Reconnecting: Summer on the Farm

View from the Guest House lawn. The house sleeps 6-8 people and rents by the week with availability for foliage and ski season. Book before Labor Day for special pricing!

COVID-19 has changed so much in the world. We recognize how fortunate we have been to live here and feel relatively safe from the virus, especially compared to friends living in the city. And still, we have noticed a big difference in our experience with guests, whom we miss dearly!

One of the the things that brings us the most joy is seeing our guests connect with each other and enjoy creating memories in the spaces we have created, indoors and out. Over the years, we have had returning guests who have become more and more like family. While we have had a few guests over the summer, we miss the hubbub of games being played by the fire and guests chatting on the porch.

It has been a blessing we could not have anticipated, to have added the Guest House on to our property this year. We have been thankful and happy to welcome guests for week-long stays in the stand-alone rental just up the hill. It has been a wonderful way to extend the getaway experience to people looking to quarantine safely and enjoy a restful getaway.

Enjoying the view and space to play at the Guest House!

We’ve noticed that we’re using our time a little differently too. As usual, Luke has been busy with projects! Every year, Luke’s garden expands by at least 30% and this year has been no different. He has electric fencing in the lower cutting garden, to keep the flowers from being devoured by neighboring deer. With the garden being so far from the house, he rigged up a gravity-fed pump system to draw water from the pond, so that we could water the plants more efficiently.

Last year, we lost a flock of chickens to a sly fox, so we started fresh this year. The chickens love to have space to roam, so now we have 28 chickens that are now protected by better electric fencing. To stave off aerial attacks, Luke put in a wire and net system above the coop.

Flock fencing seems to be a theme of the summer, as we welcomed 12 sheep to our farm this summer. It was an unexpected opportunity, when the neighboring property came on the market, and we were excited to put the beautiful pastures back to use. It has been such fun to see the animals getting more and more comfortable with the space. In the morning and afternoon, they leap and frolic through the field and into the barn for a treat. It’s been especially fun to see our dog, Stout, who is so curious about them. They follow each other along the fence line and amicably play chase with each other.

We have a flock of 12 Border Leicester sheep, who have made their home in the barn and pasture.

I’ve taken on a few projects of my own this season. Having left my 9-5 at the start of the pandemic, I have been incredibly grateful to have the time and ability to focus on growing our business and developing a few passion projects of my own. I’ve been spending time every day on my spin bike and feeling grateful for the opportunity to exercise safely. I’ve also been collaborating with some other entrepreneurs in the area, and I’m excited to be working on another project… more soon!

Having indulged in too much sourdough bread this spring, like the rest of America, I started the summer with an outdoor project that would engage my muscles and keep me committed to finishing the project quickly. With the start of the warm season and outdoor adventures, I wanted to make the most of a fire patio vision that I had in mind. So, I measured a 21’ circle near the pond, and dug it 10” deep. After tamping it down by hand and laying stone grit, we move 2 tons of stone by hand. It was quite a feat and I’m so grateful to Luke and my in-laws Nate and Huck, for their brute strength and patience. (They thought they were visiting for a weekend away and I put them to work!) After moving the stone slabs - much like doing a puzzle without a picture of how they go together - we filled in the cracks with pea stone and called it a day. I am so happy with how it turned out! We have been able to enjoy the space as a family and also create a bonfire for guests, which has been a fun new option for people to enjoy the space safely outdoors.

Summer is rainbow season here!

Being home more, we have been able to explore our own backyard and enjoy the space even more ourselves. We cut some paths into the thicket between the Guest House and B&B, so we can stroll through the woods or take a ramble on the Gator (which is a very convenient tool, now that we have 70 acres and lots of critters and gardens!). We have also seen some of the best rainbows I have ever experienced in my life, falling just over the pond.

One gift of this unexpected time has been that I have been able to spend more time with Luke, which has been great. We are often talking about our next projects and dreams for the property. I feel so fortunate to have met someone with whom I share a dream and an easy partnership, in marriage, work, and parenting. (Don’t get me wrong - pandemic parenting has been a trip, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.)

