Help Me Pick Paint Colors!

I've been planning on painting the farmhouse for a while now. When we first bought the house, the paint was in good shape, I just wasn't crazy about the colors (the green felt dated and the white-on-white main field and trim caused a lot of the Victorian detail to get lost). Now, the paint is really chipping off and the house looks a little, well, dumpy. The last time the house was painted was probably 20 years ago, so I'm hoping that with good preparation and quality paint, this paint job will last another 20.

 Here, you can see some of the details on the house... I'm also working on new landscaping, so stay tuned!

The front of the house... I'm hoping to put a front porch on the house in the next few years.

The roof is dark green, which kind of limits the colors we can use on the house. But that's okay, since I really wanted to include some green on the house, anyway. I've tested a bunch of colors on the house and I think I've finally narrow the choices down... but I need help! Here are the three color schemes I've decided on - would you be so kind as to help me choose one? Thanks!

So, here's how the palettes work: The upper left color is the main color on the house. The upper right color is the primary trim color (mostly on the window trims and shakes in the gables). The bottom left color is the secondary trim color, going on window details and other architectural trim. The bottom right color is the accent for the Victorian arches in the gables, the doors, window boxes, and some detail around the bay window. (Heads up: The colors read a bit darker on the screen than in real life).

Option One:

Option Two:

Option Three:

Whaddya think? The colors definitely read differently here than on the house, but I think you'll get the gist. As excited as I am to paint the house, I'm not looking forward to the grunt work. Thanks for your help with the colors, and if you have other ideas, please share!

Hurricane Irene

Hello friends. So sorry for my radio silence lately. Our community was hit hard by Hurricane Irene, only a few days after a freak earthquake hit the Capital Region. While we did suffer some damage, we were incredibly lucky. Many of our neighboring towns were severely flooded or washed away altogether. The news and images are just devastating, and to be honest, I've been having a hard time pulling myself together enough to blog about it. At our farm, we were without power for several days (which I actually don't mind. The problem is that we have a well for our water source, which means that we can't run the water pump to get water if we have no power). But again, we were lucky. Power went out on Sunday, and there are still several thousands of people in our area whose service has not been restored. Both my camera and my Blackberry were flooded by Irene, but I was able to snap a few early pictures before they both died on me.

We had several trees fall, including these Locusts 

Some trees were snapped in half

 

The apple orchard received the most wind damage. Entire trees uprooted. Other

trees were split in threes. So sad

The little creek in the barnyard became a lake

This is just behind the barn  

The middle Locust tree lining our road will have to be removed.

Look how much the wind knocked it over

These were all the pictures I managed to capture. The last one was the next morning, after the storm had passed, just before my camera died. We had some water damage in the house (the basement was flooded pretty bad) and my garden is all but kaput. I'm sure many of your will roll your eyes at that garden comment, but it is our food for the year. Tomatoes have burst and are rotting on the vine. Same goes for the pumpkins, squash and melons. Too much moisture. Our little town was evacuated due to flooding. Those that live in town are continuously reminded to boil their water. With not having water ourselves, Dave thought it would be best if I took the kids to my parents' house. What usually is a two hour drive took 10 hours instead. All roads leading out of town were closed, except for one back road. Edie, Eric and I came back yesterday to see all the damage first-hand. But again, we are lucky. Our house still stands. Most of our possessions are intact. Our family is safe. While we can afford to supplement our garden with items purchased at the market, many people cannot. Many people in my community have lost everything, including their homes, farms, livestock, family, and way of life. I just heard about a farmer who had to bury several cows and lost 80% of her corn crop. She's not sure if she can survive the winter as a farmer. Wet hay is combusting in barns, causing fires and further damage. Here are a few pictures of the damages from around the region:

From the Times Union

From the Daily Gazette

After the water receded, from the Times Union

Middleburgh, NY - A neighboring town (from the Times Union)

From the Times Union

These problems aren't just isolated to my neck of the woods. Vermont, Massachusetts, and New Jersey have all experienced substantial flooding. Damage is purported in the $10 billion range (one of the top ten costliest disasters in US history). Milk and produce prices will surely spike because of the damage. New York City might start to feel the effects on its water supply (Watershed Post has done a tremendous job posting on the storm and aftermath. Click here for an aerial view of the damage).

