Photos

Apple Bounty 2013

The Praying Mantises watched over us this year at the farm. There were so many!

“Give me the spots on my apples, and leave me the birds and the beeeeees, pleeeeeeease!!” Joni Mitchell had it so right! Though these apples were spotty on the outside, they were so packed with flavor and sweetness on the inside! The birds and bees are safe and sound, too!

The flavor!! Wow! So tart and sweet at the same time!!

The aroma of gathered apples is intoxicating to Apprentice Kristin!

Paul, Anne, and friends grind apples to gress into cider.

Farm apples being pressed into cider using an heirloom cider press that Apprentice Kristin’s Grandfather made!

All Things Honey Bee

The hives in Autumn.

Farmer Paul checks out a frame of new brood.

Farmers Paul and Anne are a great bee keeping team. So much care is put into providing these creatures with a healthy home on the farm all year round.

Some lovely workers hanging out on the top of the hive box.

The open “super”

The new bees are getting busy building comb.

A frame full of comb full of honey illuminated by the light of the Spring sun.

The perfection that his honey comb.

Farmer Paul de-capping the comb so that the honey can be released.

The cappings will be saved, strained of honey, then melted back down to make candles.

The darker portion of this frame is possibly honey from rich buckwheat flowers.

The liquid gold draining from the extractor.

Straining the cappings.

Anne showing what a good job the extractor does at releasing every bit of honey.

The biggest jar of honey I’ve ever seen!! Its so apparent that honey is liquid Sunshine! Thanks to the beautiful, dutiful bees!!

Worker bees “on the porch.”

Worker bees up close, coming and going.

The bees need water, too! We keep many pools and “watering holes” available for them, including these hand-hewn drinking stones.

The honey-bee’s cousin, the bumble bee, gathering pollen from an eggplant blossom.

Two workers gathering pollen from a glowing morning glory.

Vintage Farm Photos

Baking the Bread

The fire in the brick bread oven is started late at night or early in the morning to warm the bricks.

After mixing, kneading, proofing and shaping, Paul scores each loaf in his signature pattern.

Scoring the loaves. The only three ingredients in these hearty packages are homegrown wheat, water and sea salt!

Loading the loaves into the hot oven, now cleared of coals leaving the 400+ degree heat in the bricks to bake the bread.

Annika loads a few loaves.

Paul unloading the perfectly baked golden loaves.

An old wooden boat oar does this job perfectly!

Annika unloads a loaf that she helped make!

Melissa unloads another perfect loaf!

Anne lines up the fragrant loaves.