Farm Pickings

News and Updates from Sanborn Mills Farm

— July 17, 2024 —

The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops,

but the cultivation and perfection of human beings.



— Masanobu Fukuoka

Sawmill Demos at August

Farm to Table Lunches

Prior to two Farm to Table Lunches in August, join us for demonstrations of the water-powered sawmill at Sanborn Mills Farm. Our sawmill — the original structure dates to 1829, sited where an even older mill stood in the 1770s — features both a circular saw and an up-and-down saw. We believe our sawmill is the only such water-powered mill in the United States with both an operating circular saw and an operating up-and-down saw. The older up-and-down saw, which may seem slow by comparison with the circular saw, nonetheless revolutionized lumber milling. Not only did it automate milling, it required just one person to operate, a significant advantage when so many other tasks on a farm required manual labor. The circular saw, developed in the mid-19th century, was a significant improvement, vastly speeding up the process. Circular saws led to modern sawmills.

The sawmill will be demonstrated prior to the Farm to Table Lunches on August 2 and August 22. Other August dates for the lunches are August 8 and 16, and each of these may follow other demonstrations at the Farm — stay tuned!

Our Farm to Table lunches are popular, especially when a demonstration is included, so don’t hesitate to sign up for one of our lunch dates. Click here for more information and to register.

And don’t forget our Sunday Suppers this summer. The next one will be held on Sunday, July 28. Our head chef Kelly Fahey and sous chef Taylor George look forward to preparing for you a delicious meal from Farm-grown produce and meats. More information and registration can be found by clicking here.

Save the Date:

Farm to Table Dinner, Sept. 7

This year’s Farm to Table Dinner, one of the most anticipated and popular events at Sanborn Mills Farm, will be held Saturday, Sept. 7. As always, the Dinner will benefit our scholarship fund, which provides assistance so everyone has an opportunity to participate in our educational workshops.

Circle the date on your calendar — this is not an event to be missed! More details soon.

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.

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

Blacksmithing: Architectural Sampler

August 2-4

Instructor: Ashen Carey

One spot available!

Architecture includes any built structure, large or small. For the blacksmith this means not only gates, fences and railings, but also pot-racks, coat-racks, fire screens and tool sets, shelf brackets, and mailboxes. This three day workshop will focus on the fundamentals of architectural blacksmithing. We’ll start with a scale drawing of a sample grill. Each participant will spend their time making this grill and learning/practicing forging skills and techniques that can be applied to any future blacksmithing project. By the end of the workshop, participants will go home with the sample grill they made and a better understanding of how to approach more complex projects. This is a perfect opportunity for a newer smith who has made a few things (maybe a wall hook, or fire-poker, or a set of tongs), and wants to take the next step into more complex projects. This workshop is also a great opportunity for someone with experience in forging pieces and then putting them together with electric welding, but is interested in a more traditional approach. This class will include traditional techniques of joinery, such as rivets, tenons, and pass-throughs.

Introduction to Key Making: Georgian Wire Bow

August 10-11

Instructor: Thomas Boucher

Keys are the building block of every lock. They give important dimensions for the size of the lock and where and how the various parts will fit and interact. Participants in this workshop will learn the basics of making a hollow-stem single-piece forged key. This style is known as a Georgian wire bow. Not only will we cover the steps to form a key, but we will also make some of the necessary tools to do so. Participants will take their rough forgings and file them to shape. Although we are making a particular sized key, the skills and techniques learned in this class can be applied to produce many more keys in other shapes and sizes.

Floral Arrangements from the Field and Garden

August 10

Instructor: Helen Westergren

This one-day workshop will steep students in the rich history of wild, seasonal, and natural floral design and will provide an opportunity to work with flowers grown and foraged from Sanborn Mills Farm. We will spend the morning exploring the gardens and grounds at the Farm and learning how to grow and harvest cut flowers. We will discuss plants appropriate for cutting and observe their natural habit and shapes. In the afternoon, we will use this inspiration to inform design choices for table arrangements as we discuss basic design principles, color theory, and ways of working with flowers to maximize vase life and capture their essence. This is a class for all levels, with no prior experience required. Participants will leave with a vase arrangement and hand-tied bouquet of their own design, all the technical skills needed to make a variety of centerpieces, and a newly attuned eye for what makes a vase-worthy flower.

www.sanbornmills.org

Photo Credits

Top photo by Ray Ramsey.

Sawmill and Farm to Table Dinner photos by Steve Bjerklie.

Workshop photos courtesy the instructors.

Sanborn Mills Farm | 7097 Sanborn Road | Loudon, NH 03307 US