After completing a two-year college program in Fruit and Vegetable Crops, I came to Common Thread Farm to apprentice under Wendy and Asher, and I’m certain that I learned far more at this farm than in the classroom! Asher and Wendy have put careful thought and decades of experience into creating a farm and a yearly group of workers, both apprentices and others, who are interdependent—the farm needing its workers for completion of daily labor during the growing season, and the workers needing the farm to help teach them as they learn to tend land, care for plants, and feed people. Priorities are balanced in the way the farm is run: profit and efficiency are worked for so that the farm can continue to thrive and support those who care for it, while excess food is donated to where there is local need, and education is given generously to the next generation of farmers. While I was at Common Thread, I received a real boost from the atmosphere and opportunities there. I was able to make a fair wage and live locally while learning on the job, and I built friendships with fellow apprentices as we drove out to visit other farms on educational field trips. Now, as I have taken on more managerial farm roles elsewhere since my apprenticeship, I carry with me memories of Wendy and Asher’s management style and kind manner of relating to people. I also remember Asher’s insistence on workers knowing the exact names of the tools they used!

Sophia UrusovaApprentice, 2014 and 2015

Working at Common Thread CSA with Wendy and Asher created a standard of hard work and farming excellence for me. Their openness to teaching and new ideas, their incredible ability to problem solve and attend to all of the details, and their extreme dedication and engagement in the community have influenced me and given me a strong foundation to continue to grow and share food in a sustainable and conscientious manner. There is a lot of respect for this farm in the community, and that was clear to me during my interactions with CSA members and devoted farm stand customers. Wendy and Asher’s hard work and purposefulness will serve as an inspiration for me in my future endeavors.

EllieCommon Thread Apprentice 2017

We have just completed our second season as members and can say that, without a doubt, this was the best investment we’ve ever made. Not only was it financially sound, but much more important, it provided us with an amazing bounty of fresh… produce to feed our hearts and souls. We have the peace of mind knowing we are not ingesting pesticides, and the joy of preparing fantastic recipes, using familiar as well as newly discovered varieties of fruits and veggies. Finally, the other grand benefit is the communal fun of meeting other members on pickup days and other CSA sponsored events.

Geni & SteveHamilton

For our first time as CSA members we were so pleased with the entire process, from sign up to our last share pick up.  We learned a lot about new foods that we never tried before. The emails were very informative, including the variety of recipes we tried. (I forwarded them to my family because they were so interesting.) Each week we were excited to see what was in our box. The quality and quantity were spectacular!!! It was definitely a healthy eating experience…And best of all we learned so much volunteering on the farm.

Ed & CaroleFulton

Bravo and Kudos to both of you and your staff.  And many many thanks for all the hard work and your enthusiasm in providing us with such a bounty of healthy and delicious local food. You succeeded in spades, despite the drawbacks handed out by Mother Nature. The winter share option is a great addition and I love the fact that potatoes are one of your crops. I’m looking forward to next year 🙂

2013 Member

I particularly enjoyed the setup whereby one could choose which vegetables to take home and could even get enough to do some preserving.  I was thrilled to be able to make a batch of pickles.  The vegetables were fresh,attractive and very tasty.  I have developed several new favorites including fennel and celery root

MarshaSherburne

One evening I was entertaining so I needed more squash than I had in my CSA share. I filled in with the same kind of squash from a grocery store. But when I cooked them there was no comparison. Common Thread squash was finer grained, less watery, not stringy, and full of so much good flavor

PadmaHamilton

I thoroughly enjoyed picking up our share on Saturday mornings at the farm. It was fun to choose veggies in the company of other members; to see children playing in the children’s area; and to chat with Wendy and Asher. The produce was abundant, beautifully presented, fresh, and delicious. One of my favorite experiences is picking flowers in the field. We are now enjoying our first experience of winter shares and look forward to next year too!

LeslieDeansboro