A Long Winter's Nap...is finally over.



It was a real winter this year.  Superstorm Sandy delivered a wake up call in October and cold weather and snow put the garden to sleep in November and December.  The Blizzard of '13 dumped 38" of snow on February 8th and pretty much shut the state down for 3 days.  As I write this post in mid April there are still some piles of snow melting in some spots.


A December snow storm covered the garden.



digging out after 12" was relatively easy compared with with what was to follow



Snow and cold did not prevent us from making improvements as we expanded the garden around the new barn.  This BFR fought us for two days but after a come-along, hammer drill, cold chisels, levers and some determination we won.  Here Ben and Taylor have it on the run.  Would  have appreciated a backhoe...or an ox.





The frozen ground allowed us to get some machines in and take down some trees to get some more sun on the garden...and some firewood.



Easy does it with that oak tree



Cheers!

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”  Robert Frost



The blizzard dumped 38" and it was a few days before we could clear out.  Kendra's car is under there somewhere.



drifts of 4 ft plus blocked doors



Digging out out after a few days of cabin fever



Snow prevented us from harvesting these parsnips. We dug em out first week n April wondered if they would be bitter after a long sleep...quite the opposite...they were sweet and delicious - boiled, roasted or made into soup.



Parsnip Soup

• started with a garden postada of parsnip, celery, carrots and onions
• added our own chicken stock
• salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar
• garnished with sweet potato, roasted zuchhini and roasted tomato
• the parsnip is the star of the show and it was awesome

February - sitting at the wood stove looking at 4 ft drift blocking the door to the deck

April - time to turn the page...the cold frame crops are in arugula, spinach, lettuce, snow peas, Swiss chard, beets, carrots and more.



off and running
veggies pooping up, hens a laying and 4 new layer chicks



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...