The Wanderer

I have been in and out of awareness of the Vagus nerve for a long time, and was reminded of its power in the body on one of daughter Ellen’s cleanse calls with her friend Brittney who extolled its virtues for a full hour. Long story short – a healthy vagus nerve imparts a sense of calm for rest and restoration of the entire body, moving us out of sympathetic flight, fight or freeze, and into rest and repair. Take a look at that picture and see all of the areas of the body that it touches.

Brittney shared a great link for more self-education – https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?hspart=trp&hsimp=yhs-015&grd=1&type=Y23_F163_212979_070121&p=vagas+nerve+circuiting+videos+youtube. But if you never make it to that link, remember these easy and cost-free methods to build vagal tone:

• Humming

• One minute of a cold shower

• Tapping on your collar bones

• Massage of points where the vagus nerve is accessible to your fingers. I have a great book titled Supervision by Aadil Pakkhivala with 12 minutes of daily massage exercises that do wonders for the eyes, ears, and brain – https://www.amazon.com/gp/buyagain/search/?q=supervision&ref_=pd_bap_d_srh

Expressing Gratitude – Clare is Back

And it doesn’t even seem that she was ever gone. Clare came on Monday and right away started throwing stuff away and making plans for how she was going to clean out the glove closet on the porch. There are probably only a handful of people in our lives with whom we can easily and productively act as a team, and the return to this collaborative process was immediate as we worked through beef stock, seed sorting, and making peanut butter balls. On Tuesday we did each of our most favorite winter projects, laying out the growing beds on the farm. Clare walked into the house saying, “Now, I think it is better to only give corn to the large shares, or maybe not at all, because corn takes up so much space, and since we gifted the pond field garden to Marissa and Drew, we have to be very careful about crop real estate.” Bottom line, she was back one day, and already thinking about farm viability and how we can improve systems. I am very grateful. Welcome back, Clare!

Comfrey Scare?

by Jack Kittredge

A friend sent me an article I wish I’d written. Check the link, or if you want my digested version from the original, by Mollie Engelhart, read on:

I was exploring ideas for a new skincare product when I typed a simple Google search: “Night creams with comfrey.”

At the top of the screen, Google’s AI summary returned a bold warning:

“Comfrey may cause liver failure and cancer.”

That stopped me—not because it frightened me, but because it felt so out of place.

I’ve worked with comfrey my entire life. We grow it all around the farm. I make salves, rash creams, and poison ivy ointments from it. Curiosity got the better of me, so I ran a test. I searched next:

“Where can I find alcohol near me?” No AI warning.

“How can I get SSRIs (drugs to treat depression)?” No AI warning.

“Where is the closest place to buy Tylenol?” It pointed me to CVS and Dollar General—again, no warning.

So I went back to the AI bar and asked it for a chain of data:

“How many people die from alcohol each year?” It answered: 2.6 million globally per year.

“How many people go to the ER for liver toxicity from Tylenol each year?” It answered: 56,000 annually in the United States.

Then I asked: “How many people have had liver toxicity from ingesting comfrey?” It could only return four or five total cases ever recorded. Then it told me, “It’s likely under-reported.” And I thought, well, it would have to be very under-reported for that to be a real problem.

I remember getting chickenpox as a child, and my aunt blending comfrey leaves in the Vitamix. My brother and I sat in it as if it were the most normal healing ritual in the world. Every scrape or cut I had growing up got a little homemade olive oil, beeswax, and comfrey salve rubbed into it. We didn’t call it “alternative medicine.” We called it what works.

The Latin name Symphytum means “to grow together,” referring to its long-trusted use in repairing bones and tissues. Romans used it as a poultice for wounds, bleeding, and inflammation. Medieval Europeans called it knitbone. Mothers applied it to childhood injuries without hesitation.

After digging deeper I learned that the compounds that triggered the warning belong to a class of naturally occurring chemicals called pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs). These compounds are found in hundreds of plant species, including foods already circulating in the food supply with no AI warning at the search level. These are not hidden chemicals. They are part of the plant world we’ve always interacted with.

