tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82269955679865306862024-03-15T09:40:48.008-04:00On Metzger Heritage FarmArthur and Jane are stewards of the Matteson/Metzger family farm on Crandall Hill in Potter County, Pennsylvania. We are proud to use organic methods with an eye to a more sustainable future. Jane Metzgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11766855276023469153noreply@blogger.comBlogger312125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226995567986530686.post-65983007653199121002024-02-27T14:42:00.001-05:002024-02-27T14:42:04.949-05:00Walk The Line<p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZrh49mPoFylLGW1_DEMEpy9C2qjoRnnZwnvPpNbMiXONMyaZi_-13LR_bypUfWJyjV86HjySan8OLy0PAQIATVaI01E40IPvLUUPq6f7slsm1pfQ3748HIyM5GX-0q6g5U1WJhI-URpJr85ezRDrfv4cZ-1lj2okxidckLTekg5z6YG_y8b62ajdmgq0/s640/IMG_3944.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="640" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZrh49mPoFylLGW1_DEMEpy9C2qjoRnnZwnvPpNbMiXONMyaZi_-13LR_bypUfWJyjV86HjySan8OLy0PAQIATVaI01E40IPvLUUPq6f7slsm1pfQ3748HIyM5GX-0q6g5U1WJhI-URpJr85ezRDrfv4cZ-1lj2okxidckLTekg5z6YG_y8b62ajdmgq0/w400-h360/IMG_3944.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">February 26, 2024</td></tr></tbody></table><br />A beautiful afternoon - way too warm for typical February but what's typical as we adapt to climate change? We walked along the borders of our property under blue skies, geese honking above on their northward migration. Both of us using trek poles on the uneven ground, over our own hills and dales, checking in with the fluttering orange surveyor's tape marking the iron stakes pounded into the ground so very many years ago.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLr74XycpktyauR-lxTzfpwIi_qoDqa8VfsGejuPGC3bG4OXBpRLdrM9CLVYHGDrIQhBPAVopcraPXONsBif0ZN0flDMElLcNUweJuuaPmkqL65WQZuqTW_hJh15ZeEWsNCLvzKfkhc-Nqqwc7D9EAAjv-zaUQLPmwPz4FSUKymHnZpkTlGN7XKcOMFRI/s640/IMG_3950.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="544" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLr74XycpktyauR-lxTzfpwIi_qoDqa8VfsGejuPGC3bG4OXBpRLdrM9CLVYHGDrIQhBPAVopcraPXONsBif0ZN0flDMElLcNUweJuuaPmkqL65WQZuqTW_hJh15ZeEWsNCLvzKfkhc-Nqqwc7D9EAAjv-zaUQLPmwPz4FSUKymHnZpkTlGN7XKcOMFRI/w340-h400/IMG_3950.jpeg" width="340" /></a></div><br /><p>Nestled just a foot above the ground in the brush, this engineering marvel, caught my eye.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Jane Metzgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11766855276023469153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226995567986530686.post-86312199109174828322024-02-02T06:42:00.002-05:002024-02-02T06:42:55.441-05:00Ground Hog Day<p> It's early morning on February 2 and those hardy souls in Punxsutawney are ready for their moment in the bright glare of television lights with their beloved Phil waiting in his burrow.</p><p>That first year Arthur and his family had moved away from the beloved family farm, he spent some time in Children's Hospital in Utica, N.Y. Potter County friends and neighbors showered him with cards and letters and, seeing it was in February, Valentines too - many handmade by his former classmates in Mrs. Dewey's room at the Coudersport Elementary School.</p><p>His mother, Wanda, had saved these letters and some time later passed them on to him and, being the sentimental one he is, they went into a box into the attic.</p><p>I pulled that box out last week and this fell from one of the envelopes along with a card and letter from Aunt Margie Gooch.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGPea6hcH7VUOaevfU743AaADYyT2NoACi2hqJDTtzWQEY6N0joZytjOnqVy0RidwtzZb7i92i6ToRqsN41j0DQgLHmJtGlYms6EO-W80TsxbDKTCBcGwNKVEU6Y88HnbnnvG8Aad4TDIEgRchzSslRyPEi8QHA7kSfGwApADDOy8b0yuOtzluzuqIUh0/s640/IMG_3812.