Many Hands Organic Farm: Community Supported Agriculture: Shares

Shares in the Many Hands CSA

2012 CSA Share Options

Spring Vegetable CSA: This share costs $165.00 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 April 25, 2012.
Summer CSA: These shares run for 20 weeks, from June 11 to October 26.
- Large Summer Vegetable Share: The large share costs $575. The deposit is $250, with additional payments of $150.00 on May 1st and $175.00 on June 1st. If this causes a financial hardship, contact us for a payment plan.
- Medium Summer Vegetable Share: 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 $175 due on June 1.
- New This Year! Juicing Share: See explanation. This share costs $400.00 and runs 20 weeks. The deposit is $150.00 with additional payments of $125.00 on May 1 and $125.00 on June 1.
- SOLD OUT Summer Fruit CSA: This share costs $80.00 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 costs $75.00 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 - Certified Organic Apples for 10 Weeks: (See explanation) The apple 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 costs $180.00 and runs for 6 weeks, from October 31 to December 7. We've added an extra week to this share. The cost of the share is $180 with a deposit of $100 and the balance of $80 due by October 24.

SNAP Participants

New This Year! Payment Schedule for SNAP Participants: Special Payments for the CSA can be made for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants. Please contact us at julie@mhof.net or (978) 355-2853 for more information on this opportunity that will be available only at the Barre site.

Pick-up Days and Times

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

Pick up Locations

Besides offering pick up in Barre, we deliver shares to several locations in Massachusetts: Holden, Worcester, Fitchburg, Framingham, Paxton, and Dorchester. Learn more about these deliveries and pick up locations here.

Joining Late Policy

We understand that some folks join the Summer CSA after it has started. Read here for the proper amount to pay midseason.

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. Aug-Sept
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 Sept-Oct
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. Oct-Nov
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 Oct
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. "

Recycling Department

We cam always use your donations of

grocery-sized paper and plastic bags
quart-sized yogurt containers and lids
dozen-sized egg cartons

Directions to the Farm

Please click here for directions to Many Hands Organic Farm.

Ordering Shares

You can find the Many Hands 2012 CSA Order Form here.