Getting Ready....

It's March 6th.....And, no sap, yet....We've been completely out of our own stock for over a month now.  Oy, Vey!  

We've had a challenging winter!  Well, actually, just a challenging February, really.   

Record-breaking frigid temperatures and record-breaking snowfall, according to all the meteorologists. 

However, the week ahead shows much promise, with predicted highs in the 40's, and lows in the 20's - perfect conditions to wake up the trees and begin collecting that sweet sap!






 

 

 The greatest challenge at the moment is actually getting to our trees to drill and tap them - there's easily 3 feet of snow out there!!  We began working on preparations earlier this week, but today and tomorrow we'll be busy little beavers. 








We are not working alone this year, however, because we've connected with another producer who lives about 9 miles east of us, right on Otisco Lake, the next "little finger" lake to the right of Skaneateles Lake on the map.  

She has fantastic equipment, knowledge to share, and a desire to educate the next generation of producers; we have young, strong "manpower", 500+ trees prepped, and a desire to learn - a perfect match!  More about that, and lots of pictures to come!
 

 Also, exciting - our little on-line store will be ready for purchases in April, thanks to our devoted friend, Josh!  But, I am still happy to hand-deliver syrup to my friends and family whenever possible, and folks are always welcome to stop by our home.   
And, this year, we plan to have not only maple syrup for sale, but also maple cream - a luxurious spread on toast, crackers, scones and more!

Ushering in Autumn

Good evening, Friends!  Well, today was the kind of day that reminds me why I love autumn in the Northeast.  Bright sunshine, azure sky dotted with fluffy, white clouds, and a light breeze.



It was about 68 degrees and DRY today, after a few days of damp, rainy weather.  It felt GLORIOUS to be outside!  And, the vegetation is just hinting at  it's vibrant fall colors, to be revealed in the coming weeks.

 

I breathed deeply... that crisp, fresh air while on my daily walk to the field at the top of the hill today.  The dogs bounded through the field, and tracked critters through the woods.  I love the way the trees filter the sunlight in autumn.  Depending on the time of day I walk, I get a completely different picture.

Tig in nearly six months old now.  He's grown so much since his arrival on May 26th - 33lbs. at his mid-August check-up!

Being in a family of yellow labs, he's beginning to pick up "lab" behaviors.  My little Aussie shepherd thinks he's a hunting dog, flushing game and hurling himself into bodies of water after critters!  Now, if he could get that "retrieving" part...

I soak it in - not just the sights of early autumn, but the sounds, too.  The geese overhead announce their presence as they head south.

 


 
Meanwhile, Don was thrilled to have one of his days off coincide with sunshine!  He and the boys had a perfect afternoon to exercise his resourcefulness on our new, larger chicken coop.  He's building it with materials we already have around the farm.  I'll be sure to share that project as it progresses.

After a delicious fall meal of turkey, mashed potatoes and carrots, I walked out to the pond with the dogs, and got a few early evening photos.

Then, a sweet family from Staten Island, New York City stopped by to purchase some maple syrup.  I so enjoy having people stop in for some syrup and a chat!  Our supply is dwindling, however.  We're down to about eight quarts!  Thankfully, only 5 months to go until the 2015 sap run!

He's getting so handsome, isn't he?

Birthday Wishes Fulfilled...

My birthday was earlier this month.  My husband asked me what I wanted, as any good husband would do, right?  After making a mental list of all the possibilities my answer may hold, I decided to go with simple and inexpensive.

"Honey, I would like to spend a day hiking and exploring someplace new to us in New York.  How about seeing Lake Ontario?  You, me, the dogs and whom ever of our kids is interested."
(And, then, I went shopping, all by myself, and bought 2 pairs of earrings...Takes the guess-work of these things!)

Well, between Don's travels for work.....

Then the dreary, cloudy, soggy weather we experienced for nearly 2 weeks prevented Don from following through with my birthday wish.  Bummer.



However, when we saw that yesterday was predicted to be mostly sunny AND 79 degrees, we decided we just had to do it.  Don would set aside his agenda for completing projects around the farm, and I would pause from school year preparations, cleaning, and processing the veggies from the garden.




We would hike at Chimney Bluff State Park in the morning, enjoy a picnic lunch, then head over to Sodus Point to see the lighthouse and relax on the beach.





