Weekly newsletters

Food Preservation

It is beyond me why preserving food together is a most magical and spiritual experience, but Saturday’s gathering of 20 folks from all over Eastern and Central Mass reached new heights for me as we worked our way through 20 cabbages, 5 gallons of garlic, a crate each of parsley, tomatoes and tulsi, 3 packages of chicken feet, a bag of summer squash, 8 gallons of grapes, and a bushel of parsley and basil for pesto. Folks arrived early and stayed late and there was electricity in the air the entire time as we chopped, pureed, de-stemmed, boiled, pared, dried, foley food-milled and packaged in bags, jars and pint plastic containers our foods. It must be our deep “ant-like” ingrained instinct to put away food for hard times, done in community with others, that makes this practice so exhilarating and memorable. If you missed the workshop and still would like to get in on the action, check in almost any weekday afternoon from now until mid-October and we will hand you a paring knife.

Marcia and Karima making sauerkraut

Lunchtime

Expressing Gratitude this Week

LaDawn was a remarkable member of the NOFA/Mass staff back around 10 years ago. During her time with us she experienced a health crisis. Jack and I one Saturday gathered together a cooler of healing foods and brought it to her. After that we fell off each other’s radar for a long time, but she not only showed up at our food preservation workshop Saturday, but brought 5 others from her family and network. With her health crisis resolved and her life trajectory reaching for the stars, I was reminded why Jack and I made that trip to Boston so many years ago. LaDawn is like a lighthouse to those around her. I am so grateful that we are back in each other’s lives. And I understand that when we make the effort to help another in need, it can often shower back on us in ways which we could only imagine.

LaDawn has on the “empowered woman”  t shirt

CSA News Week 17

Here is the line up for this week.
Best guess on what will be in your share bags this week

  • CSA
    • Lettuce
    • Dill
    • Cilantro
    • Tulsi
    • Beets
    • Summer Squash
    • Cukes
    • Cabbage, broccoli or eggplant
    • Tomatoes
    • Husk cherries
    • Arugula
    • Chinese cabbage
    • Kale
    • Potatoes
    • Onions
    • Carrots

Labor, Labor!

Working shareholders always welcome
As we move into the significant harvest time needed for the fall, we can still use your help – especially on M, W or F mornings, but also on T and Th if you are interested in planting and weeding/mulching projects. Come join us! Thanks to Petra who showed up unannounced on Friday to help!

Petra on left with Jill washing carrots

Paige, a student from WPI, joined our Saturday 7:30 – 9:30 staff who help me move birds and manage pigs. The animals and I both thank you, Paige, for making the trip to help support good livestock health.

We are looking to hire more staff for the fall
We are still holding space for the right person to come along to fill Clare’s large and roomy shoes, so if you are interested in a strong leadership position with MHOF, reach out.

Job Description
Many Hands Organic Farm is looking for a full-time or part-time farmer. We are a certified organic highly diverse family farm in Barre, MA raising vegetables (2 acres), large and small fruit (1 acre), pigs (6 seasonal), chickens for eggs (175) and meat (250), and turkeys (100). We focus heavily on carbon sequestering methods on our 55 acres of land and prioritize maximum nutrition and biodiversity and stacking of enterprises. We are no till. In Barre for now 41 years, we offer a lot of wisdom and perspective to aspiring farmers looking to gain agricultural understanding. You must be physically strong and have a positive and convivial attitude. Duties include animal, vegetable, fruit management, machine and hand work, carpentry, some chain sawing, sometimes leading volunteers, food preservation and making value added products – you name it, we do it. We start at $15/hour and will pay more depending on experience (and hustle) for 40 (full-time) or less (part-time) hours of work each week (Monday – Friday), with a rare need on weekends. Omnivorous meals (breakfast, lunch and morning snacks) are provided. We are looking to hire immediately and have work through the year, with fewer hours over the winter months (particularly December 15 – February 28). Apply to farm@mhof.net or call 978-257-1192. Check us out at www.mhof.net. Julie Rawson and Jack Kittredge

Come Sing with Us

After working out a “deal” with the Barre Town Hall for rehearsal space this week, we have backed up our starting date for Circle of Song to Thursday, September 21 from 7-8:30 pm. We are particularly looking for tenors (who isn’t?) If you are wanting to be convinced that being a member of our super fun chorus, give me a call.  Concert date – Saturday, December 16.  Here is our lineup.

  • Alleluia                 Randall Thompson
  • America the Beautiful     arr. Darmon Meador
  • Ballade to the Moon       Daniel Elder
  • Break Forth, O Beauteous Heavenly Light    JS Bach
  • Christian Goodnight       Sankey/Doudney
  • Daniel, Daniel, Servant of the Lord     arr. Undine Moore
  • Dona Nobis Pacem         Mozart/Liebergen
  • Imagine                John Lennon/Pentatonix
  • Long Tim Ago                Aaron Copland/Irving Fine
  • My Lord, What a Morning        Harry T. Burleigh
  • Lullabye               Billy Joel/Lawson

Contact me to join or discuss julie@mhof.net; 978-257-1192

Time to sign up for the Fall Share

We have 71 shareholders lined up for the fall and at this point are looking to take on a total of 80. So, only nine share spaces still available. Now is a great time to sign up for 4 more weeks of great food. The greens are growing nicely in the fields and we are starting the process of storing the crops like onions, potatoes and winter squash.  This is a large share. What you can’t eat right away you can save for December and January. Enjoy!

Workshops at MHOF

One more workshops coming up this fall
Hedgerows for Food and Diversity; Agroforestry on Farms and Homesteads
Saturday, October 7, 2023
10am – 3pm
Many Hands Sustainability Center
411 Sheldon Road, Barre, MA
julie@mhof.net
978-257-1192

With Jono Neiger as our workshop leader we’ll first look at Many Hands Organic Farm through the lens of whole systems design. We will explore, and literally dig into, areas of the farm to see how the complexity of soils, water, vegetation, microclimates, and more are interwoven and incorporated into farm management. Finally, we will look at specific field edges to see how they might become multi-functional hedgerows.   We’ll walk through hedgerow design- looking at specific edges, identifying trees species, installation, and management strategies.

