what we do:

apply sustainable design principles towards responsible land stewardship with an emphasis on biodiversity, low energy inputs, symbiotic relationships between systems, and multiuse/multifunctionality. we sell and/or barter authentic goods and services to local markets, including pork, turkey, chicken, duck, raw goats milk/cheese/yogurt, eggs, fruits, vegetables, and herbs, all produced using techniques found in organics, biodynamics, permaculture, and other like-minded philosophies.

see below for general information about the animals and plants with whom we work - specifics about the goods and services we offer are under the products section of the site.

• pigs
• goats
• chicken
• ducks & geese
• turkey

plants: we work with many different plants, too many to practically detail here, but a brief categorical outline is listed with examples- native perennials are emphasized, as well as hardiness and low maintenance. as with our animals, we go above and beyond the federal organic standards, tending the plants using only organic compost and animal manures, compost teas, worm castings, and organic mulches.

• fruit and nut trees: pear, apple, hawthorn, dogwood, peach, cherry, asian pear, birch, walnut, chestnut, pecan (yes, this far north!), ginko, yellowhorn, hickory, oak, persimmon, pawpaw, jujube, medlar, rowen, mulberry, quince, plum, and various other native trees
• bushes/vines: goumi (elaeagnus multiflora), aronia (aronia melanocarpa), grape, blueberry, raspberry, rose, gooseberry, elderberry, honeyberry, sea berry (hippophae rhamnoides), hardy kiwi (actinidia arguta), magnolia vine (schisandra chinensis)
• vegetables: typical garden veggies (tomatoes,peas,corn,beans,lettuce, etc.), with a focus on mustards, collards, kales, chard, and other hardy greens (mache, arugula, spinach, etc.)
• wild edibles: sun chokes, burdock, lamb's quarters, amaranth, dandilion, nettles, cattails
• herbs: classic popular culinary herbs, mints, basils, sages, comfrey, wormwood, yarrow, st. john/joan's wort, milk vetch, other medicinals

also of note: shiitake, oyster, and chicken-of-the-woods mushrooms, spring tonics (maple and birch saps)

^top tamworth pigs: heritage breed tamworth pigs are a very hardy rare breed pig from england who for the most part take care of themselves, have excellent mothering instincts, and produce a unquestionably tastier, healthier meat than their conventional counterparts, especially when raised on pasture. in contrast, modern animal husbandry places emphasis on those animals who can grow very quickly in confinement with the least amount of inputs/food regardless of the health of the animal, the health of the environment, or the health of the people who eat the meat. grocery stores sell meat by the pound in a market where for the most part "pork is pork" - so breeders have exculsively selected for short-term profit-orient goals, and as a result, breeds like tamorths are extremely rare.  we originally got them to take care of an acre of japanese knottweed (notorious, exotic, highly invasive escapee relative of bamboo, member of the buckwheat family), but now that the pigs finished with that chore, we use them for other work on the farm (turning compost, tilling soil, sealing the pond, etc.), and we breed them and sell feeders, sucklings, and whole/half butchered animals (humanely killed and processed at a federally inpected facility)- we also have our own line of "sausage that is so good, it'll make tears of joy run down your face onto your greasy lips^TM!"

^top toggenburg goats:the toggenburg is a swiss dairy goat from toggenburg valley of switzerland at obertoggenburg. toggenburgs do best in cooler conditions, and it's a damn good thing, cause it gets cold in central massachusettes! unpasturized raw milk for human consumption is practially illegal in the state of MA (but for a few farms who brave the red tape), but we drink it here at MSWHQ for its unbeatable taste and superior nuturitional value, and sell it to clients "strickly not for human consumption"- our goats, as with all goats, are ruminants, and are healthiest when raised on a 100% grass/forage/pasture diet, so we feed our goats certified organic hay in the cold and dark winter months, and rotate them on the property during the lush seasons to forage - male goats, as with most male animals (especially humans), don't produce milk or eggs or babies or anything else for that matter, and are more aggresive and harder to manage, so most commercial goat farms euthanize the males at birth (kill them right when they are born)... after all, you only need 1 male goat for a few weeks out of the year to breed 50 or so females (nice work if you can get it)... but we here at mamashoe world headquarters love our new born goats, both male and female! however, after a certain age, before their hormones render the meat overwhelmingly musky, the boys become goat curry, a carribean delicacy, or are butchered and sold during ethnic holidays. if you are interested in goat meat, pls inquire.

^top chicken: we have over 12 different breeds represented in our flock of layer/meat birds - we do fence them in in the evening because of predators, but during the day they range freely, helping to "weed" and add nutrients to the gardens.  we have both layers for eggs, and kosher kings for meat, so pls inquire if you're interested in fresh, clean, healthy chicken... don't let the "free range organic chicken" label fool you - most farms that claim this provide very limited space for the birds, just so they can say that the birds aren't in a small cage their whole life, when they might as well be  - our birds have a significant portion of their diet from grasses, clovers, bugs, etc., and if you've never had a fresh egg from such a bird, you're in for a treat - better taste, color and texture, superior nutrutional value, and excellent karma!... (fact: most eggs you see in the supermarket are a month old or older! come find out what a fresh egg tastes like)

^top turkey: we get our turkeys young (1 day old), so they know us and know when and where (but not why) we feed them, so they roost in the trees in the woods at night, and come by for their daily meal at their own leasure - we only sell 30 or so every year, and always sell out, so pls inquire if you're interested in a healthier, locally and organically raised free range turkey for the holidays (or anyday... every day should be a "holy day")

^top ducks & geese: we raise buff, rouen, and muskovy duck because they're beautiful, helpful in the garden as weeders and fertilizers, friendly, fun to watch, and last but not least, tasty... geese have been used as "watch dogs" for thousands and thousands of years... there are famous tales of ancient battles won becuase of warning cries from the flock of patrol geese - we love their eggs and their meat, but butcher very few as they're more like family pets - fanstastic weeders and fertilizers, and also known as one of the few animals who pick a mate for life - "what about fois gras", you ask? on a very limited basis, but do inquire... (NOTE: we do *not* force feed our geese to enlarge their livers like conventional farms! gross!)

mamashöe world headquarters
978.544.9836
mother@mamashoe.org