Many thanks to all the crews, first responders and National Guard personnel that have been working tirelessly to bring our community back to life. I plan on helping some local farms this Labor Day weekend with clean-up efforts. If you can, please help my little rural community, who so desperately needs it. These aren't cities with large coffers of emergency funds. These are small farming towns that work day-in, day-out to provide your family with the food you consume every day. Please think of them.

Ways you can help:

Help hard-hit Schoharie County farms by donating to the Schoharie County Community Action Program.

Labor for your neighbor!

Buy a book for a child who lost theirs

Purchase a window sign from your local Price Chopper

Donate $10 to the Salvation Army to help in recovery effort by text STORM to 80888

Buy local! (Shop at Farmers Markets or encourage your local grocer to stock shelves with local items and produce)

Contribute to the Regional Farm and Food Project

Thank you for any small way you can help, friends! Sending all the best your way, and keeping my fingers crossed you never get hit by disaster.

Queen Anne's Lace Jelly

Sometimes when I make a recipe, I can't help but wonder who thought of that? Who decided to try these ingredients, and how many did they try before they found the right one? This notion ran through my mind often while making Queen Anne's Lace Jelly. Seriously, who was the first person to walk through a field, gather an armful of the flower and think hey! I bet that would make a tasty spread. Let's cook it up and see what happens! I think of things like this a lot (blame the history buff inside me - I keep a journal of ideas for history books I intend to write one day, and subjects like culinary history are front runners). Of course I had to turn to Dr. Google for such answers. Here is what I found:

- Queen Anne's Lace is the progenitor of modern carrots. In fact, it is know as "wild carrot" (and if you dig it up and crush the roots, it smells like carrots)

- The flowering period for Queen Anne's Lace (in the Northeast) is typically June through August

- Queen Anne's Lace has medicinal qualities, much like many other herbs and wildflowers. It is thought that the plant can act as a diuretic, sooth the digestive tract, support the liver and aid in waste removal by the kidneys. It also aids in the treatment of dropsy/edema

- The leaves of Queen Anne's Lace (as with modern carrots) contains a high level of porphyrins, a hormone that stimulates the pituitary gland and can increase sex drive (bonus!)

- There is conflicting evidence on the effect Queen Anne's Lace has on fertility (depending on what part of the plant is used). While some claim it can increase fertility, others claim it acts as a contraceptive, and can even cause miscarriage. If you are preggers, I recommend you stay away, as with most other herbs

- Queen Anne's Lace is a dead ringer for Hemlock (yep, like the kind that killed Socrates). Be extremely careful when harvesting the flower to make sure you have the right one. The easiest way to differentiate the flowers is that Queen Anne's Lace has a "hairy" stem, while Hemlock has a smooth stem

- The source of the name is disputed, but many stories point to Royal fashions, the Patron Saint of lacemakers (St. Anne), and several instances related to Queen Anne of England/Denmark

For more information on Queen Anne's Lace and to see pictures, please visit The Carrot Museum

So, back to the jelly - Queen Anne's Lace Jelly isn't what I would refer to as a Peanut Butter and Jelly staple (like Strawberry Jam is), but more an accompaniment to a lovely cheese plate (alongside a nice creamy brie, candied nuts, and buttery crackers). Like other flowers jellies (lavender, rose, etc) it has a very herbaceous, medicinal taste. The only way to know if you like it is to try it, so here's the recipe, have at it!

********************

Queen Anne's Lace Jelly

Makes Approximately 2 Pints

18 fresh, large Queen Anne's Lace flower heads*

4 cups boiling water

1/4 cup lemon juice

4 cups sugar

2 packages powdered pectin

3 drops natural red food coloring, if desired

1. Fill the sink or a large bowl with cold water. Submerge flower heads in the water and slosh around to remove any insects. Drain flowers.

2. Place the flowers in a large pot** and cover with boiling water. Cover and let sit for several hours or overnight. Essentially, you are making a very strong, stinky Queen Anne's Lace tea.

3. Strain the cooled "tea" through a sieve lined with cheesecloth. Save the tea, discard the flowers.

4. Rinse your pot and add the tea back in. Heat over a medium-high flame. Add the lemon juice, sugar and pectin. Stir to dissolve and bring to a boil. Boil for one minute, then reduce heat to medium. Stir frequently and be sure to scrap the bottom of the pan to prevent burning. Cook for 8-10 minutes until thickened (a good "set" test is to place a plate in the freezer for 15 minutes. Drop a small spoonful of the jelly onto the cold plate. After 30 seconds, the jelly should form a soft set and not run).

