Stearns Farm CSA

If images aren’t displaying on the page, please click on the little icons to open the images in a separate window. Records show that Timothy Stearns bought a large tract of land here in 1723. The cellar hole from his house is where our sheds are now located. Stearns’ daughter married Col. Nixon and their son, Capt. Thomas Nixon, Jr. built the house, c. 1787, across the road, that still stands. The land remained in the Nixon family until Margaret Welch assumed ownership in the early 1900’s.[break-wrap] Penelope Turton, an English friend of Mrs. Welch, founded Stearns Organic Farm in 1954, and farmed it until 1990. The ten acres of farmland and an additional 70 acres that adjoin Callahan State Park were given to Sudbury Valley Trustees (SVT) in 1975 by Mrs. Welch.[break-wrap] In 1990, Penelope started a CSA as part of Stearns Farm in addition to the regular farmstand. There were ten shares that year. Amy Wales was the first farm manager for the new CSA and it was the first time Penelope had ever delegated that task to anyone. Clicking on the two images to the left will show larger, readable versions of a Boston Globe article about that time.[break-wrap] Since Penelope Turton retired from farming in 1990, Stearns Farm has had 10 farm managers. Kathy Huckins, who farmed at Stearns from 1999 to 2011, transformed it into the modern farm we know today. When Kathy took over, Stearns had only 10-30 sharers, no greenhouses or tractors, and its farmers were underpaid and had no benefits. With a great force of will, creativity, and inspiration Kathy succeeded in manifesting what Stearns Farm needed and inspired many others to be part of her team. She took the word “community” in Community Supported Agriculture very seriously, and she created a large community of over 150 sharers. Kathy also valued and appreciated the importance of cultivating relationships with neighbors and the wider community, and she connected with other farmers in the region to create mutually beneficial relationships and to educate other farmers. During her tenure, Kathy added the blueberries, the flower garden, greenhouses, high tunnels, and tractors, and she made countless other investments and improvements necessary to turn Stearns Farm into a thriving, highly productive farm. In 1994 “Stearns Organic Farm CSA” incorporated as a non-profit organization, which is governed by a sharer-elected Board of Directors. After the USDA Organic Standards went into effect in October 2002, we no longer use the word “organic” to describe Stearns Farm produce. The certification process that would allows us to use the “organic” label is prohibitively expensive for us, but our farming practices remain organic, entirely natural, and sustainable. We use no chemical fertilizers or pesticides. To read Margaret Welch’s letter donating the land that Stearns Farm sits to the Sudbury Valley Trustees click here. Margaret Welch Letter Dec19_1975 Stearns Farm CSA Farm Managers March 1st Framingham Repair Café Gardening Course by Kathy Huckins Volunteers Needed: Popsicle Stick Signs Work For Share Field Crew Position Winter Share Second Pickup Yellow Onion, Red Onion, Cortland Apples, Mushrooms, Tea Blend, Sage Bundle, Arugula/Lettuce Mix, Sweet Potatoes, Potatoes (Russets and White), Garlic, Carrots, Spaghetti Squash, Pea Tendrils, Parsnips, Tiny Dried Flower Bouquet Althoughthe crops listed on this page represent what the farmer anticipates will be available this week, the vegetables you receive may be different due to weather conditions and other factors that affect production. For an overview of the ebb and flow of the harvest throughout the season, check out the Harvest Chart. More pickup information Please help us keep the farm clean! Pick up after yourself and your children. We are finding plastic bags, water bottles, hats, and various other items all over the farm. Please remember that we don’t have any trash or recycling service at the farm. All trash and recyclables have to