Hedgerows are an agroforestry strategy the goes far back into human landscape management- where trees, shrubs with other plants are employed and orchestrated to function in many ways.   They can function for windbreaks, fuel, fodder, pollination habitat, carbon sinks, and much more. These field and farm edges provide an opportunity to separate and interconnect parts of the landscape. Design and planning of hedgerows is both simple and complex and a chance to diversify the farm.

Jono Neiger is a founder and agroforestry planner at of Regenerative Design Group Cooperative, in western Massachusetts with 30+ years of professional experience in agroforestry, permaculture, ecological land and site planning, conservation, and restoration. He holds a B.S. degree in Forest Biology and a Masters in Landscape Planning and Design and authored The Permaculture Promise. He operates Big River Chestnuts, a chestnut agroforestry farm in Sunderland, Massachusetts.
Price for the workshop: $50-$100.

Register Here

Farm Doin’s

Our walk-in cooler is dead, and Jack is scurrying to get the state to sign our contract for the new cooler that was awarded this summer. With that in place we will remove the old cooler from the barn and pass it on to son Dan who will outfit it with a Coolbot on his farm to keep its life going into another century of use. Meanwhile we count on the fact that it is pretty cool in the barn right now to hold our produce each CSA day. Jonathan and John have been working assiduously to get the next steps done on the chicken house rebuild. They finished all the joints for the bents, and good the sills bolted down with tops shaved off so that Chuk can come in and cover the PT wood with metal. Jonathan lost the muffler on the truck on Friday while picking up some rough cut lumber.

Monday was a beautiful foggy day in the am for picking.

Paula and Carlos in the beets

And in the afternoon, we finished harvesting all of the onions. They are now drying in the barn, a fantastic crop.

On Tuesday we harvested 4 more rows of potatoes, and with Thursday’s harvest we only have 5 rows to complete. Wednesday, we froze the rest of the corn, and Thursday we made pesto for the freezer.
We moved the turkeys around the corner from the south field to the pond field, separating them out into 6 cages now so they have a nice roomy 16-17 bird spacing. (Order your turkey now!) Someone is digging under the chicken houses but only staging an escape for them, not eating anyone. The Leghorns started laying on Saturday so we are now back to brown and white eggs after a year off. Scott, Clare and Carlos and I finished de-bindweeding the yellow hoop house on Tuesday – what a job. Blue house up this week!

I am taking off on a road trip with daughter Ellen this Friday and there will be no newsletter next week! I will be back at work on Monday.

Be sure this week to walk barefoot in the grass or better yet in the soil. 😊
Julie

Nice share last week!

Quick Links

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Products available right now at the farm
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Immigrants

Jonathan, our farm staffer who is also chair of the Sutton Selectboard, was confronted with a crisis a couple of weeks ago when the state let Sutton know that 86 recent legal immigrants from Haiti would be dropped off at the Red Roof Inn on Route 146 in Sutton. The past two weeks have for him, his family, many local officials, volunteers and churches been a flurry of activity to learn about this new phenomenon that is being placed on the shoulders of suburban towns as the influx of immigrants grows all around the country.
As we all grapple with this increasingly “front burner” issue, I have a few reflections.

First is to say that I truly believe that our chickens are coming home to roost. Our decades of war-making all over the world has disrupted massive populations of people. Add to that our exporting of toxic agricultural chemicals, bullying economic programs like WTO, GATT, NAFTA, and massive domestic grain subsidies that undercut foreign farm families and throw them off the land. Now we are seeing many of these displaced peoples at our doors, both legally and illegally. As we work as a country to devise a sane and considered immigration policy that is fair to asylum seekers while protecting the fabric of American society, we also must respond to the real people right now needing food, shelter, employment, schooling and integration into community.

We are looking for the best way that MHOF can be part of the solution for those needing what we have — food and employment — and are open to any ideas for how we can be most helpful to the human beings involved that are now knocking on our doors.

Expressing Gratitude this Week

It is to Jonathan and all of the folks in and around Sutton who are working overtime to help these 86 Haitian immigrants. Such a testament to the largeness that human beings exhibit for each other.

Videos this week

Making grape juice and grape seed extract

CSA News Week 16

Here is the line up for this week.
Best guess on what will be in your share bags this week

  • CSA
    • Lettuce – from our new crop in the pond field – these are beauties

  • Chard – this is from a new crop in the south field. The deer continue to decimate our west field crop
  • Collards/Brussels sprouts tops – we take the tops out of the Brussels sprouts so that they can form bigger “sprouts”
  • Broccoli and cabbage – mediums this week
  • Cucumbers – our older crops are going or gone so these will be light this week, however, we have a new crop coming in a week or two
  • Tulsi – finding it hard to use this? Dry it and save it for tea later in the season. I do like it fresh in salads and stir fries too. Tulsi is a super food
  • Basil – we have had a long run and it is slowing down now, so enjoy for another week or two
  • Beets – we have had these a lot this year, and I hope you enjoy them – the best cleansing food out there.
  • Squash – also switching over from our first squash crop to our fall crop so quantities are light
  • Ground cherries – as many as we can hand out – enjoy these gems that take a fair amount of time to pick each day, but are such a treat
  • Carrots – moving into another crop from the pond field to the west field
  • Cilantro – a new crop
  • Parsley – back on line
  • Tomatoes – starting to look really beautiful now, and I hope you enjoy the taste as Jack and I have
  • Kale – enjoy this crop that Tim labels “better than the best”
  • Potatoes – still in large quantities. Enjoy!

Labor, Labor!

Working shareholders always welcome
As we move into the significant harvest time needed for the fall, we can still use your help – especially on M, W or F mornings, but also on T and Th if you are interested in planting and weeding/mulching projects. Come join us!

We are looking to hire more staff for the fall
This week we hired Jennifer, our communications director, for a day of farm hours, and Carlos, who has been working up to a paid job from volunteer status, will work three days per week. We are still holding space for the right person to come along to fill Clare’s large and roomy shoes, so if you are interested in a strong leadership position with MHOF, reach out.

