How Does a CSA Work?

Posted on by StargazerHollow
CSA Infographic

Ever wondered how Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) works? It’s simple yet incredibly rewarding! We have outlined the simple steps for how to access our CSA and others like it. If you have any questions, please reach out! CSA Infographic

Become a CSA member and embark on a journey of fresh, farm-to-table goodness. With each week’s harvest, you’ll receive a box packed with an exciting variety of seasonal vegetables, along with optional add-ons like eggs, flowers, or mushrooms. It’s a delicious way to support local agriculture while nourishing your body and soul.

Our CSA
CSA shares are weekly distributions of our farm products throughout the harvest season. Our main season is June – September.

Shares can be picked up at our farm in Berkley on Sundays 9-12, or at our booth at the Hingham Farmers Market on Saturdays 9-1.

If you need to skip a week and let us know in advance, that is fine, and please let us know if you’d like a double share the next week or want some other plan. If you don’t let us know in advance but don’t pick up your share, we will donate it.

Benefits of CSAs
For us: CSA stands for “Community Supported Agriculture”. When you buy your share at the beginning of the growing season, we farmers are more able to predict sales and cash flow, which allows us to plan ahead on our seed and labor expenses. When we have unexpectedly successful or unsuccessful plantings of a certain crop, we have a community behind us taking on some of that risk (and the reward of unexpected October strawberries, if we have another fall like the last one!).

For you: CSAs allow you to eat great, local, healthy produce and support the agricultural and environmental practices that you want to see — you vote with your dollars! You also know where your food is coming from, and can often go check out the farm and basically watch your food be created! Our CSAs also include recipes that include not just the produce in your weekly share, but also other locally, seasonally available food; we source a minimum of 80% of our ingredients for the recipe of the week from our farm and the other vendors at our farmers markets.

Share Options
All Shares Include:

  • 2 Baskets/Boxes (depends on what we can get this winter) to rotate — each week bring us your basket, and we’ll give you your other basket packed with items
  • A reusable shopping tote bag with our farm logo on it
  • Produce storage best practices magnet
  • A weekly recipe of the week using items from your share
  • A complimentary tour of the farm for up to 4 people to be booked during the season

    —

    Full Share June – September 16 week $600

  • Approximately 7-10 items + 2 salad mix + herbs.
  • Typically feeds 3-4 people, or 2 people who cook regularly and eat a lot of vegetables.
  • Example mid-summer share: 2 pints of cherry tomatoes, 1 pound heirloom slicing tomatoes, 4 lemon cucumbers, 2 pickling cucumbers, 1 pint red cipollini onions, 1 watermelon, 2 zucchini, 2 summer squash, 2 salad mix with edible flowers, 2 basil, 1 mint.

    —
    Half Share June – September 16 week $400

  • Approximately 4-5 items + salad mix + herbs.
  • Typically feeds 2 people, or a family that does not cook often.
  • Example mid-summer share: 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, 4 lemon cucumbers, 1 pint red cipollini onions, 1 pint strawberries, 1 zucchini, 1 salad mix with edible flowers, 1 basil, 1 mint.

    • —

    Add-On Shares

  • Flower Share (add-on to produce shares) $300
    • A large bouquet of about 12-15 stems per week + greens
    • A pretty vase from a local glassblower at the beginning of the season (value ~$80)