5. If you wish, add food coloring to the jelly to give it a peachy-pink color. Otherwise, the jelly with be a very light chartreuse color.

6. Pour jelly into sterilized mason jars or other storage container. Keep in the refrigerator or process in a hot water bath for five minutes. Enjoy!

*You can definitely pick Queen Anne's Lace from fields and pastures (like I did), but pick several feet away from the road to be sure the flowers aren't contaminated with pesticides or road grime. Queen Anne's Lace can also be found at the Farmers Market.

**When making a floral or herbal jelly, be sure to cook in a ceramic or stainless steel pot. Cooper or aluminum pans can chemically alter the properties of the flowers/herbs.

Barnside Movie Party - "A League Of Their Own"

We hosted the 2nd Annual Silly Goose Farm Barnside Movie Party on Saturday (sounds very official, eh?). It was a blast, and it seems everyone enjoyed themselves. This year, we showed A League Of Their Own (we kept with the baseball theme from last year's The Sandlot). The weather was perfect (although a little humid and buggy - seriously, I think I have 50,000 bug bites), and the night was magical.

I kept the food and drink simple this year (well, more simple than usual). For beverages, I served a mint lemonade, white wine sangria, and assorted beers and juice boxes for the kids (sangria recipe coming soon!).

 

Food was kept to a popcorn station (everyone loves an old air popper!), brownies and a yummy jalapeno dip brought by friends and neighbors, and ice cream sandwiches.

I made four flavor combinations of sandwiches, including peanut butter-chocolate, chocolate chip-toasted coconut, chocolate-mint, and oatmeal raisin-scotch vanilla (I made everything from scratch except for the mint and chocolate ice creams. I ran out of time! Recipes to follow).

Edith was having a rough day, and slept through the entire event. Eric, on the other hand, was in the middle of the action all night.

The orange moon was nestled behind a grove of trees for the evening, which allowed the stars to twinkle. I'm not sure which was brighter - the stars or the hundreds of fireflies that hovered around us, flashing their little lights like the most steadfast theatre attendants.

We are hoping to have another movie night before the season is over. I would like to do this every year (show a family-friendly movie (I'd love to show You've Got Mail or Bringing Up Baby), and perhaps a more "cult" movie - topping my list are The Royal Tennenbaums, Harold and Maude, and The Big Lebowski. I get the feeling that no matter what we choose to show, we'll still have a great time.

Have you ever watched a movie in plein air? What are some of your favorite movies? I'd love to hear! Let me know in the comments, or tell me about it on Twitter! I'll be posting recipes and how-to's from the party soon, including tips on making your party fit within a sustainable lifestyle. And a very special thanks to my lovely, gracious friend Christine, who took the lovely pictures you see here!

Weekend Update

Hello friends, how was your weekend? Mine was busy busy busy! We held our 2nd Annual Barnside Movie party on Saturday, and on Sunday I attended a food swap held by the amazing From Scratch Club. I'll have pictures and recipes coming right up, but in the meantime, I thought I'd share some photos from around the farm over the past few days.

Garden 2011

Here it is, my long-overdue post on my garden this year. I planted two beds that are probably about 6'x15' each. My hope is that later this year, I can move the cow fence back a bit, add four new beds of the same dimension, and place a fence around the entire garden. 

The layout of the garden is as follows:

Bed One:
Row 1: Tomatoes (Yellow Pear, Red Currant) and Marigolds
Row 2: Tomatoes (Jet Star) and Marigolds
Row 3: Tomatoes (Beefsteak, Jet Star, Sweet Aroma Hybrid) and Marigolds
Row 4: Tomatoes (Big Rainbow), Peppers (Jalapeno, Jupiter), and Marigolds
Row 5: Peppers (Sweet Pepper Mix, Yellow Bell, Revolution, Portugal Hot ) and Marigolds
Row 6: Radishes (Raxe)
Row 7: Carrots (Danvers 126)
Row 8: Carrots (Danvers 126)
Row 9 Herbs (Dill, Rosemary, Spearmint, Basil)
Row 10: Herbs (Cilantro, Rosemary, Italian Parsley. Chives)
Row 11: Originally had onions but transplants didn't survive. Will be used for fall plantings
Row 12: Lettuce (Rainbow Microgreens, Salad Bowl)
Row 13: Lettuce (Valeria Red Leaf)
Row 14: Originally had Dahlias but transplants didn't survive. Will be used for fall plantings
Row 15: Peas (Garden Sweet)
Border plantings include Pumpkins (Long Island Cheese, Jack-O'-Lantern), Gourds (Small Fancy Mix), Melons (Cool Green Honeydew, Hearts of Gold Cantaloupe, Sugar Bowl Watermelon), Zucchini (Foodhook Organic), Squash (Waltham Butternut), and Cucumbers (Picklebush)