Job Description
Many Hands Organic Farm is looking for a full-time or part-time farmer. We are a certified organic highly diverse family farm in Barre, MA raising vegetables (2 acres), large and small fruit (1 acre), pigs (6 seasonal), chickens for eggs (175) and meat (250), and turkeys (100). We focus heavily on carbon sequestering methods on our 55 acres of land and prioritize maximum nutrition and biodiversity and stacking of enterprises. We are no till. In Barre for now 41 years, we offer a lot of wisdom and perspective to aspiring farmers looking to gain agricultural understanding. You must be physically strong and have a positive and convivial attitude. Duties include animal, vegetable, fruit management, machine and hand work, carpentry, some chain sawing, sometimes leading volunteers, food preservation and making value added products – you name it, we do it. We start at $15/hour and will pay more depending on experience (and hustle) for 40 (full-time) or less (part-time) hours of work each week (Monday – Friday), with a rare need on weekends. Omnivorous meals (breakfast, lunch and morning snacks) are provided. We are looking to hire immediately and have work through the year, with fewer hours over the winter months (particularly December 15 – February 28). Apply to farm@mhof.net or call 978-257-1192. Check us out at www.mhof.net. Julie Rawson and Jack Kittredge

Come Sing with Us

After working out a “deal” with the Barre Town Hall for rehearsal space this week, we have backed up our starting date for Circle of Song to Thursday, September 21 from 7-8:30 pm. We are particularly looking for tenors (who isn’t?) If you are wanting to be convinced that being a member of our super fun chorus, give me a call.  Concert date – Saturday, December 16.  Here is our lineup.

  • Alleluia                 Randall Thompson
  • America the Beautiful     arr. Darmon Meador
  • Ballade to the Moon       Daniel Elder
  • Break Forth, O Beauteous Heavenly Light    JS Bach
  • Christian Goodnight       Sankey/Doudney
  • Daniel, Daniel, Servant of the Lord     arr. Undine Moore
  • Dona Nobis Pacem         Mozart/Liebergen
  • Imagine                John Lennon/Pentatonix
  • Long Tim Ago                Aaron Copland/Irving Fine
  • My Lord, What a Morning        Harry T. Burleigh
  • Lullabye               Billy Joel/Lawson

Contact me to join or discuss julie@mhof.net; 978-257-1192

Article of interest

The Link Between Biofilms and Your Chronic Health Issues: What You Need to Know – Isaac Eliaz – https://dreliaz.org/breaking-through-biofilms-the-hidden-barriers-to-optimal-health/?utm_source=campaign&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=eliaz_sep23_nl_biofilms&_kx=VHHjDK2XwIHehL2cydis51jg0Z7GwAqMO0uiUaYlYI0%3D.Syeesf

I am a big fan of Modified Citrus pectin and take 1 T per day (2 divided doses), mix a number of medicinal mushrooms into our breakfast drink (made with grape, apple and tomato juice), and also kelp.
You can subscribe to Dr. Eliaz’ newsletter that comes out each week.

New Product at MHOF – bitters

There is a large body of research that explains the value of bitters as a digestive aid that will help strengthen our entire digestive system. We have a new product available for your purchase. Our bitters blend has dandelion root, burdock root, yellow dock root, wormwood, tulsi (all from our farm) and organic purchased angelica root. The herbs were steeped in organic vodka for a t least two months. Bitters are best taken about 10 minutes before each meal to stimulate the digestive juices. Our 4 oz. bottles go for $20. If you are taking pharmaceuticals, it is wise to check with your health care provider before using digestive bitters.

A friend told me the other day that now that she is taking a squirt of our bitters before each meal, she has experienced much improved bowel function!

Time to sign up for the Fall Share

We have 71 shareholders lined up for the fall and at this point are looking to take on a total of 80. So, only nine share spaces still available. Now is a great time to sign up for 4 more weeks of great food. The greens are growing nicely in the fields and we are starting the process of storing the crops like onions, potatoes and winter squash.  This is a large share. What you can’t eat right away you can save for December and January. Enjoy!

Workshops at MHOF

Two more workshops coming up this fall

Food Preservation with Many Hands Organic Farm – only 5 spaces left
Saturday, September 16, 2023
10 am – 2 pm with pot luck lunch at noon
Many Hands Sustainability Center
411 Sheldon Road, Barre, MA
julie@mhof.net
978-257-1192

Jack and Clare and I have put together our agenda for Saturday’s workshop. We will be working with drying, canning, lacto-fermentation, freezing and discussing root cellaring. Crops we will be working with “in person” include tomatoes, tulsi, basil, parsley, garlic, chicken feet, greens, beans, cucumbers, squash, cabbage and more.

Limit – 20 participants. We now have 15 registrants.
Price for workshop: $50-$100. Register here

Hedgerows for Food and Diversity; Agroforestry on Farms and Homesteads October 7, Jono Neiger to lead; 10-3 with pot luck; $50-$100
This will be a great workshop to take a look at how best to incorporate perennials in our farms, gardens and landscapes.

Register Here

Farm Doin’s

I was reminded this week that it has not been a hot summer. However, we got a large dose of heat this past week, and I was counting the days until the break finally came on Friday. We have had it easy this year!

It was a short week with Monday off for Labor Day, so a large part of the week focused on filling very full CSA bags.

Digging carrots on Tuesday

We got some weeding done – cilantro, second crop Swiss chard, and finishing up mulching our late cabbage mulching.

On Wednesday we harvested half of our beautiful onion crop. A central focus was managing grapes.

They are all almost harvested and juice making is about half done. Jack is quite excited about our newest product – soon to be released – grape seed and skin extract. Tomato canning is ramping up also and with the heat of this past week, running the wood stove to can was a bit hot . . . .

Jonathan and John made substantial progress on the chicken house with more planned for this next week.

Jonathan did get some more hay fields mowed, and we picked up some hay on Friday. Clare and I met with our AEA consultant, Bella, on Thursday and we started planning for proper preparation for frost as it threatens, both to extend the life of our annuals, and to build bud strength in our fruit trees.
Jack is working on an application to MDAR for crop losses due to weather anomalies. Our walk-in cooler shut down on Friday and we are hoping we can get it to limp along until December when we will put in the new one that Jack got a grant for.

Julie

Jackson working on the farm Tuesday

Quick Links

Buy CSA
Buy meat
CSA pick up information
Contact Julie
Products available right now at the farm
Become a working shareholder
Donate to the MHSC
Links Workshops

When Big Change Comes

All of us experience big changes in our lives at some point or points, and many times we aren’t particularly up for it, but such is life. We often just don’t have control over the big stuff. I really thought that Clare Caldwell and I would go on farming together here for the rest of my farming life, and that was a rosy future, because over the past 15 ½ years we have become co-pilots of the day-to-day operations of MHOF. But alas, Clare’s family has bought a house and land in VT three hours from here and will be leaving in June of 2024. I have been alluding to this upcoming event in the past weeks, but now it is official. Change is coming here and stay tuned for that.

