The farm continues to change with the shorter days and cooler temperatures. The livestock are enjoying some new sources of food- left over pumpkins from Family Farm Day for the pigs and the beds of the bolted summer field greens for the heifers.
This week, we welcomed the cast and crew from Cooks County with America's Test Kitchen. They set up their grilling scene behind the Old House and spent a few days shooting scenes for the upcoming season. They will be back next week for another day of action and we'll certainly let you know when the show airs so you can see your familiar scenes, structures, and landscapes on TV.
On Friday, we had a great time with a group of volunteers from Ernst & Young who were celebrating #eyconnectday - the day thousands of EY employees across the country head out to support the work of their local non-profits. This fearless bunch contributed their time to painting the inside of the dairy barn. With a short window to clean and prep, paint, and let the paint dry between milkings, this was a perfect project for a large group. As always, we are so grateful for the support of our volunteers!
The share
Tomatoes
Peppers
Greens
Kale and collards
Bok Choi
Potatoes
Onions
Garlic
Squash
Radishes
Updates from the Fields:
We had a little surprise frost on Monday morning but it
didn't impact the higher fields where the tomatoes and peppers were planted.
The forecast looks good for at least one more week of tomatoes (hopefully more)
but the cooler nights and shorter days are definitely slowing production. Next
week we will begin covering some of the more tender fall crops with frost cloth
for added protection and to speed up their growth. Now that the insanity of the summer months is
winding down we are starting to think about the projects we didn't get to in
the spring. The barn needs organizing, the fence line needs maintenance and we
have a handful of carpentry projects to tackle.
October is also the month when we plant our garlic and there is still
quite a bit of prep work to do to get the field and the garlic bulbs
ready. Things are slowing down but we
still have more than enough to do to keep us busy all the hours of the day
Upcoming Events and Programs:
October 9th: will feature classic rock music by Decades of Rock and food by Gabi’s Smoke Shack BBQ truck.
October 16th: will feature reggae music by Soul Rebel Project and food by Copper Dome Crust (wood fired pizza) and Boston Burger.
October 23rd: will feature folk-rock music by Rust Never Sleeps, a Neil Young inspired band, and Copper Dome Crust pizza truck and Gabi’s Smoke Shack. Plus on October 23rd, bring a carved pumpkin for our pumpkin contest and let the kids come in costumes to take part in the farmyard trick-or-treat! Carved, glowing pumpkins will surround the event for a spectacular Halloween inspired show
Oktoberfest Culinary Workshop: Saturday, October 15th at 6PM
It’s October in New England and this special cooking workshop is inspired by the spirit and tradition of this German festival! We’ll use the bounty of our farm harvest along with local beer to create signature recipes as Roasted Cauliflower, Cheddar, & Ale Soup, Beer-Braised Beef Brisket, German Spaetzle Dumplings, and Dutch Apple Kuchen.
Workshop includes chef instruction of professional cooking methods & techniques, printed recipes, and a wonderful New England ‘Octoberfest’ supper at the end of the evening. BYOB or wine. Members: $72. Nonmembers: $90. Register at www.thetrustees.org
From Cultures to Rinds: Cheese Making Fundamentals: October 22nd at 10AM.
Our cheese making classes are back! Join Appleton’s own cheese maker, Kristian Holbrook, for a hands-on cheese making class in our farm kitchen. You’ll learn all the basics of cheese making, make your own mozzarella and ricotta to take home, and get a behind-the-scenes tour of our dairy operation and cheese cave. Pre-registration required. Members: $60. Nonmembers: $75. Register at www.thetrustees.org
