Yearly Archives: 2018

Wasting Walnuts

Each fall there is no escaping the crunch of the smashed hulls of fallen black walnuts under our tires as we cruise back and forth in our cars along Pasturegate Lane. For those of you who don’t know what a black walnut is, it is a generic term for the wild walnuts native to North America. Black walnuts are related to hickory nuts and butternuts. There is one main species east of the Rockies, one of which grows along Pasturegate Lane between the horse stables and the “Honeymoon Suite.” Every Autumn this tree provides a bounty of nuts that typically are left to rot on the ground. This year I considered picking up the fallen walnuts and processing them rather than letting them go to waste. Ever eager to learn,…

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Is There a New Line of Defense Against Stinkbugs?

I’m sitting on my back porch watching three stinkbugs climb up my screen.  (Sigh)  This must mark the beginning of the fall pilgrimage when stinkbugs that have summered over in the grounds outdoors start moving into our comfortable homes to winter over with us, unwelcome guests.  But this year I have found a new line of defense against the stinkers:  SPIDEY! Spidey is a spider that moved into my screened porch last spring.  I noticed Spidey one day with a tight grasp on a stinkbug to that stinkbug’s demise.  I had understood stinkbugs to be an alien species with no natural predators in the area, which allows them to thrive (to our great annoyance). We watch, helpless beyond what our local pest control experts can advise. Stinkbugs are stowaways from Asia…

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Here’s to…

Here's to... Our heartfelt thanks go out to all of those who worked in the hot, dusty fields recently to mow, ted, bale and haul the hay to the barns for storage:  Deiter Haas, Bill Bohn, Angel Cyphert, Lynda Davis and Mike Friedman.  Those were the people I personally saw out in the fields.  If there were others that I missed, please note them in the comments section below so that we can thank them as well. If not for these folks who are willing to go out and do this dirty work on the farm, there would be no winter hay for the cows, no cows without winter hay and no income for the farm, since a tidy percentage of our income comes from our cow operation. So…

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HARVEST TIME FOR SQUASH

Squash is growing profusely in the garden now.  Help yourself to any squash you see on the produce stand or pick your own fresh from the bush.  Here are a couple of recipes to help you enjoy this summer delicacy.  If you have a favorite squash recipe, please share!   Also, I found one small red tomato in the tomato patch, a sign of things to come.  Keep your eyes open and you may spot the next one.   Sliced Zucchini and Yellow Squash Salad Use young squash for this recipe—larger squash have too many seeds and are more fibrous. 10 ounces small, tender yellow squash (about 3) 10 ounces small, tender zucchini (about 3) Salt and freshly ground pepper 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 lemons 1/2 ounce Parmesan…

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Call for Nominations

Call for Nominations Farmcolony seeking nominations for three elected positions on its Board of Directors. Have you ever considered seeking a leadership role within Farmcolony for yourself or someone you know?  Here is your chance!  The Nomination Committee is working to prepare a slate of candidates interested in serving on its board of directors for our 2018-2019 election year.  elections will take place at our Annual Meeting on Saturday, August 4.The Board of Directors is a “governing” board by law.  Farmcolony’s by-laws specify an seven-member Board each serving a 2-year term.  The Board of Directors meets every two months during the year, and on other occasions as needed.The Board of Directors should be members in good standing and should have the following qualifications: A thick skin A willingness to serve A commitment to…

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Update on the Emerald Ash Borer

Estimates are in on the cost of treating our ash trees against the emerald ash borer.  According to Deborah who received an estimate from Mike Henrietta, a landscaper, the cost for treating the two trees that shade the two recently-installed memorials are as follows:Colony Drive Bench Tree - $429; Pasturegate Road Gazebo Tree - $312.Sub-total:  $741.  Total: $370.50 (with funding through the the Virginia Forestry half-cost share program).Mike advises that the trees may need to be treated every 2-3 years for about ten years. The emerald ash borer comes through in a wave, killing all ash trees and then dying out for lack of a food source. At that point landowners may be able to stop treating the trees and monitor them only.  Also, less costly treatments are in development, hopefully…

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Saving our Ash Trees from the Emerald Ash Borer. Or not.

Among the trees being threatened by the emerald ash borers are two large, particularly beautiful ash trees that shade the picnic table located in the orchard (above) and tower over the newly added memorial bench on Colony Drive (below). (photos by Bruce Sopher) How to Detect Emerald Ash Borers Trees have to be treated before they are attacked . Here's how you can tell if emerald ash borers have already attacked. SymptomsCrown dieback: Dieback of the upper and outer crown begins after multiple years of EAB larval feeding.Epicormic Sprouting: When trees are stressed or sick, they will try to grow new branches and leaves wherever they still can. Trees may have new growth at the base of the tree and on the trunk, often just below where the larvae are feeding.Bark splits: Vertical…

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Life — And Death — on the Farm

As farmers, we understand the cycles of life. We experience new life as calves are born or chicks are hatched.  And we experience death, as we lose our animal companions to predators, disease, old age, or difficult birth. It happens. This is the way of farming, especially for farmers like us who surround ourselves with animals — cows, chickens, goats, horses and donkeys, or should I say one special donkey. The fact is we bond with our farm animals. The longer they are around, the stronger that bond. For that reason we not only owe a sense of gratitude to those who give their time to care for the animals on the farm, but for the toll it takes on those that bond with these sentient, expressive beings only…

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