Expressing Gratitude this Week

But for now, I want to talk about why Clare is such a special person and why her departure will seem like losing my right arm. Here I will insert an excerpt from our book; and wish us luck as we plan for a successful future for MHOF.

Clare Caldwell
          Some folks need a special mention when they impact our lives immeasurably. Clare is one of those. In 2008 she came careening into our driveway, late for her first day of work, which happened to be her working interview. There were about 15 of us standing around in a circle in the driveway. The previous year Jack and I had opened our farm to the guys from Almost Home, a transition project at the Worcester County jail. 12 or so soon to be former prisoners (they called themselves ex-cons, so we did too) showed up every Friday and ran equipment, fixed equipment, helped with carpentry projects, animal care, and also the vegetable and fruit operation.

          Clare pulled in and parked in a flurry, jumped out of her car, and made a flustered apology about getting lost on the way here. For me it was “love at first sight” She has been here ever since. 2023 will be her 15th year on the farm.

Over the span of that time, Clare took on the Almost Home guys as brothers. At that time, I didn’t provide breakfast for everyone and she started bringing breakfast sandwiches so that they wouldn’t start the day eating and drinking the sugar-filled nutritionally empty calories that so many in our culture depend on to stay alert. She also would sneak the nicest cuts of beef over for a meat filled lunch on a regular basis. She did then and still does live in close harmony with the Farm School in Athol, where her husband Josh is the livestock manager. Sometimes a bit of a Robin Hood, she figured the meat was needed here more than there. She loved the guys like Jack and I did, and when John in 2015 died of an overdose, and Jason did the same in 2016, she grieved them with as much compassion as we did.

Clare is great with volunteers. She is no nonsense and straight up at all times. Patient but firm, she can work with the most basically competent Stetson kid, or the most scattered working shareholder. When we are out in the field and one or the other of us has lagging patience for a particularly ineffective volunteer, we have rather seamlessly handed off one volunteer or another to each other. No words needed; the energetics cover it for us.

Clare bore three children while working here, and would always bring the latest baby with her to work as soon as she was able to get out of bed after the birth. I have so many memories of Clare weeding while nursing, and usually keeping ahead of anybody else in the crew.

          Though she seems to be competent at almost everything, she also has a very mature ego, and will step in to take charge when necessary, and back off to let someone else shine when that seems appropriate.

          Clare doesn’t gossip and is always fair and kind to everyone. She has been a model for me when I am tempted to spout off about someone who has been difficult to manage. She has a very strong moral sense that is unshaking, which includes never raising her voice when someone steps on the vegetable beds, and never belittling someone who just doesn’t seem to pay attention to instructions.

          Clare quickly jumped into the spot of second in command, and now, it seems, we are really partners on the farm. And we don’t have to talk out hierarchy issues, because we both just jump in when and where needed. I think we model for each other the impulse to do the hardest work, bring in the underdog, hold a high standard and be eminently inclusive.

          The reason that I mentioned Clare in this section of the book is because she is the only person that I know who can preserve food with as much competence and speed as I can, and when you are juggling 4 or 5 different preservation operations at once, this skill is invaluable.

          I could go on for another few pages, but you get the picture. I am so incredibly blessed to know and work with Clare Caldwell.

From “Many Hands Make a Farm”

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Videos this week

Yes, it was miserable!

Watch on Facebook

Watch on Facebook

Kittens, Kittens, Kittens

I LOVE your farm and this newsletter but as a cat rescuer…PLEASE spay your cat! There are many more animals than homes and people don’t understand the extent of this problem…You have one unspayed cat that keeps having kittens…most of those kittens are NOT going to get spayed and they keep having kittens and the problem multiplies exponentially every year! Please, please , please get your cat spayed..if you can even find a vet to do it…they are all so overwhelmed that you go on a waiting list for many months!

Thank you!
Mary

Dear Mary,
I thought a lot about your email as I sold our 6 kittens this week. First of all, I am not sure there is a cat over-population crisis. I could have sold 10 in the first day as the response on Facebook was overwhelming. We took it down on Tuesday. The 6 folks who bought our kittens were some of the most thoughtful, loving and positively spirited folks I have run into recently. With stories of replacing a long-loved cat of 20 years, an anniversary present for a loved one and a desire to get a companion for another cat, each of the new “parents” was so excited for this opportunity.

I take very good care of my cats and kittens, feeding them organic feedstuffs supported by fresh eggs, liver, cod liver oil and homemade pork stock. Additionally, of course, they provide vermin control services on the farm, a major reason to keep cats in the first place.

I am aware that there is a culture of shaming around keeping an un-spayed cat. But, as a matter of fact, it is very hard for people to get a new cat without paying large sums of money. It seems to me that, in the past 30 or so years, as with dogs, access to cats as pets has become something that only people with “means” can afford, and they aren’t readily available from neighbors anymore, but mostly only through shelters and institutions.

I am unapologetic about keeping cats and making kittens available to folks of modest means.
There are many poorly treated cats out there in the world, I am sure, as there are many poorly treated children. But does that me we should “spay” women and men who are not considered (by whom, I ask) fit for parenting? Let’s be careful about how we address these problems. I surely don’t have the answer for how we manage neglect of pets, farm animals or children, but am sure that we need to avoid the “broad strokes” one size fits all approach.

I believe these cats will be loved and treated well, enhancing people’s lives.

Thanks for writing, Mary, and I am glad that you enjoy the newsletter. Julie

Labor Day pick up will be on Tuesday, September 5, Wednesday and Friday will run as usual

Monday shareholders please note that there will be no CSA pick up on Monday, September 4, but instead on Tuesday, September 5. This is the last Monday holiday.

