Little Things

While some efforts to "go Green" can be big undertakings, its important to think of the little things that can be done. They add up!
When replacing the field stone barn floor, we were careful pulling up the old boards.

Nails removed and trimmed up, the old materials will be used for other projects.
The brick courtyard was re-laid using the old bricks, mixing in new ones to replace only the crumbled bricks. Not to mention, the old bricks helps to maintain the rustic charm of the space. Last year's gourds used for fall decorating were left to dry out. We cleaned them up and made them into bird-houses.They will hopefully attract & house birds that eat bugs in our vegetable garden.Don't forget, little things often grow into big things! We've started seeds and seedlings have emerged!With a planting schedule several month long, there will be plenty of vegetables, herbs & flowers for the kitchen.

Maple Sugarin'

Another winter project this year was tapping the sugar maple trees with the hopes of fresh, home-made maple syrup. So far, we have tapped 9 trees in various locations around the property.Two behind the dining room of the inn.

One just off the driveway.Two by the pond.One outside the workshop & garage.One in the woods.And one just south of the vegetable plot.

So far, they have yeilded approximately 36 gallons of maple sap. The sap is then boiled down...

...and filtered - voila maple syrup!However, the sap to syrup ratio is 50:1, which means we should get over a half gallon.
Our first batch came out a beautiful color, about 1.35 liters in all.We added this to our pantry of preserved fruits from earlier in the season, which includes pear jam, ginger pear jam, grape jelly, hardy kiwi jam, and even a small batch of wine! Everything was made from fruit grown on the property.

Composting

A simple step that leads to gardening success, composting is one of our winter projects. Anything biodegradable goes in, which mainly includes kitchen scraps, animal by-products, and garden debris. When you are working with 20 acres, that's a lot of leaves! Shredded, they create an a heavy insulating layer that traps the heat and speeds up the decomposing. Every now and then, the pile gets turned, adding oxygen to the equation, which also speeds up the decomposition.
In the spring, the compost is added to the vegetable gardens.