 

And, a glorious day it was!!  I want to share with you, my followers, some of the beautiful sights and moments we (Grace, Rosie, Don and I) captured with my camera.  Definitely a place we'll be visiting again!!



I'll try to keep this to my 10 favorite photos, but please forgive me if I go over by 3 or 4!

Mac, fetching a log.  The water is so clear and blue!

My favorite hiking partners in a unique-looking tree.

Hiking towards the bluffs.

Grace captured this seagull on the point of this cool geological feature!






Keep Scrolling....I definitely went over my limit, Folks!  But, you just have to see...

The point from a distance.  Pretty awesome view!

Another beautiful sight captured by Grace!

Looking back at the beach from the pier...

The dogs had a blast swimming.  I wasn't sure how Tig would feel about the rougher, deeper water, since his only swimming experiences thus far have been splashing around our little pond.







Turns out he LOVES to swim - I believe he thinks he's a lab, too!

My beautiful artist!  I hope she will paint one or two of these pictures for me...

A sweet little family on the beach was flying this colorful kite.

And, of course, we couldn't end our day without our little tradition.....

You see, I grew up spending many, many weekends traveling from my family's home in Chester County, PA to the Chesapeake Bay area, where we went boating, crabbing, fishing and water-skiing.  On the way home, we always stopped for ice cream at this great little Mom-n-Pop place called, "The Real McCoy".  Up until a few years ago, I was still stopping there with my own kids.

So, when we saw a little ice cream place that resembled our traditional haunt, I looked at Don.....he looked at me, and.....

You guessed it.....

YUM!!

Thanks so much, Don, for a very lovely birthday!!

Beautiful Blueberries

Fresh fruits and veggies make eating so delightful this time of the year.  So many juicy, colorful, flavorful fruits are available!



And, who doesn't love fresh berries?  Magenta to crimson to deep violet, luscious berries are readily available in the Northeast this time of year....But, my all-time favorite berry is the beautiful blueberry.  I love its deep blue color just as much as its tart-n-sweet flavor.  I even think the bushes, with their smooth, deep green leaves, are lovely!

And, one of my favorite pastimes is picking my own blueberries on a late summer's day when the sun is warm and bright, but the heat is not too intense....when you can sense that autumn is not too far off.... 

Someday, I'm gonna have 2 or 3......or 20 (knowing my husband!) blueberry bushes on Westbrook Farm, but until then, I have to find someplace else to pick.

Last year, one of my new friends, Julianne, took me to this scenic little blueberry orchard on top of a hill just outside of Cortland, NY, called Hall's Hill. (www.hallshillblueberryfarm.com)  We picked several pounds to eat fresh and we froze enough to make blueberry "delights" throughout the winter.



I mentioned to her, a few weeks ago, that I'd love to go again, but we weren't sure if we'd be able to make it happen since both of us have been experiencing "transportation challenges" of late.






However, last Thursday, Praise the Lord, we made it happen! 




My friend, our daughters, and I grabbed our buckets and baskets, packed into her minivan, and head to the hills.  What a lovely afternoon we had!




Blessed with perfect weather and delightful company, I weaved my way in and out of the rows, tasting the different varieties of blueberries, and selecting the ones I wanted to fill our containers. We moms had the opportunity to chat, relax in the sun, and watch the cottony clouds float by as we picked, while our daughters chattered their way up and down the rows of blueberry bushes, and played with the sweet farm dog.






Now, this farm has at least 4, maybe 5 or 6, different varieties of blueberries.  Who knew there were so many choices?!  Different sizes and levels of tartness or sweetness...  Since they are not labeled, the only way to know what you are getting is...taste, of course!  And, note the rows of the ones you like.

Grace, Rosie and I identified 3, that, when combined, produce an amazing flavor explosion in your mouth!  So, that's what we picked.

 

I'm so glad I decided to take my camera along - such a gorgeous day!!





The final outcome:  9 and half pounds of juicy, blue deliciousness!

Blueberry recipes to come, I promise!  I've already made some muffins, but mostly we've been adding our blueberries to our yogurt, hot cereal and vanilla ice cream.....yum!

Summer Beauty....

