Weekly newsletters

Gradients

June 16, 2025

Gradients 
Jack Kittredge

Walking down our road this Spring has reminded me of the sense I had when moving to Barre with Julie years ago, that life here was a little more analog, flowing, not jerky. There are still seasons, sure, like in the city. But they seemed to change more imperceptibly: trees starting as bare black outlines, sprouting faint yellow flower halos, minutely greening, slowly darkening, and swelling into fullness. Come their time, one by one, the leaves slide oh-so-subtly into gold or brown or crimson before drifting down on the wind.
Graphic designers do something similar with colors – change them progressively, but by so little each time that you barely notice. I think they call it using “gradients”.

I find myself doing that with time, too.

Perhaps it’s the countryside, perhaps just age. But the more I see familiar things – crops, buildings, favorite tools, certainly people – I don’t see them simply as they are right before me. There is a history, a wholeness, too. The ripe berry patch veils an earlier, faint flower halo in the background; on my way upstairs in the house, I’m also stepping into the gaping stairwell hole that was there during building, 40 years ago. Seeing my big chisel sometimes reminds me of making tricky barn mortices.  When with my adult son, to this day, I also see him at age 8, in the glow of finally catching a leaf on the way down.
I think gradients help me see better.

Gratitude

This week’s gratitude goes to Devra, who came to us as a rank beginner farmer with very few of the practical farming skills that are needed for the hundreds of small and large judgment calls on the farm each day. Last week, through a lot of effort on both of our parts, but mostly on Devra’s, we came to a place where Devra has found a way and means to flourish here at MHOF, and has quickly moved to being a very integral and needed part of the fluid, multi-talented farm staff. Looking ahead two or three steps and offering to be part of the next project, fastidious about putting things away, be it dishes or tools at the end of the day, learning the ropes of quick but careful seeding of flats, being the main eggplant potato bug picker (they are not yet out of the weeds), and being ever gracious, she has found her niche, and I suspect it will be ever-expanding. Thank you, Devra.

Check out the set of that jaw!

2025 MHOF CSA

Slow, slow, slow is all I can say. This will be another limping week for produce, though I am hopeful that by the week of June 23, we will be having a few more things to eat.

We will have:
Lettuce
Cilantro – new item
Chives
Green onions
Garlic scapes – this week and next week
Spinach came back – there will be a good taste of it
Mint of one variety or another

That’s it – back out to the field to plant, hoe, hill, cut hay, rake hay, mulch, and do a little more picking.

2025 CSA Order Form

Volunteering at MHOF

Thanks, Luke, for a wonderful prepping of beds and planting of things. It was such a treat to work with you all day on Tuesday.

Jennifer’s Recipe for the Week: Strawberry Mint Salad Dressing

Strawberry Mint Salad Dressing blends sweet, cooling strawberries with fragrant spearmint and light apple cider vinegar, creating a soothing elixir for summer’s heat. The natural acidity of vinegar stimulates agni (digestive fire) without aggravating Pitta, thanks to the cooling nature of mint and the sweetness of strawberries. Olive oil offers grounding unctuousness that balances Vata and adds richness without clogging Kapha. This dressing is especially supportive during hot months, helping to cleanse and hydrate while gently stimulating the digestive system. Perfect for leafy greens, quinoa salads, or fresh fruit medleys, it brings harmony through a balance of taste and temperature.

Get the Recipe at Jen Zen Living

Some Farm Videos From This Week

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Farm Doins

Tuesday started out rather depressing with the loss of about 60 of our young layers – 20 in a pile outside their house and the rest gone. My fault – I had gotten lazy about stationing the dogs out there, slightly overwhelmed as I was with Jack’s broken shoulder. I was particularly aggrieved by the seeming wanton slaughter aspect of it all.

We have been planning the big pig pick-up for a while now. We buy our certified organic piglets from Misty Brook – Katia and Brendan. For over 20 years, when they lived in Hardwick next door, it was a slam dunk. Now they are settled 3 ½ hours away, in Maine, but it is still worth it to buy the best (and perhaps only certified organic) pigs we can find. Jack and I were going to make the trip a week ago, but then he broke his shoulder. Marge reappeared in our lives and pinch hit for him. We spent all of Thursday driving up and back to get the pigs; thanks, Marge. And then Dan, who is the other essential human connection, met us at the end to unload them. Luckily that all went without a hitch, and they are safely locked into their forest home that Matt so thoughtfully and thoroughly set up over the past two or so weeks. Today, Monday, we find out whether they will stay in their fenced yard when we go all hands on deck to let them out and help them “test” the electric fence with their very sensitive noses.

Aside from that, much progress on the big job of weeding, hilling, and mulching the potatoes – 6 beds down and 4 to go. We planted celery, celeriac, parsley, cauliflower, broccoli, cucumbers, squash, soybeans, and replanted some tomatoes in the hoophouse. We weeded and mulched older celery, carrots, beets, winter squash. And mowed two big sections of hay and got some of it picked up. The farm is running on all cylinders right now.

