Summer takes hold

Finally, the constant rains that dominated most of May and June... with an occasional nice day thrown in just to get our hopes up... have moved North, allowing heat to build in New England.

The new batch of chickens are happy to have left the ark and walk on the dry land of Mt. Monadnock. Do you remember the smell of the inside of the school bus on rainy mornings? Well, add 75 chickens, who treat the world like their own personal toilet bowl, and maybe you can imagine what things were like around here... and I won't even mention the pigs!

Rain or not, the garden went in on Memorial Day weekend... and is really started to take off now. If we can avoid the late blight of a few years ago, we're in for a great season.

More fruit trees were planted this spring, Northern Spy Apples to be exact. The peaches, plums and pears are starting to mature, giving us larger crops every summer.

Garlic should be ready for harvest in a few days... now THAT should change the smell of things

around here!

missing time

It's been far too busy for blogging around here... planting gardens, raising meat chickens & pigs, cutting firewood... all that stuff. Our famous Narragansett Turkeys became proud parents last month. It was a very exciting time around here... (this is what passes for entertainment 'round these parts)...


It takes a long while for the little birds to work their way out of the shell...

Jack the dog was absolutely amazed that a living creature could pop out of something he enjoys eating so much... he was literally shaking during the entire process!

These two turkeys are already running around the yard, and mamma turkey laid a second clutch of eggs. Three of those hatched last week and the little chicks are in the small brooder growing like crazy.

That's a quick update... I'll post more when time allows. Until then, keep smilin'!

Live And Let Die

During these difficult economic times, we New Hampshire folks have to come together and help each other out. This Summer, when the 'out of staters' come back to their vacation houses here in the Great White North... it's going to be important that we show a little compassion. Some folks will be having trouble paying for the necessities of life... you know, the kid's riding lessons,the wife's tennis pro, the country club fees, the live-in nanny, the maids and butlers... I mean, do you know what it costs to tune up a Bentley!!

So, this Summer... whether it's at the gas station or the recycling center or the local sushi establishment... you may just bump into one of these poor folks... and this year it's far more likely they may actually speak with you... ya know, "morning"... or "how'z it going?" This is really a cry for help! You know damned well, under normal circumstances these folks would never give you the time of day... so lets all show them what New Hampshire is all about. Please consider making an anonymous donation of a million or two to help keep Buffy & Little Regis out of the soup kitchen this year.

We'll all sleep better knowing that when Summer is finally over, these poor slobs can still make it to Tahoe for the Christmas season. Thank you.

Sticky Fingers

Well, it's been a long while waiting for Spring to rear her elusive head, and nothing says SPRING in New Hampshire like the smell of boiling maple syrup. We only have a few sugar maples here on the farm... far more oak and red maple. My neighbors down the road at Delrossi's, our local high quality Italian trattoria & purveyor of acoustic guitars, banjos & fiddles, are good enough to let me tap some of their generations old trees. I boil sap the 'old fashioned' way... in a century old cast iron cauldron, with a wood fire.

It takes on average, about 40 gallons of sap to get 1 gallon of good syrup... but these old trees must give a higher sugar quality sap, because I always seem to get an extra pint or more from that same 40 gallons.

Jack has been through this before, and knows this is going to be a long day. Today, we started our fire at 7AM, hoping to get a jump on things.

Here we've got a good boil going....

The boys & I pose for a photo as afternoon passes... we ended with about 4 gallons of reduced sap by about 7:30. The next day we finished it off slowly on the big wood stove in the barn. This time around, I started with about 48 gallons of sap and ended up with a gallon and a half of dark amber syrup. The weather has been perfect lately, 20's at night and 40's during the day. Perfect temps for a good sap run. If all goes well, I'll get in 2 0r 3 more boils like this one. That should keep us in syrup for more than a year, with some extra for X-mas gifts!

Not everything around the farm is as exciting as boiling sap... but get your rest now, Jack...next month the piglets will be here!

A Ruckus On The Farm!

I haven't had a lot of time for posting lately, too busy keeping everyone warm around here... and cooking. I love to cook in the Winter!

The economic depression is finally creeping into New Hampshire. Usually, we're pretty well insulated (excuse the pun) from economic waves, as the hardcore yankee values common in these parts tend to curb excesses one way or another. Extreme poverty and perverse avarice don't sell well around here.

But like I said, some hardship is rearing its ugly head in my area. Why, just the other day some unemployed fella tried stealing one of my prize turkeys. The jerk will never try THAT again!

I'm not sure who those other folks were lurking in the yard... but we all had one hell of a laugh together!

Faces...

on a cold Winter's day...

Hey, at least the sun is shining!

One more day closer to Spring!

Dog Days of Winter

Baby, It's cold outside! It kinda makes you want to move your activities indoors. I wonder what other folks do to keep from going crazy this time of the year ... bears sleep... fish dodge trucks falling through the ice... a lot of us plan next Summer's garden with our bounty of seed catalogs. But when that's done, after taking the meat out out of the freezer and before starting to cook dinner...?



For me, the choice is easy... I've got a friend that is always there for me. Someone that never second guesses, and always wants to do what I want to do. Oh, and I don't mean my best friend, Jack the dog...

That's my secret love... my Gibson J-160e... isn't she beautiful?! And you ought to hear her sing! Actually, she sings a lot better than I do.... but at least she's in MY CONTROL! You other guys better find your own girl!


The audience that I play for is a bit critical, though. It helps to keep you on your toes. When they're not impressed... they just stare at me...

One things for sure, though... music does tend to sooth the savage beast!

What do YOU do to keep from going crazy this Winter??