Celebrating YOUR Impact!

Winter months on the farm are prime time for reflection, and when we look back on the 2023 season—from sowing seeds to reaping abundance—we see YOU, our amazing community of supporters, at every step. Thank you! Without your generous contributions of time, talent, and treasure, Gaining Ground simply could not farm as we do, exclusively […]

Farmer Spotlight: New Growth with Farm Co-Managers Kari Bender and Chrissie Edgeworth

If you’ve spent time at Gaining Ground in the last few years—or attended one of our free no-till training sessions—you’ve likely had the pleasure of working with and learning from Kari Bender and Chrissie Edgeworth. Combined, Kari and Chrissie have almost a decade of farm experience, including their leadership last season as Co-Assistant Farm Managers.  […]

Farmer Spotlight: Welcoming Director of Agriculture Mark Congdon

Last year we announced that Gaining Ground had embarked on a milestone farm expansion, to bring another 5.1 acres of historically-significant Concord land into cultivation so we may grow and donate more fresh, healthy food for our neighbors in need! To ensure our success as we more than double our footprint, we created the new […]

We’re Hiring: 2024 Field Crew

We are hiring for three open 2024 Field Crew positions at the farm in Concord, MA. Read on for further details!

Fresh Flavors and Full Hearts – Women’s Lunch Place

On a crisp fall morning, chef Inna Khitrik stirred a huge skillet of aromatic Mediterranean soup over the stove at Women’s Lunch Place, a Boston-based day shelter that serves more than 1,800 unhoused women each year. “We ask for just their first names, no other questions,” said Khitrik, who became the Kitchen Manager in July […]

Cultivating a Legacy

Since 2021, Gaining Ground has thrived under the leadership of Farm Manager Anna Kelchlin, a skilled grower with more than 12 years of experience who also brings a strong philosophy of mindfulness, care, and gratitude to her work.  Season after season, Anna has led the dynamic Gaining Ground crew to produce hundreds of thousands of […]

A Year of Plenty: Looking Back on the 2023 Season

As the farm settles in for its winter rest, we reflect with gratitude on the year’s successes and challenges. The fields are quiet now, blanketed beneath cover crop, mulch, or salt marsh hay. Gone are the spirited laughter and chatter of volunteers. The barn and pavilion are packed tightly with distribution tables, banana boxes, tools, […]

Volunteer Q&A: Mark Mullins

This year more than 3,200 people have volunteered with Gaining Ground, helping us promote regional food security by growing and donating fresh, organic produce for people in need! One of those community members is Mark Mullins, who first volunteered in 2022—and has kept coming back! We appreciate Mark’s consistent, positive presence, and were glad to […]

Cover Cropping for Healthy Soil and a Harmonious Ecosystem

The key to building soil health is photosynthesis, hands down. All life depends on this beautiful synergy between sunlight, water, plants and microorganisms. Our mission as farmers, as land stewards, is to constantly promote and encourage diverse growth in order to continue this cycle of life. I am excited to tell you about the importance […]

Farmer Spotlight:  Dayanna “Day” De La Rosa

October is a bittersweet month on the farm, as productivity wanes and the season ends for some of our field crew members. Since April, they have stewarded the land with care, respect, and skill to help us grow fresh, organic produce for hunger relief. We thank them! In 2023 we were lucky to have Dayanna […]

Sowing Seeds of Change with the 2023 Farm Bill

You’ve probably heard the term “Farm Bill” a lot this year, as the current legislation—passed in 2018—is set to expire on Sept. 30. So what is the bill? What’s at stake, and how can we get involved with intention? We’ve been asking the same questions at Gaining Ground, so we can help to shape laws […]

From the Field: Freshness Matters, and Other Lessons from Partner Visits

When peak season subsides at Gaining Ground, we remain busy and productive—including making autumn visits to our hunger relief partners.  These 16+ organizations provide a connection between the farm and the community, by distributing organic produce from Gaining Ground to thousands of people experiencing food insecurity in Eastern Massachusetts. September visits have included the Bedford […]

Farmer Spotlight: Season Three with Avery Indermaur

It’s been a busy, bountiful season at Gaining Ground, and we offer heartfelt thanks to our talented farmers for leading this work! One such farmer is Avery Indermaur, a third-year field crew member who took on two new roles this year:  Development Assistant and Volunteer Coordinator.  In her third season at Gaining Ground, Avery Indermaur […]

Explore the Digital Gallery – Photography on the Farm 2023

We are thrilled to announce the opening of Photography on the Farm, a self-guided exhibit of community artworks on display at Gaining Ground from Sept. 9 to Oct. 20, 2023. Immense thanks to the 21 artists who submitted their striking perspectives on nature, farming, and hunger relief work. All are invited to view the gallery […]

Digging Into Summer Break with the High School Farm Team

We welcome thousands of volunteers to the farm each year, and almost half are youth.  Typically classrooms and families visit once or twice during the season. Yet one particular group, the High School Farm Team (HSFT), spends all summer helping our crew in the fields.  Since the program began in 2016, the HSFT—comprising students from […]

Stronger Together: La Colaborativa

Up-tempo music and conversations among neighbors were the soundtrack on a recent afternoon for the open-air food pantry that convenes twice a week in Chelsea, at a Route 1 underpass, coordinated by the Latina-led nonprofit La Colaborativa.  In the shade, community members chose from vegetables, fruits, grains, flours, dairy, eggs, proteins, and canned goods.  “All […]

On Servings & Pounds: Measuring Impact on the Farm

What’s 115,000 pounds, but just a tiny piece of the big picture? The weight of our annual harvest! Numbers command attention. They tell a story. And poundage in particular is a prominent metric on the farm.  Accurately recording the weight of each harvest helps us understand production rates; track patterns in crop performance; gauge the […]

Volunteer Q&A: Rob Webber

Gaining Ground’s hunger-relief work is made possible by a community of generous volunteers dedicated to holistic, sustainable farming practices and helping to improve access to fresh, nutritious produce for our neighbors struggling to put food on the table. A remarkable member of this team is Rob Webber. We recently caught up with Rob to learn […]

The Power of Flowers at Gaining Ground

Summer is in bloom, and the flowers at Gaining Ground are alive with colors, aromas, and even sounds, like the hum of wasps in the celosia. Each year, in addition to powerhouse veggies and herbs, we are proud to grow and donate a wide variety of cut flowers through Food for Families, a program we […]

Putting Choice Front and Center: Loaves & Fishes

Food is a common thread that connects us to one another and to our larger community. At Gaining Ground, we believe that consistent access to nutritious, ethically-grown, and culturally-relevant food is a necessity and a right. It is critical to us that the fruits and vegetables that we grow reach the members of our community […]
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