Happy Solstice, which will arrive this week.

Julie

Quick Links

Buy Meat
2025 CSA Order Form
Contact Julie
Products Available Now at the Farm
Become a working shareholder
Donate to the MHSC
Workshops

Buy J and J’s book
Many Hands Make a Farm
https://www.chelseagreen.com/product/many-hands-make-a-farm/

Be Careful What You Say

June 9, 2025

Be Careful What You Say

Right before we lost our entire apple crop to excessive rain and wind in the second week of May, I think I cavalierly noted that we had just passed through the best week of the year. Last week, I posited something about living a charmed life. And on Monday afternoon (after the naming ceremony highlighted below), Justin and Jack were putting together a new bed upstairs, when the king-size mattress that we had not yet gotten rid of jumped on them and knocked Jack into a dresser. On Thursday, we confirmed that he had a broken shoulder, and on Friday, we were told that the next 12 weeks would mostly include him having his left arm strapped close to his body. Sigh.

Lots of extra work for me and for the farm staff that will have to take over when I am helping Jack with basic necessities and getting to appointments, etc. But these occurrences bring with them a special opportunity for two old mules to get closer, count our blessings, and redefine our working relationship with a grace that comes from 50 (well, alright, only 49) years of accommodating each other in our times of extra need.

Jack sporting his fancy new sling

Gratitude

Many thanks to Leslie, Paula (who came in on her day off), Justin and Devra who stepped up big time on Friday to get through the list, while Jack and I were in Worcester, doing an amazing job of planting 500 sweet potatoes, 2 beds of cabbage, a bed of radishes and turnips, and then de(potato)bugging eggplant and potatoes, after accomplishing the Friday CSA too!

If you have ever bought sweet potato slips, you know that they come as little sticks with some leaves on the top. These kids looked very perky this morning after the soil drench, planting, and then a nice thunderstorm last night.

These cabbages look perky as all get out too, after the same treatment.

2025 MHOF CSA

We made it through week one without too many errors and confusion. With 135 people, and 5 separate operations for each member, you can imagine all the places where a mistake might be made, added on to a handful of folks making last-minute pickup changes, and some new members arriving just past the deadline.

Please, everyone, check that Excel spreadsheet that I sent out listing you and your pickup location, and make sure that your contact info is correct. If you didn’t get the opening letter and contact list (but get this), please be in touch so we can find that problem.

I have been dragging my smile for over a week regarding the minimal harvest, yet by Friday, things seemed to be picking up ever so slightly. Maybe by July, we will have a share that I am proud of. Until then, please bear with us, and the continuing excessive rain, albeit with more heat now, is an ameliorating factor.

Leslie took this great shot of Friday’s share

This week will feature lettuce – you will get more of it, and also green onions, because that is what we have. I hope you are turning it into salads. The spearmint continues, but peppermint might not make it for everyone, also true for chives. We will mix and match as possible. We just can’t pick the chard in the field yet – not enough volume, and the kale and collards are sadly a long way off. One more week of oregano before a break.

2025 CSA Order Form

Volunteering at MHOF

This week we picked up Diane Perry, a friend of Marcia’s. Another amazing find for MHOF.

The gang of four putting together the Monday CSA – Diane is in the caboose, preceded by Paula, Julie and Marcia

Jennifer’s Recipe for the Week: Farm Fresh Green Onion, Scallion Flower & Spinach Omelet

My favorite day of the year, the first CSA pickup of the season! There is nothing quite like the joy of cooking with the first harvest of vibrant, just-picked organic vegetables and herbs from Many Hands Organic Farm. I celebrated with this simple yet delicious farm-fresh omelet featuring green onions, scallion flowers, oregano, and spinach. It’s such a gift to return to the kitchen with nature’s abundance once again.  Thank you, Julie, and your amazing staff!
Love,
Jennifer

This beautiful farm-fresh omelet harmonizes with the seasonal transition into summer. Ghee and eggs are grounding and nourishing, helping to build ojas (vital essence) and sustain energy. Green onions and scallion flowers stimulate agni (digestive fire) and help clear lingering Kapha from spring. Oregano offers warmth and subtle pungency, aiding circulation and digestion. Fresh spinach contributes lightness and prana (life force), cooling and balancing Pitta as summer heat begins to rise. The gentle preparation—slow sautéing, layering, steaming—makes this dish easy to digest and deeply satisfying. It supports balance for all doshas when prepared seasonally and enjoyed mindfully.

Get the Recipe Jen Zen Living

Some Farm Videos From This Week

The Danny and Stu Wash table steps

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Prepping for corn

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Farm Doins

The farm garden cart will be rebuilt yet one more time by the time Stu, Danny, and Justin are done with it. Check back here for some cool pictures.

