Dimond Hill Farm is Open to the Public

Last week, I was fortunate to attend a farm tour and tasting event sponsored by Five Rivers Conservation Trust. Dimond Hill Farm sits at the crest of the hill on Route 202/9 just outside of the city of Concord.

The owner is Jane Presby and the farm has been in her family since 1827. The farm's mission statement is "To serve the land and community with transparency, integrity, reverence and gratitude." She does this by "Honoring the Past and Embracing the Future," while practicing sustainable farming practices, using no plastic, no GMOS, limiting pesticides, and replenishing the soil without synthetic fertilizers, using instead green manure an cover crops. The farm has been protected and will remain in agricultural use through the combined efforts of numerous partners including Five Rivers Conservation Trust, the Trust for Public Land, Equity Trust, and the Historic Preservation Alliance.

Jane Presby discusses her agricultural practices in front of the greenhouses

The open hoop houses were filled with ripe tomatoes and peppers

Through the generosity of Ms. Presby, Five Rivers Conservation Trust members were provided with  a tour of the farm and then a sampling of locally prepared dishes, most of which were grown on site. It was a great way to appreciate the importance of organizations such Five Rivers and other land preservation groups. 

The grounds are open to the public year round and a farm stand operates from June through October.  In the fall, the farm is a popular spot to capture some beautiful pictures of colorful foliage and to pick up that Halloween pumpkin.  If you haven't been to visit in a while, I recommend stopping by.

Documentary: Dirt the Movie

Last night I traveled to Warner to watch Dirt! The Movie (2009) as part of the Warner Outdoor Documentary Film Series.  Although I wanted to see the movie, I was also drawn to the event for two additional reasons. First, I would be able to return to the town where Dave and I bought our first home. Warner is a quintessential New England village, with white clapboard colonial style homes greeting you as you drive onto Main Street. Many things have changed over the thirty years since we lived there, such as the downtown grocery store that we could walk to closing and being replaced by a large supermarket just off the highway. The Local restaurant now resides in that spot, offering a place to have lunch or dinner or to go later in the evening, staying open until eleven.  The second reason I planned to attend the event was that I was looking forward to watching a movie outside on a warm August night.  Unfortunately, wet weather during the day, and severe storms in the forecast for the evening, forced the moving of the event inside to The Gallery located in the back of Main Street BookEnds.

As its name implies, the documentary is all about dirt, its importance to the survival of life on earth, and the need to correct certain practices, including industrial farming, urban development and coal mining throughout the world. These activities are destroying dirt and, along with it, the living vegetation and people it supports.

There were about twenty people who attended the viewing, all who are supportive of living life more sustainably. This was evident by the heartfelt discussion that followed the movie, reiterating the point that no matter how small it may seem, we can each do our part to make a difference.     

New Potatoes

This year, I decided to grow potatoes for the first time in over thirty years. The first time I planted potatoes, I simply took some potatoes from our kitchen drawer that had eyes that were starting to grow. I cut them into smaller pieces, and planed with the eyes facing upwards. This system seemed to work fine, successfully producing a healthy batch of potatoes.

Dark Red Norland Organic Potatoes

This year, though, the boxes of seed potatoes at Agway were so attractive that I decided to purchase a couple. Unfortunately, this was in early May and I didn't realize until I got home that I needed to wait until after the last danger of frost date to plant. So they stayed in the boxes in the basement until the end of May. When I opened the boxes, all of the potatoes had at least six inch long sprouts. Some of the potatoes were soft and moldy and had to be tossed. So much for setting them on a warm windowsill one week before planting to induce sprouting! I cut up the potatoes that seemed viable, but I was doubtful that they would amount to anything. I dug trenches about a foot deep and tossed the pieces in with the sprouts slightly above ground. Eventually, they did grow leaves. Although I never saw a single potato beetles, the plants never looked healthy.

Brown spots and holes plagued these potato plants all summer

I continued to fill the holes throughout the summer with compost and soil and tried to remain optimistic. Then a few days ago, when I checked on the garden, two of the plants appeared to have disappeared. They either shriveled up and died or some animal ate them. I decided it couldn't hurt to see what was underneath, so I carefully used a spading fork to loosen the soil and then reached with under the soil with my hands. Nothing, as I searched underneath the first plant. But, the second plant produced the handsome spuds in the picture above. Last night we boiled them with some turnips and served them with a little salt, butter and thyme. They were a real treat, and I can't wait to see what's under the remaining plants!

