“The soil is the great connector of lives, the source and destination of all.”
—Wendell Berry, “The Unsettling of America”
Fresh produce is abundant inside the farm store at Westward Orchards. A variety of Harvard-grown fruits and vegetables fill the shelves throughout the store, labeled with the “Westward Grown” seal. Stephanie O’Keefe, store manager, wants readers who aren’t familiar with their stand to stop in and see what it is all about. She hopes residents will invest in local farmstands and more regularly spend their dollars on food grown in their community. Also, she said, their peaches and plums are amazing!
Here is a look at what is available in Harvard this coming week.
Carlson Orchards
115 Oak Hill Road, 978-456-3916
This week at Carlson Orchards pick your own Gloria and Blushing Star peaches, blueberries, and cut-your-own sunflowers and zinnias daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Short on time? Skip the PYO and visit their farmstand, which is stocked with Carlson peaches, nectarines, locally grown corn, their own zinnias and sunflowers, and a variety of vegetables. The farmstand is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Doe Orchards
327 Ayer Road, 978-772-4139
The new farmstand is officially open. Yellow and white peaches, Ginger Gold, Gravenstein, and an early variety of Honeycrisp apples are available, with others on the way soon. Owner Pam Lawson also said, “The sunflowers are abundant!” Doe Orchards is now open from Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Good Spirits Farm
106 East Bare Hill Road, 978-456-6815
Raspberry season at Good Spirits Farm is upon us, and while blueberries are still available, their season will be ending very soon. Self-service stand open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Available produce includes fresh peaches, zucchini, pattypan squash, kale, spinach, and turnips. Plus, many varieties of tomatoes, including Brandywine, Amish, Striped Roman, Purple Bumblebee, Black Strawberry, Pink Tiger, Wooly Kate, and Purple Cherokee. Good Spirits Farm also sells their own homemade jams (raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, aronia, peach and apricot), as well as their own lip balms and creams. Fresh flower bouquets with dahlias, sunflowers, zinnias are also available.
Old Frog Pond Farm
38 Eldridge Road
Old Frog Pond Farm is full of organic peaches and Asian pears that are available fresh-picked at the farmstand, along with lots of handmade, organic treats. Visit this self-serve farmstand hours Wednesday through Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Westward Orchards
178 Mass. Ave., 978-456-8363
Look for the “Westward Grown” label at the farm store this week. The farm’s own produce includes giant Marconi peppers, collard greens, beets, eggplant, Japanese eggplant, leeks, Carmen peppers, cukes, carrots, broccoli, radishes, summer squash and zucchini, cabbage, Bibb and Romaine lettuces, kale, shallots, tomatoes, red fingerlings, onions, nectarines, Burbank plums, Elephant Heart plums, Red Heart plums, Shiro plums, white and yellow peaches, red Bartlett pears, Honeycrisp and Ginger Gold apples, and much more. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Willard Farm
218 Still River Road, 978-456-8291
Cucurbit Farm of Acton will have the stand at Willard Farm well-stocked with their own tomatoes, corn, zucchini, summer squash, eggplant, radishes, and cucumbers. Plus, there will now be fresh cantaloupe for sale. This is a self-service stand. Maxant honey is also available for purchase and has a separate payment system.
Listed produce is Harvard grown unless otherwise noted.
