Blog Archives

Pre-Sugaring

12/3/2014

Farmers Jim and Matt are already hard at work preparing for the coming maple sugaring season. Jim says it usually takes him a full day to set up the evaporator, and another full day to sterilize and clean it.

The big excitement this year is a new 400-gallon bulk milk tank that will be used to store sap before it gets boiled in the evaporator. Farmer Jim and Matt are still figuring out the plumbing. Among other custom touches, one is the installation of a light bulb that will stay on all the time to eliminate any freezing near the pump.

0 Comments

Farmers' Meeting

12/3/2014

0 Comments

A Round-Up of the Weekly Farmers’ Meeting:

-All the horses are doing fine.

-Two cats escaped from the nearby prison.

-When Santa visits on Saturday, the forecast is calling for rain all day.

-It’s time to cut the Christmas tree from the field near the Intern House.

-Two-thirds of the corn crop has now been picked. The rest needs to be picked soon.

-Someone needs to check the brakes on one of the horse-drawn wagons.

-The farm is looking to buy a new no-till grain drill, for areas of the farm where tractors are used in addition to horses.

As the end of the year approaches, there’s less to talk about in terms of crops, although the rye is just starting to come up. But prepartions for maple sugaring are already gearing up.

0 Comments

About

The Furrow is the online newsletter of The Friends of Howell Living History Farm. We will be updating this site about once a week with crop reports and other insights into life on a horse-drawn living history farm.

Howell Farm is owned by Mercer County and operated by the Mercer County Park Commission.

Funding for the Howell Living History Farm Furrow is made possible in part by an operating grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State.

RSS Feed

Archives

June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
August 2012
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
January 2011