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June 6, 2026
10 am – Noon
potluck lunch at noon
In these times where food sovereignty, especially around egg production and healthy chicken and turkey raised by our own hands is a strong priority, you can learn how to actualize that on your own property.
Pasturing poultry gives your birds access to the extra nutrients only Nature can supply best, not to mention health-giving sunshine. Yet how do you protect them from predators out on grass? We will offer plans for our well-designed range-house “tractor” which offers security from hawks, owls and four-footed varmints, and demonstrate their use on pasture.
Each year Many Hands Organic Farm raises 500 or so birds in these “tractors” on pasture. Two people feed and water the animals and move their range houses by hand 5 days per week to fresh grass.
Brooding, chick and poult care, and organic feed management will also be discussed and demonstrated.
Participant fee
Pay what you can
$20 to $40
Includes potluck lunch
August 15, 2026
10 am – Noon
potluck lunch at noon
Hello! I’m Clare Carter-Ortiz and I’ve been a Professional Florist for just over 20 years. One of the most common arrangements we do is to put together a “vase ready” bouquet. Or a “chop and drop”. I will be sharing just how we do this and how anyone can make a professional arrangement ready to drop into a container. I love what I do and enjoy teaching people new and time proven techniques that will give your arrangements a professional look!
In this starter class we will arrange a loose bouquet that will be perfect in a Mason jar for you to take home and enjoy!
Participant fee
Pay what you can
$20 to $40
Includes potluck lunch
August 22, 2026
10 am – Noon
potluck lunch at noon
If you are planning to raise your own homestead birds, it is practical to know how to slaughter them. At this hands-on workshop, we will slaughter, pluck, eviscerate and prepare a handful of 12-week-old Freedom Ranger broilers for the freezer. Each participant will be able to practice all of the aspects of the slaughter process.
Participant fee
Pay what you can
$20 to $40
Includes potluck lunch
September 12 , 2026
9am – Noon
Potluck lunch at noon
At MHOF we are one of the few farms that raises certified organic pigs on pasture in the state of Massachusetts. Raised for most of their lives in our homestead woods using two strands of electric wire, these pigs are very happy living in their natural environment. We move the pigs about once per month to a new area in the woods, and at this workshop we will involve participants in that move. We will cover how to round up the pigs for the move and get them there, will prepare the landscape to move the fencing, get the pigs moved and then let them into their new pasture (the best part. We will also discuss our feed, the extra supplements of food scraps and apple pomace, our automatic watering system, and everything you will need to know about how to raise pigs successfully in the woods. Come dressed appropriately!
Participant fee
Pay what you can
$20 to $40
Includes potluck lunch
September 19 , 2026
10 am – 2 pm
Potluck lunch at noon
We preserve hundreds of pounds of food each year enough to fill 7 freezers, 400 mason jars, a root cellar, and cupboards with dried foods. Join us at the height of the food preservation season to preserve our way through the day. We will freeze green vegetables, can tomatoes and grape juice, make applesauce, start some lacto-fermented sauerkraut, dry some herbs and garlic and discuss best methods for canning freezing drying, and root cellaring. At lunch time we will share a pot luck lunch.
Participant fee
Pay what you can
$20 to $40
Includes potluck lunch
December 5 , 2026
10 am – 2 pm
Potluck lunch at noon
Stocks from chicken, turkey, beef and pork are an excellent source of protein, healthy fats, collagen, and minerals. They also form the basis of the best tasting soups. At MHOF in the wintertime we prepare and freeze enough stocks to feed ourselves, our large farm staff, and our cats and dogs for a year.
At this hands-on workshop we will make chicken stock from old layers and chicken feet, pork stock from pig heads and beef stock from beef bones. Participants will take home a quart of stock at the end of the workshop.
Participant fee
Pay what you can
$20 to $40
Includes potluck lunch
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