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There’s nothing easy about farming. Weather. Pests. Deer. Raccoons. Rabbits. There are vast numbers of things completely out of one’s control which threaten to make even a seasoned veteran of the fields raise the white flag of surrender.
Yet there is truly nothing like a warm, vine-ripe tomato picked just before making a BLT sandwich, or fresh greens and herbs literally snipped from the garden into the salad spinner, or handfuls of homegrown berries brazenly tossed into a bowl of cereal.
The trend toward locally grown food took root long before the pandemic with the appearance of farmer’s markets and niche cottage industries sprouting up everywhere; 2020’s supply chain issues magnified their value and drew people toward trying their hand at raising chickens, growing vegetables, and keeping bees.
“Sudbury’s roots are agricultural,” says Lelia Frank, Sudbury’s Office Supervisor/Information Officer and a member of Locally Grown Sudbury. “But people feel like there are these walls and these barriers to growing and keeping a garden. They immediately think, ‘It’s not for me’. Our goal is to show people it’s not as bad as they think.”
Locally Grown Sudbury’s seed money came from a Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) action grant as well as funding from The Sudbury Foundation. “Our Sustainability Coordinator at the time applied for a one-year grant and the idea was to bring a farmer’s market to Sudbury. That was central to getting the programming off the ground,” explains Frank. “The MVP folks said, ‘That’s a good start but we want more!’ So, upon further reflection, she realized there were three components the grant could cover and expand upon.”
The three components are in unison with many of Sudbury’s long-term initiatives: address climate change and make our community more resilient; create sustainable practices within Sudbury; and improve food security and health equity for the most vulnerable populations.
Creating inclusive, exciting and diverse programs, and staging a farmer’s market, are challenges under the best of circumstances. Add to that the loss of two key people steering the grant’s direction – Dani Marini-King, Sudbury’s Sustainability Coordinator, and Esme Green, Director of the Goodnow Library – and there was every chance the robust slate of programs scheduled would have lost ground. Fortunately, Frank, Meghan Monson, Sudbury’s Graduate Management Fellow, staff at Goodnow Library, members of Sustainable Sudbury, and countless other volunteers, farmers, and community group representatives have picked up where their predecessors left off.
“We are all really excited about what we have planned over the next several weeks,” Frank says.
The Goodnow Library has a bushel of events – all of which are free to attend – beginning with “Veggie Gardening for Beginners” on May 3, from 2pm-3pm. On May 8, folks are invited to the Historical Room on the 2nd floor for a Community Read discussion on Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. If chickens are more your thing, Goodnow has you covered there as well; on May 13 they will host “Raise the Coop” from 6:30pm-7:30pm. “The Bumblebee Project” is next on May 20 from 7pm-8pm, and programming finishes up with “Sustainable Gardening” on May 22, from 6:30pm-7:30pm.
Registration is recommended for all events; details on each and links for registration can be found at https://sudburyma.my.canva.site/locallygrown. All programs will be filmed by SudburyTV for those unable to attend in person or for attendees to use as a refresher course.
“We’ve always had really good success with gardening programs.”
Elle Harms, Goodnow’s Reference Librarian and Programming Director, has been working hard to find the right mix of engaging library-sponsored programs. “The goal was to reach the entire community. I wanted to have it varied so it would hopefully draw in different people. The veggie gardening and sustainable gardening programs are the bookends for this round, and we will be doing more programming in the fall.”
Adds Karen Tobin, long-time Assistant and current Acting Library Director, “We’ve always had really good success with gardening programs. They are the one thing we’ve never gone wrong with. We are anxious to see the library buzzing with activity (no pun intended).”
The month culminates with the MVP grant’s initial seedling: the Locally Grown Fair on Saturday, May 31, from 10am-2pm at the Fairbank Community Center. “This is the first of two fairs we will be hosting,” says Frank, noting the second will be in the fall. “The fair will give folks a chance to connect with the vendors and farmers who will be there talking about their experiences and offering information and encouragement.”
In addition to a host of vendors, farmers and local community groups (see accompanying list), the Locally Grown Fair will include hands-on experiences such as a Kid’s Test Kitchen featuring some of the products at the fair and a Fantasy Herb Garden sponsored by Sudbury Park & Recreation.
“A big part of this is to tell people that yes, you can do this right in your own backyard. These are the things that can be successful in Sudbury.”
Sudbury’s town social worker is identifying transportation options for folks who otherwise would have difficulty attending, and thanks to grant money coupon booklets will be available for those who find the cost of fresh, locally grown produce prohibitive. “We are hoping to engage people and get them excited about buying local, about doing it themselves, about eating produce they may not have tried that is locally available.”
“There are lots of folks in town who are involved in farming and we really want to bring them together,” says Frank. “A big part of this is to tell people that yes, you can do this right in your own backyard. These are the things that can be successful in Sudbury.”
She continues, “If there is one single message I could share it would be this: Fresh food is for everyone. If you are interested in trying, go for it! I can’t say it’s an easy thing to do and that you will succeed because you may not. But we are trying to make it really easy for folks to be encouraged to give it a go.”
Anything else?
“And to let them know there’s no tractor required!”
The current list of vendors attending Locally Grown Fair are:
- Baby Farm Animals (Enchanted Animal Parties) http://www.enchantedanimalparties.com/
- Boston Outdoor Preschool https://www.bopn.org/sudbury-outdoor-school
- Craic Sauce https://craicsauce.com/
- Doris’ Peruvian Pastries https://www.dorisperuvianpastries.com/
- Goodnow Library Pop-Up
- Harvard Alpaca Ranch https://www.harvardalpacaranch.com/
- Hop Brook Protection Association https://hopbrook.org/index.html
- Karma Coffee Roasters https://www.stiryoursoul.com/
- My County Mushrooms https://mycountymushrooms.com/
- New England Beekeeping https://thecolonyma.com/pages/new-england-beekeeping
- Red Fire Farm https://www.redfirefarm.com/
- Root the Future Farm
- Sudbury Board of Health https://sudbury.ma.us/boardofhealth/
- Sudbury Community Food Pantry https://sudburyfoodpantry.org/
- Sudbury Garden Club https://www.sudburygardenclub.org/
- Sudbury River Soap Company https://www.etsy.com/shop/SudburyRiverSoap
- Sudbury Valley Trustees https://www.svtweb.org/
- Sustainable Sudbury https://www.sustainablesudbury.org/
- The Water’s Edge https://www.thewatersedge.org/
- Thursday Garden Club of Sudbury https://www.gcfm.org/thursday-garden-club-sudbury
Additional participants are being added regularly; check https://sudburyma.my.canva.site/locallygrown for the most up-to-date listing.
[Feature image: A bee gathering nectar from a zucchini blossom in a Sudbury backyard.]