CSA News Week 15

Here is the line up for this week.
Best guess on what will be in your share bags this week

  • CSA
    • Carrots
    • Peppers – maybe not for all shares
    • Turnip greens – running out of ideas for how to use all of your greens? Add them to eggs, soups, stews, green smoothies – pile them into your system as these greens are our ticket to good health
    • Arugula
    • Beets
    • Cucumbers
    • Basil
    • Corn – silver queen is up – a better corn than our earlier one
    • Ground cherries for smalls and others as supplies dictate
    • Squash
    • Tomatoes
    • Collards
    • Chard
    • Lettuce
    • Potatoes

 

Jack on farm improvements:

Many shareholders picking up at the farm here this year have noticed that the winter chicken house was being taken down. This is, as many of you know, because we want to rebuild it with the concrete floor we couldn’t afford 40 years ago. Well, the house is gone and that floor got poured last Thursday. And a beautiful thing it is! The work of Dave Coolidge of Templeton, it is very impressive. I admit the jury will be out on this job for many years, but I don’t expect that slab to fail. He said the “slump” of the concrete (a jargony term used by their brotherhood, apparently), was likely a 4. I gather that is pretty thick and noticed that it didn’t flow out of the few dips our somewhat hilly and rocky site presented under his forms. He said it took about 4.5 yards of material which, using the back of the envelope, comes to an average of about 7.6 inches of thickness over a 192 square foot area (our 12 X 16 foot chicken house’s footprint). That is all the more impressive given that his form was made of 2 X 6 KD boards! You figure where the excess almost 2 inches went! The concrete made a nice meniscus everywhere at the top of the form, but never overflowed.

A Many Hands organic laurel wreath (do we have any growing anywhere, Julie?) should go to Dave and also to the Graves Concrete truck driver who handled his mammoth vehicle backing around our trees, shed, and doghouse like a pro and knew to the few seconds when to shut down the flow to fill, but not overfill, the form.
This kind of event happens normally without much notice, I suppose. But I wanted today to call attention to the work of everyday people who know a skilled and difficult trade but make it look so simple to do. It makes it easier to hope, to see such an example of man’s occasional excellence. (Woman’s too, you bet, Julie.)

Labor, Labor!

Working shareholders always welcome
As we move into the significant harvest time needed for the fall, we can still use your help – especially on M, W or F mornings, but also on T and Th if you are interested in planting and weeding/mulching projects. Come join us!

We are looking to hire more staff for the fall
Kamarin left us on Friday, off to seek his fortune in Western Mass, working with his family doing irrigation and landscaping. We will miss him tremendously. He has been working with us for over three years and has reached maturity during that time period. We were blessed to enjoy his presence- his silly jokes, his leadership, his out-front work on all levels, sharp intellect, and kind and loving nature.

Job Description
Many Hands Organic Farm is looking for a full-time or part-time farmer. We are a certified organic highly diverse family farm in Barre, MA raising vegetables (2 acres), large and small fruit (1 acre), pigs (6 seasonal), chickens for eggs (175) and meat (250), and turkeys (100). We focus heavily on carbon sequestering methods on our 55 acres of land and prioritize maximum nutrition and biodiversity and stacking of enterprises. We are no till. In Barre for now 41 years, we offer a lot of wisdom and perspective to aspiring farmers looking to gain agricultural understanding. You must be physically strong and have a positive and convivial attitude. Duties include animal, vegetable, fruit management, machine and hand work, carpentry, some chain sawing, sometimes leading volunteers, food preservation and making value added products – you name it, we do it. We start at $15/hour and will pay more depending on experience (and hustle) for 40 (full-time) or less (part-time) hours of work each week (Monday – Friday), with a rare need on weekends. Omnivorous meals (breakfast, lunch and morning snacks) are provided. We are looking to hire immediately and have work through the year, with fewer hours over the winter months (particularly December 15 – February 28). Apply to farm@mhof.net or call 978-257-1192. Check us out at www.mhof.net. Julie Rawson and Jack Kittredge

Come Sing with Us

Circle of Song, a chorus that a few of us started 23 years ago, will start up again in on September 14. We meet every Thursday night September –probably at the Barre Town Hall. We sing a wide array of music, and it is challenging. And several of us in the group offer extra help for those who feel unsure of their skills. We sing in 4-part harmony, and often in other languages. Contact me to join or discuss julie@mhof.net; 978-257-1192

Podcasts and Zooms of interest

Here is an important one on Alzheimer’s. A must listen!
Alzheimer’s is Optional- https://theenergyblueprint.com/alzheimers-is-optional/?inf_contact_key=1ce1ba0bffff1a5182017aad9e1ca2d12ee8e4b705a211e22edd8f4baaa26cc6
Here is a link to his book on Alzheimer’s – https://www.amazon.com/End-Alzheimers-Program-Protocol-Cognition/dp/0525538496

New Product at MHOF – bitters

There is a large body of research that explains the value of bitters as a digestive aid that will help strengthen our entire digestive system. We have a new product available for your purchase. Our bitters blend has dandelion root, burdock root, yellow dock root, wormwood, tulsi (all from our farm) and organic purchased angelica root. The herbs were steeped in organic vodka for a t least two months. Bitters are best taken about 10 minutes before each meal to stimulate the digestive juices. Our 4 oz. bottles go for $20. If you are taking pharmaceuticals, it is wise to check with your health care provider before using digestive bitters.

A friend told me the other day that now that she is taking a squirt of our bitters before each meal, she has experienced much improved bowel function!

Time to sign up for the Fall Share

We have 70 shareholders lined up for the fall and at this point are looking to take on a total of 80. So, only ten share spaces still available. Now is a great time to sign up for 4 more weeks of great food. The greens are growing nicely in the fields and we are starting the process of storing the crops like onions, potatoes and winter squash.  This is a large share. What you can’t eat right away you can save for December and January. Enjoy!

Great Health Tip from Daughter Ellen

Re: Top 10 Tips for COVID Immunity – https://conta.cc/44uIRTm

In Ellen’s monthly newsletter. Read ahead for this wise advice for all of us.

Workshops at MHOF

Two more workshops coming up this fall

Food Preservation with Many Hands Organic Farm – only 5 spaces left
Saturday, September 16, 2023
10 am – 2 pm with pot luck lunch at noon
Many Hands Sustainability Center
411 Sheldon Road, Barre, MA
julie@mhof.net
978-257-1192

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 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, lacto-fermenting, and root cellaring. At lunch time we will share a pot luck lunch.
Limit – 20 participants. We now have 15 registrants.
Price for workshop: $50-$100. Register here

Hedgerows for Food and Diversity; Agroforestry on Farms and Homesteads October 7, Jono Neiger to lead; 10-3 with pot luck; $50-$100
Jono came over on Saturday and we did a great dive into what we will cover at the workshop. This will be a great workshop to take a look at how best to incorporate perennials in our farms, gardens and landscapes.

