Spencer Brook Farm/Bonnie’s blog

Farmstand closing for the season

Fri, 8 May 2009 09:31:35 -0400

This weekend will be the last of the season for us. There will be a final push of greens in the refrigerator through Sunday, then the store will close Monday morning.

20% off remaining pork and lamb in the freezer, and 10% off everything else except salad greens. Come on by and help us reduce our inventory!

Twin lambs born Thursday!

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 06:09:30 -0400

Late Thursday afternoon, when I went out to give the chickens their kitchen scraps and collect eggs, the goats and sheep started hollering at me. I looked more closely and saw one little black blob, then another. Dash had just given birth to them and they got right up and started nursing! Cotswolds are generally easy birthers and good mothers. One lamb is a little bit stronger than the other, but they both seem good now, a few days later.

Ground Bees?

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 20:24:38 -0400

Can anyone share good information on ground bees? We have lots of them here. They look like honeybees but the ground bees on my property have a mostly black thorax. They make their little sand holes in clusters around the property, mostly in poor sandy soil. They are not aggressive at all. I would love to research them but I am too busy lately!

I love this post from another blogger!

Successful installation of bees!

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0400

Yesterday our multi-talented farmhand installed three packages of bees! Sarah took the Essex County Beekeepers Association Bee School class in Topsfield this spring and, very fittingly, the day after the last class was Spencer Brook Farm's bee-installation day! I pre-ordered three packages of bees from Rick Reault of New England Beekeeping Supplies, and pickup was April 13.

I stood nearby giving Sarah a small amount of verbal coaching for the first one, but she did great and didn't need me for the other two (although I did keep my eye on her through the window to make sure she was OK!).

Last week Sarah and I walked the property looking for the best siting for the arriving bees. We chose inside the electric fence (to keep the black bear out), partially down a south-facing slope under some deciduous trees. Hopefully this will allow full sun in the wintertime and protection from the hot high sun in the summer.

Notice the nice fieldstone foundations she made for the hives as well. We've always used cinder blocks. This is a dramatic aesthetic improvement!

Lamb in the farmstand, Cherry honeydippers

Mon, 6 Apr 2009 08:56:21 -0400

Hey folks! Lamb is for sale in the farmstand freezer now! This meat is from two lambs born on the farm last spring. Like all other meat for sale here, the lambs were processed at Blood Farm in Groton. The folks at Blood's are very easy to work with and have a gentle and personal operation. I am so happy to have a responsible and caring slaughterhouse in our area.

Chicken eggs are coming steady now, too, so those are in the farmstand refrigerator for sale. There are a few goose eggs for sale as well, but we stopped collecting them over the weekend. Whatever the goose lays now she can collect in a clutch to hatch out.

Also, there are five beautiful wooden honey dippers for sale in the farmstand. They were made by Sarah, our farmhand, who turned them from cherry wood harvested from the farm!

Craft BOSTON

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:07:33 -0400

This weekend I spent a few delightful hours at the Craft BOSTON show in South Boston. It was inspiring, as usual! Above is a cherry and wool felt wall-hanging by Amy Gillespie. I also bought a necklace from Jennifer Chin of Lush Metals, a bracelet from Lisa Crowder and a hand-pinched porcelain serving bowl by Ingrid Bathe.

edibleBOSTON article, p31!

Sat, 28 Mar 2009 11:17:11 -0400

Last week the newest edition of edibleBOSTON came out and we are in it! Check us out on page 31! Rosie DeQuattro wrote the article and we are thankful to her for her kind words.

In other news, I brought the two lambs to slaughter this week and that meat will be in the farmstand approx. April 5. There is some pork in the freezer, honey is on the shelves, roving is available, and salad greens and arugula are steady these days!

Prosciutto Hanging

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 09:35:58 -0400

Last week Renee helped me, or more like I helped Renee, hang the hams. They are smelling fine, encased in lard, rolled in cracked pepper, wrapped in cheesecloth, and hanging in the basement!!!

Also, a friend emailed me this youtube link and I watched it with my chin wagging. Enjoy!

Extreme Sheep LED Art
We took to the hills of Wales armed to the teeth with sheep, LEDs and a camera, to create a huge amazing LED display. Of sorts. For more info search for samsung LED TV or visit samsung.com/LED

Hive cleanup

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 09:23:09 -0400

Yesterday Sarah and I opened up the two hives by the house. One of them was my strongest hive last summer, then one day there was ZERO activity by the hive. This is exactly how they describe Colony Collapse Disorder. The other feature of CCD is no bees in the hive at all, which is exactly what I found. Nothing, not one dead bee anywhere.

The second hive had a little activity in the fall, so I wasn't sure what I was going to find. I did the knock test and listened to hear if the colony was alive and got no response, so Sarah and I cracked open the hive to do some forensic analysis. We found a ball of dead bees near the top of the hive, surrounded by honey. They did seem like a lot of moisture, there was a white dust around them, which seemed like wax or honey residue, but I need to research it, and some bees were head-in to the comb (died working). I am not going to draw any conclusions until I double check my bee books, but my initial guess is tracheal mites or freezing, since they were right near the top of the hive box. I forgot to check for varroa on the bodies but will go out and double check them for varroa mites. I don't wrap my hives and keep a screened bottom board on year-round to reduce moisture, but maybe I need to revisit my winterization.

The good news is that I ordered three new packages for the spring.

Salad Greens in the freezer

Sun, 8 Mar 2009 19:14:52 -0400

Salad greens are in the freezer for sale now! We are expecting consistent stocking of greens now that the coldest days are behind us!

more pork in the farmstand freezer

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 18:54:21 -0500

I restocked the farmstand freezer with more pork. There is ground pork available in small weights along with hocks and some larger fresh hams in the freezer now. There are still some chops and smaller cuts, as well as fatback available. Spring 2008 lambs will go to slaughter in March and be available at the farmstand in late March.

Micro Art Gallery

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 16:52:18 -0500

Yesterday we put up six small paintings by Julie Vinette, a Boston artist, mostly in response to this Big Red & Shiny article. If you would like to buy one please leave $75 in the farmstand and take a painting! I would love to do something more elaborate in the barn, fields, or hoophouses. If you are an artist with idea, let me know!

Also, just a reminder that the farmstand store is still open. The refrigerator may have greens in it when you visit, check the sign at the end of the road. Other items in the store are honey, lip balm, wool blankets, sheepskins...