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.

Baskets of Bounty

After a summer of experimenting, we had learned a lot and even plenty to show for our work.
Fresh grapes...
... picked...then pressed to make our first-ever wine!
Hoards of gourds!!
Trellised swan (goose) gourds...
Mini gourds...And bottleneck gourds...And a variety of tomatoes...

Last Year's Spring Goats

Though we had two large goats already,three more arrived in the spring.They do their part eating leftovers from the kitchen and brush clean-up.

Leftovers that aren't appealing to the goats are usually devoured by our hungry chickens.

A peak at last year's work

The spring was a lot of preparation work. Ten+ raised beds were dug, ready for planting once the frost date past. The plants themselves were started early in the spring, both indoors and in the greenhouse.We planted summer squash, a medley of herbs, heirloom tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, potatoes, beans, a mix of hot peppers, pumpkins, winter squash, gourds, eggplants, and lots of marigolds.
An unripe heirloom tomato.
Our pumpkin patch in the summer months.
A bed of young mixed greens under row cover (to keep the rabbits off).We even attempted some late in the season greenhouse tomato plants.The first yield started with an early crop of sugar snap peas.In the spring, the orchard was planted. By mid-July, everything looked healthy.
Some of the apple trees...
And a little peach tree.