Price for workshop: $50-$100.

Register Here

Farm Doin’s

The week sped past in a blink of the eye. The CSA was extra large this week because we have so many items to pick right now. On the side we were able to harvest another 5 beds of now Soraya potatoes – close to 100 lbs. per 60 foot bed. Best potato year ever, hands down. We have been picking away at three beds of cabbage for the fall share, getting it weeded (lots of pesky bindweed), and almost mulched. Beans are slowing down now, so we will free up over 4 hours per week. We planted spinach for the fall share. We cleaned up after the chicken slaughter and moved our 100 turkeys into now four houses. We harvested the grapes that reside on the house deck, made grape juice and then a new product. After drying the grape seeds and slurry left after running the juice through the Foley food mill, we laid it out on sheets to dry in the Excalibur for 48 hours and then ground it up in the food processor. Grape seed extract powder – to go into Jack’s and my health drinks each day, and maybe I will sell some, or give it out as Christmas presents. Two batches of canned tomatoes – they are now available for sale at $8/quart.

Bindweed has completely taken over the yellow and blue hoop houses. Carlos and Clare and I spend a hot hour one morning getting about ½ of one house cleaned out – this is a work in progress that needs to be completed before we can plant the houses to fall lettuce and greens. Friday we harvested all the secondary ears of corn from our first crop and froze them. Food preservation is bearing down on us, necessitating some long days to complete this work in a timely fashion. The foundation for the chicken house got poured.
Now with less staff and more food to pass out, work on weeding and some mulching will have to fit around corners. Welcome to beautiful and bountiful September.

It poured rain Wednesday morning!

Sam’s brother Austin came to help on Saturday morning with girlfriend Nora.

Julie

Quick Links

Buy CSA
Buy meat
CSA pick up information
Contact Julie
Products available right now at the farm
Become a working shareholder
Donate to the MHSC
Links Workshops

 

43 years ago . . .

after 18 months of loading children into the back of the jeep, and driving all over New England, we ended up here at 411 Sheldon Road, though there weren’t any numbers on the street at that time. We had seen it once, but wanted to get my parents’ opinion, farmers from Illinois that they were. Dad looked at the approximately 10 acres of played out hayfields and 30 acres of woods and noted that it was a little low in places (thus wet). I remember remarking to myself that we had only 400 square feet in our north facing side yard in Dorchester, so this should surely provide us enough land to grow things. We bought it! Dan had just turned 3, Paul was not quite 2 and Ellen hadn’t made it to 4 months of age yet. Chuk was to join us 15 months later. We had started our small farm/homestead dream.

Expressing Gratitude this Week

Juxtaposing that late August day with Friday, another rain-filled day, I marveled at how things have turned out in those 43 years. 9 folks showed up here between 7 and 8 am and off we went into the rain to move birds, check pigs and pick 53 CSA shares, getting done with enough time to spare to plant a bed each of radishes, hakurei turnips and arugula for the fall share.  Kelton starts 4th grade on Monday, when Abby starts her teaching job at Bancroft, so we say farewell to these two bright spots until we meet again. Star, a student at UMass Boston was here for the first time, and her farmer heritage from Puerto Rico shined through as she picked up immediately on every task that needed doing. Carlos, our new and already stalwart volunteer from Framingham was here, and Jill and son Jack, working shareholders from Rutland were in the mix. Matt, who has not yet been here a year, but is a fixture on Fridays, Leslie now in her third year on the farm, and Clare, my farming partner of 15 years rounded out the crew. Sometimes I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the always eclectic and always shifting cast of characters who put in their energies to grow food and community at MHOF. And yes, dad was right; this land is low and wet, especially in this year of intense rain!

Videos this week

I took a cell phone break this week!

Kittens, Kittens, Kittens

Eloise has been at it again and has brought forth 6 beautiful kittens. They are ready to go now and I would like to have them out of the house by Saturday. Email me at julie@mhof.net to place your order. First come, first served. They cost $50, and have no shots.

Labor Day pick up will be on Tuesday, September 5, Wednesday and Friday will run as usual

Monday shareholders please note that there will be no CSA pick up on Monday, September 4, but instead on Tuesday, September 5. This is the last Monday holiday.

CSA News Week 14

Here is the line up for this week.
Best guess on what will be in your share bags this week

  • CSA
    • Carrots – better late than never
    • Onions

Our super diligence in June getting these weeded and mulched has brought us one of our best onion crops ever

  • Turnip greens – these are tender greens from thinnings of our fall purple top turnips that will come our way
  • Beets
  • Beet greens
  • Cucumbers
  • Basil
  • Tulsi
  • Corn – Who Gets kissed
  • Ground cherries for some – just pop them open and eat- num! Larges got them last week and we hope to get them to the mediums this week – stay tuned
  • Arugula
  • Beans
  • Cabbage and broccoli for some
  • Squash
  • Tomatoes
  • Collards
  • Kale
  • Potatoes – carola yellow potatoes from an amazingly productive harvest

Working Shareholders Always Welcome

As we move into the significant harvest time needed for the fall, we can still use your help – especially on M, W or F mornings, but also on T and Th if you are interested in planting and weeding/mulching projects. Come join us!

Come Sing with Us

Circle of Song, a chorus that a few of us started 23 years ago, will start up again in on September 14. We meet every Thursday night September –probably at the Barre Town Hall. We sing a wide array of music, and it is challenging. And several of us in the group offer extra help for those who feel unsure of their skills. We sing in 4-part harmony, and often in other languages. Contact me to join or discuss julie@mhof.net; 978-257-1192

Podcasts and Zooms of interest

Protect Yourself from EMFs | with Dr. Anthony Balduzzi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeugrK_tte8
I have always been one of those people who is hyper sensitive to EMF’s, among other things. Here is a very scientific explanation of EMF’s and t heir impact on us.

New Product at MHOF – bitters

There is a large body of research that explains the value of bitters as a digestive aid that will help strengthen our entire digestive system. We have a new product available for your purchase. Our bitters blend has dandelion root, burdock root, yellow dock root, wormwood, tulsi (all from our farm) and organic purchased angelica root. The herbs were steeped in organic vodka for at least two months. Bitters are best taken about 10 minutes before each meal to stimulate the digestive juices. Our 4 oz. bottles go for $20. If you are taking pharmaceuticals, it is wise to check with your health care provider before using digestive bitters.

