Winter Reflections: Sharing Space

As we approach the winter solstice, time and space feel more expansive in a vegetable grower’s life. With the leaves now resting on the earth there is a sense of physical and mental vastness. I can see more clearly through the woods, the hardy juncos and bluebirds who overwinter suddenly appear on naked branches, and […]

Connecting the Past and Future of Food Through Seed Saving

In mid-November, Farmer Erin Espinosa visited the Children’s Meetinghouse preschool in Concord to teach the students there about seed saving—the practice of collecting seeds from open-pollinated food crops and using them to grow future harvests of those plants. Her visit was a reminder of the importance of learning about the life cycles of plants, food […]

Learning from Our Partners: Food Insecurity in 2021

Throughout the harvest season, produce from Gaining Ground goes to meal programs, food pantries, schools, and shelters in Greater Boston and Eastern Massachusetts. Some of these dedicated organizations use our food to prepare and distribute free meals for people who need them. Others give our vegetables, herbs, and fruit away as part of providing free […]

What Teamwork Can Grow

The end of November means the days are approaching their shortest and the coldest nights will soon be here. It also means that our volunteer season has come to an end for the year and the last of our seasonal farm team members have departed. At the farm, we grow used to the many devoted, […]

With Food Costs Rising, Hunger Relief Can Start With Storage

On a bright, warm November afternoon two weeks ago, the Gaining Ground team gathered in front of the barn—some of us wearing t-shirts in the midday sun that filtered through the treetops along the edge of the farm. We set out hefty boxes and bags of harvested vegetables and got to work assembling and filling […]

Partner Spotlight: House of Hope

For November, we’re taking the opportunity to catch up with our recipient partner House of Hope, which runs programs and permanent housing services with the goal of ending homelessness in Lowell. They do this through a commitment to transitioning families experiencing homelessness into greater social and economic stability.  As a part of their work, they […]

In Full Bloom: A Closer Look at Gaining Ground’s Flowers

Through the hot, dry days of June, soggy gray days of July, and all the way into October, the flowers at Gaining Ground were a feast of color and light. Heaps of zinnias fluttered in the breeze, waving intense blooms of purples, golden yellows, and stunning coral reds. Tall stands of verbena, with bright green […]

Meet This Year’s Farm Team: Erin Espinosa

Our 2021 farm season is quieting down, which means it’s time to share our final farmer spotlight of the season. It’s a great moment to get to know Education Manager Erin Espinosa a little bit better—especially since she’ll be joining us again on the farm next season! Where is home? How did you find your […]

Partner Spotlight: Healthy Waltham

This month we paused to catch up with our recipient partner Healthy Waltham, which promotes collaborative approaches to improving the health and wellness of under-resourced populations in Waltham. They do this through programs that increase access to healthy foods, provide nutrition education, and create opportunities for physical activity.  We spoke with Operations Director Maria DiMaggio […]

Gaining Ground Welcomes Exciting Additions to its Board of Directors

CONCORD, Mass., October 8, 2021—Gaining Ground, a Concord nonprofit farm growing organic produce exclusively for hunger relief, today announced the appointment of long-time supporter and board member Polly Vanasse as board president, and the addition of four new members to its board of directors: Laurie Engdahl, Ashley Perssico, Guillermo Ruiz-Rico, and Kristen Van Damm.  These […]

Women Who Farm: The Joys—and Challenges—of Farming as a Woman

Last month, we shared some of the insights and experiences of the incredible women who make up our 2021 farm team. It has been a delight to have such a thoughtful, dedicated, and skilled group of farmers with us at Gaining Ground this growing season. Women farmers can face gender-specific barriers as they navigate their […]

Meet This Year’s Farm Team: Rae Axner

Our 2021 farm crew is flush with knowledgeable, talented, and overall delightful human beings. At Gaining Ground, we believe good things are meant to be shared, so we want to take the opportunity to introduce you to this year’s team, one member at a time.  Let’s get to know Assistant Grower Rae Axner. How did […]

Swapping Homework for Farm Work and Helping to Feed a Community

Every year, the farm welcomes an amazing team of local high school students who devote themselves—during their precious summer vacation months—to volunteering with us in the fields.  They help our farmers—in the searing heat and the pounding rain—with soil preparation, planting, weeding, harvesting, and so much more. These weekly efforts of the high school farm […]

Meet This Year’s Farm Team: Kim Schmidt

Our 2021 farm crew is flush with knowledgeable, talented, and overall delightful human beings. At Gaining Ground, we believe good things are meant to be shared, so we want to take the opportunity to introduce you to this year’s team, one member at a time.  Let’s get to know Greenhouse Manager Kim Schmidt. Where are […]

Challenging Weather Can’t Dampen Gaining Ground’s Commitment to Hunger Relief

This story ran in the September 3 print edition of the Concord Journal. CONCORD, MASS. – This summer has been a season of extremes. It was the hottest June on record for Boston and July was the wettest in Massachusetts history. These conditions have brought unprecedented pressure from diseases and pests to the fields at […]

Join Us for This Year’s Ag Day Festivities!

The 16th Annual Concord Ag Day is coming up on Saturday, Sept. 11, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Ag Day is a once-a-year celebration of local agriculture organized by the Concord Agriculture Committee. The event showcases the bounty of Concord’s many farms right at the end of the summer, when harvests are as diverse, […]

Meet This Year’s Farm Team: Chrissie Edgeworth

Our 2021 farm crew is flush with knowledgeable, talented, and overall delightful human beings. At Gaining Ground, we believe good things are meant to be shared, so we want to take the opportunity to introduce you to this year’s team, one member at a time.  Let’s get to know Assistant Grower Chrissie Edgeworth. Where is […]

When It Rains, It Pours: A Look at the Growing Season so Far

It’s nearly September, and we’re well past the official midway point of the summer, which was August 7.  During the second half of summer, the effects of the southward shift of the sun quickly become apparent on the farm. According to the Farmer’s Almanac, when autumn officially arrives in September, the sun will set in […]
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