Blog
When it Rains
September 29, 2023
During the last Ice Age, when glaciers scrubbed the surface of our landscape clean, any earthworms that had been living in New England were completely irradicated. Most of the worms living here now originated from either Europe or Asia and were likely brought here inadvertently in the dirt that was used as ballasts in the hull of ships exploring the “New World.” Some worms have also undoubtably arrived more recently in the root balls of imported plants. Whether intentionally imported,
Making a Life
September 22, 2023
As the days get noticeably shorter, the world around us starts to change. Inevitably, our chickens begin to lay less. A lot less. Even with a light on in the coop, they instinctively know we are heading towards winter, and that winter is a bad time to start raising chicks. Raising chicks is, after all, why chickens lay eggs. For them it’s not about providing us with sustenance – it’s about procreating.
Our sheep, on the other hand, respond to the change in daylight by coming into heat.
Thank You!
September 15, 2023
An anonymous private foundation (with exquisite funding tastes) bridged the gap between what we’d raised with our GoFundMe account and what we needed to cut hay for our sheep and to store it for the winter. GoFundMe raised enough money for us to cut the hay but we didn’t have what we needed to repair Hill-Stead’s Horse Barn so we could store the hay. In the meantime, we perfected the art of making haystacks for the Museum, which was fun but wasn’t going to provide the sheep with their winter hay
A Chorus of Crickets
September 1, 2023
Male tree crickets are responsible for the nighttime trilling we hear in late August. By rubbing their wings together, like a finger dragged across the top of a plastic comb, they create the relentless buzzing which makes you think your tinnitus has suddenly gotten much worse. In reality, it’s the sound of hundreds of insects looking for a mate, and it’s the sound of summer nearing its end.
Reinventing the Buck Rake
August 25, 2023
We’re getting pretty good at this! Once we cut the hay with our newly modified Brush Hog – (which we renamed the Hay Hog), we leave the hay in the field for a day to dry. After that, we rake it into windrows with our brand-new hay rake. Raking the hay fluffs it up and allows it to thoroughly dry before we store it in the barn. The neatly gathered windrows also make the hay much easier to collect. Today in the U.S., the vast majority of farmers purchase hay from someone else. The hay farmers run
Hostess Gifts
August 18, 2023
As soon as the hot humid weather descended upon us, our shiitakes stopped producing. It was as if someone shut off the tap. Clearly, they were taking the rest of the summer off and no amount of soaking or cajoling was going to change their minds. Chanterelles, on the other hand, thrive in that very same hot humid weather. We have several patches tucked away, which I “shop” as soon as the summer weather turns miserable. They pop up along paths and deer trails, scattered along the way like a
The Unmentionables
August 4, 2023
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This week we hosted a group of 10–14 year olds from Hill-Stead’s “STEAM” summer program. “STEAM” stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math. I have never really enjoyed talking to large groups of kids as their energy level is often somewhat unhinged when they are all together outside, off school grounds. But when we heard the kids were primarily from underserved communities, it was hard to say no. And they were awesome. They were calm, attentive, and respectful.
Exactly What We Need
July 28, 2023
Maybe it’s because I’m an “Adult Child of an Engineer” that I am constantly contemplating how to redesign things that work okay - but could be better. The human body is one of those things that I often think falls way short of perfection. (And the older I get, the shorter it falls.)
For instance, I’ve often wondered why my arms couldn’t be just a little bit longer, so I could reach and scratch the middle of my back. Maybe, evolution determined long ago that people who sought the company of oth
On Revolutions and Rabbit Holes
July 21, 2023
One of my favorite things about being alive is the never ending supply of “rabbit holes” to explore. I’m endlessly curious about certain things and once I’m on the trail of something, I’m quite content to see where it goes. Often, one thing leads to another, which leads to another, and on – and on.
Having decided we wanted to make hay at Hill-Stead but didn’t want to spend $30,000 on a bigger tractor and all the equipment we’d need to bale hay, we started exploring other options.
Dust Bowl 2.0
July 14, 2023
Below ground, a plant’s root system mirrors the size of the plant above ground. For trees and bushes, the root zone spreads across the surface to the leaf zone. For grass, the roots form interwoven mats. The roots help anchor the plant and collect water and nutrients from the soil. But they also do something even more profound – they hold the soil in place. Even during high winds and torrential downpours, the roots in our pastures hold all our precious topsoil in place.
