Old Wives’ Tales

It's been a long and brutal winter, but this week, we got a glorious peak of what's right around the corner: Spring! That small stretch of 60 degree days was an immediate mood booster for everyone on the farm, even the animals. (If you need farm fresh eggs, our hens are laying like crazy, and you can order some for local pick up here!)

Its sure starting to feel like spring, but as lifelong New Englanders and experienced farmers, we know better than to trust this false start. While it may be tempting to start thinking about your outdoor garden, there is still plenty of cold weather—and overnight frosts—on the horizon. So we will continue to be patient and wait for warmer weather until we begin field planting in earnest... for the most part. There are some crops that have been put into the ground in March for hundreds of years, and who are we to argue with tradition?

Farming is a practice that requires science, knowledge, and research. What is the average last frost date in my zone? What macro- and micro-nutrients does my soil need to support higher yields? What crop rotation this year will break last year's pest and disease cycle?

But farming is also an ancient practice that relies on instinct, experience, and tradition. And that is where the old wives' tales—old farmers' tales?—come in! One that we swear by: Planting peas on St. Patricks' Day! According to the tale (and to my dad, who would call me every year to make sure I followed through), planting peas on St. Patricks' Day ensures a lucky and high-yielding growing season. 

On the science side of things, peas are a hardy, cold weather crop that thrive when the soil is cool and wet like it is now. So it makes sense to plant peas in mid-March, but facts aside, this is the kind of farming practice we inherited from those who came before us, the kind of practice that makes us feel connected to our past and hopeful for our future. Listening to old wives' tales like these, following farming traditions that came before us, grant us time-tested wisdom that helps steer our agricultural stewardship in a meaningful way that connect us to our heritage, our community, and our land.

So we want to know, are you planting peas this St. Patrick's Day? What other old wives' tales are you following this spring?

WOMEN WHO FARM

When you think of a farmer, what comes to mind? Who do you picture? Is it an older gentleman in overalls and a straw hat looking out over his land? A burly man with a beard and Dickies and Muck boots turning the fields?

We get it. When people think of farming, they tend to think of men. In fact, one of the most frequently asked questions Molly and Sadie get when they’re tabling a market or talking to a customer at the farm stand is, “Who does the actual farming?”

Spoiler alert: We do! Because didn’t you know, women farm too?

In fact, women account for 41% of the global agricultural workforce and manage over FIFTY percent of farms here in the US. We may not be what you think of when you imagine farm work, but the truth is there are so many of us out here doing the work—planting seeds, weeding fields, feeding livestock, repairing barns, harvesting crops, stocking farm stands, manning market booths, running online stores, applying for grants, posting to social media. The list goes on and on, and yet, like in so many other industries, women tend to be overlooked and underestimated in the world of agriculture.

But we’re working everyday to change that. As a 50% women-owned farm, we know how vital women are to the future of farming, to our communities, to the local food system, and to the environment. We see it in the farms around us, many of whom have incredible women behind them. And we see it in our own families, and in the faces of the daughters we welcomed in 2025. We know how powerful and vital the work of women is, in our industry and beyond, and we hope to show our girls how incredible they can be, in farming and beyond.

That’s why this International Women’s Day (March 8), we’re celebrating the incredible women who farm, who feed, and who fight for a brighter future. We’re donating to some incredible local causes, to places that support women in our own backyards, and we hope you do to!

Because who run the world—who run the farms? Girls!

Enter the Greenhouse

Another week… another blizzard? Are we the only ones who feel like this winter is never ending? The weather in New England is anything but predictable, which is why one of the biggest part of farming, especially in Massachusetts, is adaptability.

That’s why, over the past (almost) decade, we’ve turned to one of farmers’ most trusted allies: The greenhouse. In the northeast, we already struggle with a short growing season, late frosts, freak blizzards (anyone remember that unexpected snowstorm last April?), so we can’t rely on Mother Nature alone to provide us with the space and environment we need to grow.

Enter the greenhouse.

All year long, it’s home to our greens program, and allows us to grow lettuce and kale and spinach, even when the weather outside is less hospitable to tender, leafy plants. In early spring, it houses our darling little starts, provides them with the warmth and shelter they need to germinate and root, and protects them from killing frosts so they can grow big and strong before we move them outdoors come May. As the season progresses, it becomes home to our more sensitive plants, the ones who prefer a hotter growing environment, like tomatoes and eggplant. In the fall, it becomes our season extender, the tool that enables us to grow food through that last market in November, even when the daylight hours shrink and the temperature drops. Over the winter, it houses our flock of laying hens and protects them from the harsh New England weather. 

Simply put, we wouldn’t be the farm we are without our greenhouses. We have small DIY ones that can barely fit two of us standing side by side; recycled greenhouses we’ve reclaimed and repaired and put to good use; carports turned greenhouses — remember what I said about adaptability? And this year, with the help of our family, we were finally able to step up our game and built a proper greenhouse that we hope to outfit with electricity, water, and everything we need to really change the way we grow.

But we still have a lot more work to do, and winter and spring are the time for infrastructure improvements like these! Unfortunately, it’s also the slow season, the time of year when we don’t have markets or farm stand traffic to provide us with reliable income. That’s why our CSA program is so crucial to our success—really, why so many farms rely on their community to buy into their farming dreams and support their goals during the off season. Farming is, after all, a community effort, so can we count on you to help out this year?

Animal Husbandry

If you've been following Quabbin Hill Farms from the beginning, you probably know our origin story is rooted in microgreens. These flavorful, nutrient dense, and, for our purposes, tiny plants enabled us to start our farming journey when all we had was a basement, a shop light, and a dream. Nine years, two properties, and a whole lot of changes later, we're still focused on our microgreen program—did you know we grow over a dozen varieties and mixes?—but we've expanded in ways we could have never imagined. One of our most recent farming journeys in the last few years? Animal husbandry, the practice of raising livestock for food.

