May Newsletter

Since I last wrote, Spring has burst forth and all those bushes that for 50 weeks of the year you pass without notice open their white, purple and pink buds filling the air with spring sweetness. There is a thrill to winter’s brown turning green and the synchronicity of the budding and blooming of the crabapple trees, then the lilacs, daffodils, rhododendrons, and daylilies, while we wait next for the conical flowers on the huge catalpas and peonies.

Spring is a wonderful time to be on a farm and look up. I have been paying particular attention to the industry of the legions of birds with whom we share this farm. All the holes that time and previous generations of birds have created in the various barns are perfect places to build a sheltering nest. Watching a finch make several attempts to squeeze through the tight hole with a crucial twig needed for the nest, I marvel at both the ingenuity and single-minded determination of these soon-to-be-mothers. The white droppings around the various holes make it easy to find the ideal places to watch this rite of spring.

Dusty Wright and the Nomads perform at our first coffeehouse.

Waters of Fitting Creek wrap around the farm and are almost certainly the reason those original Dutch farmers settled here in the 1780’s. In April the creek pulsated with all the early spring rains, but levels have already dropped significantly and Peter is setting up irrigation, something that usually happens in summer. Between the lack of rain, last week’s killing freeze and an industrious family of groundhogs eating through the young kale, this spring has had its challenges. While we have pumps and a greenhouse to reduce some of our risk, our predecessors relied on the wisdom and techniques passed down from one generation to the next, but to survive, then as now, it is probably most important to have the equanimity to accept how much can’t be controlled–a real mind shift in a world where you can order anything your heart desires and have it the next day.

Quinn and Tracy Pennea teaching at the bread and pasta class.

The 2023 season’s early spring events–the foraged ramp dinner, bread and pasta cooking class, and the coffeehouse–all sold out and were great successes–pictures and reviews below. The success of our Mother’s Day brunch was quite literally overwhelming. With 42 separate orders placed in the first 30 minutes, our merry band of three struggled, and at certain points failed, to keep up with demand. By 1:00, we had gone through 15 dozen eggs and an almost equal number of loaves of bread, sold out of everything, and were pooped. With the kitchen opening for the season on tomorrow, we are adding staff, seeking new sources for some of the ingredients, and implementing a pause button requiring us to stop taking orders during periods when too many orders are in the queue. The “pause” idea being that when we are overwhelmed, we ask newly arriving guests to spend a bit of time down by the creek, walking around the farm watching the birds or visiting the goats while we work to catch up. (Nothing is more stressful for the chefs than to be working really hard and still have the number pending orders keep growing.) Thanks to all for your support and patience on Mother's Day!

“What a fantastic evening and a great start to the season! You guys really knocked it out of the park. The food was exceptional and the atmosphere everything that could be hoped for. Looking forward to the Summer Solstice Dinner--we will be 5.” ~ M.B.

“Saturday evening was wonderful. So much love and care went into the dinner and you could feel it. We had a great time.” ~ J.M.

“THANK YOU all! It was a super fun evening, and dinner was just extraordinary. Every bit. The lilacs too!” ~S. G.

“We loved it and signed up for the summer solstice party right away...” ~J.G.

“Thank you for a perfect evening! Delicious and fun. Grateful to you all for creating this warm, inviting space.” ~L.B