The weather forecast showed pouring rain. An ideal forecast for farm owners planning a four day vacation in late April. When the weather prohibits spring plowing and planting, departures can be quilt-free. We set off with the suitcase packed, our feet in decent shoes and both of us outfitted in stylish clothes. The itinerary included one day at Valley Forge, one day in Lancaster County PA, and the trek home brought us across New York’s Cherry Valley. Our day in Lancaster County included a visit to Stoltzfus Manufacturing in Honey Brook and Messicks in Mount Joy. For Larry these were essential stops. At Stoltzfus Manufacturing, we needed to exchange bale grabber parts. In Mount Joy, we...
Back in history, town residents elected pound keepers and fence viewers to keep animals from running at large. Evidently residents who lost animals must have known that they should check the book of strays to figure out where there animal might have gone.
Maple season is upon us! We will be welcoming visitors to the sugarhouse this year with a few changes to ensure everyone’s health and safety: The statewide mask mandate is still in effect, and we’ll ask you to wear one at all times on the farm property. Pay attention to signage when you arrive because we may establish one-way traffic through the sugarhouse, and limit the number of families inside at one time. There will be some new displays and demos to watch and explore while you wait. We won’t be offering syrup samples this year but will have plenty of small items for you to purchase and try on your drive home from the farm. The sugarhouse will be...
Pure maple syrup is a delightful ingredient. It’s versatile and imparts great flavor to all baked goods. Once my goal was to bake my way through most of the recipes featured in my maple syrup cookbooks. My two favorite books are NH Maple Recipes and Simply Maple from the Ontario Maple Producers. The notes I left in the margins show I made a good effort. Naturally the breads, bars, cookies, and muffins earned starred reviews. I leave a date by each recipe to show if it's a recipe I’ve made recently. To boost my chances for future success, I record comments about the ingredients or if the baking time in the oven was accurate. According to my notes, maple...
