorite Month!

Posted on April 24, 2018 by Kelly R.

Drumlin Farm in May is filled with blooming flowers, warmer weather, and the laughs of visiting school children. If you’re looking for ways to get out of the house and reconnect with the outdoors after a long winter, you’ve come to the right place! We’re looking forward to…

Camp Registration – The end of school is fast approaching! Summer Camp is great for keeping kids physically active while learning in the off season, and having fun outdoors! Check out our offsite camps in Sudbury where kids can explore Assabet River ecology by canoe and learn classic camp activities like archery.
Campers exploring Assabet River by canoe
Spring CSA Beginning – Wednesday, May 16th marks the first day for Spring CSA Pick Ups 12-6 pm. Shareholders will receive tender greens, head lettuces, herbs, scallions, salad radishes, carrots, sweet salad turnips, and (weather permitting) sugar snap peas, strawberries, and beets along with tips, recipes, and updates from our farmers themselves. A limited number of shareholder spots are still available, so if you’re interested and haven’t registered yet, you can do so today.
Picking crops during the first week of last year’s Spring CSA.
Author Event: Do Doodlebugs Doodle? by Corinne Demas & Artemis Roehrig – On Saturday, May 5th at 10:30 am, this mother-daughter author team will be at the Audubon Shop signing copies of their two humorous question and answer books about insects, Do Doodlebugs Doodle? and Does A Fiddler Crab Fiddle? Afterwards, we’ll enjoy visitor education insect programs at 11:30 and 12:30 to get hands on with the lessons learned in this story.
Union Square Farmer’s Market – Drumlin Farm will be at the outdoor Union Square Farmer’s Market starting Saturday, May 12. Stop by any time between 9 am and 1 pm to say hello! We’ll have farm-fresh veggies and viola plants for sale.
Bird-a-Thon – It’s time to reclaim our winning title at this year’s statewide Bird-a-thon! Bird-a-thon, Mass Audubon’s largest fundraiser, brings together supporters from across the state to raise essential funds for nature conservation, education, and advocacy while competing in an exciting birding competition. Adults can join the Drumlin Farm team and participate at Mount Auburn Cemetery and Teens Birders can join in the fun at Drumlin Farm!
Wilson’s Warbler ©Rosemary Mosco
Hidden Treasures Program sponsored by the National Heritage – Join a Drumlin Farm Teacher Naturalist Saturday, May 19^th 10:0-11:30 am to learn about why habitats are so important to local animals. Meet a couple of our resident songbirds then take a walk out to our fields to discover what Drumlin is doing to manage our habitats for farming as well as native animals.
Learn about the conservation work behind managing habitats for bobolinks and farmers. ©Phil Doyle
Programs for Adults and Families – As always, Drumlin Farm is jam packed with special programming for adults, children, and families. Little ones can learn about tadpoles, pigs, bugs, and more while adults can take one of our many birding programs or take a tasty nature walk learning about edible plants. The opportunities to engage with the outdoor world are always new and eye-opening.

Planting the Seeds for CSA 2018

Posted on February 7, 2018 by Kelly R.

Drumlin Farm’s Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program is the heart of our farm operation and how we most closely connect our customers to the food they enjoy and the land where it’s grown.The CSA model was introduced as way to provide consumers direct access to farms, while insulating farmers against unpredictable growing conditions. Customers could make an up-front investment in a “share” of the harvest, and then come to the farm each week to collect their “return”, with abundant quantities in a favorable growing year, less in a difficult one. With the recent proliferation of farmers’ markets, farm stands, and grocery home-delivery options, one may reasonably ask, “Given all my options, why would I still choose to join a farm-based CSA?” The answer is: “For the same reasons you choose to take a walk outside as opposed to on a treadmill–you like what you experience out there!”

Enjoy the fresh air, warm sun, and a little dirt under your nails dirt under your nails at Boycle Field.