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="394" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGPea6hcH7VUOaevfU743AaADYyT2NoACi2hqJDTtzWQEY6N0joZytjOnqVy0RidwtzZb7i92i6ToRqsN41j0DQgLHmJtGlYms6EO-W80TsxbDKTCBcGwNKVEU6Y88HnbnnvG8Aad4TDIEgRchzSslRyPEi8QHA7kSfGwApADDOy8b0yuOtzluzuqIUh0/s320/IMG_3812.jpeg" width="197" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Jane Metzgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11766855276023469153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226995567986530686.post-30424100859202661482024-01-07T13:55:00.000-05:002024-01-07T13:55:13.889-05:00Salt Rising Bread<p>I am convinced there lingers in this old farmhouse a ghostly whiff of salt rising bread. This cold January morning, it joins the fresh aroma from bread we tucked into our cooler when we departed our daughter's Arizona home Wednesday morning. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinDcgQje3oELC8vGPK9m-NgaZB8xEcr9Bhu1vRObnyqJjrB23uy5LENDvH4rmY5VLpgNUfCXZRP75hYgikwWFYWiG47J12xFvHz5jvWo66MXFhI7pwxwvImyv9jralO-e__foa8Zr8sFZQ68ofkVFwWtHoUSH3C4pxEbaTQx-VTr4jHzRqL-Uh6gmZeDY/s640/IMG_3710%20(1).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="640" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinDcgQje3oELC8vGPK9m-NgaZB8xEcr9Bhu1vRObnyqJjrB23uy5LENDvH4rmY5VLpgNUfCXZRP75hYgikwWFYWiG47J12xFvHz5jvWo66MXFhI7pwxwvImyv9jralO-e__foa8Zr8sFZQ68ofkVFwWtHoUSH3C4pxEbaTQx-VTr4jHzRqL-Uh6gmZeDY/w400-h188/IMG_3710%20(1).jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Kate has taken up salt rising bread mantle in our family, the recipe passed to her by her great-aunt Dawn Metzger Newton, who learned from her mother in this same farmhouse kitchen where we toasted Kate's bread as special treat for breakfast today.</p><p>Salt rising bread carries its own mystique in these parts. These days, the bread from local bakeries (particularly the Giant Market in Wellsville or the Angelica version sold in some stores) is popular and delicious, but for those who grew up with the old-fashioned variety, it's not the same.</p><p>It took me a long time to enjoy salt rising bread. My grandfather, newspaperman W.D. "Golly" Fish, loved salt rising bread and I can still see him reaching for a thick slice from the bread plate which accompanied every meal at my grandparents' home. I thought it was disgusting, mostly from its odor. which might be described as dirty gym socks or worse. </p><p>He was a connoisseur of salt rising bread and often wrote about it in his weekly column.</p><p>This from November 1967:<br /></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: courier;">"Salt Rising Bread. It was just about 100 years ago when Golly's parents were united in marriage. Mother had learned as a young girl the art of making salt rising bread. She lived to be 85 years. All that time she baked salt rising and no other kind of bread. All his life it has been Golly's staff of life. Maybe this accounts for the longevity of this scribe."</span></blockquote><p></p><p>He wrote so often about his love affair with the bread that readers began bringing him their offerings - both from home kitchens or from local and far-flung bakeries.</p><p>As a matter of fact, I remember my future grandmother-in-law, Thelma Metzger, soon after I made her acquaintance, telling me that my grandfather once pronounced her salt rising bread the best he'd had since his mother was living.</p><p>Making salt rising bread is not as simple as putting together a yeasted bread. It involves temperature control to grow the sponge. Cookbook author James Beard writes in "Beard on Bread:"<br /></p><p></p><blockquote><blockquote>"Salt rising bread is one of the oldest breads in this country, It has delicious and unusual flavor and a very smooth texture. In fact, it is one of the most remarkable of all breads. It does present one great difficulty for the bread maker. It is unpredictable. You may try the same recipe three or four times without success to find that it works the fifth time."</blockquote></blockquote><p></p><p>And from the New York Times in an article from 2020, as the world turned to sour dough during the Covid Pandemic:</p><p></p><blockquote>"... the delegation of bakers who make salt rising bread agree: You want to wake up to it! You want it to hit you the second you walk into the kitchen because it's the auspicious whiff of a successful salt rising starter, the first sign that efficient bacteria have been working hard all night, metabolizing protein in a fast, wild fermentation filling the starter with hydrogen sulfide and other gasses. It's a promise that within several hours, if all goes well, a flat-topped, fine crumbed loaf will come out a rich, yellow gold from the oven."