Ongoing Events

2011 CSA Sign Up at Beech Hill Farm

It’s time to start thinking about summer tomatoes! That’s right, snow is still on the ground but we are already growing our beautiful Heirloom varieties and with the addition of our heated greenhouse, we hope to have them earlier than ever to share with you. CSA’s (Community Supported Agriculture) are a great way to get involved in local agriculture, show support for your very own working farm, share in the bounty, and enjoy fresh organic produce from down the road.

This year we are offering the same two-part CSA: 10 weeks in the summer for $200, 10 weeks in the fall for $200, or $400 for the whole 20 weeks. These shares are full of seasonally fresh, organic produce and are valued at $5 above their retail price — that’s $100 of extra produce for a full season share. In addition, we will be trying out a pick-yer-own garden for those items you can’t get enough of, and to let you get your hands dirty. In the fall we will be offering meat options from the farm, and sourced meats from other area producers.

Going out of town for part of the summer? Want to spend all of your share on cherry tomatoes and beets, or for that one big party? Our market share option might be the share for you. A market share is when folks pay up front and receive a higher value per dollar. With this option you still have the flexibility of shopping from the full variety-of-the-day offered at the Farm Stand. Download and fill out the 2011 CSA Application to sign up.

May 2011 Events

May 1, 11 am–2 pm — Megawatt Party at the Farm
This past week our solar panels produced 1 Megawatt hour of power, that’s enough to power 3,031 light bulbs running all day!

To celebrate the commitment and effort towards transitioning COA’s Beech Hill Farm to run on renewable energies we are getting together May 1 from 11 am–2 pm.

All are welcome as we bring folks from the community to participate in the day’s activities of face painting, seed starting, flower planting, a Maypole dance, a spring tour of the farm, a cake walk benefit and information session for Share the Harvest, and to enjoy a long-awaited sunny spring day!

Bring a bike, wear a costume, bring a neighbor or a picnic, and help us celebrate the vision of a food system that is one step closer to independence from fossil fuels.

May 21 — Bread Oven Construction
Chris Monahan ’13, Marin Harris ’13, and Mark Abdallah ’11 are heading up a cobb oven construction project at Beech Hill Farm this spring after proposing the idea through Jay Friedlander’s Business and Non-profit Basics class this past fall. The group will be working with community members to build a working oven, which will serve as a centerpiece for future events at the farm. A pizza garden will be planted by its side on the build day, so come out, get dirty, and help them make it happen!

May 25 — Share the Harvest Spring Fund Raiser
On Wednesday May 25, Southwest Harbor-based Red Sky Restaurant will host an evening in support of Beech Hill Farm's "Share the Harvest" Program. A percentage of the proceeds from that night will directly support the expansion of this community food access program. To reserve a table, please call Red Sky at 244-0476 and let them know you want to support Beech Hill's Share the Harvest program. For more information contact Bronwyn Clement at bclement@coa.edu.

Date TBD — Grafting Workshop
Join Tim Seabrook on the COA campus, and in May join Richard Ossolinski, orchard design consultant for grafting workshops. For more information, and to sign up, please contact faculty member Todd Little-Siebold at tlittle@coa.edu, or Andy Curtis at acurtis@coa.edu.

April 2011 Events

April 3, 9 am–3 pm — Pruning Workshop
(April 10, 9 am–3 pm — Pruning Workday)

Tim Seabrook of Five Star Farms in North Brooklin will lead a pruning workshop at the farm. Come and help us get these trees in shape! Enjoy spring from the top of a ladder with a saw in your hand. This is a great opportunity to learn how to care for fruit-bearing perennials that are important to the sustainability of all climates and bio-regions — and it’s a lot of fun too!

April 10, 4–6 pm — Sheep Sheering Workshop
Come see the baby sheep and learn how to sheer our ewes with Jeff Birchstead of Buckwheat Blossom Farm in Wiscasset. Jeff will demonstrate sheering, talk about general care, and facilitate a discussion about the wool market then and now. For more information, and to sign up, please contact beechhillfarm@coa.edu.

Starting April 20, every Wednesday, 3–5 pm
Excited about bees? Curious about the impact of varroa mites on the our ability to grow food? Want to debate top bar hive methods? Look good in a netted helmet? Ellsworth Ag extension teacher Andrew Dewey is an experienced bee keeper and is offering his knowledge to you every week on Wednesdays from 3 to 5 pm starting April 20. Bee classes run every season but Andrew is making himself available for FREE bee teach-ins at Beech Hill Farm. This opportunity is open to all community members.

Date TBD — Grafting Workshop
Join Tim Seabrook on the COA campus, and in May join Richard Ossolinski, orchard design consultant for grafting workshops. For more information, and to sign up, please contact faculty member Todd Little-Siebold at tlittle@coa.edu, or Andy Curtis at acurtis@coa.edu.

Andy Curtis ’11, who is focusing his senior project on the orchard renovation project, is our main contact person for organizing events this spring (acurtis@coa.edu).