  • Extended Season May and October 8 week $100

    • Approx 3-4 items + salad mix + herbs
    • Example May share: 2 bunches French breakfast radishes, 1 bunch rainbow carrots, 1 bag kale, 1 bag salad mix, 2 bunches mint
    • Example October share: 1 pie pumpkin, 1 bunch leeks, 1 bag of pears, 1 bag of salad mix, 1 bunch of lavender, 1 bunch of mint.
  • Egg Share $80 Main Season / $40 Extended ($120 for full extended)
    • A half dozen free-range eggs weekly
    • We have ducks, chickens, turkeys, geese, and quail. Eggs will be clearly labeled each week, and will usually be duck eggs (our specialty!) or chicken eggs.
  • Edible Flowers $100 Main Season
    • A box of edible flowers in your share each week
    • These edible flowers are often used in salads, as garnishes, in cocktails, or on baked goods. Treat yourself!
  • Full McGuire’s Mushrooms Share $300 Main Season / $150 Extended ($450 for both main + extended)
    • A pound of fresh locally grown culinary mushrooms from McGuire’s Mushrooms in Hingham
    • This comes out to $18.75 per lb
  • Half McGuire’s Mushrooms Share $160 Main Season / $80 Extended ($240 for both main + extended)
    • A half pound of fresh locally grown culinary mushrooms from McGuire’s Mushrooms in Hinghamcolorful fresh culinary mushrooms growing in blocks
    • This comes out to $20 per lb
  • Double McGuire’s Mushrooms Share $560 Main Season / $280 Extended ($840 for both main + extended)
    • Two full pounds of fresh locally grown culinary mushrooms from McGuire’s Mushrooms in Hingham
    • This comes out to $17.50 per lb
  • Friend of the Farm $350 Main Season / $100 Extended (Total $450 Main + Extended)
    • Every week you will receive a small gift from the farm and a hand-written thank you note
    • Potential examples: Wool dryer ball, jams and jellies, pickles, dried herbs, teas, potpourri, soap, honey, popcorn, carving pumpkins, reusable feed bag tote, catnip, dry beans
    • 50% discount on farm events

    —

    How to Sign Up
    Fill out this form, and we will send over an agreement and invoice for the deposit to the email address that you provide on the form.

    National CSA Week 2024: Celebrating Community and Sustainable Agriculture

    Posted on by StargazerHollow

    As February rolls around, the agricultural community eagerly anticipates National CSA Week—a time to celebrate the vital connections between farmers and their communities, and to highlight the importance of sustainable agriculture. Here at Stargazer Hollow Farm, we’re thrilled to join in the festivities and mark this occasion with a special promotion that embodies the spirit of community-supported agriculture.

    What is CSA Week?
    National CSA Week, observed from February 19th to 25th this year, is an opportunity to recognize and promote Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). CSAs are a unique model of food production and distribution where members of the community directly support local farms by purchasing shares of the harvest in advance. In return, they receive a weekly or bi-weekly supply of fresh, seasonal produce throughout the growing season.

    Our Commitment to Community and Sustainability
    At Stargazer Hollow Farm, we’re deeply committed to producing high-quality, heirloom produce using sustainable, earth-friendly methods. Our mission is to bring the community closer to the source of their food while fostering a deeper connection to the land.

    Special Promotion for CSA Week
    To celebrate National CSA Week 2024, we’re excited to offer an exclusive promotion for all new sign-ups to our produce share program. From February 19th to 25th, anyone who signs up for a produce share with us will receive two incredible bonuses:

    • Complimentary Week of Egg Share: Enjoy the richness and flavor of free-range duck eggs, sourced directly from our farm. As part of this promotion, new members will receive a free week of our Egg Share, adding an extra layer of freshness to their CSA experience.
    • Savory Week of Mushroom Add-On Share: Elevate your culinary creations with a savory week of our Mushroom Add-On Share, featuring gourmet culinary mushrooms sourced from McGuire’s Mushrooms a local gem renowned for their dedication to sustainable mushroom cultivation. If you sign up for the mushroom add-on, you will still get this bonus (double mushrooms!) along with a gift from McGuire’s as well!

    Join Us in Celebrating CSA Week
    This National CSA Week, we invite you to join us in celebrating community, sustainability, and the joy of farm-fresh produce. By becoming a member of our CSA program, you not only support local agriculture but also embark on a journey of culinary delight and connection to the land.

    How to Participate
    To take advantage of this special promotion, simply sign up for a produce share with Stargazer Hollow Farm between February 19th and 25th. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to enjoy farm-fresh goodness and receive exclusive bonuses as a token of our appreciation for your support.

    Together, let’s cultivate a vibrant, community-driven food experience—one harvest at a time. Happy National CSA Week from all of us at Stargazer Hollow Farm!

