February 2, 2026
Reckless Driving
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Clare and I had planned to do a walk with our dog pack on Saturday morning early, but I got a text from her saying that she thought it would be unwise for her to bring her loaner vehicle, that doesn’t have snow tires, out in the storm. I really wanted to go on this walk so offered to pick her up (about 7 miles away) in my trusty Subaru – yes, a 2003 model, but with AWD, low to the ground and good in snow. So I left before dawn in the middle of the first heavy period of snow. Nothing had been plowed yet, it was still dark, and the road was dicey. But I made it there and picked her up. We came back, had our two-mile walk, did the chicken chores, had a quick snack, and got back in the car for the return trip. It was at that moment that the snow started up again, pretty heavily. But it was light out and some plowing had been done, so I strapped myself in and we got to her house without incident. On the way home, however, as I was coming down the steep portion of 122-32 by Connor’s Pond, I started to slide. Tapping the breaks didn’t work so I went a bit into freefall and ended up jackknifing and heading in the other direction (back up the hill). One car passed me heading in my original direction, I did a neat 3-point turn (after putting the car into D3), and proceeded home, a little more slowly. Jack asked me after the fact if I was scared. I responded that I wasn’t and that I turned myself over to Jason, my spirit guide, who worked here for many years and died of an overdose 7 ½ years ago. He stays on a pink cloud now and comes down to help when I am in any potential driving danger.
During this entire driving experience, I was discussing with myself the reasons why a person would attempt a somewhat risky adventure that was clearly not essential. I do have reckless aspects to my nature, and though I don’t display them much now that I am older and somewhat wiser, they do come out from time to time. Truth be told, driving is always risky for me. My corrected eyesight is just on the edge of “safe”. So I am used to being on high alert and find myself living somewhat on the edge if I am going to be able to participate in life fully, the way I want. Food for thought . . .
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Expressing Gratitude – Marissa
We have been reminded over and over again that we are more likely to make budget on the farm if we bring in money to support the bottom line from as many sources as possible. Last year we did a seed trial for the Organic Seed Alliance and took home $1200 for Leslie’s work on this project. This year they offered for us to do 4 trials, so $4800. I mentioned this to Marissa on Friday and she was elated to take it on, spending the next hour or two reading all of the information, going on line to get us set up with their App, putting together a planting schedule and layout for the four crops – broccoli, lettuce, tomatoes, summer squash – three varieties of each open-pollinated variety. So Marissa came in, as she does regularly, and took over a project that needed a manager. And I always have the most complete faith that she will excel at whatever she takes on. Thank you, Marissa.
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Chestnuts Return?
by Jack Kittredge
Wild chestnut trees, once widespread throughout the forests of northeastern America but in decline for over a century, may be making a comeback. Unlikely as it is, this is the hope of a group of ardent chestnut enthusiasts. The majestic trees were so impressive they often appeared in literature to refer to grandeur, tradition, beauty and the flow of time. Mentioned in Genesis 30:37 (as ‘plane’ trees), Longfellow opens The Village Blacksmith with “a spreading chestnut tree” and Charlotte Bronte uses a lightning-struck chestnut to symbolize Jane and Rochester’s damaged relationship.
Carpenters loved the tree’s wood because it makes excellent rot-resistant lumber, and its nuts were an important part of the diet of Indigenous Americans and woodland wildlife for centuries. But chestnuts have been brought low since attacked by a fungal blight introduced to North America in 1904. The blight cannot compete with soil microorganisms, so chestnut stump root sprouts survive underground in sunlit areas. But the blight attacks the above ground tree and kills those parts before they can reach reproductive age.
Some corporations, foundations and scientists are trying to develop a blight-resistant chestnut tree through genetic engineering. So far this has not been successful and critics of biotech methods cite risks of irreversible impacts on wild forests, loss of genetic diversity, and the introduction of foreign genes into natural ecosystems.
Now the discovery of thousands of naturally thriving and reproducing wild chestnuts on the Maine forest land of noted biologist and author Dr. Bernd Heinrich has given hope to many naturalist chestnut fans. Heinrich bought 25 chestnut saplings for $10 from a northern Michigan nursery in 1982. Planted, they grew tall and their numbers multiplied into a third generation, he reports, as bluejays and squirrels plucked their seeds and buried them in fields as far as a mile away. As of today there is no hint of blight in any of them.
In a 20-minute video Heinrich talks about and shows these trees, explaining why he feels they may be able to repopulate our forests. If he is right, it will be a great blessing to those of us who have mourned the chestnut’s passing and wished we could someday see it spreading out so confidently again in our woodlots.