Our kids are growing like weeds and we have enjoyed teaching them how to help out around the farm. Kellen (almost 4) loves lifting heavy things and Finn (1) is a wheelbarrow aficionado. They make a good team and an excellent addition to our crew. Some of our favorite adventures have been in the garden, in the evening hours before or after dinner. It’s fascinating how curious their taste buds are when they are out in the garden, when sometimes we cannot get them to eat the same vegetables inside the kitchen, next door. In any case, we were happy to share with them the joys of plucking sugar snap peas and colorful carrots. We are incredibly grateful for the added time we have been able to spend with them and also for their incredible preschool and teachers for helping us all to get back into a better pandemic groove.

Our farm crew, on the job watering the garden!

The summer is coming to an end. The days are shorter. The shadows are longer. Everything is in the height of bloom and feeling more and more precious. As we turn the bend into fall, we know it will be a little different this year. We miss seeing our guests and hope that you stay safe and well in this challenging time. Please let us know if you’re interested in staying in the Guest House. We are so happy to be able to provide a safe and comfortable place for folks to relax and recharge.

Wishing you the best from our family!

Until we see you again, stay well!

-Carin

Starting Fresh - An update from the B&B

Hello there! So it's been about a year and a half since we posted anything to this blog. It's definitely not from lack of attention. As we walk around and explore the property we keep saying to each other "this would make a good blog post!".

• Go to a Ben & Jerry's Concert on the Green? "This would make a good post!" 

• Make some dams in the stream? "This would make a good blog post!" 

• Build a Greenhouse? "This would make a good blog post!" 

• Set up a woodland obstacle course among the sugar maples for our oldest child? "This would make a good blog post!" 

• Have another kid? "Yeah sure, why not! Blog post." 

First and foremost, yes. That last item on the list did happen! In addition to our 3 year old we welcomed another member of our family into this world in June. We couldn’t be happier.

Now we are a family of four! It’s hard to believe nearly a year has passed since we welcomed this little being into our world.

So, it's not for lack of subject matter that we haven’t updated the blog until now, but for lack of time! So, now that we have an abundance of time and are spending it at home, we thought we would finally sit down and update you all on the happenings around the property.

The added set of hands has allowed us to get a lot done around here! (Joking, but really…) We have been busily making improvements and additions to the property. We had another great maple sugaring season. We tapped 75 maple trees to make enough maple syrup to feed our guests (and family!) throughout the year. We successfully raised a flock of chickens, who lovingly roamed free across the property and were subsequently picked off by foxes. Our ducks remain happy egg layers and we have doubled down our predator control efforts, as we plan for the next flock. As usual, we have greatly expanded the gardens, moving the vegetable garden into raised beds, creating an acre of cut flowers in the lower field, and building a greenhouse to prepare for a lively growing season. We continue to make improvements to the Bed and Breakfast, including adding a grand piano to the living room and updating the guest rooms. Our efforts to increase sustainability efforts mean we have finished up a new siding project to improve our energy use and spruce the place up a bit. Even with all that we were able to sneak in a few concerts, take the kids to Shelburne Museum a few times, explore the Echo center, take a magical Christmas train ride, Carin taught our eldest how to ski and we are generally enjoy life in the Green Mountains! 

Celebrating Love!

We have enjoyed hosting weddings and elopements.

Fresh eggs!

We aren’t supposed to have favorites, but these ladies were so sweet! We miss them and will be raising another flock this summer!

The B&B gets a fresh look!

We added insulation and energy efficient siding to improve our carbon footprint.

So fresh!

When the season changes and the weather warms, we make our own maple syrup to serve to guests.

Now Offering a Guest House Getaway!

As a new option, guests can choose to stay for a week or more at our Guest House, located just up the hill and enjoying pristine views and privacy.