</blockquote><p></p><p>Kate's recipe, bearing some water spots and other stains, was typed on a computer, each step carefully detailed and described by Aunt Dawn to help insure success. Kate even had a hands-on lesson before she perfected her own technique that involves a yogurt maker and ways of turning off and on an electric oven to maintain the perfect temperature. And even then, there are occasional failures.</p><p>While I've never ventured into the world of salt rising bread making, perhaps this will be winter that I do, summoning the friendly ghosts who set their starter in this very kitchen.</p><p>And to answer the question as to why it's salt-rising bread? I read today that pioneer women always kept a bag of rock salt by the fire where they cooked. When they would make the starter, they would tuck it down into the warm bag of rock salt which kept it at the right temperature.</p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">From Potter Enterprise, 1949</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8ooEeNQ9_wigOdgA4Vh6hRhILOPXEQcb5WdP9kq5mTNxwnorkp_4CGkpHoK6J_Ee1ECX9w9ErW_dItwXeXvAPAJBFHbg7wnlHP9MmtBxXhdDSoSWGMpb35CS_m6Aq-r6G8S_xyCpk5wwPd0cZrEzxD40Pgj4QV_vU7cP26DRMnlM5lfXLhVvV5dOuww/s606/GabbyHayes1949.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="352" data-original-width="606" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8ooEeNQ9_wigOdgA4Vh6hRhILOPXEQcb5WdP9kq5mTNxwnorkp_4CGkpHoK6J_Ee1ECX9w9ErW_dItwXeXvAPAJBFHbg7wnlHP9MmtBxXhdDSoSWGMpb35CS_m6Aq-r6G8S_xyCpk5wwPd0cZrEzxD40Pgj4QV_vU7cP26DRMnlM5lfXLhVvV5dOuww/s320/GabbyHayes1949.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">From Potter Enterprise, 1938</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_ZGxDBF9_hrbkeqB6nTQPjIKO7USUiukepfKjZJm7QcW4uI20pHXpe-30KXJPQnkOPNPjaBTwlcXyDEmZ21XIPOe1p0-XYTJfA8YLETzwetQXKpNnPcnDdpzd6OZ_aUaXC8BBus_Me14RFSFnFPHEPZNwufsDLGVNeDwJwnoMvEvNrzXLWi4x1AR4aM/s360/gabbyhayes2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="288" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_ZGxDBF9_hrbkeqB6nTQPjIKO7USUiukepfKjZJm7QcW4uI20pHXpe-30KXJPQnkOPNPjaBTwlcXyDEmZ21XIPOe1p0-XYTJfA8YLETzwetQXKpNnPcnDdpzd6OZ_aUaXC8BBus_Me14RFSFnFPHEPZNwufsDLGVNeDwJwnoMvEvNrzXLWi4x1AR4aM/w320-h400/gabbyhayes2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Jane Metzgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11766855276023469153noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226995567986530686.post-49203703227998065502023-10-06T07:51:00.001-04:002023-10-06T07:51:23.541-04:00Autumn<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">My barn boots leave a path through the dew-heavy grass on the way to the high tunnel these autumn mornings - a path that disappears as the sun moves higher in the sky.</span></div><p></p><p>When we arrive at October, everything looks tired in there save the August lettuce planting, still bright and cheerful just inside the door.</p><p>There are a few tomato vines tethered to their strings with fruit still ripening - especially the rangy bright yellow Sun Golds. Warm sunny weather brought us a couple more zucchinis and brave flowers under the mildewy leaves still attract bees - bumblebees mostly as the honeybees prefer working the fields of goldenrod.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5bOKI0QNWdRgCKSQ6pUHZ1DP2VO63rxdCT3DNpzjiI40H6fFoe17okY2jOAGIcmdwINRd7K6wsMv-L2mINPuVBhAtpDJfvrrXdNUZJgLbuZzAeV1WAqfFX2NiGYFmDUAUQT4pUDtfyFHKVBTmE3dfTDOgmoJEdZ8ANFzPy6Ry05cF4nDpnyC1QMPRGS8/s640/beegoldenrod.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="484" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5bOKI0QNWdRgCKSQ6pUHZ1DP2VO63rxdCT3DNpzjiI40H6fFoe17okY2jOAGIcmdwINRd7K6wsMv-L2mINPuVBhAtpDJfvrrXdNUZJgLbuZzAeV1WAqfFX2NiGYFmDUAUQT4pUDtfyFHKVBTmE3dfTDOgmoJEdZ8ANFzPy6Ry05cF4nDpnyC1QMPRGS8/s320/beegoldenrod.jpg" width="242" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>My penchant for leaving once-cultivated flowers to self seed yields bountiful crops of calendula, nasturtiums, marigolds and sunflowers growing in random places throughout the tunnel, leaving seed heads that keep the chickadees and goldfinches happy before we fill the bird feeders.