A Day in Fennville, Michigan

The great thing about our vacation to Michigan was that we took it slow and simply enjoyed where we were at. While visiting my brother in Saugatuck, we kept it local by spending an entire day in and around Fennville, which is just ten miles away, Fennville is a picturesqu artisanal farming community, with plenty to see and do. Our first stop was at Evergreen Lane  Farm and Creamery, 
well known for it's award winning goat cheese.

The store is self service with a small refrigerator with cheese samples and wrapped cheese for sale. There is a notebook with instructions on pricing and payment. Out back is the barn with the goats who are more than happy to make new friends.

After buying some cheese (fortunately we remembered to bring a cooler), we headed back the way we came, stopping at a small memorial park we saw on the way to the creamery. It turned out to be a historic marker for the site of a farm owned by Herbert Hudson. Plaques at the site describe the history of the Hudson family and identify the trees surrounding the land. The Hudson family's roots in America date back to 1640 when Daniel Hudson settled in Watertown, Massachusetts. Herbert Hudson, who was born in 1861, became one of the founders of  Hudson & Thurber Company, an agricultural supply distributor, and later, manufacturing company. The site is also stop #13 on the Allegan County Heritage Trail.

Day Lilies surround the site of the original home of Herbert and Delia Hudson

We continued down 124th Avenue/MI89. On this road is Michigan State University's Trevor Nichols Agriculture Research Station, which specializes in pest management research for fruit orchards, a significant source of income for many farmers in the mid-west. Our next stop was the Gary Crane Farm, also known as "Cranes U-Pick."  We had been tasked by my brother to pick some fresh peaches. Although the U-Pick was not open, the store did have fresh peaches for sale which we added to our cooler.

It was approaching lunch-time, so we headed downtown on main street to Roof Coffee House. Most of the food is locally sourced and may even be grown on their own Fernwood Farm. The coffee was rich and the food satisfying. I nice place to eat, read a book, or work on your laptop.

Food and drink were definitely the themes of our day. Following our sandwiches for lunch, we headed back down 124th Avenue to Crane's Pie Pantry Restaurant for dessert. The restaurant is located in the family's 150 year old barn, and provides that old town welcoming feel the minute you

 walk in the door. The successful restaurant, expanded it's repertoire by adding a fruit winery in 2014. We ordered a sampler of their cider to accompany our dessert.

Cranes is not the only winery in Fennville, Fenn Valley Winery boasts a 55-acre vineyard which  has been in business since 1973. It has an impressive wine-tasting room where you can sample their wide selection of award winning whites, reds, fruit and specialty wines.

As we departed Fennville, we followed the signs for river access. We had to travel quite a way, but eventually turned right at the boat launch sign which led to a nice park on the Kalamazoo River. A trail leads to a 422 foot bridge is open for pedestrian traffic only which provides a nice view of the river. It's a great spot for fishing, a picnic, or to take a stroll.

This was the perfect spot to end a near perfect day experiencing the vibrant agritourism industry in Southwest Michigan.

Apples and Pears, Oh My!

It's only mid-August, but the apples and pears are already dropping off our trees in the backyard. The pear tree is ancient and only has a few branches left, but it is still producing beautiful pears. This is the first year in fifteen that the yellow apple tree has produced abundantly.

 

Perhaps in a couple months we will grow tired of these two fruits, but right now we're enjoying some early flavors of fall. The recipe below uses a combination of apples and pears, but it can easily be made with one or the other. 

Apple and Pear Coffee Cake

1 cup sugar; 2 eggs; 1/2 cup margarine; 1 cup flour; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt; 2 cups chopped apples.  Cream together sugar and margarine, then add eggs and set aside. Sift dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients, alternately with the sour cream or yogurt to the creamed mixture. Stir until blended. Spread into greased 8 or 9 inch square pan. Sprinkle on topping and bake 350 degrees about 45 minutes.

Topping: 1/2 cup brown sugar; 2 Tablespoons butter; 1/4 cup chopped walnuts; 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.

Michigan Vacation: Grand Traverse Bay

We just returned from a wonderful vacation in Michigan. I grew up there, attended Michigan State University, where I met my future husband. After Dave graduated from law school, we got married and moved to New England shortly thereafter. Since we hadn't been back in eight years, we did our best to cover as much of the state as possible, visiting friends and relatives along the way. We traveled from Detroit north to Traverse City, south to Saugatuck and east to Chelsea.

After picking up our rental car in Detroit we headed northwest to our first stop - Parshallville, in Livingston County. Parshallville is a picturesque village where my parents retired. In a few weeks, the Parshallville Cider Mill will be a bustling place, but today, we had the village to ourselves.