Life in the COVID-19 era has taught us a new appreciation for where we live. While we are far away from our friends in the city, we remain deeply connected to world events and share our incredible gratitude and appreciation for front line workers, who are risking it all to support survival and recovery rates. This experience has also taught us how to be more present and recognize the gift it is to live here, with access to outdoor exploration and a strong (and socially distant) rural community. With both kids at home, (as daycare closed down in mid-March due to COVID-19, ) we have been exploring the property more than ever before. Every day, we have ventured out to explore the outdoors. Our oldest takes us on long walks and shows us the world from a completely new vantage point. We are loving explaining what "peepers" are, what woodpeckers do, reading books from the little library by the pond, and watching him splash around in the stream, making little dams. We have also been learning new skills. Like everyone in quarantine, we are baking up a storm. Kneading, proofing, and baking a loaf of King Arthur Flour bread has become a new part of our daily rhythm.

Nothing smells better than fresh bread!

In another advent, a few months ago our neighbors relocated for work, and we were incredibly sad to see them go. They were amazing neighbors! And, in an interesting turn of events, we purchased their property and now have a guest house to offer for overflow guests of the Bed & Breakfast, or as a short term rental. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been busy painting and decorating to prepare for an active rental season. We are hopeful that the summer months will allow us to accept bookings and welcome guests to our new rental space. We are excited to offer this new addition, as it returns the property to the 75 acre parcel that preceded our ownership, rejoining the neighboring lots to maximize the mountain views. In addition to the new Guest House, the property has a beautiful little barn, which has been home to many horses over the years. There are well-maintained pastures and many trails that we intend to revive for snowshoeing and hiking. Carin and I are not exactly equestrians, so we are looking into getting some sheep(!) this spring to help us maintain the fields. We will keep you posted with lots of cute lamb and chick photos over the next few months!

I realize any one of these things could be an entire blog post on it's own - but it's been a year and a half! We had a lot to catch you up on. 

Cheers to a fresh start!

-Luke McCarthy

Sweetness of the Season!

Fresh cider from the apple trees at our Vermont Bed and Breakfast!

What a difference a few months makes! When we last checked in our flowers were in full bloom, we were swimming in the pond, and enjoying everything summer has to offer. But, this is New England and just as soon as you get fully comfortable in one season, another comes knocking at the door! I know everyone likes summer to be just a little bit longer, but I personally love the changing of the seasons. Sure, the "to do" list might not have been fully complete; but each season brings its own fun activities and events, and makes you appreciate each season in its own special way. 

Fresh Cider!

Our guests enjoy local treats from close to home, like cider from our apple trees!

Shortly after our last blog post we acquired an apple press in order to make our own apple cider. We spent a few days exploring the apple trees scattered across our property and collected a few large barrels of apples. After that we got to work grinding them up and pressing them into delicious apple cider! The first batch came out a little tart, but we are still perfecting our recipe! As an added bonus, we gave all the leftover ground up apples to a local farm down the road to feed to their goats! 

We have a wide variety of heirloom apple trees on the property at our Vermont Bed and Breakfast!

Also this fall we made a quick afternoon trip over to the East Charlotte Tractor Parade. A truly Vermont event, the parade and festival is timed around the end of harvest season and features a pie eating contest, local vendors and music, and the main event: a stream of about 200 tractors of all sizes and ages rolling down the street. On the way home we stopped in at a family run apple orchard and I had one of the best apple donuts of my life! It had just come out of the fryer so was nice and crispy, then they put it in a dish and topped it with a maple creemee. A tractor parade, cider donuts and maple creemee? I'm not sure how more Vermont you can get. I think I was even wearing a flannel shirt! 

Quite the festive scene at the East Charlotte Tractor Parade!

Just as soon as you get content with the seasons though... 

Fresh snow at our Vermont Bed and Breakfast!

Sure enough, Mother Nature decided we had enough of fall and decided it was time to throw some winter at us. It was an unusually snowy November here in the Green Mountains, but in my book a fresh blanket of snow is just as pretty as the flowers we grow all summer (and i don't have to work for it!) Vermont is a skier’s paradise right now with relatively moderate temperatures and a thick blanket of fresh natural snow.

Snowed in at our Vermont Bed and Breakfast!

If snowshoeing is your preference (as it is mine) we have begun to carve out a network of trails across our property so guests can get out and enjoy themselves! We'll have some hot cocoa ready for you when you get back! 