Hello, Friends!  Hope you are enjoying your summer as we head into July.  I've got friends all over the country from Alaska to Texas to Virginia.  My in-laws visited Maine and I have friends and family who spend time on the Cheasepeake Bay.  I LOVE to see everyone's photos! 


 I have a few June photos of my own to share.  We haven't gone anyplace exciting, yet, this summer, but some of us went down to Lancaster County, PA for a few days.... and we'll be going there, again, very soon. (Yippee!)

Plus, we are having some friends from PA visit us in July! 

Hoping to do some more hiking, now that I'm healed from my surgery, as there is so much natural beauty in CNY.   I will definitely share photos from those experiences!

Brilliant colors brighten our days here at Westbrook Farm this summer.  When I arrived home from my 4-day trip, I was delighted to find these and others blooming.

And, our daily walks through the sugarbush reveal bright orange mushrooms and gorgeous wild blooms like these:

 

                                                      The farmer who makes hay on the property next to ours is a bit behind schedule this year, so our favorite field on the hilltop, full of canary grass, clover, and orchard grass, has bloomed! 

It is so tall and thick that it provides perfect cover for lots of critters.  Yesterday, 3 wild turkeys flew up and scattered just four feet in front of me!  Surprised, I fumbled to get my camera up.  I captured this one, at least:

Ah...the beauty of June.....

 

Awhile back, I mentioned sharing maple syrup recipes with you. We've been experimenting and taste-testing for the past couple of months, and I've found some real winners! Stay tuned for some delicious recipes.  Maple syrup is definitely not just for pancakes and waffles!!

Pictorial Comparison (part 3): Lake Country

We live in the Finger Lakes region of Central New York, now.  Such a picturesque area of the Northeast! Homeschooling and the flexibility of Don's job affords us many daylight hours to take "sunday drives" during the week (scandalous, I know!) to explore lake country.  That is just what we've done this past year. Sometimes, just Don and I go for a drive and call it a "date".  We enjoy finding new back roads with beautiful homes and farms, little country stores, wineries and scenic overlooks.  Many times, however,we take two or more kids along for the ride, and, if he begs just right, a dog, too!

There are 11 finger lakes in NY.... in case you were wondering! They were formed by glacial ice.  Most people are familiar with Seneca Lake and Cayuga Lake, as those seem to get the most tourism.  We live just a couple of miles south of Lake Skaneateles, which means "skinny woman" in Iroquois.  It is less than a mile wide, and 16 miles long - skinny, indeed!  I've visited 4 of the lakes this year,

but Skaneateles is my favorite, so far. This is my very first view of her.  The scenic overlook is about 2 miles up the road from our little farm.  And, we can be in the beautiful little town of Skaneateles in about 20 minutes.  Just a few days after moving in we took the whole family up there for the day.  I like it so much, I find a reason to go there almost monthly!

There are lots of little shops with unique (aka. expensive) items, art galleries, an old library with an art museum, an antique store, and a variety of restaurants, including our favorite little bakery.  We enjoy meandering around the little memorial park beside the lake, and strolling down the pier with a cup of coffee.

                                   

Generally, we did not endure much snow in Lancaster County, with the exception of the occasional blizzard - like February 2010... 20+ inches in 48 hours!  This is an unusual winter for them.  The average annual snowfall down there is only 18 inches.  In comparison, the average annual snowfall for Cortland County, NY is 70 inches! Needless to say, we had to learn to have fun in the snow.  Don bought a snowmobile last January, and I purchased a pair of snowshoes, which I use almost daily whenever we have 8+ inches of snow on the ground.  The girls received ice skates this Christmas, which they use frequently on our pond and at the ice rink, and we continue to trail ride the horses whenever possible. Otherwise, we'd go crazy!

                                                                                                                                                        

But, the best part of our new home has been all the gorgeous nature hikes we've taken!

One day, during a science lesson, I asked the girls, "What are the three states of water?"  Rosemary, in all seriousness, replies, "Um, New York...."  Too funny!!  Not the answer I was looking for, however, it sure does seem that way with all the lakes, ponds, streams and waterfalls!  I hope you enjoy scrolling through these "water" photos:

Yes, we've seen some beautiful things since our move north last year!  I am looking forward to sharing more adventures with you as the months go by.  Please keep following us....maple syrup production is just around the corner!  

Stay tuned.  I'll share with you some interesting facts about maple syrup in my next few posts....