There are no documented clinical cases of liver toxicity from the topical use of comfrey in humans. None. Most people see a warning like: “Comfrey causes cancer and liver failure,” and think: “AI is far smarter than me. I should avoid it.” But what happens when historical knowledge fades and the machine becomes the default voice of authority? Real-world skills and ancestral knowledge must still matter. They must still be taught. They must still be practiced. Otherwise, future generations will inherit a warning label, but none of the lived wisdom that once balanced it.

From Julie – by the way, we have comfrey salve available for sale here. https://mhof.net/product-category/farm-products/body-products/ I swear by it for any aches and pains.

Thanks to Mark, Bob, and Yelena for a combined donation of $660 this week. Friday we donated 19 dozen eggs to the Worcester Fridges. Our financial goals for donated food this year are high – $20,000. If you would like to support the distribution of the healthiest and most nutrient dense food to folks in Barre and Worcester, we can receive your donations here – https://mhof.net/many–hands–sustainability-center/food-access/

We appreciate your early order for a 2026 summer, fall, flower, or egg share now at the following link.  https://mhof.net/community-supported-agriculture/.

Please be advised that flower and egg shares are only available with a vegetable share, not as separate items.

Greenhouse Seed starting calendar at MHOF – 2026

We use Maria Thun’s Biodynamic calendar to choose the best dates (easily available on line) for starting our seedlings. We also tend to start them later — as per advice from John Kempf to not have them sitting around too long, never marking time, but always growing, and putting them in the soil when they are smaller, rather than larger. And we use Vermont Compost potting soil to grow them in, not forgetting to use Biocoat Gold on the seeds and putting Seed Flare into the drenching water (these last two products available at AdvancingEcoAgriculture.) We use no extra heat, leaving it to the sun that comes through the glass windows in our attached greenhouse. Finally, once they are big enough, we move them to the unheated hoop house where they reside in pathways on the floor. We can cover them with Reemay on cold nights.

I have made every possible mistake in starting. Come over someday when we are in the greenhouse, or give me a call. I will bend your ear. Because I have made so many mistakes over the years, I want to save you the grief. 978-257-1192.

Greenhouse Inside planting calendar 2026

March

• 10 – parsley
• 20 – lettuce
• 22 – cabbage
• 27 – kale, collard
• 30 – Swiss chard

April

• 1 – kohlrabi, onion seeds
• 6 – fennel, catnip, sage, marjoram, summer savory, German thyme, rosemary, lavender
• 7 – broccoli, celeriac, celery, lettuce
• 11 – cauliflower
• 15 – Brussels sprouts, leeks
• 17 – basil and tulsi, lettuce, peppers
• 24- Asian greens, broccoli
• 27 – tomatoes

May

• 1 – most flowers, kohlrabi
• 4 – broccoli, cabbage, celeriac, celery
• 5 – fennel, lettuce, melons, summer squash, winter squash
• 6 – cucumber, eggplant
• 11 – cauliflower
• 12 – broccoli
• 22 – Asian Greens

June

• 1 – broccoli, cabbage
• 2 – summer squash
• 3 – kohlrabi
• 5 – cucumber
• 8 – cauliflower
• 9 – Basil and tulsi, celeriac, celery, fennel, lettuce
• 17 – Asian Greens
• 26 – lettuce

July

• 1 – summer squash
• 3 – Cucumber
• 7 – lettuce, cabbage
• 15 – Asian Greens
• 27 – cabbage, lettuce

August

• 11 – Asian Greens, lettuce
• 21 – lettuce

September

• 8 – Asian Greens – for hoophouse
• 9 – lettuce – for hoophouse

We are at that time of year when we have time to finish up our stock making. We have two more batches of chicken stock to go – and by the way, I have an upgrade on the chicken stock. Run the whole batch through a colander one more time at completion of the processing in order to catch any stray bones.

Today’s star is beef stock. I absolutely love beef stock. It is loaded with collagen (I can tell because it turns rubbery when it cools), and has a delicious flavor. Sadly, we don’t raise cows anymore, so I buy the bones, from my friends at Chase Hill Farm  – https://www.facebook.com/chasehillfarm/.

I start with a 5-gallon pot and put as many bones as will fit into it. I then cover with well water and add a handful of Celtic sea salt and a half cup of our homemade vinegar. I use the pot with the tight-fitting lid and simmer it over night on the wood cookstove. After cooling I take out the bones and strip them of any marrow, cartilage, meat, etc., feed the bones to the dogs and then run the broth and beef parts through the Vitamix, pour it off into a 5 gallon pot, strain it once more with a colander, and pack in quarts (not too full, as they will expand), cool and then freeze. All of my soups start with some combination of pork, chicken and/or beef stock. So tasty and so good for skin, joints, hair and nails.