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Many Hands Sustainability Center
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Thanks very much to Chet, Sue, Matt and Meghan this week for a combined donation total of $5,100! This is fantastic. As we are endeavoring to raise $20,000 to contribute to food security for central Mass residents this year, this is already ¼ of our goal! If you would like to support a CSA share or fresh organic eggs for folks needing help to eat well, we appreciate your donation.
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Reason number 3 to join the MHOF CSA
You can’t beat the community at Many Hands. We are full of the energy of life, purpose, good health, and good times. Be part of this farm that supports your nutrition for the body and the soul.
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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.
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Valentine’s Day is coming and we have good gifts for your loved one!
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You can order your Thanksgiving turkey right now
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An Annual Homesteader’s Preservation Calendar
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This is another excerpt from our book “Many Hands Make a Farm”. Today’s offering is
Freezing Vegetables
Freezing Vegetables, especially in small batches, is quite simple and quick. It takes only about 10 minutes to freeze a bunch of kale or chard and that will be the basis of a great winter meal. If you attempt no other method of food preservation, try this. Soon you will want to buy a chest freezer in which to store your bounty.
Blanching (scalding vegetables in boiling water or steam for a short time) is a must for almost all vegetables before freezing them. The fast heating stops the enzyme activity that can cause loss of flavor, color, and texture over time.
Here are the most important tips to remember for freezing vegetables:
Prepare your work area and tools well so you can work quickly and efficiently.
Cut vegetables into bite-sized pieces
Wait until the water is boiling to immerse the vegetables.
Start timing when the pot comes back to a boil. Most vegetables need to cook from 1 to 3 minutes in this part of the process. The important thing to watch for is a change to a brighter color.
While timing, fill a sink with cold water. Dump the blanched vegetables into a colander and immediately sink it. This is easier than fussing with cooling the vegetables in an ice-water bath.
Strain any extra water out of the cooled vegetables and store them in freezer containers that will pack efficiently in your freezer.
This procedure works well for a wide range of vegetables. One variable is how long to leave the vegetables in the boiling water. You can do your own research, but I advise keeping your process simple, as above, so that you are more likely to accomplish it. Next week I will start to provide specific tips for individual vegetables.
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Jennifer’s Recipe
Coconut Pollock Butternut Chowder
This chowder was inspired by the seasonal abundance of MHOF. While these specific vegetables aren’t available this time of year, many of the ingredients in this recipe—including onion, fennel, potatoes, winter squash, and fresh herbs—are staples of the Summer and Fall CSA shares. The broth was made with chicken feet from the farm, slow-simmered to create a rich, collagen-dense base that honors a whole-animal, nourishing approach to cooking. Recipes like this reflect what’s possible when you cook with the seasons and let the farm guide your kitchen.
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Week Five of the Bioinutrient Food Association Soil and Nutrition Conference
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The weather has held cold, with the colder days seeming to be Monday and Friday, the days we work on the farm. But hey, we crossed Groundhog Day– the middle line of winter — this past week, so it can’t go on too much longer.
Monday Jim, Matt and the Stetson folks spent time digging our supply of firewood from the town’s downing of trees out of a snow bank, cutting, splitting, and stacking it.
Danny and Stu finished one frame for the first of our three mobile chicken houses.
Clare and I raced through office work, applying for Real Organic Project certification, ordering blueberries, egg cartons, outreaching to lard customers, and later with Paula’s help we finished our last batch of chicken stock (it is available frozen for sale at $10/quart), and then pruning in the afternoon.
Tuesday evening Marj and Matt and I met with Karen and Stephanie, CSA site coordinators from Worcester and Holden, to discuss outreach in those two towns.
Thursday Marj and I worked on upcoming videos, and discussed our CSA brochure, which Marj implemented on Friday.
Friday, Jack and I took the dogs on their every-three-year trip to get their rabies tags, and I only fell down once when I got wrapped up in their three leashes. They certainly were country bumpkins at the vet office, not very familiar with the “doctor” routine. But no one slipped a collar this time. The vet tech said, on seeing Harriet: “Hey is this the dog that we had to run out in traffic to corral last year?”
At home all sorts of kitchen work was being accomplished: lunch for 7, new hummus, peanut butter balls (without the peanut butter), porch wood filling, greenhouse cleaning up – Marissa took things in hand and threw out a bunch of very questionable seedling trays — seed sorting with nice stackable containers ordered by Devra to better manage the seeds that we store in the freezer. Clare ordered 3 more tarps and Jack and Clare and I discussed irrigation systems in preparation for purchase of same. Jack printed nice maps of the entire farm for us to mark up for placement of perimeter hoses in preparation for more simplified bird and irrigation moves throughout the summer. In the afternoon we went out and finished pruning another row of trees in the orchard. It is still quite an effort to walk around in the orchard.
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We will remember the deep snows of winter 2026 for sure.
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“Wel, Gertrude, it looks like yet another cold and raw day!”
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