</p><p>But the star of the show is the trellis with Fortex snap beans still putting out blossoms and each day handfuls of lovely green beans!</p><p>My goal is to have the cleanup complete and most beds cleared of their spent plants, vines and weeds before the killing freeze sends the temperatures into the 20s.and ends growing time even under the soaring plastic cover.</p><p>Kale, chard and the few carrots will stand the killing freeze that's coming soon and I'll soon stretch floating row cover over their beds in hopes of keeping something green on the table into the winter.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Jane Metzgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11766855276023469153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226995567986530686.post-4863182265093359822023-08-21T16:54:00.002-04:002023-08-21T16:54:29.372-04:00Effects Of Climate Change?<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">In other years this would be the time of year we're wandering through the apple orchard, looking for those first ripening early season apples - Yellow Transparent , Zestar, Williams Pride or the <a href="https://metzgerfarm.blogspot.com/2017/09/a-grand-duchess.html">famed Duchess of Oldenburg.</a></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpl8vRNAYJX4qMmlnZjvUdi-NoGYs504wasL8jaGPKyHa8LQ7ZbI5bgt8uNs3NIa6rQZMlbZD91iZuFE3HNnrk5RP99oMq34j4fxHebJvh2Iw4WJGpKKFgPjaFd3MdzfzFlC0OzzMuYV2H037FpEXC5ewdrlxfzVF-lq_a8E30L2C2j_CdaN6vWeUfdPs/s2668/IMG_4433.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2356" data-original-width="2668" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpl8vRNAYJX4qMmlnZjvUdi-NoGYs504wasL8jaGPKyHa8LQ7ZbI5bgt8uNs3NIa6rQZMlbZD91iZuFE3HNnrk5RP99oMq34j4fxHebJvh2Iw4WJGpKKFgPjaFd3MdzfzFlC0OzzMuYV2H037FpEXC5ewdrlxfzVF-lq_a8E30L2C2j_CdaN6vWeUfdPs/s320/IMG_4433.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">But it's not to be in 2023 for a late season freeze (21 degrees) in May dashed our hopes for a bountiful harvest.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Therefore, we won't be offering our spectacular organic apple cider this fall and there won't be a farmstand opening in the former horse barn.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Here's a report from Greg Peck (Cornell University) and Scott Ramsey (New York Cider Association), published on July 17 of this year that tells the sad story.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><blockquote><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">"For cider apple growers in New York, 2023 was set up to be a banner year. Many orchards that had been planted over the past 10 years were finally expected to be in full production... There was a tremendous bloom on cider apple trees in 2023.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Unfortunately, cold temperature returned with a vengeance on 18 May. Most region experienced temperature below freezing, with some locations getting into the mid-20s. Trees in bloom or with small fruitlets experience a range of damage from outright crop failure to varying levels of fruit loss and fruit peel damage...."</span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #494949; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #494949; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">You can learn more about the frost/freeze event by <a href="https://data.nysipm.org/weather-events/20230518/map.html" target="_blank">visiting https://data.nysipm.org/weather-events/20230518/map.html</a></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #494949; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #494949; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">And Pennsylvania DEP has gathered information about Climate Change <a href="https://gis.dep.pa.gov/ClimateChange/index.html">here.