    CSA Partnership: Stargazer Hollow Farm & McGuire’s Mushrooms

    Posted on by StargazerHollow
    colorful fresh culinary mushrooms growing in blocks

    👩🏻‍🌾 Exciting Partnership Announcement! 🍄

    Stargazer Hollow Farm is thrilled to unveil a new chapter for our new local, naturally-grown community supported agriculture shares with the introduction of a Mushroom Add-On Share in our 2024 CSA program, crafted in collaboration with McGuire’s Mushrooms!
    colorful fresh culinary mushrooms growing in blocks
    McGuire’s Mushrooms, a celebrated local gem in Hingham that has been featured in Edible Boston Magazine and beyond, is renowned for their dedication to growing high-quality, sustainable fungi. From lion’s mane to oyster and shiitake varieties, their offerings promise a culinary adventure that elevates your dining experience. For folks who have made, eaten, or been inspired by our recipes of the week or Meghan’s postings, nearly 100% of the mushrooms we’ve used in the last two seasons have come from our friends at McGuire’s!

    Up your locavore game this year with our produce plus other add-ons from our farm, including a fresh Egg Share featuring free-range eggs weekly (a full season egg share can expect to receive duck, chicken, turkey, and quail eggs, and if we can snag the eggs from the geese, perhaps those too – reaching under a broody goose is a little more death-defying than you may think!), and a vibrant Flower Share, curated with a weekly bouquet of about 12-15 stems plus greens. Additionally, don’t miss out on our new Friends of the Farm Share, where each week, you’ll receive a small gift from the farm – a token of our gratitude for your support. Check out this page for more details on how you can enrich your CSA experience with these delightful add-ons and savor the tastes of farm-fresh produce! 🥚 🍄🌷✨

    Pumpkin & Sausage Lasagna – Recipe of the Week

    Posted on by StargazerHollow

    Pumpkin & Sausage Lasagna

    Pumpkin Sauce (Make Ahead)

    • 2 C Pureed Pumpkin
    • 4 T Butter
    • 6 T Flour
    • 4 C Milk
    • 1 pinch Sea Salt
    • 1 T Pumpkin Pie Spice

    Lasagna

    • 15 no-boil lasagna noodles
    • 2 lbs Ground Sweet Sausage
    • 3 C Swiss Chard
    • 3 C Kale
    • 4 medium cloves Garlic (minced)
    • 1 medium Yellow Onion (finely chopped)
    • 1 Duck Egg (or 2 chicken eggs)
    • 16 oz Ricotta
    • 8 oz Mozzarella
    • 4 oz Atwell’s Gold (or Parmesan)
    • 1 T fresh Parsley (finely chopped)
    • 1 T Italian Seasoning

    Make ahead: Pumpkin Sauce

    1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, then mix in the flour. Stir about 2 minutes.
    2. Increase to medium high heat, and add milk while whisking quickly, approximately 1C at a time. Simmer 2-3 minutes once all milk has been added, whisking occasionally.
    3. Stir in the pumpkin, pumpkin spice, and sea salt. Simmer until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

    Lasagna

    1. Set out your ingredients.
    2. Preheat oven to 375.
    3. In a large cast iron skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add sausage, and brown.
    4. Add onion and garlic, and cook 3-4 minutes until aromatic.
    5. Add chard and kale, and cook until wilted.
    6. In a mixing bowl, mix ricotta, eggs, and Italian spice.
    7. To assemble the lasagna: Add 1 cup of pumpkin sauce to the bottom of a 9×13 baking pan. Cover with 4-5 lasagna noodles.
    8. Spread 1/2 the ricotta mixture over noodles. Add 1/2 of sausage mixture on top of the ricotta. Cover with 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Pour 1 cup pumpkin sauce over the mozzarella.
    9. Add another layer of noodles, remaining ricotta, sausage mixture, and mozzarella. Top with last layer of noodles. Pour remaining pumpkin sauce over the top layer of noodles. Sprinkle with Atwells Gold cheese over top.
    10. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Top with parsley as garnish.

    Summer Veggies Paella – Recipe of the week!

    Posted on by Jay Mendelsohn

    Summer Veggies Paella

    • 1 Zucchini (cut into ½” slices and quartered)
    • 1 small Eggplant (cut into ½” slices and quartered)
    • 1 Pint Green Beans (chopped into 1” segments)
    • 1 lb Heirloom Tomato (seeded and cut into thick wedges)
    • 1 ear of Corn (removed from cob)
    • 1 Bell Pepper (chopped)
    • ½ C Yellow Onion (diced)
    • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
    • 1 T Tomato Paste
    • 2 t Paprika
    • 1 pinch Saffron
    • 1 t Sea Salt
    • 1 lb Shrimp (peeled and deveined)
    • 1 lb Mussels (rinsed and debearded)
    • 2 Chicken Thighs (boneless, roughly chopped)
    • 3 C Bomba rice
    • 2 C Bone Broth
    • 1 C White Wine
    • 1 1/2 C Water
    • 3 T Olive Oil
    • Zest + juice of 1 Lemon
    • Minced parsley for garnish
    1. Lay out ingredients.
    2. Heat 2T olive oil in a large frying pan (cast iron is ideal) at medium heat. Stir in garlic and onion, and sauté for 5 minutes.
    3. Add rice to pan and toss to coat and cook an additional 3 minutes.