Marjee is back. First here at 6 with her working shareholder sister, and then in 2010-2011 as a staff member, and then again in 2019-2020, Marjee has returned again, and will join the staff on a one day per week basis. And she also signed up to help me pick up those pigs in Maine this upcoming Thursday, after Jack broke his shoulder. We are so happy to have you back, Marjee.

We are doing hay collection as I have always dreamed of doing it. Jim cuts a batch on his once-per-week visit, and then we scurry to rake it with our old ground-driven rake, and then scurry again to get it picked up. This week we were able to mulch leeks with it, along with green beans and flowers, and we still have plenty left over.

Nothing creates more nostalgia for me than haymaking – Marissa and Justin

We planted peppers, eggplant, melons, cabbage, sweet potatoes, radish, and turnips, and started more cabbage in the greenhouse.

We weeded cilantro, beets, green beans, flowers, and leeks, and did some potato work too.

Hoeing the leeks prior to mulching – Amanda and Julie

And weeding cilantro at day’s end – Marissa and Justin

Despite all challenges, my mindset here, just 12 days from the Solstice, is pretty intact. Perhaps it is all the magnesium that I am taking right now, or perhaps the amazing farm staff, or maybe some of both . . . 🙂

Julie

New shareholder from Tip Top, our newest delivery site

Quick Links

Buy Meat
2025 CSA Order Form
Contact Julie
Products Available Now at the Farm
Become a working shareholder
Donate to the MHSC
Workshops

Buy J and J’s book
Many Hands Make a Farm
https://www.chelseagreen.com/product/many-hands-make-a-farm/

Gratitude

June 2, 2025

Gratitude

That is what came to mind this week, on a bunch of different levels, where I was in the presence of exceptionalism.

Monday – Justin came on the holiday to help me with the chores and prep for the week.

Tuesday – Matt, Marissa, Justin, Devra, and I hauled ass all day putting away tarps and sand bags – tons of weight, and then made up all the beds in the west field.

Leslie was at home putting together all of our lists for our 134-member CSA, which we have been tweaking all week.

Wednesday – Add in Leslie, Paula, and Amanda, and we planted flowers, carrots, beets, summer squash, cucumbers, basil, tulsi, and winter squash, and topped the day off with hilling six beds of potatoes.

Danny finished the patio in front of the wash table.

And Justin mowed the entire farm.

Thursday – Heidi Shortis, Jack’s and my personal trainer from down the road in Petersham, came and did her magic. You can get younger too, working with Heidi – lunafitnessandwellness@gmail.com; 774-279-3540

Then I met my French horn partner in crime and we cleaned up the Barre Town Hall and moved in some very heavy timpani. Thanks, Margaret for your exceptionality as a music director and motivator of people.

That motivator of people moniker can be used for Heidi too, by the way.

Friday – Matt went over and above and went out into the soon to be pig yard and gathered up all the old barbed wire.

And Nick showed up, plowed through seedling planting with me and Leslie, and with Matt put together 2 state of the art tomato trellises (those are to keep you happy, Maria!), and slipped over to help Leslie and Marcia and me plant some more potatoes – a human dynamo he is; all this while Jim turned the pond orchard into a state park! Jack helped me too, late into the night on Friday, to get a start on the bag labelling.

And then there was the guy at the dump who miraculously showed up as I was about to try to get 10 heavy garbage bags filled with a tarp that had to be decommissioned. He was clearly a gift from God. It reminded me of when I would take out the four kids back in Dorchester, one each in a front and back pack, one in a stroller, and the other holding my hand. We went everywhere on the subway, and whenever I needed to get off or on, there was always at least one person to help me make it happen!

Dan showed up with two old friends of his, and after we served them a typical MHOF farm dinner, they went out to help me move one of our layer houses out of the swamp that had formed around it during the big rain on Saturday. Then we came back in and Dan organized all of us to tie labels on the 364 bags while Sarah played the piano and we sang old standards.

I do live a charmed life!

2025 MHOF CSA

Finally, it is here – the day we have all been working toward since around December 1. I already worried over the quantities in last week’s newsletter, and have appropriately blamed the weather, and perhaps a few management oversights on my part, but as I told Leslie on Friday when we started 23 more trays of seedlings, we are making up for it now! Enjoy this small but mighty share this week. And we will all pray for less rain. I am afraid we went backward on that front Saturday, with as much as another inch of the stuff!

Green Onions

Lettuce

Spinach

‘Peppermint – notice the standing water

Spearmint

Swiss Chard

Oregano

And I forgot to photograph the chives

2025 CSA Order Form

Volunteering at MHOF

Yes, give me a call or email!

