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. Over the past five years we have been incorporating biological farming methods of soil remineralization with a goal toward maximum nutrient density for our crops. This will be our 26th year of organic certification.

We are stepping up our farm educational efforts, both on the farm and through various NOFA workshops and talks for other organizations. We welcome college student groups and individuals to come spend a half or full day at the farm participating in hands-on learning projects. Just give us a call. 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, beef, eggs, lard, flowers for any occasion, vegetable seedlings 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 seaweed and biologically active organisms to provide the highest possible fertility for nutrient dense crops.

Products

All manner of vegetables, fruits, pork, turkey, chicken, beef, eggs, flowers, lard, garlic and vegetable seedlings.

Chicken, pork, beef, lard, turkey, eggs and chicken feet are available as direct meat sales.

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 Friday, May 4 to Friday June 8. The deposit is $100 and the full balance (the remaining $65) is due on March 15.
• Large Summer Vegetable CSA: The large share costs $575 and runs for 20 weeks, from June 11 to October 26. 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.
• Medium Summer Vegetable CSA: The medium share costs $325. This share is approximately 60% of the size of the large share and will include roughly the same vegetables. The deposit is $150 with the remaining $165 due on April 15.
• NEW THIS YEAR - Juicing Share: See explanation below. This share costs $400 and runs 20 weeks. The deposit is $150 with additional payments of $125 on April 15th and $125 on May 15th.
• Summer Fruit CSA: This share option costs $80 and runs during the 20 weeks from June 11 to October 26. 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 2011 we had strawberries, red and black raspberries, grapes, blueberries, peaches, pears, melons, and plums over 16 weeks.
• Summer Flower CSA: This share option costs $75 and runs during the 20 weeks from June 11 to October 26. This share option is only available to Summer Vegetable CSA members. You can expect to receive at least 10 bunches of 10-15 flowers in your share intermittently throughout the season (14 bunches received from June into September in 2011).
• NEW THIS YEAR - Apple Share: See explanation below. This share is $75.00 for ten weeks from approximately the week of August 20th through the week of October 22nd. The number of apples will be anywhere between 9 and 13 apples (approx. 3 lbs) per week.
• Fall Vegetable CSA: This share option costs $180 and runs for 6 weeks, from November 2 to December 7. We've added an extra week to this share. The deposit is $100 and the full balance (the remaining $80) is due on September 1.

New This Year - Juicing Share

Cancer, obesity, heart disease and diabetes are rampant in our culture, not to mention auto-immune diseases of common and rare nomenclature. Juicing is embraced by many disciplines as a way to reinvigorate health. Re-inspired by the movie Fat, Sick, and Almost Dead, Jack and Julie started serious vegetable juicing this past fall. We will offer this year a juicing share that will weekly include 7 pounds of vegetables suitable for juicing – lots of greens, roots like carrots and beets, some herbs, and some fruiting vegetables like tomato, summer squash, and cucumbers. (Jack and Julie find this is adequate for about four 12 ounce servings per day when processed with water in their Vita-Mix.) You won’t get the onion family, potatoes, strong flavored roots, peas, shell beans, corn and winter squash. The share will be mixed in one big bag. It will include some produce that is small or blemished.

New This Year - Apple Share

We are always happy to partner with other local farmers when they offer products that we don't have. Read below about this apple share that we will be offering to any summer vegetable CSA shareholders (large, medium, juicing).

"We grow them here in Sterling, at Bird of the Hand Farms. Our apples ripen in the following sequence:

Gravenstein: A late summer variety, this is a large apple that is green. Season: Mid August

Wealthy: A late summer variety, it has a variety of sizes and can be quite green or striped with red. These are the best apples for jelly as it is an apple with a very high pectin level. August-September

McIntosh: The New England all around heirloom apple. It's been around for a long time, due to it's great taste and it's adaptability to all our uses. Early September-Early October

Cortland: A local heirloom variety apple that is a cross between a Ben Davis and a McIntosh and has the best qualities of both. Crisp white flesh, that stays white in salads.

Winter Banana: Heirloom, yellow skin with pretty pink blushes. Attractive and aromatic. Later season dessert apple. Soft fleshed, and sweet and sour, and flavorful. Late September-October

Red Delicious: The well known heirloom apple is sweet and crisp, red to black in color. Good for baking, jelly or sauce, and just plain eating. October-November

Roxbury Russet: Heirloom, originated in Roxbury Mass. his thick and rough skinned (russet) variety hides a delicious apple. Great for making cider and eating. October

Braeburn: The heirloom apple from down under (Australia). This relative of the Delicious apple is crisp and sweet. Late October

Jonagold: A cross between Jonathan and Golden Delicious. A savory dessert apple, firm and crisp sweet and slightly tart. The skin has red streaks on a yellowish ground. Late September-Early October

Northern Spy: This very large heirloom apple has a yellow background with splashes of red and carmine. The flesh is lightly yellow, fine textured, crisp and juicy. This apple is a lovely dessert and cutting quality apple. October

Our apples are unwashed and may have a light residue of the kaolin clay (non-toxic) substance that we spray on them as a pest repellent. Washing and polishing the apple will remove all residues. We do not rinse the residue off the apples as it hastens ripening and we want you to have the freshest, ripest apples for your eating pleasure. Some blemishes of the skin are expected.

Pick-up Days and Times

Pick-up days in 2012 are Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for the Summer Vegetable, Juicing, Fruit, and Flower CSA shares; Fridays for the Spring and Wednesdays and Fridays for Fall CSA shares.

Delivery Options

We have several delivery options all over Eastern and Central Mass for the Spring, Summer Vegetable, Juicing, Fruit, Flower and Fall Shares in 2012. Learn more about the CSA delivery options here.

Farm Stand

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