Barn Raising

Every farm needs a barn so we built one this fall.  It's not a huge barn but our farm ain't that big either.  The carriage shed used to house all the stuff like tomato hoops, stakes, irrigation, meat chickens, wood splitter, bee hive parts, layer chicks, feed, hay, wood chips, soil, fertilizer...but it was getting real crowded and it was too far from the action.  Besides we had the itch to build something.  It had to be functional but it also had to look good from the house and be a little fun.



Step One - site the barn and haul stones for the foundation
no problem finding stones around our neck of the woods





The platform is leveled and scribed to the stones





We pinned the platform to the rocks in case another micro-burst blew through



framing the shell



note the outrigger under the ridge for Liz's swing - it is based on traditional
pulley lifts for the hay loft door



Dave nails off the last roof cap shingle




looking south through part of the vegetable garden at the new roof




the windows go in and the cedar siding goes on



sided with primer paint
skylights facing south to start plants come spring




clear cedar sliding barn doors make it





Looking north form the barn doors toward the chicken coop. I bet that
hen house would look better painted to match the new barn...




Yep...it does.





Sitting pretty in the autumn sunshine




The interior has great natural light




This White Oak tree blew down in Hurricane Sandy last week but manage to miss the barn.



A Taste of Honey

The bees have been having a good year.  A combination of learning from our mistakes, good weather, a better site for the apiary in the garden and especially working with a mentor has improved our beekeeping and Summer Sweet Apiary in New Farm is looking good.



Swarm in a spruce tree near the apiary



We had one hive winter over and we added a package to the other hive.  They were off a running.  On June 7th the green hive that had wintered over SWARMED! 

We tried to catch the swarm but they hugged a thick tree and by the time we got a spare box together and were ready to coax them they had departed for parts unknown. Fortunately the fertile Queen stayed with the original hive and they continued to work.

Jon and Bob helping with the hive inspections



 When we were in the hives for inspection and cleaning with our mentor on July 1st we noticed that one of the supers was full of honey.  Time to harvest! 

We soon extracted 2 gallons of dark, wonderful honey.   It is deep in color and flavor - not like the  light colored amber clover honey commonly found. Folks who have tasted it say it has various flavors of " molasses, vanilla, clethora (summer sweet), basil, mint, and earthy essences". 

It is excellent in tea, granola and yogurt and Liz has already used it in a couple of recipes.  We gave the neighbors a pint (we are keeping up good bee relations...a good idea when you have 70,000+ stingers flying around the hood).

Winds may blow over the icy sea
I'll take with me the warmth of thee
A taste of honey
A taste much sweeter than wine

as sung by The Beatles, Tony Bennet and more.



Ready to extract the stuff



First we add a "fume board" to drive the bees down out of the super



Jon adds a entrance reducer to prevent late summer "robbing"



We got the super full of honey off the hive by using a fume board to drive the bees down and then we used a  leaf blower to separate the bees from the frames.  The super went into a bag and then quickly into the house before the bees could rally.


The frames were loaded



The frames get spun in the extractor



Our honey extractor worked like a charm.  Afterwards I cleaned it in the outdoor shower.

Now I am looking around at yard sales for a couple of pots for processing my wax. 



Remove cappings, spin, filter - repeat





Whole lot of dripping goin' on - the capping yield some great honey





Yeah Baby!

 

We cleaned the frames after extracting and put the super back on.  Perhaps we will get a fall flow and harvest but first the bees need to have plenty of food for the winter.  It's only August but it is already time to think about winter feeding.

Keep up the good work girls...

RIP Casey

   Our beloved chocolate lab passed away two weeks ago after 15 years with us.  At the end of her life, she was the best farm dog we could hope for.  She loved watching the chickens, sipping from the hose,digging in the dirt, sniffing everything, and laying in the grass while my mom worked in the garden.  

Casey the farm dog, June 7, 1997 - July 14, 2012

Enjoy heaven, Casey.

Line 'em Up!

Here we are in mid-May and things are happening.  We could not actually declare the start of the spring garden season because we never really stopped.  The cold frames produced all winter into early spring to the present. 

We roto-tilled the soil, raked it out and laid out the paths and rows

I guess you could say the turning of the soil in the rows and the removal of the cold frame tops that happened in mid April was the start but by then we already had peas and beets in and we were still harvesting nice salads and other greens.

A grid of square raised beds lined up to the sun



The front fence with the new gate makes a nice line

Oh I've seen corn in Kansas
And I've seen picket fences
And certain cowboy dances
I've gone lining up for shows
I've been safely placed in rows
Sure I know how it goes

Somebody line 'em up
Line 'em all up

by James Taylor



The vegetable gardens at Monticello

The rectilinear orientation of gardens goes back to the ancients. An inspiration for us was a visit to Thomas Jefferson's Monticello in Charottesville, Virginia.  To Jefferson gardening was paramount.  The architecture of his gardens like his structures was rectilinear with curves for accent and interest.  Nature provides the soft, curved, textured wildness.  



