Yes, that might be me. I have spent my life feeling strongly about many things, and for most of it I have been working on how to get those strong feelings imparted without turning folks off! I interviewed Jack last night to find out how it is to be married to such a person. He was kind. “Well, when you deliver your advice with the right amount of well-considered adjectives, I can usually determine that your advice is intended for my own good, and I welcome it. It is when you go off the deep end and start talking about “energy medicine” or something in that realm, I just don’t listen. Basically, it is, as with all things, in the delivery.” His words put me at some ease that I have been on the right track all these years to have spent so much energy on my ‘delivery’.

I wonder what the impetus is that causes us to want to share our truths with others, sometimes with a sledge hammer, when we feel most strongly about a topic. I have submitted to the knowledge that “Nonviolent Communication” in the words of Marshall Rosenberg, is the means by which I am going to be the most effective in getting my point across. It sure takes a lot of work, especially for a girl who grew up in a family where no one bothered with any pretense when opening their mouths to speak. But maybe one day when I have further improved my skills, I will be able to sit down with Jack and discuss energy medicine peacefully and productively. The possibilities are endless!

Health Resources

Dr. Eric Balcavage with Ari Whitten on Thyroid Health

I really liked this one. I have a 35-year-old goiter and lifelong thyroid problems which I have been working with my entire life.

Recipes

Potato Leek Soup

Watch video on Facebook
Watch video on Instagram

Ingredients:

1 ½ Tbs butter
1 small onion, chopped
2 large leeks, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 lbs potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 quart stock or broth of choice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried thyme
Powdered kelp for serving, if desired

Directions:

Melt the butter in a medium stock pot and add onions, garlic and leeks. Cook over medium heat until softened, but not browned, about 10 minutes.
Add the stock, potatoes, thyme and salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and turn the heat down to simmer for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
Puree the soup with an immersion blender until smooth.
Serve immediately and garnish with kelp.

Download Recipe

Farm Videos From the Past Two Weeks

Harvesting and moving carrots and beets into the root cellar

Watch video on Facebook
Watch video on Instagram

Moving pigs

Watch video on Facebook
Watch video on Instagram

Mulching garlic with leaves

Watch video on Facebook
Watch video on Instagram

Arugula and pigs

Watch video on Facebook
Watch video on Instagram

Spreading basalt rock dust

Watch video on Facebook
Watch video on Instagram

Moving pigs again

Watch video on Facebook
Watch video on Instagram

On Friday the laying hens moved into the chicken house and before they moved in we set it up with leaf bedding

Watch video on Facebook
Watch video on Instagram

Making sauerkraut

Watch video on Facebook

CSA Updates This Week

CSA Crops This Week

This is the third week of the fall CSA

Parsley
Chard
Carrots
Beets
Cilantro
Purple top turnips
Arugula
Garlic
Bok choi or Chinese cabbage
Lettuce
Leeks
Collards
Kale
Broccoli greens

We have been elated on our end with all of the produce that we have been able to provide to our 77 fall CSA shares. We have had a wonderful assortment of fresh green things from the field, and despite numerous frosts, with the help of row covers and also diligent weekly foliar feeding, the crops are still coming on.

We may have reached the end of our luck, however, as this upcoming week looks pretty cold, maybe with some snow, and temperatures as low as 24 degrees by week’s end. We will hustle to get the 4th and final CSA share picked for Monday, November 21 early in the week so that we can have a strong finish.

Leek prep

I hope you enjoyed the lutz beets; we have smaller ones this week with the same fine flavor

That was one glorious week of spinach on week one

We finally handed out the last of our 937 winter squashes last week

Lettuce and Chinese cabbage ready for distribution

Friday morning, we tried to get a jump on Week Three picking as the temperature is poised to plummet. That is Maggie hiding behind Clare.

Paula, Danny and Melissa taking a break on the way back to the washing table

The last of the hakurei turnips and radishes, week one

Better late than never, the carrots are coming in strong for all four weeks of the fall CSA – John and Pete wash them and leeks

Bring Back Your Summer Share Bags

Please save us lots of money and bring back your share bags. You can drop them at your pick-up site over the next two weeks or so. We will collect them, launder them, fix them, and reuse them next year. Thanks for attending to this.

Join the 2023 Summer Share Early

Not sure if we will raise the price for the shares next year, but between now and December 31 you can pay 2022 prices. This keeps us in good cash flow as we go into the winter. You can follow this link – https://mhof.net/csa-share-options/

Reserve a 2023 Summer CSA Share

MHOF Meat

Meat Birds Available for Sale

The chickens are now in the freezer, so call or email to come buy some.

Old Layers Almost All Sold Out

These old gals make a phenomenal chicken stock and the price is right – just $15. We slaughtered on October 30 and now have them available in the freezer.

MHOF Meat

Turkeys All Sold Out

Pick up for those who have reserved a turkey will be Tuesday, November 22 from 1-6 and Wednesday, the 23rd from 8-noon.

Photo credit: Alexandre Chiacchio

Limited supply of lard available now

We have some of our 2022 lard available. It won’t be ready again until early 2023. Still $20/quart. Stop by after checking in for a time, or order it online and we will ship.

MHOF Pork & Lard

Working Shareholders Always Welcome

Yes, you can still add yourself to the MHOF workforce. Starting the first full week of December we are hosting working shareholders on M and F mornings with a modest pay check of 1 dozen eggs, a quart of frozen apple or pear sauce and greens from the hoop houses while they last.

Volunteer at MHOF

Farm Doin’s

We had a very fun two weeks. Highlights were visits by three groups – first Renee Ciulla’s organic farming students who helped us plant our garlic. Next came 4 UMass 2nd year medical students who worked for an entire day. We harvested for the root cellar, moved the pigs, harvested leaves and mulched garlic. Third, a group of Politics of Food students came from Clark to help us pick up and deliver more leaves to the garlic. We finished the task and covered the leaves with hay to keep them from blowing away.

Meanwhile we have been picking very large and beautiful shares for the fall share. And we received 22 tons of rock dust which we were diligently spreading on the pond, north, south and garden fields until the tractor died. We subsequently covered the pile until the tractor can receive a new necessary part. Jonathan and company finished the garage project and he and Jack moved to the shed, which had some rot in back. They are busily rebuilding the bottom portion of the shed and building more shelves inside.

We made sauerkraut just in the nick of time and also froze a late gift of some really nice cauliflower. Thursday, we moved the layers off the field and into the permanent chicken house. They now have free range of the farm and are hopefully going to learn completely how to return to the house at night (a few camped out in the rain Friday night!)

Right now, we are gearing up to end the CSA and manage turkey slaughter and the big Thanksgiving sale on Tuesday, November 22 from 1-6 and Wednesday, the 23rd from 8-noon.