Jennifer’s Recipe for the Week: Golden Fennel-Lime Stir Fry

This beautiful Golden Fennel-Lime Stir Fry offers balance, ease, and nourishment in every bite. Fresh turmeric root gives this dish its vibrant golden hue while bringing potent anti-inflammatory and digestive benefits. Fennel seeds and fresh lime add brightness and support healthy digestion and detoxification. The seasonal vegetables are lightly sautéed in ghee, which nourishes the tissues and soothes the nervous system, making this bowl as grounding as it is uplifting.

Served over basmati rice cooked simply with ghee and salt, this meal provides an ideal balance of lightness and stability. It is easily adaptable for all doshas: Vata benefits from the grounding rice and ghee, Pitta finds cooling support in the cilantro and lime, and Kapha enjoys the lightness of the sautéed veggies and stimulating spices. The dish is easy to digest, sattvic in nature, and leaves you feeling nourished yet light.

Perfect as a weekday meal, post-yoga lunch, or gentle digestive reset, this bowl invites you to listen to your body and flow with the seasons. You can easily adjust the vegetables, spices, and toppings to suit your constitution and the rhythms of nature.

Get the Recipe at Jen Zen Living

Some Farm Videos From This Week

Hilling potatoes

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Wouldn’t you like to add a flower share?

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Devra turned 31 in May

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Tarping thoughts

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Julie

Whoops, too many sandbags in the tractor bucket!

Quick Links

Buy Meat
2025 CSA Order Form
Contact Julie
Products Available Now at the Farm
Become a working shareholder
Donate to the MHSC
Workshops

Buy J and J’s book
Many Hands Make a Farm
https://www.chelseagreen.com/product/many-hands-make-a-farm/

Rumination

May 26, 2025

Rumination

I know that we all do it from time to time, but for me, the week before the CSA begins, I always fret about whether we will have enough to put into share bags. But for crying out loud (as the sky has been doing in an unrelenting fashion this month), I have not remembered a colder, more precipitation-filled May (the exception being that beautiful first week of the month when everything was idyllic). The flea beetles love this weather, having wiped out the Asian greens, and have been steadily barraging the kale and collards, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli/cauliflower – not to mention the radishes and salad turnips. Too much rain, too much cold, and the shivering little seedlings just don’t have their defenses up yet.

And while I am ruminating, I wonder how I will explain it to the handful of new shareholders, looking at their small produce bag, certain that they have been sold a pig in a poke. It must be somebody else’s fault!

But today (Saturday) Jack and I just got back from about our fifteen thousandth daily walk down the road. As I looked around me on both sides, I saw beautiful oak and maple trees, ferns, some flowering bushes that I didn’t know, spectacular columbines, striking purple flowers, and a chipmunk skittering over a rock. Although most of the walk was in cold raindrops, there was a moment where the sun came out and it warmed my back, and I was sure that sometime soon we would be experiencing wonderful late spring weather. The brassicas will grow beyond their flea beetles, we will be tending tomatoes, and cucumbers, and squash, and the gardens will start to flourish.

But back to ruminating. Clare, where are you when I most need to commiserate! This, too will pass. June 2 will come and go, and we will be back in the 26-week CSA saddle. Really, we have done a spectacular job of preparing the first 5 months of the year for this downshift into the uphill, unrelenting season of the farm.

On Wednesday we prepped for and planted tomatoes and cukes in the Clare house. At the back is a nice crop of peppermint and to the side some wintered-over chard – both crops that will save us the first CSA week.

Expressing Gratitude This Week 

Thanks to Nick Casale, our AEA consultant, who answers all my fertility questions. Friday, I met with Nick because I have been experiencing some anxiety about how often parts of the farm were under water this May. Nick always has good ideas for triage when times seem tough, and Friday was no exception. Our potatoes are planted in the lower section of the west field, where the likelihood of excess water is always with us. He suggested that we put together a soil drench mix of 1 part humacarb, 1 part Seashield, and one part rejuvenate to help get the soil into good growing action with humic substances, sea creatures, complex sugars, and biology.

I know by their topography, and in some cases, proximity to large rivers, that many of my farmer friends around the state are suffering much worse than we are. Maybe that drench recipe can provide some help.

Many Hands Sustainability Center – Supporting Food Sovereignty

We are working toward a $2000 account to provide food to the Barre Food Pantry twice per week. We stand in need of $635.

Should you want to support this new venture, you can donate here.

2025 MHOF CSA

We have a couple of videos this week about the CSA.

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CSA members, I will be reaching out to you with everything that you need to know, but not until the weekend of May 31 or June 1. We do a lot of scurrying to get bags all tagged and membership lists for each pickup site organized. If you have held off on joining, please do so as early this week as possible. The office management on this piece is very time-consuming, especially with late arrivals. Thanks for your patience. If you don’t hear from me by noon on Sunday, feel free to reach out – there may be a problem with our contact info.

2025 CSA Order Form

Vegetable Foci for This Week – What was in your CSA bag?