    4. Slowly add water, wine, and bone broth while stirring. Add saffron, paprika, bell pepper, zucchini, beans, eggplant, and salt.

    5. Bring to a rolling boil for 2 minutes, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer covered for 20 minutes.
    6. Add mussels and cook covered for approximately 5 minutes, until all have opened.

    7. While the rice is cooking, in a medium frying pan, heat 1T olive oil over medium heat. Add chicken, tomato paste, and lemon juice and zest. Cook for 5 minutes.

    8. Add shrimp and ensure both sides are cooked, approximately 5 minutes.
    9. Combine meats with rice mixture in large frying pan, and add sliced heirloom tomato and corn. Allow to simmer covered for 5 minutes.
    10. Serve, garnished with minced parsley.

    Summer Scallops & Veggies Pizza — Recipe of the Week!

    Posted on by Jay Mendelsohn

    Summer Scallops & Veggies Pizza

    • 1 premade pizza dough
    • Cornmeal

    For the Sauce:

    • 1 T unsalted butter
    • 2 T flour
    • ¾ C buttermilk
    • ¼ t sea salt
    • ⅛ t black pepper
    • 1 garlic clove (grated)
    • ¼ C Atwells Gold cheese (grated)

    For the toppings:

    • 8 oz burrata cheese
    • 1 medium zucchini (in ¼” slices)
    • 1 ear of corn (removed from cob)
    • 4 oz scallops (quartered)
    • ¼ t basil (minced)
    1. Lay out ingredients

    2. Preheat oven to 500°

    3. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and whisk in flour until smooth. Continue to whisk while roux sets up, approximately 2 minutes.
    4. Reduce saucepan to low heat, and slowly add buttermilk, stirring until smooth with each addition.
    5. Once all buttermilk has been added, add garlic, sea salt, and black pepper. Allow to bubble for 1 minute while whisking.
    6. Remove the pan from heat, and add cheese.
    7. Dust counter service with cornmeal, and roll out pizza dough into a 12” circle. Roll up the corners to create the edges of the crust.
    8. Distribute sauce evenly on the crust. Feel free to improvise on the total amount of sauce used, to your tastes.
    9. Add zucchini, corn, scallops, and basil, evenly distributed on the pizza.
    10. Bake the pizza (ideally on a pizza stone) for 6 minutes.
    11. Remove pizza from the oven, and add burrata. Burrata can be shredded up and evenly distributed, left as a ball in the middle, or a mix of those!
    12. Cook for 2-3 additional minutes, until scallops are completely white and cooked through.
    13. Serve pizza with additional grated Atwell’s Gold Cheese, sea salt, and minced basil to taste.

    Big News for the Hingham Farmers Market!

    Posted on by Meghan Buckley

    Note: This is our Stargazer Hollow blog; for official news from HFM please always check the official Hingham Farmers Market website here.

    Starting this Saturday, August 15, the long-awaited return of a more typical walk-up Hingham Farmers Market will be back!

    The market takes place every Saturday in the Station Street Lot at 95 Station Street, Hingham, MA from 9AM to 1PM rain or shine.  See this article in the Hingham Anchor for more information on the overall market plan.

    Social Distancing Precautions

    Safety is of the utmost concern! Foot traffic will be one-way and capacity will be monitored to ensure appropriate distancing is possible.  Masks are required, and vendors will be wearing masks and gloves.

    Please keep in mind:

    • To ensure that produce is not touched, we will have our produce display set back from the front of our tent
      • I will be happy to show you the tomatoes and let you pick your favorite by pointing!
    • We will continue selling as many items as possible by the “each” or by the “bag” instead of weighing out items
    • Touchless card payments are preferred
      • We take Square, and have both a card “tap” and a card “swipe” reader which will be regularly wiped down

     

    Pre-Orders Are Still Available

    We, as well as most other vendors, are continuing to support pre-orders which can be picked up directly at our booth — we will have your order pre-bagged and labeled and set safely aside for you.

