The First Week of November 2015

We’ve had a sudden burst of warmth that enables us to do additional outdoor work.   Among our 15 acres are several very old and large trees.   The old oak on the hill now hosts the 12x12 tree house.   The old maple in the marsh now hosts a 4x4 foot platform.     A 42” old pine overlooking the railroad tracks now hosts a 5x5 foot platform that I built over the weekend.   It has a 16 foot staircase, sloped at a comfortable 65 degrees, with stairs every foot.  

A freight train passes Unity Farm every morning at 7am, every afternoon at 2pm and every evening at 11pm.    Now, sitting in the old pine tree, you’re suspended above the train as it goes by.    Here’s what it looks like

Our second cut hay was delivered this week.   How do you move 7 tons of hay from truck to barn loft?    One bale at time (300 bales)

We finished the last of the cider making using a 50/50 mixture of Baldwin and Winesap apples.    The end result tastes a bit like Sauvignon Blanc.   It will undergo a 2 stage fermentation then I’ll bottle it in the Spring.

All our produce is ready for winter - the hoop house lettuce will continue to grow for a few months, the fruit trees are ready for a long winter’s nap. and the garlic roots will grow over the winter (below)

The bees hives are stocked with enough honey to last the 100 days of winter.   The aplaca have regrown their fiber, and the dogs are fully fluffed for the cold winter ahead.


The days are getting shorter which means that all the barn chores are done in the dark.    The fireplace is filled with flaming oak, ash, and maple.    Dinner has returned to the soups, roasted vegetables, and pickled foods from summer harvests.

Soon, the outdoor work will fade and plowing snow will be the main task.   Our 52” snowblower attachment for the tractor arrives next week.