Grapes, green beans, and leeks are on the remembrance docket today.

We gave out one week of grapes, climbing up our front deck. This is our earliest grape harvest, and they hold together well for a treat. All of our grapes are seeded and are treated with the same weekly foliar nutrition sprays that all of our fruits imbibe – good stuff.

In 2023, we had more green beans than one could believe possible, and not so with 2024, a veritable crop failure. I put my hope in the pole beans last year, and am going back to bush beans this year. Count on them. You know what to do with green beans.

Leek crops are somewhat variable year to year, and we lost most of ours to weeds last year, but not this year. They are all weeded already and soon will be mulched next week. We have 560 linear feet of them in 2025 and should be bringing these beauties to you throughout September, October, and November.

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Volunteering at MHOF

Yes, give me a call or email!

Jennifer’s Recipe for the Week: Creamy Asparagus & Potato Soup with Bone Broth

Crafted with intention, this healing soup serves as a warm embrace during times of emotional vulnerability and physical depletion. The combination of bone broth and ghee deeply nourishes and rebuilds ojas, the subtle essence that supports immunity, vitality, and emotional resilience. Asparagus, bitter and astringent in nature, helps clear excess Kapha from the lungs and sinuses while gently detoxifying the liver—a key organ in processing grief and emotional heaviness. Potatoes provide grounding sweetness, soothing Vata imbalances that often arise with stress or sadness. Hingvastak churna kindles Agni without overstimulation, helping digest both food and feelings. This soup is ideal in times of retreat, offering warmth, nourishment, and gentle purification for body and mind.

Get the Recipe at Jen Zen Living

Some Gut Biome Facts From a Talk with Jaclyn Downs

Jaclyn Downs

Secretor Status

  • 80% of people can secrete antigens into bodily fluids, supporting a diverse microbiome with beneficial bacteria like bifidobacterium
  • •.20% of people lack these antigens in fluids, often resulting in a less diverse microbiome, increased susceptibility to gut infections, and lowered levels of vitamin B12 due to impaired absorption.

The FUT2 Gene – Fucosyltransferase 2

FUT2 variants determine secretor status – whether an individual can secrete antigens into bodily fluids.

  • They create the prebiotics that feed the probiotics in the gut
  • The FUT2 gene encodes an enzyme that is involved in adding certain sugars to bodily secretions like saliva, mucus, and breast milk, influencing the gut microbiome and Vitamin B12 absorption.
  • Some gut bacteria use these sugars to stick to the gut wall and thrive. They also use them as a source of energy, which helps them produce butyrate, a type of short-chain fatty acid.
    • Butyrate is very important for gut health because it helps strengthen the gut lining, reduces inflammation, and keeps the gut environment balanced.

There are health implications of being a non-secretor

  • Auto-immune and inflammatory conditions such as Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, type 1 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and irritable bowel syndrome.
  • Non-secretors may have lower levels of butyrate-producing bacteria, which impacts gut barrier function, reduces anti-inflammatory effects, and increases the incidence of gut permeability and infections.
  • Non-secretors exhibit a different microbial composition, often with lower levels of beneficial bacteria, and an increase in harmful bacteria like proteobacteria, contributing to gut inflammation.
  • Non-secretors are at risk for lowered B12 levels, important for methylation processes essential for health.

Butyrate’s Role in Gut health

  • Gut microbes like butyrate are essential for maintaining a healthy mucosal level.
  • This is the first line of defense against inflammation.
  • Higher levels of butyrate
    • Support colon health
    • Promote metabolic health
    • Reduce inflammation
    • Promote gut barrier integrity, offering protection against IBD and colorectal cancer

Key points

  • Secretors have a more diverse microbiome and stronger gut immune responses
  • Non-secretors may require more aggressive prebiotic and probiotic support to improve gut health and manage associated risks.

Jaclyn Downs’ suggestions for supplementation

  • Microbiome Labs Megasporebiotic and Prebiotic
  • Resistant starch foods like green bananas, cooked and cooled potatoes, and brown rice
  • Increase inulin-rich foods like Jerusalem artichokes, asparagus, and chicory root.

Farm Doin’s

I am truly proud of all of our accomplishments this week. Our preparations are miles ahead of any year in our past, and hopefully, this will accrue to a smooth and productive season in 2025.

Danny and Stu got the first set of 12 paving stones in place in front of our wash table and will finish this project this week. Danny also screwed down the sides of the Clare and orange houses that were billowing in the wind.

Matt finished getting the gravel that had been piled around the farm spread into all the holes that we needed smoothed out. Now we have easy access to the annex and far entrance to the pond field, and the divots and holes in the pond orchard and now flattened out. He also lined the edge of the road where our driveway meets it. Thanks, Matt.

Son Dan came over last week and rediverted the river that was running through the west field off to the side and showed me how to manage so that we have less water there. Thanks, Dan.