With the holidays approaching and the end of the year upon us, we have been spending some time reflecting upon what an incredible time we have had this year at the Bed and Breakfast. Through the seasons, we continue to be grateful for the incredible guests who we have met since we opened our doors in 2015. Thank you!

We are full of good cheer and the magic of Christmas!

Wishing you the best this holiday season, from our family to yours!

- Luke & Carin McCarthy

Verdant Vermont: The Growing Season Begins!

It's been a little over a month since our last blog post and things have been happening fast around here! As we mentioned, we have started our own little fruit orchard in one of our fields. So far we have 5 Peach trees and 4 Pear trees planted, and we have 2 Plum trees sitting in the driveway waiting for the yard to dry out a little so we can drive over it without making a mess of the lawn. Eventually we will get a 3rd Plum tree to make the orchard a little more symmetrical, but that may wait until next year. Hopefully if all goes well in the next few years we will be whipping up some peach cobbler or plum preserves... or perhaps some Perry? (Pear Cider.) We are excited to add new fruits to the breakfast menu at our B&B and serve local fruits that we have grown on the property! Food is better when it's so fresh you can still taste the sunshine!

Our new plum trees, making their way to the orchard!

Seedlings, safe and warm inside!

The little seedlings we started a few months ago are itching to get into the garden. Admittedly, I started them too early. Last year, by this time, things were dry and pretty warm. This year things are still a little too soggy, and the nighttime temperatures are still dipping a little too low to get them out. (Chilly nights make for great sleeping weather!) But that's OK, they are perfectly cozy in the little greenhouse with all of their friends. Eventually the peppers and tomatoes will be placed in the garden under the gardening hoops you can see in the picture below. Then a white fabric gets stretched over the hoops and secured. This will keep the plants warm, and protected from the elements while they get settled in and grow roots. 

The greenhouse plays a key role in keeping our plants safe and warm in the early season!

While we grow 100% of our vegetables from seed, space in the house, as well as time commitments on the part of yours truly, prevents us from growing everything from seed. While we still grow a fair amount of flowers from seed, including zinnias, sunflowers, and petunias; and divide and overwinter our dahlias every year, there are some things we rely on local greenhouses to provide. This last weekend we were visiting family down in the Lebanon, NH area and stopped by one of our favorite nurseries, Edgewater Farm. We picked up some basil and mint for the wonderful breakfasts we will be serving up, and we also picked up some impatients for the flower pots on the front porch. I also snuck some creeping phlox and delphinium into the shopping cart for around the pond.  I can't resist flowers!

We prepare the soil with compost, then overlay it with ground cover to keep the weeds down without using chemicals. The hoops are covered with fabric to provide shelter to young plants in the early season.

Over the next few weeks all of this will be going into the ground and the property will start showing it's true colors. I can't wait!

-Luke McCarthy

B&B Winter Projects: Preparing for Summer Flowers

We love to grow flowers to put on the breakfast table or in our B&B's guest rooms. Even in the dead of Vermont winter, we are starting seeds or planning the flowers to plant in the seasonal garden beds. It takes some love and care to keep the gardens in line.

During our last post we mentioned that our Dahlia tubers that we placed into storage this winter began to mold a little and were generally not doing well. We are going to devote an entire post to Dahlias because not only do they add a huge burst of color to the Bed and Breakfast property every summer, but this flower in particular holds a special place in our hearts. 

Dahlias run the gambit from small, 1 inch diameter flowers on short stems; to flowers the size of dinner plates on massive stalks that need stakes driven into the ground in order to support their weighty heads. Whichever type of Dahlia you choose, they run the rainbow spectrum in color and eye popping appeal. This is why they line the banks of our pond and adorn the nightstands of our guestrooms when they are in season. Dahlias do, however, have one major drawback for Vermont growers. 

