Category Archives: the Farm

Kitchen Rehab, week 3

Steve is a neat, methodical rehabber, and every day when I come home from work, visible progress has been made. Once the cabinets were painted, he put them back to make room for painting the island. He even put the … Continue reading

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Kitchen Rehab

We’re in full-on kitchen rehab mode. It’s such an overwhelming project, I’ve mostly just tried not to think about it and to stay out of the way. So far, the decision vis a vis paint and flooring and countertop material/color … Continue reading

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Prodigal Summer (Review) and Butter

I’ve been reading Barbara Kingsolver’s Prodigal Summer, and although I’m not disappointed in it, I am surprised by how didactic it is. I had high hopes of a book that would be full of details of rural life in Virginia, … Continue reading

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A Walk in the Pasture…

 milkweed pod on the prairie  I am still thinking about beef cows. Reading the “grass” chapters in The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan is not at all convincing me that it will be easy to raise cows, but it … Continue reading

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Cheesemaking

Ever since I finished Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Mineral I’ve started making cheese. I got the ricotta and mozzarella kit from the New England Cheesemaking Supply Company and have made three batches of the mozzarella. It’s the most fun to make … Continue reading

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British White Cows

Yesterday, many from the Heymans clan came out to the farm on the pretense of going to the St. John’s football game. It was spearheaded by Steve’s dad, who in the end listened to the first half on the radio and … Continue reading

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We Made the Police Blotter!

An entry on the local newspaper’s police blotter was about a call to our property. October 9: 6:50 p.m. Fire. 95th Avenue. A resident called to report something burning in the area. Officer arrived and could see flames across the … Continue reading

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Burnished Season

We’ve had two weeks of absolutely gorgeous fall weather. The trees have suddenly changed color, and everything has this burnished feel. Everything is metallic: copper, silver, steel, bronze. Hanging clothes on the line yesterday, the rusted metal of our clothes … Continue reading

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The Orchard

Logging in today, I realized I forgot to publish the State Fair entry– it was written back around September 2, but here it is the 13th… What I saw instead was the entry about keeping the farming under control. Which … Continue reading

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Grill Frog

This little frog has been living in my grill all summer. I’d say 9 times out of ten, when I pull off the grill cover, there he is. He sticks to the stainless steel, either right along the edge by … Continue reading

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