Farm Pickings

News and Updates from Sanborn Mills Farm

— October 4, 2023 —

Pop-Up Lunches Oct. 6, 12, 20; Book Reading on the 6th

The Farm’s Pop-Up Lunch coming up this Friday, Oct. 6, will be preceded by a reading by writer Carole Soule from her new memoir, “Yes, I Name Them,” her account of livestock farming in New Hampshire.

And don’t forget that the Lunch on Oct. 12 will be preceded by a special tour and demonstration of our historic Grist Mill and Sawmill. These water-powered mills date back to the 1830s and were an integral part of Sanborn Mills Farm when the Farm was an important commercial hub of Loudon. Both have been restored to working order and are used presently at the Farm. Our Sawmill is, we believe, the only water-powered sawmill in the U.S. with both a working rotary saw and an up-and-down saw.

Our Pop-Up Lunches, prepared by head chef Kelly Fahey, offer a delicious array of foods grown right here on the Farm — a true farm-to-table experience. Demonstrations begin at 11:30 a.m. and require check-in at our reception desk in the Main House.

To see the full calendar of upcoming Pop-Up Lunches and to register, click here.

October and November Workshops with Availability

Four workshops coming up in October and November at Sanborn Mills Farm offer unique opportunities to learn new skills. Our workshops typically fill quickly, so now’s the time to register for these classes. Click on the title of each workshop for more information and to register.

NOTE: As of Oct. 4, one spot is available in the Cyanotype workshop.

Cyanotype & Eco-Printing

October 7-8

Instructor: Katama Murray

Participants will learn the basics of cyanotype and eco-printing on paper and fabric. Beginner sewing and quilting techniques will also be covered to create miniature patchwork quilts and journals. This workshop offers an amalgamation of outdoor foraging, printmaking, photography, bookmaking, and fiber processes. In addition to learning the basics of sewing, embroidery, and quilting, students will create hand-bound pamphlet stitch journals using their printed papers.

Blacksmithing: Tool Making

October 13-15

Instructor: Garry Kalajian

Learn to make the essential tools needed for a blacksmith shop, including tongs, punches and chisels, a forge poker, and a flux spoon. Students will begin with instruction on how to maintain a coal fire and a discussion on basic metallurgy with the application to heat treating operations such as annealing, normalizing, hardening, and tempering tool steel. If time permits, students will be guided in making a bending fixture using machine welding and fabrication. Beginning and intermediate level smiths are welcome, and it is important to have some experience with using a coal fired forge.



Blacksmithing Basics

October 20-22

Instructor: Garry Kalajian

Year in and year out, our blacksmithing workshops are among the most popular workshops we offer. But you’re in luck! We have a few spaces available for the upcoming “Blacksmithing Basics” workshop that runs from October 20 through October 22. This is a rare opportunity to sign up now for a workshop that’s normally wait-listed. If you’ve ever had an interest in exploring blacksmithing, don’t let this chance slip by. 

Gourd Birdhouse Decorating, with Education in Bird Behavior and Habitat

November 18

Instructor: Jenn Merrill

Participants in this special one-day workshop will learn to utilize the natural beauty and shapes of gourds to attract an array of wild birds to your home and garden. Many of these birds feed on flies, mosquitoes, and other insects, often resulting in a decline of bothersome insects around the home. You will have the opportunity to add your own monochromatic designs (or use provided patterns) to decorate natural gourds with the use of paint, ink, or pyrography tools. Time will allow the student to make two birdhouses, experimenting with styles, patterns, and mediums. Participants will also learn about the behavior of different cavity-nesting birds as well as how to attract specific species to your home. Gourds will be pre-drilled, sanded, and strung.

What We’re Reading

Book of the Month

This historical novel, written by LeGrand Cannon Jr. and first published in 1942, has never been out of print. It’s a favorite of New Hampshire residents for good reason, comprising one of the very best descriptions of pre-Revolution life in 18th century northern New England, a period when the first residents in the area now occupied by Sanborn Mills Farm began to settle. The story focuses on two young settlers who start a new life in the foothills of New Hampshire’s White Mountains — the mountain in the title is what’s now called Mt. Chocura — on the eve of the Revolution. They learn to survive amid the struggle in what was then a harsh and unforgiving landscape, forging a bond between both them and their adopted homeland. Countryman Press calls “Look to the Mountain” a “definitive American novel.”

To purchase a copy of “Look to the Mountain” from Bookshop.org, click here.

Photo Credits

Top photo by Steve Bjerklie.

“Yes, I Name Them” cover photo courtesy Carole Soule.

Workshop photos courtesy the instructors.

“Look to the Mountain” cover photo courtesy Countryman Press.