Our stop was brief. We strolled around the grist mill and walked by the home where my parents had moved after I left for college. The house is close to two-hundred years old and has gone through several renovations. Although it looked very different from when my parents lived there over three decades ago, I was happy to see that the house is being well cared for and enjoyed. Back on the highway, we continued driving north on U.S. 23 before bearing east toward Traverse City. We arrived just in time to enjoy the beautiful colors of the sunset (below).

Traverse City's tourism has grown significantly in the last decade with the region consistently ranking high in national ratings as a not to be missed destination. In 2012 Traverse City was listed as one of “America’s 10 Hottest Cold Cities” at Livability.Com; as a Best Summer Trip in National Geographic; and a "Top Seven Beer Destinations in North America" by the Travel Channel. During the summer, hotel rooms are at a premium and need to be reserved well in advance. After unsuccessfully searching for traditional lodging, I decided to try Airbnb for the first time. Not knowing what to expect, we were very pleased with our choice. We shared a two bedroom condo with the owner, just outside of town. Over the three days we were there, our paths never crossed, so we basically had the entire unit to ourselves at a cost a fraction of the price of a regular hotel. 

In the morning the next day we browsed the shops of downtown.Like the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, Traverse City sits within the 45th degree parallel.

Approximately Seventy-Five percent of the cherries produced in the United States come from Michigan and Traverse City has become known  the "Cherry Capital" if the world. Thankfully, we missed the Cherry Festival which coincided with the Fourth of July weekend. I wouldn't want to deal with the crowds. But it was still cherry harvesting season, so fresh cherries were plentiful at the Saturday morning farmers market. 

Once cherry season is over, one can visit Cherry Republic and buy pretty much anything cherry flavored, including their own cherry-based wines. Free samples and tastings are available throughout the store.

Down by the water are bike rentals which can be used on the miles of surrounding bike paths, or if you want to cool off on the water, there are paddle board and kayak rentals. We chose the later.

On Friday evening, our friends Tom and Kathryn took us out on their boat into Grand Traverse Bay. It was perfect weather and a great way to relax after a very busy day.

Dave waiting to board.

Leaving the Harbor

Saturday ignored the forecast of rain and turned out gorgeous. We took a drive up to Suttons Bay, then over to Leeland. Leland is an active commercial fishing village, with the docks and shanties of "Fishtown" listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Waterfall view from the deck of The Cove restaurant

and their famous Chubby Mary drink

I was glad that we got the opportunity to do a little hiking. First to the top of Rattlesnake Hill (below)

And then up the Sleeping Bear Dunes, which was voted as the "Most Beautiful Place in America" by Good Morning America viewers in 2011. Hiking the dunes takes some endurance, but it's great exercise and provides a lot of cushion on the knees going down!

 
I have decided to break our vacation up into several blog posts, since after I started writing I realized that we saw too much to cover in one post. I took lots of pictures and made mental notes, so stay tuned for further coverage. 

Early August Produce

We just returned from a twelve-day vacation in Michigan . Before we left I made sure I weeded, watered and mulched the gardens. Late July is about the best time for a home gardener to go on vacation in New England. By that time, garden plants have become established, and weed germination has typically  slowed down. Our college son stayed home to work, so was able to keep  the garden watered. This definitely helped in the ninety degrees plus heat.

Even before unpacking, I grabbed a pair of shears and went to the garden to see what had ripened while we were away. Overall. I was pleased with what I found. Although some of the greens had  bolted in the heat, the kale, mizuna and swiss chard were still doing well. So too were the cucumbers and summer squash.

Conversely, I had to pull up a couple tomato plants as they had no leaves left. I am not sure what caused this, but the tomato plants I have survived do not look great either. It looks like tomatoes are one vegetable that I will be buying at the farmers markets this year. Another crop that is struggling this year is the green beans. They recovered earlier this summer after being eaten by deer, but they are still not flourishing.

This was my first year planting turnips and they have definitely done well. I picked an early batch in June and they were great in salads and chopped into mashed potatoes, but I have realized that they still had a lot of growing to do. Now they are three times the size and will add flavor and nutrients to several meals.

Turnips in early July

Turnips picked August 3rd

In addition to the roots, turnip greens are also edible and packed with vitamins and minerals. I simply chop them and simmer in a pot of water flavored with a bouillon cube for about 30 minutes. It can be served on its own or I sometimes added to other dishes and serve over pasta or rice.