Massachusetts Organic Food Guide

Description

Since moving to Barre in 1982 with our four small children, we have made a priority of farming organically and as close to nature as we can. Recently, we have been incorporating biological farming methods of soil remineralization with a goal toward maximum nutrient density for our crops. This will be our 24th year of organic certification.

We are stepping up our farm educational efforts. You can go to the Many Hands Sustainability Center website to learn about workshops for the 2010 season. We welcome college student groups and others to come spend a half or full day at the farm participating in hands-on learning projects. Also you can read about our work with former prisoners through the Sustainability Center. Your tax-deductible donation to the Many Hands Sustainability Center will support former prisoner employment on the farm. You can make a donation online at the website or send us a check directly if you would like to support this work. We are now a 501(c)3 tax-exempt charitable organization.

More information about our farm products including pork, chicken, turkeys, eggs, lard, and garlic seed is available on the Many Hands Organic Farm website. Thank you for your role in sustaining community based agriculture in this region. We have always believed in an integrated growing system that includes livestock, vegetable, fruit and flower crops. Our animals and plants benefit from this relationship and the farm fertility is more independently sustainable. Additionally, we rotate crops, utilize cover corps, mulches of hay and wood chips, farm-made compost, purchase amendments and rock powders, and use organically certifiable foliar sprays rich in fish and seaweed and biologically active organisms to provide the highest possible fertility for nutrient dense crops.

Products

All manner of vegetables, fruits, pork, turkey, chicken, eggs, flowers, lard, garlic

CSA

You can find all the details about the Many Hands Organic Farm CSA here.

CSA Share options

• Spring Vegetable CSA: This share option costs $165 and runs for 6 weeks, from May 7 to June 11. The deposit is $100 and the full balance (the remaining $65) is due on March 15.
• Summer Vegetable CSA: This share option costs $575 and runs for 20 weeks, from June 14 to October 29. The deposit is $100, with additional payments of $150 on March 15th, $150 on April 15th and $175 on May 15. If this causes a financial hardship, contact us for a payment plan.
  • Summer Fruit CSA: This share option costs $80 and runs during the 20 weeks from June 14 to October 29. This share option is only available to Summer Vegetable CSA members. Fruit shares are received intermittently throughout the season depending on when fruit is available. In 2009 we had strawberries, red and black raspberries, blueberries, peaches, pears and plums over 18 weeks.
  • Summer Flower CSA: This share option costs $75 and runs for 10 of the 20 weeks from June 14 to October 29. This share option is only available to Summer Vegetable CSA members. You can expect to receive 10 bunches of 25 flowers in your share intermittently throughout the season (12 bunches received from June into September in 2009).
• Fall Vegetable CSA: This share option costs $135 and runs for 5 weeks, from November 5 to December 23. The deposit is $50 and the full balance (the remaining $85) is due on September 1.

Pick-up Days and Times

Pick-up days in 2010 are Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the Summer Vegetable, Fruit, and Flower CSA shares; Fridays for the Spring and Fall CSA shares. You can come between noon and 8 pm to pick up your food.

Delivery Options

We have several delivery options for the Spring, Summer Vegetable, Fruit, Flower and Fall Shares in 2010. Learn more about the CSA delivery options here.

Farmers' Market

• Worcester, Main South, Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Barre, Saturdays 9 a.m. to noon

Farm Stand

We don't have a farmstand, but you can pre-order meat to pick up at the farm by appointment.

Pick Your Own

We have limited pick-your-own, probably of strawberries in 2010. Watch the website.