Bed Two:
Row 1: Tomatoes (Jupiter, Brandywine) and Marigolds
Row 2: Tomatoes (Juliet) and Marigolds
Row 3: Tomatoes (Juliet, San Marzano) and Marigolds
Row 4: Tomatoes (San Marzano) and Marigolds
Row 5: Tomatoes (San Marzano) and Marigolds
Row 6: Tomatoes (San Marzano) and Marigolds
Row 7: Tomatoes (San Marzano) and Marigolds
Row 8: Tomatoes (San Marzano) and Basil
Row 9: Horehound, Catnip, Parsley and Basil
Row 10: Broccoli
Row 11: Cauliflower and Cabbage
Row 12: Brussels Sprouts and Celery
Row 13: Carrots (Rainbow Blend)
Row 14: Lettuce (Mesclun Mix)
Row 15: Lettuce (Mesclun Mix)
Row 16: Blank, will be used for fall plantings
Row 17: Hollyhocks (Heritage Outhouse Hollyhocks Single Mixed Colors)
Border plantings include Pumpkins (Small Sugar, Jack Be Little), Zinnias (Heritage Pumila Mixed), Cosmos (Heritage Sensation Mix), and Blanket Flower

I laid grass clippings as mulch between the rows, around the bed, and around each plant. This helps to smother out weeds, retain water, and keep the soil warm. I am hoping I can find enough old bricks on the property to create a little border around each bed. The space between the beds is big enough to fit the lawn tractor and wagon for unloading grass clippings, fertilizer, etc.

The kids and my mom helping to plant the garden

It's not a Martha Stewart garden, but it does the job for now. I've already harvested lots of lettuces and radishes, and soon I'll be able to have my pick of everything else (we have lots of green tomatoes raring to turn red!). In the fall I will plant more lettuce and radishes before I till everything together and plant winter wheat, winter rye, and garlic. To get to the garden, I have to walk under an old Ben Davis apple tree that is dripping with fruit. I set-up our antique lawn furniture next to the garden, as well, so I can watch it grow with morning coffee or evening cocktail. The cows come and visit, too.

Did you plant a garden this year? How is it growing? Are you trying to install your own container herb garden? I'd love to hear about your garden activities this year!

The Farmers' Museum

Edith, Eric and I just came back from the Farmers' Museum in Cooperstown, NY. I had been to the museum twice before as a kid, but this time might have been my favorite (based on how much the kids liked it). We met up with my mom, and had planned on having lunch afterwards, but the kids were a little too tired for that.

Right away, we took a ride on the Carousel. This is the first time Edie has been on a Carousel without screaming. Eric seemed to enjoy it, too!

 

Then we went to visit some of the animals. A pair of young oxen (named Bix and Bright) were first on the list.

The Farmers' Museum is a replica of a 19th century historic village. We poked our heads into some of the buildings

Chickens roamed about as they pleased (I think these were a Plymouth Rock breed these cluckers are Barred Rock chickens).

Hops! I really want to grow some next year.

Newly-dyed yarn was left to dry.

We all had fun watching the sheep. Edie and Eric laughed at the lambs crawling into the hay trough.

Edie can waddle...

... And has yellow feet...

... Just like a duck.

We watched a draft horse get hitched to a wagon, then took a ride!

The Apothecary had an herb/medicinal garden. I'm so jealous!

On our way out, Edie insisted on showing Eric how to drive the baby oxen...

... But he wasn't very impressed.

"You've got to be kidding me."

I picked up a lot of great ideas from the Farmers' Museum to use here on our fledgling farm. My mom's family actually employed a lot of similar farming methods growing up (she and her siblings would hook-up a pair of work ponies to a wagon and ride into town to buy provisions from the General Store and hang with their friends!), and it was fun to hear her teach my kids about some of the things at the Museum. I highly recommend a visit if you ever have the chance!