Native to Mexico, Dahlias are closely related to the Zinnia and Sunflower. Needless to say, they are a very tender annual and do not handle cold very well. While Zinnias and Sunflowers are easy to grow from seed each year, the Dahlia's root system is a group of meaty tubers that take time to become established. Therefore it isn't as easy as throwing a bunch of seeds in the ground each spring. Dahlia tubers can be purchased from any mail order seed catalogue, or even purchased at your local hardware store; but if you live in a climate such as ours, and you want to save your favorite Dahlia plants from one year to the next, certain precautions need to be taken so they can thrive in a Vermont garden.

At the first signs of frost their hearty stalks turn black with winter chill and they begin to die off. Before that frost reaches the ground, we snip off the blackened stalk and use a pitchfork to loosen up the soil around the mass of tubers. Once we can extract the tubers from the ground we rinse the mass off with water and set them out to dry for several days. The reason we had some mold popping up on our crop this year was twofold: I was impatient and didn't let them dry enough before putting the tubers into storage; and the storage container I placed them in did not have enough ventilation holes. 

Dahlia tubers, being prepared for winter storage

Dahlias adorn the Blue Spruce Room bedside table.

Since there is a good 6-7 month stretch from killing frost to spring planting, these Dahlia tubers actually spend most of their life in storage, which means we need to be very careful about how and where they are stored. In years past I've placed them all in a cardboard box, separated by thin layers of newspaper, and placed them in the basement. This works well for many but here at the B&B our basement stays a little too warm. Ideally, they should be in storage conditions similar to a root cellar. Chilly, but never frosty. To meet these special conditions, our Dahlia tubers get stored in our garage for winter. I wanted to upgrade from the cardboard box to something more substantial this year, so we went out and got two large plastic totes to store everything in. Since Dahlias need to breathe, I drilled a few holes around the sides and top of the totes, and stored them just like I always had: with just a few pieces of newspaper in between them. 

Dahlia storage

After two weeks I went to check on them and lo and behold: MOLD! I knew right away what had happened. In the short time that they had been in storage, the extra moisture in the tubers came out and the few holes and sparse packing material were not enough to wick away the moisture. We were able to save them just in time! They all came out, got sprayed with 1:10 bleach solution, sat under a fan for a week, and we re-packed them for a long winter’s nap. This time I drilled many more holes in the containers and used a bag of pine shavings to pack in between the tubers. You want your packing material to pull extra moisture away from the tubers, but not pull TOO much moisture away from them. So now they sit in our garage. I make a point of checking them every other week to make sure they are still doing well; and waiting for their chance to be planted and enjoyed by our guests for another season.

-Luke McCarthy

Lucky Ducks! (Take two)

We love providing fresh food to our Bed and Breakfast guests, so this year we decided to raise ducks and chickens. In May we picked up three day old ducks that we had ordered in the spring from our local hardware store. When we put in our order we were not able to specify whether we wanted male or female ducks, we were only able to order a "straight run." Since we only wanted females for egg production we hedged our bets and ordered three ducks, hoping for at least one female who would produce eggs for our breakfast menu.

Duck eggs are particularly rich and good for baking. In addition to being larger than a chicken egg, ducks lay their eggs all year round, while chickens tend to slow down in the winter months. It takes a few months for either bird to develop to adolescence and start laying. We were hopeful that the cute little ducklings would turn into a brood of layers so we could make delicious breakfast breads and muffins!

Zucchini Apple Bread, made fresh from the farm!

As the weeks passed our little ducklings got their voice and started speaking to us. Not a distinct quack, but a shallow raspy honk almost. From everything I had read this was a telltale sign that we had males. Hoping for at least one female we waited a few more weeks for their full feathers to come in to find out exactly what we had. Sure enough, as their full feathers came in we saw a distinct curled feather on each of their tails. We had three drakes. No eggs would be coming our way.

The little ones, on their their arrival day!

After doing a little research I found out that when customers order from hatcheries, hatcheries fill the order for females or males first, then they fill the "straight run" orders after. Since a lot of customers are in it for the eggs, the female ducks get ordered first which leaves the straight run orders largely male. Since the local hardware store only fills orders for straight run ducks, I knew we would be in the same situation next spring if we ordered more. So, in early September I made a bold choice and special ordered four female ducks from a hatchery.

Taking a field trip to meet the neighbors!

