Sparrow Arc Farm Wants to Feed You at Home

Natick-native Matthew Linehan never wanted a conventional life… he likes his independence too much.

His adventure on the fringe began with a penchant for the Boston punk scene and has since culminated in a career as a commercial produce farmer… kind of an earthy turnaround. For Linehan, the overlap seems to be about rhythm.

“I fell in love with the pace of it,” he said over the phone from Maine. To give you a vague idea, Linehan’s Maine-based Sparrow Arc Farm crops about 35 acres of vegetables a year, but he’s only got 24 weeks out of 52 to sell it all off. It's a punk pace.

“The rhythm of produce farming is so fast, it’s almost frantic. People describe it as being at a ‘one-a-second’ pace, i.e. whatever it is you’re doing, you need to do one-of-it every second. It’s a completely different feel than, let’s say, dairy farming, which is steady and continuous and every task could potentially be deemed a chore.”

Linehan’s an enthusiastic guy through and through, but what he’s most excited about lately is bringing his fresh farmed food into your residential city kitchen. He does this via a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program which customers can buy into, reserving a portion of his harvest ahead of time. Shares of his 2011 harvest are still available, and at a good price for all you'll get in return.

Now, mind you—there are plenty of CSAs going on out there and people surely feel they have good reasons for going with whichever one they’ve chosen. But Linehan isn’t going to pad your ‘share’ box of veggies with an overabundance of items you can get from any CSA. He’s going to deliver the staples mixed with rare, old-world vegetables… the fussy stuff. Sure, you’ll get heirloom tomatoes, but you’ll also get white carrots, heirloom varieties of winter squash, heirloom beets, rutabagas and leeks… from top to bottom over 300 varietals (including herbs) that Sparrow Arc proudly produces. The only definite ‘no’ items are melon (it’s just not hot enough in Maine) and sweet corn which Linehan says—to be done properly--requires spraying a non-organic pesticide he refuses to use.

“It’s what I have, so it’s what goes into the CSA boxes,” he said of his new-found niche. “If you look at CSA feedback across the board, in general, people seem to really love being challenged with new foods. Our CSA is set up to specifically cater to that: there’s always something cool, new and unique to try. What’s more, you’ll never be at a loss for what to do with our food since we often include recipes from out chef clientele to show you how to best use these items you’ve never tasted before.”

Boston restaurant goers are already eating Linehan’s specialized goodies off the plates of their favorite haunts like , , , Clio, L’Espalier, Henrietta’s Table, Rialto and . And since diners always swoon when they hear about high-end, fussy, locally grown varietal veggies on a menu, many of them might enjoy having them at home… there’s no law against swooning at your own table, is there?

 With three new pick-up stations for the coming season in the Boston-Cambridge area, getting the food from Maine to your mouth is easier than ever. Sparrow Arc CSA shares can be delivered to Flour Bakery’s Fort Point (closest to the South End) and Central Square locations as well as at Hi-Rise Bakery in Huron Village.

“Local food has become fashion,” Linehan said. “And there’s nothing wrong with that. What’s happened in the last 10-15 years has been a huge shift in public awareness, which is particularly remarkable for Americans since we haven’t ever really been a culture that prioritizes food. Whatever was the catalyst for the change… it’s awesome.”

Being that he’s already well connected in the neighborhood, Linehan wanted a pick-up spot here in the South End. Offers came from a number of places, but none of them had the necessary floor space. He’s hoping that the South End will have a supportive presence at his Fort Point pick-up site, especially since we already love his flavorful vegetables when we eat out.

Either way, there’s an earnest humility that comes across when speaking with the punk-rock farmer… a rare virtue. It’s built into his big-picture vision.

“In a commercial, industrialized food system, these items I grow wouldn’t have a place,” he said. “So, the renewed interest in serving locally grown food has allowed me to continue doing what I enjoy. But it’s also allowed foods like this—items that has practically vanished altogether—to continue to exist.”

The three Sparrow Arc CSA pick-up spots are Flour at Fort Point Channel, Flour Central Square, and Hi-Rise Bakery in Huron Village. Contact the farm for more information: sparrowarcfarm@gmail.com