Ah, Opening Day. Other than Marathon Monday/Patriot’s Day next week, there is perhaps no day more quintessentially Bostonian than that early April afternoon when Fenway Park opens its gates and welcomes Sox fans back to their second home.
It is incredible to say that Fenway Farms is three years old! Who would have believed that our foray into this iconic stadium would be met with such enthusiasm? After an incredible first season, we are onto (growing) season number four, and with it come many new additions.
Here’s what Sox fans will see at the farm this season:
Last year we “grew a little bit of everything” in order to see what worked best at this particular site. We learned that pretty much everything worked well, except for pumpkins. We also learned that radishes do extremely well…so well, in fact, that the kitchens specifically requested that we ratchet down our numbers.
The EMC Club Restaurant’s pastry chefs will be happy with the expanded strawberry patch, as well as the addition of rhubarb. Get ready for Fenway Farms pastries! On the savory side of things, we added a row of fennel, which will provide some really fascinating new flavors.
At the end of Opening Day, we had already harvested 17 pounds of baby carrots and spinach!
So how did we accomplish this feat? In addition to the mild winter, through the magical wonder of low tunnels. Low tunnels are a form of season extension that warmed up the soil and allowed us to plant in significantly earlier. The low tunnels protected the plants from last week’s cold snap, and mean that the Green Monster got to be a bit greener this opening day.
Observant fans at yesterday’s day might have noticed some yet-to-be-completed construction around the park. We’ll stay mum for now, but there’s some more good stuff coming your way very soon. Stay tuned, Fenway Farms fans…
Want to dress like a Fenway Farms farmer? Our baseball-inspired Henley tee gives you all the style of an urban farmer and baseball fan in one!