This Summer's Start

Summer has always been my second favorite season (First being autumn, of course).  Summer holds some of my fondest memories of my childhood.  Summer's filled with trips to the lake, camping, hiking and just simply playing outside all day long.  I now long for a summer off, yet that is not in my horizon at this time.  I do have some things brewing that would make this possible in the future.  But for now, for this time and this summer, i will enjoy it in the mornings, evenings and weekends.

This summer started early in New England.  With temp's reaching 100 degrees last weekend, we took it in.  We took the canoe out on Hermit lake.  We began eating every meal outside.

I make homemade buttermilk biscuits with fresh strawberries and whipped cream for the hub's birthday.

Along with homemade french fries & grilled pineapple with a maple glaze.

We have picked the first of the harvest, radishes.

My herb barrels are growing ~ growing ~ growing.  Basil & Cilantro pictured above.

We spend all waking hours watching and hovering over our garden.  Oh how i love watching our garden grow.  While hubs hopes and tries to will the corn to get "knee high by the forth of July."  As my father says.

We beat the heat on the first 97 degree day with a cold veggie salad with our own radishes and basil included, similar to Soule Mama's.   Annie's mac & cheese and turkey dogs topped off the dinner.

Cold Veggie Summer Salad

Corn, fully cooked

Fresh Basil, cut/shred into small pieces

Cucumber

Tomato

Radish

Olive Oil

red wine vinegar

lemon juice

Cooked Orzo

~Mix all together.  Amounts of each ingredient to taste~

This weekend also included my first visit to Surowiec Farm for the season.  What a totally wonderful feeling. I love shopping at the farm for as much as i can.  This weekend i picked up some sugar snap peas, zucchini and fresh delicious strawberries.

We have sold so much maple syrup this week, that we spent Sunday morning bottling more.  I just Love syrup sales.  It feels that we are really making an honest dollar on what we truly love.  This lead to discussions and dreams of a farm stand for all the veggies from the garden that we won't be able to eat or preserve.  It lead to the hope of the day we can really live completely off our land.  

Dreams are a wonderful thing.  

Especially when you have the same ones as your partner.  It just makes you feel whole and happy.  

It makes me feel that our life is going in the direction we desire.

We puttered around, and it was wonderful.  Nothing on the schedule, just doing what we felt was right.

We had friends over for a Mexican dinner, then went out for ice cream, followed by fireworks in town.  Our first use of our beach blanket of the year, taking in the summer night, full of bright skies.

I have spent evenings on the front porch, on clear, warm nights.  Jason woke me up, just to show me the fireflies across the way.  Wow, they are marvelous and so, so alive.  There are thousands just lighting up my view.

I made fresh blueberry lemonade from Ashley English in my latest edition of Taproot!. (Simply amazing!)  That magazine totally rocks.  Anyone that doesn't have the subscription, is missing out.  I can't wait for the next edition already.

Refreshing 

I spent last Sunday afternoon, with my feet in the brook, reading Animal-Vegetable-Miracle. Then i ventured to the blanket on the lawn that was calling my name.  I napped there with my pup.  A wonderful way to put a close to the weekend.

Hubs helped his grandfather out, mowing the fields.  He didn't mind, he didn't mind one bit.  My man loves tractors.  Especially this Farmall.  This Farmall that is started with a crank in the front.  Its a total classic and so beautiful.

Summer has begun.

And we are taking it all in.

Every morning garden walk and every evening firefly show.

Bloom

Throughout a person's life, they meet many people.  People smiling behind a service counter, teachers, fellow workers, hikers, campers and the list goes on.

Some people have an profound influence, an effect on me.  Some people look at me, listen to my thoughts and value my opinions.

My husband is one of those people. I met him fresh out of college, ready to take on the construction world.  I met him exactly when i was ready.

I have seen myself do a three-sixty since being in his presence.  I'm now excited to show my suppressed interests and inspirations.  I no longer worry about how i will fit in, or who i am supposed to be in this one beautiful life.  I just be myself, one hundred percent.  I am now doing and feeling the things i was interested in as a child, a time when i was my true self.