At Drumlin Farm, our fields are open to the public, maintained so that our work is legible even if we’re not there to explain what’s happening. We want you to be able to track the development of your carrots from seed to harvestable root and your peas from shoots to pods hanging from the trellis. And beyond the fields, there’s even more to engage with at Drumlin: cooking classes for kids and adults, yoga classes, summer concerts and summer camp, guided hikes, daily drop-in activities, wooded trails, ponds, hilltop views, livestock barns, and wildlife displays, including our most recent additions, a young red fox and a reclusive porcupine.

The CSA is just one of the many paths that leads into our vibrant community farm and wildlife sanctuary. Through this path, shareholders can truly connect to the seasons and to the health of Drumlin’s land and surrounding ecosystems. Historically, that CSA path has also been something of a yellow brick road with returns on initial investment averaging 20%!

Some improvements we’ve made to our CSA programs for 2018 include the availability of half shares and a reconfiguration of the distributions to better align with members’ schedules. Our Spring, Summer, and Fall CSA registration is now open, with many options for work shares, pick-your-own shares, half shares, flower, and fruit shares. We look forward to meeting you in the fields!

Drumlin Farm Friday to Friday: June 3–10

Posted on May 31, 2016 by Staff

Hello, June!

With the heat of Memorial Day weekend behind us, it’s time for us to throw on sunscreen and explore the farm!

Here’s what we have lined up for you:

Friday, June 3

Queen Bee
3:30–5 pm | All ages w/Adult
Buzz on in and learn about the queen bee and her court. She may have as many as 20,000 attendants catering to her needs, and she could lay up to 1,500 eggs each day!

Saturday, June 4

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Introduction to Bees and Beekeeping
1–3:30 pm | Adult
This class is all about honeybees—how they survive, what they do for us, and of course, honey. We will visit the hives and sample various honeys. If you are contemplating beekeeping or if you just want to know more about these insects, join us!

Tuesday, June 7

Baby Bugs
3:30–5 pm | All ages w/Adult
Let’s go on a bug hunt and search for caterpillars, grasshopper nymphs, dragonfly naiads, and other insect larvae!

Thursday, June 9

Home Tweet Home
10–11:30 am | All ages w/Adult
Now that spring is here, migratory birds have returned and are settling in to raise their families. We’ll examine nests, listen to songs, and meet some feathered friends!

Friday, June 10

Splish Splash
3:30–5 pm | All ages w/Adult
Meet our web-footed quackers and discover why ponds are such wonderful places to live.

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Farm-to-table Cooking: Spring Harvest
6–9 pm | Adult
Celebrate the bounty of spring at Drumlin Farm as we visit the fields to harvest our meal. Return to the kitchen for a hands-on cooking class, where we will craft these ingredients and enjoy them together!

For a look at all of our upcoming programs, visit massaudubon.org/drumlinprograms.

Drumlin Farm Friday to Friday: April 29–May 6

Posted on April 25, 2016 by Staff

Kayt-Silvers-Drumlin13 See you later, April. We’re ready for some May flowers!

For a full list of our programs, visit our online catalog.

Friday, April 29

The Princess and the Peas
3:30–5 pm | Ages 2+ w/Adult
We will learn of the pea’s plentiful powers while acting out the story of The Princess and the Pea.

Saturday, April 30

Discovery Day: Water, Water, Everywhere
10 am–4 pm | All ages
April showers bring May flowers! Meet some animals that live in our ponds and depend on water as part of their life cycle.

Sunday, May 1

Sunday Morning Birds at Drumlin
8–9:30 am | Adults
Join us for Sunday morning birding! Drumlin Farm has a great variety of habitats and gets a nice mix of migrants and residents in the spring. Registration not required.

Wednesday, May 4

I’m a Little Tadpole
3:30–5 pm | All ages w/Adult
Spring is the time for frogs (and salamanders!) to lay eggs in pools and ponds. We’ll investigate frogs, listen for their songs, and discover their babies swimming around.

