July 2023
"At the Whim of Mother Nature"
The highs and lows of Spring and Summer...
Time to catch up on the "Farm Attractive" blog. It has been a crazy year so far. To be honest, this was a tough year for syruping. We had so much snow that we couldn't get around in the woods in order to tap trees or collect sap. The bigger issue for us was that the temperatures just didn't cooperate. Either it was too cold for the sap to run much or it got too hot too fast and then the run was over. We normally make around 25 - 30 gallons of syrup a year. This year we got approx. 15 gallons in all, about half of what we normally produce. And the summer so far has been so dry that we had to stop grazing the cattle in our fields at the end of June. The grass and clover are just not growing back. We have started feeding our fall hay supply to the cows already. So if you enjoy looking at the pictures of the girls (our cows), we would greatly appreciate it if you would buy some syrup since this is going to be an expensive year to keep them fed and they like to eat!
Managed to get a garden in this year. Seems to be doing alright. I love growing our own veggies. I have this amazing recipe for zucchini salsa that we have been considering adding to our product list. Keep on the look-out for another item from Maple Creek Dairy!
It has been so hot and dry lately, I decided to clear out an area in the woods for the cows to get some shade.
Even if Mother Nature isn't always on our side with snow or rain, we still have some of the most "Farm Attractive" sunsets out on the farm. Hope you enjoy! We definitely do.
The Canadian wildfires have been making it pretty smoky outside. I worry about how it affects the cows. There is a farm out there in the distance...if you can see it?
Feb. 2023
"Waiting for the Run"
But thinking about warmer days...
Welcome Back to our "Farm Attractive" blog. Well today was the first day in awhile that the temperature reached double digits in the 20's. It is also the first day in awhile that we have seen the sun...apparently though "Punxsutawney Phil" (that darn groundhog) saw his shadow this year so we are to expect 6 more weeks of winter. I thought it might be nice to look back at some pictures I took this past fall when one could go outside without the threat of frostbite. But it is February and that means it won't be long now until the sap starts to run and we are knee deep trudging through the snow to gather gallons of sweet goodness. In the meantime, enjoy the photos of warmer days and walks in the woods.
One of our pretty girls - #Seven...I love watching the cows spend time out in the field. We keep thinking about creating a space here for people to come and experience the same tranquility that we get from the farm.
Just enjoying a walk through our woods last fall.
Cherry tomatoes from our volunteer plants.
When you sit quietly in the woods and just listen...and enjoy the beauty around you.
Aug. 2022
"Loss"
Saying Goodbye...
So I guess it is time to update our monthly "Farm Attractive" blog. I am sorry that I didn't do so in June and July. We have just had a couple of rough months here on the farm. Being on the farm we are lucky enough to be able to have a large fenced in back yard and space for our dogs to play. We always have more than one dog for companionship, but that also means that you always have more to lose. Unfortunately we said goodbye to 3 of our Furbabies this summer. It has been a very difficult 2 months. The loss has been unbearable at times. We have been comforted in knowing that each of our boys knew love, a family and a home. They knew unconditional love and gave it back to us daily and we will be forever grateful to have had them in our lives for as long as we did. I truly believe that we will see them all someday at the Rainbow Bridge - where we will be together again.
"Dogs are not our whole lives, but they make our lives whole."
- Roger Caras
This month's blog is dedicated to the memories and the love we have for our Furbabies: Buddy, Hobey and Truman. They are always in our hearts and never forgotten.
Buddy - "Our Boy and Our Joy"
Hobey - "I went to rescue you, but you rescued me...I miss you!"
Truman and Dutch (his cat) - "A Good Boy"
May 2022
"Farm Attractive"
Waiting for Spring...
I grew up on a farm in Wisconsin. Unlike many other farms today, my Dad always believed that our cows should be able to graze freely and enjoy being out in the fields. When we finally moved out of Minneapolis to rural Minnesota, my Dad gave us 9 calves from his farm. We decided that our cows would get to enjoy that same opportunity. We put up a high tensil fence around 10 acres on our farm and you can see the results in the pictures below. There is nothing more rewarding than watching the cows go out to the field each spring when the grass is ready!
One of the many things I love about living out in the country on our little hobby farm is the wild flowers that grow around our place. The flowers shown above are known as "Bee Balm" or "Wild Bergamot". It is a member of the mint family and loved by bees!
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