A picture is worth a thousand mums......

.....or thousands I should say!  It's not too early to start thinking about Fall at Moose Crossing Garden Center in Maine.  The mums are all planted and once they start to sell them, they'll keep a running total of how many are left!  We drove by earlier this week and I couldn't resist this photo opportunity.  It's a little glimpse into Autumn.

Baling Hay

When we were kids we loved it when my dad brought hay home for the horses!  Occasionally we would tag along to the farm; sometimes we would even help throw the bales of hay up onto the truck.  So when I heard the tractor across the street today and noticed that he had the baler attached, I grabbed the camera.  Fond memories; with a fragrance reminiscent of the state fair!

 Taken by my dad.  Circa 1970.

Look at the back of the bale and you'll see the first hay bale coming out!

 And another.

 And so on.

Relaxing to watch.

Rain's coming.  All bales picked up.

An easy raspberry tart recipe.

Now that we've picked the first ripe raspberries, we can make a very simple but tasty dessert; a raspberry tart.  Make sure you have vanilla ice cream on hand.  You don't need many ingredients for the tart, and in less than an hour it's ready to serve!

 Start with 1 1/2 cups of flour.  Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.  Mix together.

 Mix in 4 teaspoons of butter until "crumbly".

Add 3 or 4 teaspoons of cold water and mix until your dough is sticky.  Spoon it into a small baking dish.

"Pat" the dough with your hand to line the dish and form a crust.  You don't have to be neat.

Mix 1 1/2 cups of raspberries with a 1/2 cup of sugar and spoon into your crust.  Fold the edges over to form a lip around the berries. 

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown and tart bubbles.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream!  Yummy.  A terrific summer dish.

Raspberries are actually very easy to grow and require relatively low maintenance.  Consider one or two bushes in your back yard garden!

Picking the raspberries - an update.

It's been a few weeks since we covered the raspberries.  We took a walk through the field on this dewy morning and look what we found....there were raspberries ready to be picked!  A short jaunt back to the house for some bowls and we were all set.  Remember, we tied the net on with a velcro closure.  This turned out to be very useful and easy to untie in order to pick the ripe berries. 

We simply undid the velcro closure.  It was easy to fold the net back down when we were done.

Oh boy, they are good!  I was surprised the birds hadn't eaten the ones poking through the net.

 The bowls filled up quickly.

 Pink hands are an occupational hazard.

 It may not be a job for very small children as the bushes are prickly.

 Many of the berries need a bit more time in the sun.

After rinsing the berries in cold water (the berries are delicate so use care), we put some in the freezer.

I'll post the Raspberry Crumble recipe this weekend!  In the meantime, I'll just snack from the fridge....

A day with the horses at North Meadow Farm.

I had a recent opportunity to spend a day at North Meadow Farm, located in Harwinton, Connecticut.  Situated in beautiful Litchfield County, the rolling meadows of green pasture invite equine enthusiasts to this lovely property.

Training a horse is key to a high standard of showmanship.  North Meadow Farm works with riders and their own horses or spends an inordinate amount of time training horses that they offer for sale.

A relative newcomer to the farm, this beauty is being led back to the barn for the day.

This horse has fabulous color; what a striking tail!

The facility consists of two splendid and utilitarian barns on the property.  There is a terrific (and very useful in the winter) indoor ring as well.

The farm is being updated with new storage for boarders.  North Meadow Farm offers all necessary amenities for riders and their horses.

I have to admit, this horse was a favorite of mine.

What an incredible hayloft!

This barn was a dairy barn in it's former life; thus explaining the architectural shape of the structure.

Tranquility.

The manager of the barn, Kate, is an experienced equestrian.  Riders are learning from the best at North Meadow Farm.  Photo courtesy of North Meadow Farm.

Generous stalls make happy horses.

"My progress was rendered delightful by the sylvan elegance of the groves, cheerful meadows, and high distant forests, which in grand order presented themselves to view."   American naturalist, William Bartram

Maintaining a farm such as North Meadow is no small feat.  There is always something to be done.

A very happy and handsome trainee.

"There is no secret so close as that between a rider and his horse."  Unknown

North Meadow Farm participated in a recent x country course.  Photo courtesy of North Meadow Farm.

Everyone is a spectator at the farm.

"Riding a horse is not a gentle hobby, to be picked up and laid down like a game of Solitaire.  It is a grand passion."  Ralph Waldo Emerson

Rinsing off after class; a little horsing around too!

The day is coming to an end at North Meadow Farm.

Until tomorrow.....

For more information on North Meadow Farm, call Kate at 

 (860)307-6416 or send her a message here.