Pear tree blossoms in early May



Peas are flowering too

 

14 Broilers fattening





4 new Araucana chicks joined the flock thanks to a visit from our friends from Black Sheep Farm in New Hampshire






Sometimes you purposely do not line things up like this polyculture raised bed

 

Rocks lined up for the foundation of the planned garden shed



   



<>The hens could care less about lining up the eggs....



                                                                                                                                                                        but we do...

Line 'em up Liz








 Edamame already up!



The Season of the Witch (-hazel)

It is the third week of February and in adition to what is still growing in the cold frames there is a shrub already blossoming. Along with the red-winged blackbirds, robins and the yellowing of the goldfinches it is a surefire harbinger of spring.

Our Arnold Promise witch-hazel (Hamamelis x intermedia) will bloom in late February to early March. This year it is a full week ahead of schedule most likely due to the warm winter. It lets us know that spring peepers will start in a couple weeks and it is time to think about getting peas in the ground.

Through the gray and somber wood
Against the dusk of fir and pine
Last of their floral sisterhood
The hazel’s yellow blossom shine-Excerpt from “Hazel Blossoms” by John Greenleaf Whittier (1874)

Right now it is blossoming through the few inches of snow we got last
night.
In and around our garden and yard one of the most common shrubs is witch-hazel. The most common species is Eastern witch-hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) or "common" witch hazel. Common witch-hazel typically blossoms in fall and we also have variety in the garden that blossoms in December.


Witch-hazel provides food for a variety of wildlife as well as a protected thicket for nest or roost.

This hungry Robin hatchling found shelter in a witch-hazel bush
last spring

Witch-hazel is everywhere in this part of Connecticut. Left alone it will grow into a tree. When the witch-hazel produces its spidery yellow flowers then last year’s seed pods snap open with a pop and can throw their seeds 40 feet!

Witch-hazel’s name has nothing to do with witches or hazels. It actually has more to do with the old Yankee practice of dowsing. The name ultimately derives from the Anglo-Saxon wych, meaning "bend" -- which is just what a divining rod is supposed to do when it detects water. But religious leaders had given dowsing such a bad name over the years that it was apparently easy to corrupt the name into "witch" (another name for divining is "water witching"). It is also not related to hazel trees.

Famous for its medicinal uses as a topical astringent the practice of steeping the twigs and leaves of the witch hazel plant originated with Connecticut’s Native American population. The bark and leaves are astringent; the extract, also referred to as witch hazel, is used medicinally. It was used for everything from after-shave to hemorrhoids to ladies beauty aids and was quite a popular magic potion at the turn of the century. Connecticut was home to the E.E. Dickinson & Co. and they provided over half the global supply of the popular elixir. The old Dickinson buildings are still found about 15 miles east of New Farm in Essex and they still harvest and distill the extract here in Connecticut.

Witch-hazel

The Competitive Edge

Durham Fair 2011 sets a new standard for our gardening and growing-our-own aspirations

The Durham Fair http://www.durhamfair.com/ is a showcase for all things agriculture, gardening and horticulture, homegrown goods and crafts, canning and pickling and award-winning livestock. 
 The New Farmers plan to compete next year.  Here are award-winning tomatoes:


Blue-ribbon tomato display - Durham Fair 2011

Awards also go to every imaginable vegetable that can be grown in Connecticut soil: Beets, Broccoli, Peppers, Swiss Chard, Celery, Potatoes, Eggplant, biggest Squash, and on. Requirements include that the vegetable be grown non-commerically in Connecticut.

checking out the competition

Other competitions in which New Farm hopes to compete include
Best Honey - all local apiaries, dark and light varieities
 

Various entries in the Honey Competition

  Our apiary is looking good this year with two nucs filled already.  We are hoping that both hives will winter over nicely.  Either way, the honey competition might be a couple years off for us. 



 Canning Contest - Must use all homegrown main ingredients.  Fruit: There were amazing blueberry, raspberry and strawberry jams, peach jams, and apple butters
Chutneys/Relishes: Also competitions for the best relish and chutney.  Orginiality was awarded here, again all ingredients must be homegrown.  I think our Apple-onion Chutney from the previous post would win as there was nothing else like it. 

Pickling Contest - our neighbors orginial recipe pickled peppers (with Italian fyring peppers) could win this category.  New Farm could enter as well, but details will be withheld for competitive purposes.

Pickling Competition - requires every ingredient to be homegrown

Best Eggs - Looks for uniformity in shape, size and color. White, light brown, brown and colored competition.  Brightness awarded in the colored category.  Our Aracona hen's eggs could compete. 

Look for us next year.