Our main team weeded, mulched, and prepped many crops this week, getting the south field into very good shape, and also the back of the north. These crops include the Brussels sprouts, our later onions, first batches of broccoli, cauliflower, and our chard. We replanted some cilantro in a failed arugula area, added Pete Herceg’s gift celery, celeriac, and bunching onions to the edge of our kohlrabi bed, and also planted 2 beds of lettuce.

We prepped and planted some garden beds with dill, arugula, and parsnips and lined the pathways with hay mulch.

Wednesday, Randy and Ruben popped over from NOFA to do some biology testing on our soil and do some reminiscing with Jack about the NOFA soil microbial diversity project that Jack used to manage.

In the greenhouse, we started more chard, kale, and collards against potential crop failures, and started another round of celery and celeriac.

In the world of the perennials, we weeded and mulched all of the grapes, blueberries, aronia, black raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries, June berries, and got a good start on finalizing the weeding and mulching of the red raspberries. Over two days, we hoed and weeded around two rows of fruit trees in the pond orchard, and also killed some tent caterpillar families.

Devra and Paula

Julie takes it for the team

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And then so does Paula

Friday, we divided and conquered, and while Leslie, Justin, Devra, and I weeded lots of bittersweet from around our fruit trees, Jim, Amanda, Matt, and Maria plugged our 2025 mushroom logs.

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Saturday, Sophie, Shantel and Alexandria, and I moved the baby layers out to the field, cleaned out the brooder house, weeded and mulched the hardy kiwi with the bedding, and set up shop for the meat birds that arrive next week.

Pray for sun and heat!

Julie

Promoting child labor on the farm

Quick Links

Buy Meat
2025 CSA Order Form
Contact Julie
Products Available Now at the Farm
Become a working shareholder
Donate to the MHSC
Workshops

Buy J and J’s book
Many Hands Make a Farm
https://www.chelseagreen.com/product/many-hands-make-a-farm/

Natural abundance

May 19, 2025

Natural abundance

Justin and I were planting flower boxes and talking about life and its marvels on Friday on the top deck of the house. I mentioned to him that though I don’t have any flower boxes in my cultural history, for some reason at the age of 24 as a young mother, it seemed really important to me to have them on our house. Jack obliged me and installed them on our house in Dorchester. Later, he built them into our passive solar shade-decks here in Barre in 1982. About 25-30 years later, when Chuk rebuilt the decks, he obliged his mother and put in even nicer boxes with metal liners. For several months of the year, it is so enjoyable to look out the front windows and see a profusion of petunias (with a few other specimens interspersed) and enjoy.

For many years now, I have been impressed by the fact that I don’t really need to plant the 19 boxes but merely extract the possibly 5000 petunia plants that have self-sown, give away as many as possible, and transplant back in a few hundred to keep the succession going.

Friday, Marissa and Drew were over in the pond field working and I hollered from the top deck to ask if they wanted some petunias. Marissa came right over and grabbed a few. All of a sudden, I realized that Jack and I had reached a goal of being able to share a life of agricultural abundance with others in a very accessible way.

Those petunias reminded me that there is always profusion in nature. All we have to do is emulate her behaviors in order to access that richness in our daily lives.

Expressing Gratitude This Week 

A couple of years ago, we hired Danny to be our head carpenter. He accomplishes this in a mere one day of work per week, and he, with the help of his trusty sidekick Stu, has brought us a number of upgrades that make our lives easier across the farm.

It was he who came up with the idea of building a nice set of stairs into our loading dock on the east side of the barn. A long time ago, when we built the barn, we put this loading dock on for when we had to load our cows into a truck. This entrance, about 36” or so off the ground, is also an entrance for access from our washing table to our walk-in cooler. We had a temporary step-up system in place for several years, but it was never easy to get the produce into the barn and the walk-in.

Danny and Stu built a beautiful set of stairs, pictured here, but what really struck me this week is Danny’s attention to really making the washing area convenient for us. We use a lot of water there at our washing table, and it gets mired in mud. After putting in a nice drainage area under the stairs, with Jack’s design help, Danny took it one further and decided to put a drainage system under the washing table. He sent us elaborate plans for an elegant system that will have paving stones instead of the mud that we have lived with for years.

I have known Danny since 1978 when we were doing community organizing together in Somerville, and then Jack and I rekindled our relationship with him and Paula 4 years ago when they moved out here and found our farm. Thank you, Danny, for your executive approach to your work here!

Many Hands Sustainability Center – Supporting Food Sovereignty

We are working toward a $2000 account to provide food to the Barre Food Pantry twice per week. Thanks to William for his monthly donation this week for bringing us down to a total need of $635.

Should you want to support this new venture, you can donate here.