Thursday, May 5

Thursday Morning Bird Walk
7:30–10:30 am | Adults
Join us as we explore Drumlin Farm and other local hotspots in search of late-winter and early-spring migrants. Registration not required.

Friday, May 6

Birding Mount Auburn Cemetery
7–10 am | Adults
Ever since Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge was established in 1831 it has been a “migrant magnet.” Today it is one of the 79 Important Bird Areas in Massachusetts.

Trucks, Tractors, and Tools
3:30–5 pm | All ages w/Adult
Join us as we search for trucks, tractors, and tools and witness the important jobs they help us do.

Teen Birders: Warbler Rambler Overnight
Friday, May 6 at 7 pm–Saturday, May 7 at noon | Teens
Spring is the time to see warblers! Spend the night at Drumlin Farm (camping equipment provided) to learn more about warbler and other spring migrants.

Drumlin Farm Friday to Friday: April 15–22

Posted on April 13, 2016 by Staff

butterfly

Remember: Rainy days are a small price to pay for the incoming blooms, bird songs, and sunny skies of a beautiful New England spring.

Take a look at our program catalog for a full list of all of our springtime classes.

Here’s what’s coming up:

Friday, April 15

Barnyard Bricks
3:30–5 pm | Ages 4–11
Try a new twist on nature play using LEGO bricks! We’ll warm up with some design challenges to spark our creativity, then head outside to gain inspiration from nature, studying the habitats of Drumlin Farm through the eyes of an engineer.

Saturday, April 16

Birding Basics: Field Trip
8 am–noon | Adults
This field trip will be paced so that everyone has plenty of time to see the birds and to work through the identification process. This is a fantastic introduction to all of our spring birding programs!

Naturalist Walk
1–3 pm | Adults
We’ll cover habitats across the sanctuary from wetlands to uplands as we look for amphibians, reptiles, mammals, flowering plants, trees, shrubs, lichens, fungi, insects, and birds.

Sourdough Breadmaking
1–4 pm | Adults
Learn the age old tradition of sourdough bread making in this hands-on workshop. Practice each step of the bread making process as we mix, knead, and shape bakery-quality loaves to taste and take home.

Wednesday, April 20

Birding by Ear (Workshop)
7–9 pm | Adults
Spring migrants and returning breeders establishing territories offer wonderful opportunities for a tremendous variety of sounds to learn and practice.

Drumlin Farm Friday to Friday: March 25–April 1

Posted on March 23, 2016 by Staff

Bobolink snow AD

There’s only one more week left in March! With more than a dozen lambs born, Daylight Saving Time beginning, the first day of spring, and a mini storm under our belts (on the second day of spring, of course), March has definitely kept us on our toes here at the farm.

Keep an eye out for our series programs, which start in just a couple of weeks! In the meantime, here’s what’s coming up this Friday to Friday:

Friday, March 25

Egg-citement (Waitlist)
10–11:30 am, 3:30–5 pm | Ages 2+ w/Adult
Come and celebrate the arrival of spring with an Egg Fest. We will meet, greet and take care of chickens, examine eggs, and use natural materials to dye an egg to take home.

Saturday, March 26

Woolapalooza (Special Event)
10 am–4 pm | All ages
Celebrate the coming of spring at our annual festival featuring fiber, food, and fun! Bask in the beauty of Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary, the perfect setting to delight in all things sheep.

Wednesday, March 30

Working with wool (2 classes)
6:30–9 pm | Adults
We will work with one of our raw fleeces—cleaning, carding, and dyeing—to get the wool ready to use. We will also explore spinning and felting.

Thursday, March 31

Thursday Morning Bird Walk
Adults
Join us as we explore Drumlin Farm and other local hot spots in search of late-winter and early-spring migrants. Registration is not required to attend. Call 781-259-2200 ext. 2473 on Wednesday, March 30, for more details on the exact location and time of the walk.

Check out more programs here.