Fall is here
It always amazes me how quickly fall arrives. I know many people are still experiencing summer temperatures, but in New England I always lament the end of summer before it happens. There is a day in August when the sun shifts, the smell of the woods change, and bird songs turn to calls. It happened again this year! Last weekend, I canned the end of the tomatoes while wearing pants and a long-sleeved shirt. I am sure there is one more day of short weather left in the year, but the garden is done except for the broccoli and other assorted cabbages. Most of our birds have left and the blue jays have moved from the woods back to the farm and the feeder. Only the slightest color has crept into forest and it remains to be seen if this will be a good leaf year or a dud. Happy Equinox everyone.
The harvest moon on the farm this September
Wood Fairies
When we purchased the farm, I am quite sure that I did not realize that sugaring is a 12 month a year adventure. There are breaks to be sure and we make it a year round job with the fairs and festivals. The point is, there is always something to think about for the upcoming season. Firewood weights heavy on our minds as we go through about cords a season. We got a good jump on things last spring with Jacob and Evan scavenging fallen trees. The Manleys did some tree removal nearby and we gladly accepted several loads of logs. The town came through and did some cutting this summer and we went out and collected those logs too. Then the Wachalas down the road asked if we wanted the logs they had cleared - that was 4 truck loads. Finally, Michael was doing some landscaping work and the property owner wanted him to push the logs over the edge. We happily took those truckloads too. Thank you all - we may never have to worry about wood again - except for the cutting and splitting!
Happiness is a full woodshed and a plenty of wood to fill is several times over
My Favorite Product
One of the great things about farmers markets and fairs is talking to people that love our products. Not a week goes by without several people commenting on how good our syrup or maple cream is (someone called the maple cream "life changing"). My favorite product has become the maple seasoning. It is so versatile. I love it on chicken, but it is good on shrimp and salmon too. It is fantastic on roasted veggies and with squash season coming up, I wanted let you all in on the secret. Sweet potato fries - yum. Roasted delicata squash - delicious. It also makes brussels sprouts taste good - I promise. Let your imagination run wild, just a little olive oil and our maple seasoning might be a life changer too.
Delica squash baked with olive oil and our Maple Seasoning. It’s just that easy to make delicious veggies.
Come See Us
The Yale School of Forestry will be here on Oct 4th for a workshop on Sap Collections and Processing (4-6pm). We are also in full Fair and Festival mode. We are in Easton MA on Oct 2nd for NRT’s Harvest Fair. It's the Roseland Cottage Fine Arts & Crafts Festival in Woodstock, CT on Oct 15-16th. We'll be at the Fiber Festival of New England, Big E Fairgrounds in Springfield, MA on Nov 5-6th. To wrap it up, on Nov 19th we'll be selling all the MAPLE at Eustis Estate Holiday Market in Milton, MA. We're still at the Amherst and Great Barrington Farmers Markets until mid November. Come visit us! Check out our website for where to find us.