Time to sign up for the Fall Share

We have 55 shareholders lined up for the fall and at this point are looking to take on a total of 80. Now is a great time to sign up for 4 more weeks of great food. The greens are growing nicely in the fields and we are starting the process of storing the crops like onions, potatoes and winter squash.  This is a large share. What you can’t eat right away you can save for December and January. Enjoy!

Ways to Donate to MHSC

We are now providing 14 summer shares to these folks and now have brought in the extra $500 needed for our match to provide 14 fall shares to the Worcester Community Fridges.

We have an anonymous donor who says,
“Hi! The $1,000 balance on the community fridge fundraising in the newsletter has been gnawing at me. You should feel free to say in the next issue that an anonymous friend of the farm has pledged to match any donations made this month, up to whatever the current balance is.”

Thanks to Becky and Brenda, Laura, and Joe and another friend who have donated $500. Thanks, all, we are all set!

Workshops at MHOF

Two more workshops coming up this fall

Food Preservation with Many Hands Organic Farm
Saturday, September 16, 2023
10 am – 2 pm with pot luck lunch at noon
Many Hands Sustainability Center
411 Sheldon Road, Barre, MA
julie@mhof.net
978-257-1192

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 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, lacto-fermenting, and root cellaring. At lunch time we will share a pot luck lunch.

Limit – 20 participants. We now have 11 registrants.

Price for workshop: $50-$100.

Register Here

Hedgerows for Food and Diversity; Agroforestry on Farms and Homesteads
October 7, Jono Neiger to lead; 10-3 with pot luck; $50-$100

Jono came over on Saturday and we did a great dive into what we will cover at the workshop. This will be a great workshop to take a look at how best to incorporate perennials in our farms, gardens and landscapes.

Farm Doin’s

Culturally speaking we took some time to weed again and retie our tomatoes that are trellised.

With all this rain, the grass grows very fast and we are constantly trying to find moments to mow the grass, on edges of the field and also the front lawn. We snuck in time to cut the hay in the west field and get it picked up and stored in the hay barn – our first batch.

We harvested 5 of our 25 beds of potatoes and got a fantastic harvest.

We were able to prep and plant many beds this week – 8 beds of lettuce and Asian greens, a bed each of kohlrabi, radishes, hakurei turnips and arugula – all crops for the fall.

The chicken house has been completely taken down, processed (some of it to be used again and other pieces of wood that will be put toward a year’s worth of kindling for our woodstove). Jonathan and crew have graded the area and made it ready for the cement guy to come in next week and pour the cement floor. I have been privy to a flurry of emails between Chuk, Jack, Jonathan and John about how to best rebuild the chicken house to made it sturdy for the next 40 years.

We weeded and mulched 2/3 of our three fall cabbage beds

We have started to prepare and plant to fall cover crops a few beds here and there, while we are tarping a select few more for final planting of vegetables for the season.

We reorganized the meat birds and layers this week to get the meat birds ready for their departure that will have happened by the time you read this.

Some raccoons broke into our turkeys this week and killed a couple. After putting on a new door, we moved Dingo’s chain to the turkey houses so this week Skippy watched the meat birds at night, and Dingo is now in charge of the turkeys. Lots of hungry folks out there. It seems that the coons were enjoying some sweet corn and some fresh turkey! Hopefully we have put a stop to both as the turkeys are pasturing right next to the corn.

The complete foliar spraying program continues, and is our best insurance against the excessive rain that continues . . . .

September comes this week and life is in transition for almost all of us. Enjoy!

Julie

Quick Links

Buy CSA
Buy meat
CSA pick up information
Contact Julie
Products available right now at the farm
Become a working shareholder
Donate to the MHSC
Links Workshops

“Blessed is the influence of one true, loving human soul on another.” – George Eliot

Always worrying about being too strong, or pushy, I thought growing up that trying to influence others was a bad thing. As I continue to delve into Brian Bouchard’s book on high performance habits, I recognize what I did finally learn a ways back, is that influencing others can be a really good attribute. It is involved with being courageous, and being resistant to fear, and making courage a habit. I am recognizing that courage is contagious, and the struggle is necessary to grow to the next step. People (and animals) gravitate toward those who influence with self -assurance and self-control. The authentic person who prioritizes growth in the physical, moral and psychological realm becomes an influencer of true value to others.

Expressing Gratitude this Week

This week we were blessed with a number of volunteers. As our numbers thin a bit and vacations continue for the staff and working shareholders, Clare and I appreciate every volunteer who comes our way. Thursday was a very special morning with Emma, Julian, and Paige in attendance. We were able to plant 5 beds of lettuce to see us through the fall and have an enjoyable conversation throughout. Tuesday saw the arrival of Carlos, who stuck with us throughout the rain.

Carlos came all the way from Framingham

Julian raking

Paige spreading Pro Gro for lettuce planting

Emma is the fastest transplanter that I have ever met!

Videos this week

Beans for sale

Watch on Facebook
Watch on Instagram

Soil prep for lettuce

Watch on Facebook
Watch on Instagram

Basil for sale

Watch on Facebook
Watch on Instagram

Kale for sale

Watch on Facebook
Watch on Instagram

CSA News Week 13

Here is the line up for this week.
Best guess on what will be in your share bags this week

  • CSA
    • Lettuce larges only – lettuce is slowing down right now
    • Turnips – the hakurei salad turnips that we have been having off and on
    • Turnip greens – these are tender greens from thinnings of our fall purple top turnips that will come our way
    • Parsley
    • Rutabaga greens – also thinnings for our fall rutabagas – tender and tasty
    • Cucumbers
    • Basil
    • Tulsi
    • Chives
    • Arugula
    • Beans
    • Squash
    • Tomatoes
    • Chard
    • Kale

Working Shareholders Always Welcome

As we move into the significant harvest time needed for the fall, we can still use your help – especially on M, W or F mornings, but also on T and Th if you are interested in planting and weeding/mulching projects. Come join us!

Come Sing with Us

Circle of Song, a chorus that a few of us started 23 years ago, will start up again in on September 14. We meet every Thursday night September – not likely at our house as we are now too large to fit, but somewhere in town. We sing a wide array of music, and it is challenging. And several of us in the group offer extra help for those who feel unsure of their skills. We sing in 4-part harmony, and often in other languages. Contact me to join or discussjulie@mhof.net; 978-257-1192

We had some good eats at Lois and Daivd Wells house last Wednesday!