Our four female Pekin ducklings shipped from Metzer Farms on September 6th, and they showed up at our Post Office on the 8th first thing in the morning. It's only been a few weeks but I can already hear a difference in their voices from the males. They are nearly fully feathered now and can go out and join their mates on a full time basis.

Enjoying the grass and pool on a sunny day!

We started out by housing them in the shed under a heat lamp with some supervised time with the other ducks and chickens. Now they have full run of the coop but are still finding their way around. They haven’t yet figured out how to climb back up the ladder to their house, so every night we collect them by hand and make sure that they are tucked in, cozy and warm under the heat lamp in their house. As the nights get colder, it’s a bit of race to see how quickly their full feathers come in.

The little ones enjoy the heated lamp at night, while their mates prefer to sleep outside under the stars.

The little ones are getting along well with the chickens and other ducks. We’re hoping they will figure out how to climb the ramp into their house on their own but until then, we’ll continue to make sure they are cozy and warm before we turn in for the night. 

-Luke McCarthy

Summer time and the living is easy!

Summer is in full swing!

We’ve had such an amazing start to the summer season! Vermont is greener than green and our garden is flourishing!  We are enjoying fresh fruits and veggies from the garden and planning B&B menus to share with our guests. In the next few weeks, we expect to have melons and some veggies ready to work into the menu.

The view from our front porch at Vermont Bed and Breakfast at Russell Young Farm

Updates from the farm:

Our strawberry towers have blossomed and born their first fruit! I’ve never tasted a juicier, more flavorful strawberry. We’re excited to share these delicious treats as part of our menu of breakfast offerings.

We planted blueberry and currant bushes, as well as a peach tree. While these won’t fruit for a few years, we’re excited to envision our guests walking the B&B property and enjoying a delicious tour of Vermont’s truly local foods.

Our brood is doing well. The chicks have grown into chickens! They are still figuring out their gangly bodies and exploring the lawn with great interest.  We are anticipating that they will be laying fresh eggs for the B&B by foliage season.  In the meantime, they are really funny. They spend most of the day stealing food from the ducks and keeping cool by rolling in the dirt. In the evening, they snuggle into the coop and – while they have spacious sleeping quarters – they all try to squeeze into one little nesting box together. It’s really funny to see. They have made us understand the term “all cooped up” in a new way.  They all appear to be female, so thankfully there hasn’t been any crowing or early morning wake up calls.

We had a funny story with the ducks. A few weeks ago, our neighbors approached us because they had found a little duckling that had been abandoned. Naturally, we took it in and tried to raise it with our ducks. It looked a little bit like a Wood duck, but we weren’t sure. It was a few weeks younger than the others, and they weren’t getting along so we had to keep them separate from the Pekins. After a few weeks of continued struggle, we started comparing images of the birds we suspected it might be. As it turns out, the little Wood duck was actually a Canadian goose! Our little "ugly duckling" seemed a little lonely with the ducks and chickens, which makes sense now. It had started presenting a little differently than the others, so we got curious and realized its true identity. Canadian Geese are federally protected, so we have re-homed it at a local rehabilitation center, where it was quickly adopted and warmly taken in by a true Mama goose.

The real ducks love to swim! They have their adult feathers now, and they spend much of the day jumping in and out of the water and then shaking their tail feathers, literally. While we have provided them with a little swimming pool, they sometimes take a refreshing dip in their drinking water.  One of the ducks is smarter than the others, and has figured out how to access the ramp to their coop with ease, so it always enjoys the freshest food and water. The others will figure it out soon enough, we hope!  It should be just a few months before they are also laying fresh eggs that we can use to make fresh baked goods for the B&B. Duck eggs are bigger and richer, so they are great for baking.

Our peonies are still popping in the garden and filling our guest rooms with aromatic scents of summer!  We have also planted a number of dahlias and other flowers for cutting along the edge of the pond. I’m excited to see them sprouting up and adding color to the landscape.

Dahlias, adorning the bedside table of the Blue Spruce Room

So! Sorry for the long-overdue update. We are busy enjoying the best of summer in Vermont and invite you join us.

-Carin McCarthy