The last time I blogged, I speculated that the coming freeze might be too late for Saturday's scheduled ice harvest. Fortunately, my speculation didn't account for the fastest ice freeze anyone around Howell Farm can remember. Starting with open water on Tuesday, the pond formed five inches of ice by Saturday morning. The ice harvest went ahead as scheduled, drawing about 250 visitors to contribute to the sawing, hooking, and hauling of blocks of ice from the pond into the ice house. Ice harvest estimations are more art than science, but our best guess is that the total haul on Saturday equaled five to six tons. The ice house is now about one-third full.
If the cold weather continues and the ice thickens to 10 inches, that would allow our farmers to bring the draft horses out onto the pond to help with the hauling. This is a beautiful and relatively rare sight. The last time the horses were on the ice was about five years ago.
If the cold weather continues and the ice thickens to 10 inches, that would allow our farmers to bring the draft horses out onto the pond to help with the hauling. This is a beautiful and relatively rare sight. The last time the horses were on the ice was about five years ago.
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