Marj’s Recipe
Original from Matty Matheson, Just a Dash

I don’t know about you, but this time of year my family and I eat a lot of soup. Preferably, with a nourishing warm-your-soul bone broth. This recipe does just that. My kids will never pass down a Phở night. If you need a quick recipe, you can skip over making your own bone broth and grab a carton from the shelf, but I recommend grabbing some bags of MHOF chicken feet and trying for yourself!

Phở gà – Chicken phở

Contrary to popular belief it isn’t pronounced FOE but rather roughly pronounced as FUH gah 

5 pounds chicken feet

5 pounds whole chicken, 1 large or 2 small chickens

1 cup halved and sliced scallions or green onions

1  knob ginger, approx. 3in., peeled

1 white onion quarter, plus ½ cup thinly sliced

4 stalks lemongrass

2 cups whole cilantro leaves, plus 1 cup chopped

1 tablespoon coriander seeds, toasted

1 teaspoon whole white peppercorns

Celtic sea or kosher salt

1 pack pho or vermicelli noodles – we like Lotus Foods Pho noodles

Optional toppings – Chile-garlic vinegar, lime slices, sriracha, bean sprouts

Chile-garlic vinegar

2 tablespoons paper-thin sliced garlic

2 green chiles, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons white vinegar

Clean the chicken feet and remove nails (optional). Place the chicken feet in a large stockpot and cover with water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then turn down heat to super low and keep it at a bare simmer for 24 hours. Strain through a fine sieve or strainer. Discard the feet to the compost, clean the pot, and pour the chicken feet stock back into the pot.

On a cutting board, break down the whole chicken into parts: breast, wings, legs, and thighs, place them into the chicken feet stock. Heat over medium heat, gently skimming away any scum. Once the stock comes up to a light boil, skim again and turn down heat to medium-low. Removing the scum off the top removes any impurities (coagulated blood, proteins, and excess fat) and prevents cloudiness leaving a clearer broth, with a less greasy mouth-feel.

Add the scallions, ginger, onion quarter, lemongrass, cilantro, coriander seeds, and peppercorns to the broth and cook for 3 hours. Turn off heat and steep the broth for 1 hour.

Put the garlic and chiles in a small nonreactive bowl. In a small skillet, heat the vinegar until bubbling, pour over the garlic and chiles. Let sit for 1 hour.

Pull the chickens out, save 2 breasts and 2 thighs for slicing. Shred the meat off the rest of the bones and mix all the shredded meat together. Pull the breast and thigh meat off the bones and slice the meat. Strain the broth through a fine strainer, return it to the pot and add salt for desired saltiness.

Bring a medium stockpot of water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook according to the directions on the package, then drain in a colander.

Divide the noodles among serving bowls; place the shredded and sliced chicken in the center of the noodles and ladle broth over the chicken to fill the bowl. Garnish with the sliced onion and chopped cilantro, bean sprouts, and spoon on chile-garlic vinegar and I personally love a few drops of sriracha for an extra spicy kick, and a squeeze of lime. Chefs kiss*

Week Three of the Bioinutrient Food Association Soil and Nutrition Conference 

Christopher Houghton Budd

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SH7HZuCOfFM

Stu and Jim froze their selves on Monday building chicken tractors, but Clare and Paula and I managed to stay in all day making stocks, peanut butter balls (without any peanut butter) and organizing all our seeds. Tuesday Clare and I did our favorite job of making planting maps for the farm, and on Friday Matt spent some time plowing snow and Amanda, Devra, Marissa and I (with help from Marj after she spent some hours on the website) were again mostly inside making more stock, cleaning out cupboards and shelves, throwing things out, preparing a lot of food, prepping for the dump, etc. We did get one hour of pruning in. Before lunch we all sat down and put together a workshop schedule for 2026. It is quite robust – mushrooms, flower arranging, chicken and turkey infant care and pasture management, bird slaughter, pig raising in the woods along with organic management, food preservation and stock and lard making. More later on dates, times and pricing.