2025 MHOF CSA

We brought in 25 shares this week. 20 of them came from Tri-Valley, Inc in Dudley who will be providing shares for veterans in the Central Mass area. Thanks to these folks who have put their faith in our farm.

Now it is only 2 more weeks until the CSA starts – the week of June 2. If you are planning to join, it would make us extremely happy if you would join by Friday, May 30, so we can get all the bags and tags, and minutia of running the CSA in order. Truth be told, we will continue to take shares after it starts until spaces run out, but the administrative burden of late subscription is greater.

2025 CSA Order Form

Vegetable Foci for This Week – What was in your CSA bag?

Corn, dill, eggplant, and flowers are on the list today. I just looked at my list and realized that I need to speed things up a bit. This week, all four of these crops listed are definitely not staples (unless you order a flower share).

We can’t provide copious amounts of corn for you as it takes up too much space, but we are happy to share it for 2 or so weeks each year. Corn is a marvelous crop for us because it is an intense soil builder. It puts on a lot of mass, is easy to cover crop underneath (providing us with much biological diversity), and is just so tasty when the butter runs down your chin. Your best bet to get it off-season is to show up here for lunch in the winter, as we freeze a bunch of it, side ears and smaller ears, after we have passed it out to the CSA.

Dill is another crop that is an herb that we give out about 4 times per year. It is a strongly flavored herb that many folks don’t know that well, but when I looked it up, I found some amazing facts.

The antimicrobial properties of dill oil have been well-documented; it exhibits significant activity against various bacteria and fungi, including strains of Campylobacter and Aspergillus. This antimicrobial potency is attributed largely to the high concentrations of carvone and limonene within the essential oil, which disrupt pathogen cell membranes. Such characteristics underscore the potential for dill as a natural preservative in food products, where it can enhance safety and extend shelf life.

Beyond its antimicrobial properties, dill has shown promise in alleviating various health issues. Research indicates its efficacy in treating gastrointestinal disturbances, acting as a diuretic, and having antispasmodic properties. Furthermore, dill is being explored for its antioxidant capabilities, with extracts demonstrating the potential to protect against oxidative damage and modulate inflammatory responses. Studies in animal models have illustrated improvements in biochemical parameters related to liver health and lipid levels upon dill consumption.

Moreover, dill’s nutritional value is considerable; it is a source of essential vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A, potassium, and calcium, alongside phytochemicals such as flavonoids and phenolic compounds. These constituents contribute to dill’s reputation as a functional food, enhancing not only flavor but also health benefits in dietetics.

Eggplant has, for some reason, been my nemesis as a farmer. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that my mom never grew it, and I just didn’t know it as a kid. It stars in Middle Eastern cuisine and is distinct in its looks and also its flavor. This will be a minor addition to the CSA. Here are some fun facts.

Eggplant, scientifically known as Solanum melongena, is a vegetable rich in various phytochemicals and possesses several properties that contribute to its popularity in culinary and health applications. One of the notable features of eggplant is its concentration of polyphenols and antioxidants, particularly chlorogenic acid, which exhibits significant antioxidant activity. This activity is associated with various health benefits, including protection against oxidative stress-related diseases. Studies have shown that eggplant has a high antioxidant capacity among commonly consumed vegetables, which may help in preventing degenerative conditions such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

A distinctive aspect of eggplant is its diverse pigmentation; while the most common varieties are purple and white, the purple variant generally contains higher levels of anthocyanins—compounds known for their antioxidant properties as well as their role in reducing oxidative stress. Different colors of eggplants indeed exhibit varying nutritional and health-promoting qualities. Research indicates that white and green eggplants possess significant amounts of phenolic compounds, contributing to health benefits.

Additionally, eggplants are low in calories and high in moisture, making them a dietary staple for those managing weight. This nutritional profile renders eggplants suitable for vegetarian and health-conscious diets. They are also rich in soluble fiber, which aids digestion and may help manage blood cholesterol levels. Moreover, eggplants contain unique compounds such as glycoalkaloids, studied for their potential therapeutic properties, including anti-cancer effects.

Flowers – we promise 10 weeks of flowers for those who sign up for a flower share, but last year gave out flowers over 14 weeks. At $125 per share, I frankly think it is a steal. We give out 25 stems per bunch and will put them right in your bag with your food share. Sorry, no flower shares as a separate item – you must be a full-time shareholder.

Sign Up Here

Jim and Justin Finishing Up the Tomato Trellises in the Blue House

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Volunteering at MHOF

We are always looking for working shareholders in exchange for a large produce share for the season, or when you can make it for a share that day: M, T, W, F from 8-12 with lunch at noon and/or breakfast at 7:30, or Saturday starting with breakfast at 7 and working until 9:30 am.

On Saturdays, we are a bit thin on help right now. Reach out if you would like to spend your Saturday mornings on the farm, away from the usual bustle.

Yesterday we hosted Natasha and Mali for the first time – Mali originally from Sri Lanka. We had a good time planting some black raspberries and grapes.