As farmers, and as foodies, we've always been interested in sustainable, ethical animal husbandry. Just like it is with fresh, local produce, nothing tastes quite as good as poultry and meat from a local farm you know and trust. That's why we love eating Chase Hill Farm's grass-fed beef—I seriously cannot rave about their flank steaks enough. It's why Leyden Glen Farm's ground lamb, which makes the perfect meatball and stew, is a staple in the Granby household. These farms, both with beautiful origin stories of their own, really know what they're doing. And they know how to inspire newer, younger farmers like us to try our hand at animal husbandry, too!

Three years ago, we decided to try our hand at raising animals for meat, and it's been a beautiful, chaotic, and humbling experience. We started with two Berkshire pigs who we raised from piglets on our 17-acre Pelham property alongside our bustling flock of egg laying hens and pack of rescue sheep (who are a fun story for another day.) That first year, we learned just how deep pigs can dig if they want to get out of their enclosure--spoiler alert, it is DEEP! We learned how loud they can squeal, which is louder than Kevin, our most boisterous rooster. We learned just how dirty animals, and farmers, can truly get. (If we thought harvesting potatoes was a messy job, it has nothing on mucking a pig pen.) And, in a surprise to absolutely no one, we learned just how hard it is to say goodbye to these beautiful, wonderful, magical beasts.

Raising animals has taught us a lot about gratitude and patience, about humility and empathy, about responsibility and hard work. And that is one of the reasons we love what we do: Not just for the delicious meals we can provide for ourselves and our community, but for the endless lessons it teaches us about being a human in the world, about the beauty and diversity of life, and about our role and responsibility we have in the greater picture of Mother Earth.

You can shop for our pork, chicken, and more at our Inside The Farm Stand section.

It Feels Good to Be Local

Man, it feels good to be a New Englander this weekend! We can’t wait to cheer for the Patriots in the Super Bowl, because when it comes to supporting local, we consider it a way of life—from the food we eat to the teams we cheer on. 

This Sunday, our game day spread will include homemade salsa (and since we don’t have fresh tomatoes this time of year, we’ll rely on our whole crushed tomatoes for a quick and easy shortcut); deviled eggs topped with radish microgreens for a spicy, crunchy kick; a veggie plate with garlic pesto dip; and buffalo chicken everything. It might be the off season, but we’re still finding ways to use what we produce for every meal.

In other news,  Punxsutawney Phil has sadly predicted six more weeks of winter, but we’re still thinking ahead to spring! We’re getting our greenhouses ready for starts, and spending time thinking about what we want to grow in 2026. Do you have favorite fruits or veggies you hope to see in our farm stand and at markets this year? Something you feel like is missing from the local food scene? Let us know what we should grow! Keep an eye on our social media for sneak peaks of crops we’re focusing on this year and opportunities to share your opinions on what we should grow and what’s gotta go.

This Week in the (Virtual) Stand

• Farm Fresh Eggs: Our chickens are a combination of pasture raised and free ranged, both offering acres of land to roam which leads to delicious local eggs!

• Radish Microgreens: Spicy, crunchy, and beautiful too! This nutrient dense mix of organic microgreens are perfect for salads, soups, sandwiches, and more.

• Whole Frozen Chickens: With more cold weather ahead, a roasted chicken sounds like the perfect cozy meal!

Hello 2026!

Winter is a time for rest, reflection, and resetting—and that is exactly what we at Quabbin Hill Farms have been doing this January! But just because we've been moving a little slower lately doesn't mean we haven't been busy on the farm, and we want to share what we've been up to with you, our community! That is why we decided to launch our new weekly newsletter and blog, to let our friends, neighbors, and patrons know what's happening on the farm and in our farmers' lives.

If you're new to QHF, you might not know we're a small, first generation farm run by two couples, Mike and Molly, who live at our flagship property in Pelham, and Jason and Sadie, who live at our Granby outpost. In 2025, both couples were thrilled to welcome new additions to their lives, Mike and Molly's daughter Marigold born in May, and Winona, Jason and Sadie's daughter born in September. (No, we didn't plan it that way, but life has a funny way of working out!) 

2025 brought a lot of change and brand new challenges, so what are we hoping for in 2026? To grow our CSA community (which you can become a member of here); to expand our animal production (did you know we now sell frozen whole chickens?); and to continue to do what we do best by growing delicious, organic, and sustainable produce all year long.

As we say goodbye to January, we're prepping for a busy February! As we continue to serve our Winter CSA members, we'll be planting plenty of shoots and microgreens to provide them with fresh greens each week. We'll also be planting fresh lettuce, kale, spinach, and arugula beds for those customers, and for the spring markets which will be here before we know it! And, next month, we will finish ordering new seeds for starts planting which begins in March. You may think farming is quiet in the winter, but we always stay busy!

We've learned a lot becoming parents this last year, but perhaps one of the biggest lessons we've been reminded of is how important community is. That is why in 2026 we're committed to continuing to grow and support ours through thoughtful land stewardship, ethical animal agriculture, and intentional farming with the goal of bringing fresh, affordable food to our neighbors.

Thanks for following along on our journey, we can’t wait to see you on the farm in 2026!

Where to Find Us This Week:

Shop Online - Contactless Pickup

This Week in the (Virtual) Stand

• Whole Chickens: Juicy, tender, perfect for roasting!

• Basil Pesto: Creamy, flavorful, and versatile! Use it for dip, sauce, sandwich spread, and more.

• Crushed Whole Tomatoes: Made with our beloved heirlooms, this pantry staple makes dinner a cinch. See our easy tomato sauce recipe here!