Pickings from Sanborn Mills Farm

Farm Pickings

News and Updates from Sanborn Mills Farm

— April 24, 2024 —

It is spring again. The earth is like a child

that knows poems by heart.

~ Ranier Maria Rilke

Come Meet Our Lambs! First Farm to Table Lunch of 2024 Will Be May 1

New lambs are healthy and happy — and “pronking”* — at Sanborn Mills Farm. Come meet them as part of our first Farm to Table Lunch on Wednesday, May 1, at 12:30 p.m. In addition to getting up close and personal with the newest members of our farm animal crew, you’ll be served a delicious lunch made by our Head Chef Kelly Fahey from fresh ingredients grown here at the Farm. More information and a link for registration is here on our website.

* “Pronking”: Leaping by extending four legs simultaneously. Young lambs and goats love to pronk. It’s also common in gazelles and springboks.

Our 2024 CSAs Still Have a Few Shares Open

Sanborn Mills Farm offers two different subscriptions for our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. We have a share for Farm-grown vegetables and also a share for Farm-grown cut flowers. Our CSA provides a weekly bounty, with pick-ups on Wednesday afternoons from 1 – 6 p.m. The 18-week vegetable CSA runs from June through October, and the nine-week cut-flower CSA runs from July 24th through September 18th.

You’ll find more information and sign-up information here. Our CSAs tend to become fully subscribed quickly, so don’t hesitate to register.

Save the Date: Open Farm Day June 16

Mark your calendar for our popular Open Farm Day at Sanborn Mills Farm, this year on June 16. During the day you and your family and friends can tour our extensive grounds, take garden tours, watch sawmill and grist mill demonstrations, and meet our friendly draft animals up close. More information here.

Upcoming Workshops of Interest

Sanborn Mills Farm’s 2024 Workshop Program is now underway, but it’s never too early to register for a favorite workshop later in the schedule. Many of our workshops fill quickly, so if there’s a workshop or two that catches your interest, make a point to register soon. The full schedule of 2024 workshops is posted on our website here.

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NOTE: DATE CHANGES.

Our popular workshop Introduction to Spoon Carving has been rescheduled for August 3 & 4. Openings are available — register today!

The dates for Intro to Key Making: Georgian Wire Bow have also been changed. This popular workshop is now scheduled for August 10 & 11. Spots are available.

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Here are two upcoming workshops that may be of particular interest to you. Click on the workshop title for more information and to register.

Blacksmithing: Scroll Clinic

May 31

Instructor: Ashen Carey

One spot left!

In this one-day workshop we’ll cover several scroll forms from simple to complex. We’ll briefly discuss when and how they were used and learn how to efficiently create these beautiful elements. We’ll also cover scroll jigs, when it’s advantageous to use them, and how to make them. By the end of the day each participant will go home with a collection of example scrolls, a scroll jig, and an understanding of how scrolls develop and what makes for a “balanced” design. This workshop is perfect for anyone who is interested in effectively dressing-up their ironwork, from novice to experienced. Experience with working in a coal fire is helpful, but not essential. 

Gardening with Dye Plants

June 7

Instructor: Helen Westergren

Learn the basics of growing annual and perennial plants with a focus on cultivating natural dyes. We will work with the Sanborn Mills Farm Dye Garden to learn why these plants yield the colors they do, which plants grow best in our climate, and how to harvest the best color. Our primary focus will be on the Garden’s cornerstone plants: Japanese indigo (Persicaria tinctoria), Madder (Rubia tinctorum), and Weld (Reseda lutea). We will also cover garden classics such as Marigold, Calendula, and some local wild plants. This workshop will cover basic propagation skills, best planting practices, water and nutrient management, and harvesting. Participants will leave this workshop with starts and seeds of their own.

A Visit by 4-H

On April 21, Green Mountain 4-H Teamsters from Vermont visited Sanborn Mills Farm for an agricultural tour. The Farm provided an hour-long tour, led by Farm Manager Ray Ramsey (far left), of barns, oxen, horses, lambs, fields, plants, and lots of draft animal farming equipment. We encourage other 4-H groups to inquire about Farm tours. Our commitment to education connects us with young people from all over New England who are interested in learning how traditional skills and craft are used at the Farm.

www.sanbornmills.org

Photo Credits

Top photo by Steve Bjerklie.

Lamb photo by Lea Rossignol.

CSA graphic by Helen Westergren.

Open Farm Day photo by Steve Bjerklie.

Workshop photos courtesy the instructors.

Bottom photo by Lea Rossignol.