Natasha watering the chickens

Mali watering in the black raspberries

Jennifer’s Recipe for the Week: Lemon-Tahini Harmony Bowl

The Lemon-Tahini Harmony Bowl brings together tridoshic ingredients that are particularly balancing for Pitta and Vata doshas. Quinoa and chickpeas offer grounding and sustaining energy, making this bowl nourishing yet light. Cooling elements like cucumber, spinach, and artichoke hearts gently cleanse the liver and support Pitta balance. Edamame adds protein and a slightly astringent quality, beneficial for Kapha and Vata in moderation. The tahini-lemon drizzle adds unctuousness, which calms Vata, while the lemon-apple cider vinegar dressing stimulates digestive fire (agni) without aggravating Pitta. Pine nuts add a sweet and slightly oily touch to round out the six tastes and offer a satisfying finish. Ideal during warm months or after a period of indulgence.

Get the Recipe at Jen Zen Living

A Shoutout for Fedco

I have been buying from Fedco Seed Cooperative for over 40 years, and started working for NOFA right around when CR Lawn and friends started Fedco. CR has retired, yet the folks at Fedco are still putting out incredible products. I have been particularly impressed with the trees and bushes this year, having bought 12 blueberries, 10 black raspberries, 12 fruit trees, and 7 grapes this year. As I have shopped around for these plants from a number of places over the years, I want to shout out to them as doing a superior job. Kudos to John Bunker and many other folks at Fedco Seeds, Trees, Potatoes and Onions and flowers.

Natasha shows off the incredible root system on this bluebell grape that we planted on Saturday

Farm Doin’s

It was a good week on the farm. I am still in a place of a bit of incredulity over the fact that we are on time with everything, and we are now officially in the second half of May. The water receded from the fields Sunday and Monday with mortal damage to some of the brassicas, but everyone else seemed to weather the storm. I am grateful for our extremely rich organic matter.

We had another bear incident over the weekend. Stu and Danny repaired and Fort Knoxed the rangehouse. Dingo had been the guy on the chain that night, and slipped his collar. Skippy has been taking it for the team ever since.

Stu and Danny finished the stairs to the east side of the barn and are now onto fixing up around the washing table, where we spend so many hours in the summer.

Justin and the Stetson folks almost finished the wood splitting and stacking. Just another half hour or so to go.

We finished up weeding and then mulching the peas, after adding a few seeds here and there where there were misses. These peas have been through hell already, and it is only May. First, a couple of snowstorms, then lots of water. Thankfully, Dan is back from all over the world and came and did some of his miracle water management, so the excess water in the west field is now running off away from the vegetable area.

Matt, our gravel guy, finished the entrance to the annex this week, and now we can drive up there without taking out an axle!

We prepped and planted another bed (bush beans) in the front of the north field. CSA members might remember that after an unending supply of beans in 2023, there were none in 2024. We are certain of a good harvest this year. Prior to planting beds now, we are not only putting down our transplant drench, but also some of our soil primer, to supercharge the neighborhood for quick germination and fast microbial-assisted root development.  n the back of the north, we knocked out two beds and planted our Brussels sprouts.

Over two days, we did a lot of work in the south, weeding and mulching 3 beds of our set onions, 2 beds of lettuce, weeding and some replanting in our spinach bed, weeding and filling in cabbage bed holes with some fennel that Pete brought us, and weeding the kohlrabi. We also planted a bed of broccoli and one of cauliflower – nice starts. We also weeded and mulched the chard.

Starting the process Tuesday morning

Kudos to my conscience, Nick, who pushes on the mulching even when we don’t feel like it

At work mulching the chard

Loading hay can be really fun

Our victorious girl team after finishing 10 beds in the south field – Devra, Amanda, Paula and Marissa – Wednesday afternoon

Many of the young brassicas took the rain hit – cabbage, the Asian greens, and some of the kohlrabi. Sorry that there will be no early Asians this year, and cabbage will be sparse for the first planting, but we are doubling up on cabbage on our next transplant.

We weeded and later mowed the house blueberry patch, a place of historical trouble with bishops weed, and then cleaned up the annex blueberries, where the bushes look amazing. We also accomplished weeding and mowing around the hardy kiwi, a new first.

On Friday, Jim and Justin finished up the tomato trellises in the hoophouses, and Jim mowed the annex with the tractor mower- our first foray into hay for the season. Justin and I finished planting the flower boxes and got a start on the hemp renovation project. The pigs spread the hemp seeds nicely last year so that we have hundreds of plants at the bottom of the west. If you would like some, they will be around, waiting for you in the ground until we clear them out in a week or two.

Jim mowing in annex

Julie

Buds on male hardy kiwi

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Many Hands Make a Farm
https://www.chelseagreen.com/product/many-hands-make-a-farm/