He has let me find myself and feel strong & beautiful in whatever i do.  He tells me every single day how much he loves that i am his wife.

He is my happy, and i am totally his.

Today is his very, very special birthday.  Happy birthday to my life-long companion.

Thank you huni, for letting, and encouraging me, to bloom.

"Take, for joy's sake, from these hands of mine a little honey and a little sunlight."

                     

                                                                                                             - Osip Mandelstam

(All photos above taken in mid-may 2012 at Bean Hill Farm & Home.)

Meet our Pigs!

Three weeks ago these beaut's arrived.

Born in Pennsylvania, landing in New England.

There were twelve to choose from, Kate chose the pink sow.  I chose the only spotted hog.

They are funny and make us laugh, a lot.   Watching hubs run after them and play with them cracks me up.  We are learning a lot with our first pig venture together.  They have a great home here at the farm, amble space to roam, warm hay to keep them snug at night, and treats a few times a week.  They love strawberries & watermelon.  They love to have their backs scratched.  The male loves to rough-house, the female loves to get snuggled.

At first, i couldn't imagine these guys ever leaving us.  But i know that is inevitable.  We bought them to feed our family home-grown food.  This is my first experience, and i'm feeling more & more comfortable with it everyday.  I decided to stop taking my camera out to their pen, to treat them more like farm animals, and less like pets.  I'm sure there will be a few more pictures to share in the fall, but for now that method is helping me be detached.  I know the day they leave us might be hard, but i will be so grateful for this homegrown pork all year long.  Pork that lived a very happy life, antibiotic free and totally nourishing for us.

I'm soaking up every minute with them, making sure they are comfortable, happy and never hungry.

We are getting many laughs & feeling so, so grateful that they are here with us.

Welcome.

One Year

Just three Years ago we met....

Two years ago he proposed on the land we would eventually build our home on...

And one year ago today, we said our Vows at Bean Hill Farm under the bright sunshine of an early day in June.

Oh my, i can't believe it has already been a year.

I am so grateful, every single day, to have this wonderful man to share my life with.....

                                     

Here's to many, many more <3

(all photos courtesy of  Genevieve & Julianna Photography  :)

Maple Banana Muffins

A few Sunday's ago, while i began gathering my ingredients to put together my mother's banana muffins, i decided to forgo the usual route.

You see, we are maple farmers, my husband & I.  We make syrup in late winter, early spring.  This task of splitting wood to fuel our boiler, of tapping, collecting, boiling & bottling is so very much a part of our family.  Maple syrup is surely a treat, but it is also a natural resource for us.  A pure sugar that we have at the ready, at all times.  After the spring rush of our regular & wholesale buyers, we almost always make sure we have enough to get us through the year.  

Yet i still find myself buying white sugar.  And every single time i ask myself why am i doing it?  

In my mind, i have wanted to make the switch for awhile now.  Over the past few years i have begun compiling recipes that use honey & syrup.  I have thinned the 'usual' cookbooks and switched them out for new & refreshing recipes.  To my great relief, some of my really well worn cookbooks from the early 19th century, already use syrup & honey, once again making me love them that much more.  

I can see us using maple syrup and honey more than white sugar.  However, i am by no means a purest, so i do realize that there will be the need, now & again, for some old fashioned chocolate chip cookies :)  

My goal is to feed our family a balanced diet.  One of mostly local & homegrown foods.

On that wonderfully warm Sunday morning, i started the switch.  

Maple Banana Muffins

1 stick of butter

1 cup of maple syrup (i usually use grade A, dark amber or B for baking to enhance the maple flavor)

2 fresh eggs

3 mashed bananas

scant over 2 cups of flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking power

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cream butter and syrup.  Add eggs & bananas.  Sift all dry ingredients into wet mixture.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. 

Enjoy.

Garden Prep

A few weekends ago we brought in some fresh local manure, some topsoil and some fence posts.  It was wonderful to be outside, getting ready for the season ahead with my husband.

More updates to come very soon!