Lois’s mom and Minnie Isgro, both in their 90’s, enjoy some time together

Podcasts and Zooms of interest

Eat Well, Move Well, Think Well – The Foundation For Longevity with Dr. James Chestnut –
https://theenergyblueprint.com/eat-well-move-well-think-well/?inf_contact_key=f7611b69aa079c12bd6159c90e39cd84ca03494014e15f13387d5174cdcb4731

I like Dr. Chestnut’s “Straight no chasers” (to quote Anna Muhammad) approach to health.

Job Openings at NOFA/Mass

2023 is a big year of growth for NOFA/Mass! With a huge increase in our grant income and programming on climate smart practices, food access, organic transitions, and more, we are actively hiring for several new or expanded positions. Details are available at nofamass.org/jobs, or see summaries below. Please share these listings widely and help us spread the word throughout your networks. A major benefit of working with NOFA/Mass is that our positions are primarily remote, with a flexible, self-directed work schedule. Thanks in advance for forwarding this email!

Administrative Director
Hours: 20-25 hours/week
NOFA/Mass seeks an Administrative Director to help organize and support our operations. This is a supervisory position. The Administrative Director oversees all aspects of the Administrative Department and supports department staff in their responsibilities such as membership, registration, finances, and database management. In addition, the Administrative Director works closely with the Executive Director to manage HR and personnel, supports the Development Department and grant team, and provides overall organizational support…Read More

Assistant Development Director
Hours: 25-32 hours/week
NOFA/Mass seeks an Assistant Development Director or Development Manager to help carry out development activities that directly feed into the NOFA/Mass mission, budget, and strategic goals. This is a key position in the NOFA/Mass Development Department, reporting to the Development Director and receiving guidance from the Executive Director and the Development Committee. This position will be primarily responsible for cultivating and stewarding relationships with donors to drive growth and sustainability of the organization. Secondary responsibilities may include serving as lead on fundraising events and appeals, grant writing and reporting support, and coordinating sponsorship offerings and deliverables…Read More

Conference Coordinator
Hours: 20-25 hours/week
The Conference Coordinator is responsible for organizing the NOFA Summer Conference and the NOFA/Mass Winter Conference. The NOFA Summer Conference is the longest standing NOFA event and serves as its annual flagship gathering. Both conferences feature keynote speakers, dozens of workshops and activities for people of all ages, vendors, and entertainment. The conferences aim to educate on organic agriculture, small-scale farming and homesteading in both rural and urban areas, as well as agricultural justice and food system policy…Read More

Policy Director
Hours: 25-32 hours/week
NOFA/Mass seeks a Policy Director to serve as the face of our grassroots advocacy, organizing primarily at the state and local levels (with some federal work) related to an array of policy issues relevant to organic food, farming, gardening, climate and ecosystem health. The Policy Director leads the NOFA/Mass Policy Department, which includes the Mass. Pollinator Network (MAPN). The Policy Director works closely with the MAPN Coordinator, with regular support from the Senior Policy Advisor and the NOFA/Mass Policy Committee. This position includes: writing action materials, speaking engagements, meetings with legislators and other decision-makers, and coalition organizing. Read More

Time to sign up for the Fall Share

We have 52 shareholders lined up for the fall and at this point are looking to take on a total of 80. Now is a great time to sign up for 4 more weeks of great food. The greens are growing nicely in the fields and we are starting the process of storing the crops like onions, potatoes and winter squash.  This is a large share. What you can’t eat right away you can save for December and January. Enjoy!

Ways to Donate to MHSC

We are now providing 14 summer shares to these folks and only need $1000 more to provide 14 fall shares to the Worcester Community Fridges.

We have an anonymous donor who says,
“Hi! The $1,000 balance on the community fridge fundraising in the newsletter has been gnawing at me. You should feel free to say in the next issue that an anonymous friend of the farm has pledged to match any donations made this month, up to whatever the current balance is.”

Wow, folks, we are coming up on the end of August. Doesn’t someone want to put up some money for fall Community Fridge shares and get your money doubled?

There are a lot of hungry people out there now. And so few of them have access to the kind of highest quality, nutrient dense food that we raise here on the farm. The program run by the Fridge folks by-steps all of the red tape that most food programs encounter. Only 10 more days to make a real difference in some people’s food consumption in Worcester.

If you would like to donate for shares you can make a check out to the Many Hands Sustainability Center and send to 411 Sheldon Road, Bare, MA 01005 or make a donation on line here –

Donate Here today and get your donation matched!

Workshops at MHOF

Two more workshops coming up this fall

Food Preservation with Many Hands Organic Farm
Saturday, September 16, 2023
10 am – 2 pm with pot luck lunch at noon
Many Hands Sustainability Center
411 Sheldon Road, Barre, MA
julie@mhof.net
978-257-1192

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 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, lacto-fermenting, and root cellaring. At lunch time we will share a pot luck lunch.

Limit – 20 participants. We now have 11 registrants.

Price for workshop: $50-$100.

Register Here

Watch on Facebook
Watch on Instagram

Hedgerows for Food and Diversity; Agroforestry on Farms and Homesteads
October 7, Jono Neiger to lead; 10-3 with pot luck; $50-$100

Jono came over on Saturday and we did a great dive into what we will cover at the workshop. This will be a great workshop to take a look at how best to incorporate perennials in our farms, gardens and landscapes.

Farm Doin’s

Just two days of full on rain during farm hours this past week! But the forecast says none of the stuff this week upcoming. We will see!

CSA days are packed with picking now as the list of available items gets longer and the green beans continue to pour out their bounty – 5-6 bushels each picking day! But we zipped around and did get 5 beds of lettuce and one of fall Asian greens planted. We started our last seed starts last Tuesday in the greenhouse. We squeezed in some mowing, and started the retying process for our tomatoes – only 3 ½ trellises to go. Add in a lot of preserving of beans and squash and some “drive by weeding” and the week was a wrap.

Squash catch is fun!

Julie

We live in a fungal time!

Quick Links

Buy CSA
Buy meat
CSA pick up information
Contact Julie
Products available right now at the farm
Become a working shareholder
Donate to the MHSC
Links Workshops