Urban Farming Institute of Boston (UFI)

The Urban Farming Institute of Boston (UFI) along with staff, board and the community celebrated the recent purchase of the historic Fowler Clark Epstein Farm in the heart of Mattapan. “The farm is home to us and has become a special center for our farmers and our neighbors,” said President & CEO, Pat Spence. “Fresh food is vital to a healthy community and from this place we share our bounty and teach the principles of cultivation and growth. The future of this historic place is bright because so many people gave selflessly to do more than we’d have been able to do by ourselves,” said Spence. Join UFI for the kick off of Farm Stand Fridays on June 28 from 1-5pm at the Fowler Clark Epstein Farm 487 Norfolk Street, Mattapan.

Come join us on Sunday from 12-2pm with seasoned grower, Apolo Catala, for all your home gardening needs!

"We bought the farm!" and Today is the day to celebrate! All are welcome!

Have you ever pondered on these subjects? Keep up with us for these How To's.

On the Menu: carrots. They have year-round availability, are a good source of nutrients, and have several health benefits.

Come join us and seasoned grower, Apollo Catala, for all your home gardening needs! #ufiboston #ufi #farming #farmlife #urbanfarming #growseries

We imagine a day when the land, resources, and knowledge required to grow food are in the hands of our community. While this is a vision we share with countless organizations, community growers, and other stakeholders, the work is far from complete. Often when we are chasing big goals, it's hard to realize the small wins that get us there. 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲. Our rededication ceremony is a chance for the farm to celebrate land in the hands of people. Purchasing the Fowler Clark Epstein Farm allows us to fulfill our mission to engage our community in growing food. More broadly, we consider this purchase as a win for our community. 👏 What better way to celebrate than with one another? Come experience the farm and all it has to offer.

This week, we are grateful for the support of Kymera Therapeutics, who sent two groups of eager volunteers to the farm. We shared the hard work of clearing cover crop & weeds and the *stress* of digging trenches evenly, but also food memories, honey berries, and even the first strawberries of the season! 🍓 A special thanks to Life Science Cares Boston for linking us up with these crews & meeting our needs!

While you were cozy a your desk, brave Apellis Pharmaceuticals volunteers were clearing a large section of field at one of our farm sites. 💪 We are experimenting with no-trellis tomatoes in a portion of this field, using a technique we learned while in Puerto Rico! In addition, some Apellis volunteers sorted through hundreds of seeds to make "seed grams" (kits of growing materials & notes of encouragement) for the young people that come to the farm, or whose schools we visit. Thank you for your generosity in all of its forms!

The season is off to a great start! Thank you to all of our volunteer groups that have given their time and energy to support this important period. You've allowed our team to dedicate time to 100+ varieties of seedlings they've grown in TWO greenhouses at TWO farm sites for TWO seedling sales, community garden growers, farms, and home growers. Stop by our seedling sale this Saturday, May 11th from 10 - 3pm. With gratitude to Bank of America, John Hancock, Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell & team, New England Revolution, Boston University Dining Services, Liberty Mutual Insurance, Santander Bank, N.A., and Takeda!