This year has been different in so many ways. With fewer people traveling this year, we’re doing a lot of projects and we’ve been keeping busy here on the farm. There really is never a season when we are truly sitting still, but the fall season is particularly active. Here’s a look behind the scenes, at what we’ve been up to:
In the Garden - With the end of the growing season, we harvested veggies from the garden. There are still a few cold-hearty varieties of lettuce, carrots and Brussels sprouts in the ground. We had a good crop of pumpkins and a delicious bounty of heirloom tomatoes. The Sweet Pea blooms lasted much longer than we expected, and we had blooms in the garden until mid-October, which is very unusual. We tilled in compost to rejuvenate the soil over the winter months, before we begin again in the spring.
In the Orchard - We had a bumper crop of apples this year, and more blackberries than we could eat! We planted some new fruit trees and have more arriving this spring, including pears and peaches. Luke has been working on irrigation (both to move water away and bring it in to different spots) so we should be cultivating more fruit on the farm next season.
In the Coop - The chickens are at full size now, although this flock hasn’t started laying eggs yet. We lost previous flocks to foxes and hawks, so we’re redoubling our efforts to keep them safe and secure. Luke hung netting over their coop to keep the hawks from trying aerial attacks. We’ve enjoyed watching them explore their expanded coop and have set up a flex net, so they can explore more safely. They should begin laying any day now, and when they do, we’ll have close to two-dozen eggs a day, so we will make friends with our neighbors and turn our kids into egg-eating lumberjacks.
With the Flock - We have twelve Border Leicester ewes who enjoy the pasture and barn by the Guest House. The six lambs were shorn in early September, to ready their coats for a Spring trim. They have beautiful wool, with clean, tightly crimped locks. We have some wool available for craftspeople who are interested in spinning, weaving, knitting or felting materials. We have been toying with the idea of expanding the flock, and decided to send two of the 2yr olds to meet a ram. Luke built sides for his trailer so we could use that to shepherd them to their mate. With any lucky, we’ll have 2-5 lambs frolicking around the fields this spring!
At the Guest House - We had a very busy summer season, with just one week of vacancy - which is incredible, considering what an usual year this was. With the change of the seasons, we are excited to have welcomed long-term tenants into the Guest House for the winter and spring. The Guest House will be available for week-long rentals starting Memorial Day weekend, 2021. We already have weddings and rental bookings on the calendar for next summer. If you’re looking to have a safe getaway with members of your COVID-pod, let us know! We take a 20% deposit to hold the reservation. If you need to shift your dates, we’ll apply the payment to your future stay. We’re guessing that you need something to look forward to, and we’re happy to provide a safe getaway so you can vacation in comfort.
At the Bed and Breakfast - With travel and health trends, we are keeping our operations pretty small. We typically have just one booking at a time, to make sure that guests feel at ease. We have welcomed a few local Vermont visitors for a Staycation! It’s been a different year, and we are grateful to live in a beautiful place and have space to offer guests who need some respite and relaxation.
We hope that you are well and that we have the opportunity to welcome you back in the coming year. Wishing you all the best.
Stay well!
Carin & Luke McCarthy