Summer Highlights of Heritage Skills, Farm Animal Friends

Deb D (Aunt Eunice) — Mon, 20 Jul 2020 18:41:00 +0000

Pigs, Horses, & More Farm Animal Friends

Hello Folks, Aunt Eunice here. I am sorry it’s been a while since I have written to you. With July arriving, I have been busier than a farmer trying to catch a litter of rowdy piglets! Speaking of piglets, our sow Sweetie Pie had a litter of sixteen last month. Whew!! That is quite a large number as she only has the spigots to feed fourteen. She is a great mother though and all of them have thrived. Now that the babies are eating on their own and have grown a good amount the majority have found a home at another farm. Last week, our new heritage breed boar arrived at the farm. He was a bit shy about exiting the trailer into his new home, but with some coaxing (and food) he decided to enter the pig barn. Our sow Bertha was there to greet him and they have become good companions. We have named the boar Max and he is a fine fellow. It has been hard to get a good picture of him as he is in love with his mud wallow so that is where you can find him most of the time. Max is a Gloucester Old Spot breed. The new draft horses Jenny and Judy have settled in nicely as well. They did not come to us as a team, but they are working very well together. They are so similar in appearance that they seem like sisters. They are both Suffolk Punches. The other animals are all doing well and there are plenty of them for visitors to see.

Programming Adapted to the Times

Our COVID-19 adapted tours are going well and folks can safely visit and learn about various chores and tasks done on the homestead in the 19th century. Last week was a very busy one with several extra demonstrations. There was a pottery highlight, a Spinning and Weaving Day, a Bread Baking Highlight, oats being harvested, and Saturday was Music in the Valley. Several musicians came out to the farm and played traditional music on dulcimers, fiddles and banjos. We appreciated the sharing of stories about music development in the United States along with their talent at playing many classic tunes. We even had a very entertaining puppet show. It was a great day.

This week will be another busy one with a Rye Straw Craft Day on Tuesday, Split Oak Basketry along with Quilting on Wednesday, Paper Crafts on Thursday and on Friday evening 7/24 a special fundraiser, an Ice Cream & Art Twilight Tour where folks can create some art work, enjoy homemade ice cream, and visit two tour stops on the farm for special presentations. Call the office for more information or to sign up, but hurry.

July has been plenty busy and August looks to be the same. I hope you will have an opportunity to come visit us. You will have fun and most likely learn something new. Nothing better than having fun while learning! Well, that’s all for now folks. I hope you are staying healthy. Take care of each other. Thank you and see you soon. Aunt Eunice

Summer Highlights: Heritage Skills Demonstrations

Deb D (Aunt Eunice) — Mon, 24 Jun 2019 04:41:00 +0000

Hello Folks,

Aunt Eunice here. This past weekend summer officially began. Long days will slowly fade into shorter ones and by fall darkness will begin to come far too early for me. The yearly cycle of days and sunlight have always guided the farmer in his round of chores and tasks. Making hay while the sun shines is an example.

Processing Hay into Bales

This Sunday, the staff was not only giving historic tours, but also out bringing in the hay. What a wonderful smell is freshly dried hay, I suppose unless you get hay fever! As a child, I would gather with the other neighborhood kids and help the farmer during hay season with the baling. We rode in the wagon and when a bale came flying up, you quickly stacked it before the next one came. Don’t turn your back on the baler though or you were just asking to get walloped by a heavy 40 pounder. We also helped throw bales on the conveyor belt that took the bales up into the barn’s hay mow to be neatly stacked, all ready to feed to the horses. By the time you were done, the fun had started to wear a little thin as you were hot, sweaty and itchy. It was a smart time to head for the creek and cool off. It was a bit different in the early years of the 1800s when the farmer cut the hay by hand, let it dry and then pitchforked the loose hay onto horse drawn wagons to be taken to the barn. Intensive manual labor. No wonder the farm family was always a large one and neighbors helped each other out.

Corn Husk Crafts

This coming week on Tuesday June 25th we have a special highlight on cork husk crafts. Jeanna Trezza will demonstrate how to make various items out of the corn husks saved from field corn. This is an old craft and many things were made such as dolls, flowers and the settlers even made door mats for wiping their feet off. On Thursday June 27th the highlight is cheese making. Brenda Massie and Carol Carpenetti will demonstrate how to make a soft herb cheese. I hear samples will be shared. Both of these highlights are part of a program that brings special demonstrations to the farm for visitors to enjoy and as a way to teach about specific heritage crafts, trade or farm skills. There is no additional charge to see these highlights. Under the Calendar of Events you can see the current list of highlight offerings.