    Our pre-orders will be restocked every Sunday for the following week, and our pre-order site is: https://stargazerhollow.square.site/ 

    At current time of printing, all vendor pre-order information can be found on the HFM site here.

     

    SNAP is Available, with Matching Funds

    With the return of the walk-up market comes the return of SNAP tokens! There will be a tent for SNAP up ahead of the entrance, which will allow exchange of SNAP funds for tokens which can be redeemed to vendors for food items.  

    Please see this article in the Hingham Anchor for more info.

     

    National Lasagna Day – Recipe Inside!

    Posted on by Jay Mendelsohn

    Today is National Lasagna Day, from the list of fun silly “holidays”!

    Any excuse to make a lasagna, I’d say!

    Lasagna with Eggplant and Zucchini Noodles

    • 1 lb ground beef
    • 1 tsp olive oil
    • 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
    • 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
    • 2 medium zucchini (sliced 1/8″ thick)
    • 1 medium eggplant (sliced 1/8″ thick)
    • 1 medium onion (chopped)
    • 3 cloves garlic (minced)
    • 16 oz ricotta cheese
    • 8 oz mozzarella cheese (shredded)
    • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (grated)
    • 1 egg
    • 1 pinch herbes de provence

    1. Gather ingredients

    2. Brown meat in a medium frying pan, and set aside.
    3. Add olive oil to the pan and saute garlic and onions about 5 minutes.
    4. Return the meat to the pan, add tomatoes and basil. Simmer on low for 45 minutes, uncovered.
    5. Meanwhile, slice zucchini and eggplant into 1/8″ thick slices, lightly salt and set aside or 10 minutes, then blot with a paper towel.
    6. Preheat oven to 375°.
    7. In a medium bowl mix ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and egg. Stir well.
    8. In a 9×13 casserole dish, spread 1/2 cup of sauce on the bottom and layer the zucchini to cover. Spread 1 cup of the ricotta cheese mixture, then top with 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese and repeat the process, alternating between zucchini and eggplant, until all your ingredients are used up. The last layer top with remaining zucchini and sauce.
    9. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes.
    10. Uncover the foil, add the remaining mozzarella cheese and a pinch of herbes de provence, and bake 30 minutes
    11. Let stand about 5 – 10 minutes before serving.

    Free Online Demo: Refrigerator Pickles! August 2, 2PM.

    Posted on by Meghan Buckley

     

    Hello, friends! Please join us virtually for an online demo of the refrigerator pickling method on Sunday, August 2, 2020 at 2PM EST.

    This is the link to the online event registration page: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/refrigerator-pickling-demo-by-meghan-from-stargazer-hollow-farm-tickets-113926408956

    Storm Damage :(

    Posted on by Meghan Buckley

    Last night there was a powerful and sudden storm that centered on our neighboring town of Westwood.

    Our farm had significant flooding, best noted by the 8″ piles of woodchips stacking up in some areas of our garden, having been washed out from between our raised rows.  

    The most damaged crops that we can tell so far are the corn, sunflowers, lilies, and snap peas — not surprising, as these are all plants that you would expect to be damaged by heavy winds, but sad nonetheless.

    We can’t yet tell what the impact to some of our other plants, like our tomatoes and cucumbers, will be.  They were displaced and sitting in standing water and the rain continues on today.  Potatoes seem to also have some damage that we’ll need to dive into to determine.

    Nature is such a powerful force in farming. 

    Just a few days ago, we were sharing with customers that we were having a hard time with some of our crops due to lack of rain, and our part of Massachusetts was officially in a moderate drought, as has recently happened year after year.  Then, with a single night of heavy rains, we have flooding so severe that local stores are still closed this morning trying to mop up, and our local hospital evacuated patients. 

    As the rain lightens up today, we’ll be out to evaluate and salvage things.  

    Thank you all for your support and well wishes, and I will communicate any changes to this week’s pre-orders if need be — so far, the main things that we have for sale all seem fine, it was mostly later-season crops that have severe damage.