</a></p><div class="wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-15" style="align-items: center; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #494949; display: flex; flex-wrap: nowrap; gap: 2em; margin-bottom: 1.75em;"><div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow" style="box-sizing: border-box; flex-basis: 0px; flex-grow: 1; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><br /></p></div></div>Jane Metzgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11766855276023469153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226995567986530686.post-28170784253646853352023-08-19T07:34:00.001-04:002023-08-19T07:34:25.488-04:00Milkweed <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyuAN-6JyhzgIP0CzMkp_hjb6gB2CIL5oW6f_5CxGQwY98wlYbVLzW4WKxEvD-mRlF6t2anVIXuIK4vhbDb7_3u6fj--8n54hT20XtvSdkMkezDV-w_c6xxo0dP-55JJwrR3KyRM2OJZvXQFhFq6kyTe1KtGi9V_xiqDnysWOpqQqhfhOkTMD6xUXdOHs/s894/IMG_2774.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="894" data-original-width="700" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyuAN-6JyhzgIP0CzMkp_hjb6gB2CIL5oW6f_5CxGQwY98wlYbVLzW4WKxEvD-mRlF6t2anVIXuIK4vhbDb7_3u6fj--8n54hT20XtvSdkMkezDV-w_c6xxo0dP-55JJwrR3KyRM2OJZvXQFhFq6kyTe1KtGi9V_xiqDnysWOpqQqhfhOkTMD6xUXdOHs/w314-h400/IMG_2774.jpeg" width="314" /></a></div><p></p><p>I've been keeping my eyes on the milkweed plants that have taken root in the high tunnel, waiting for this annual event.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHQNCglO-1UfaKsDc-jt9DeqqP0grKsmF0B-wn7DJzC8xq757Ke25MoDheda-oxoLYPAgSY2KxfccSKJuGKqvvP483PMBNnLEwqRCp8ILXlW_biHYFVD7M5O8VMDhSOM-qQRZlecwiVoqicKf-28CM3fUWohqYrWSqMD1BS5ZRoh0CxTZ2HEzrYZV7UVU/s1017/IMG_2766.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1017" data-original-width="700" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHQNCglO-1UfaKsDc-jt9DeqqP0grKsmF0B-wn7DJzC8xq757Ke25MoDheda-oxoLYPAgSY2KxfccSKJuGKqvvP483PMBNnLEwqRCp8ILXlW_biHYFVD7M5O8VMDhSOM-qQRZlecwiVoqicKf-28CM3fUWohqYrWSqMD1BS5ZRoh0CxTZ2HEzrYZV7UVU/w275-h400/IMG_2766.jpeg" width="275" /></a></div><br /><p>Larva of the Monarch Butterfly - I spotted 10 in various instar stages last week when I carried my phone with me for my morning check-in.</p><p>This morning it's kinda chilly - 49 degrees - and I'm sitting in the living room with a second cup of coffee. But I'll don the fleece soon and pull on my barn boots and visit the milkweed patch to check on the caterpillars. </p><p>I read <a href="https://monarchjointventure.org/monarch-biology/life-cycle">this article</a> this morning to refresh my memory about the life stages of the monarch. Now I know that I won't find the chrysalis on the milkweed but will perhaps they'll be hidden nearby.</p><p>Stay tuned!</p>Jane Metzgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11766855276023469153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226995567986530686.post-36766310374733209432023-06-02T11:41:00.000-04:002023-06-02T11:41:20.054-04:00Potato Time Again<p>There are potatoes sending out sprouts in our garden space - at least I think they're growing. The climate-change weather pattern brought us above-normal temperatures then below-normal temperatures and now heat and lack of precipitation.</p><p>Arthur, seduced by the offerings of our favorite organic seed potato purveyors, ordered way more seed potatoes that we want or need to plant this spring. We have extras safely stored in the cellar waiting to go to someone who is looking for variety and deliciousness and wholesomeness - for they are certified organic certified seed potatoes.</p><p>Send an email (metzgerfarm@gmail.com) or call the home phone (814-274-8004) if you're interested - time's a-wastin'!</p><p>Soon there will be acres and acres of potatoes growing in the fields on this old farm. As a matter of fact, my olfactory senses tell me there's some manure involved this sunny day.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkrUvI2z1PWekGnmTUCFP-b1dM4FcE9NaWkfQ_itHjyUS4tk2hhjVYReeGIraOy-U3u9XErH41shmFwYHexzqz20NGFjlkgUjuX532vxllu2uUHw6t5Qd2pE39XJJH82H7NAWzIZ7qL-odBLarxB_2VsSz3AIyv9SfHyyerS1BLG29xGPkO9XR3T7i/s977/IMG_2342.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="977" data-original-width="700" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkrUvI2z1PWekGnmTUCFP-b1dM4FcE9NaWkfQ_itHjyUS4tk2hhjVYReeGIraOy-U3u9XErH41shmFwYHexzqz20NGFjlkgUjuX532vxllu2uUHw6t5Qd2pE39XJJH82H7NAWzIZ7qL-odBLarxB_2VsSz3AIyv9SfHyyerS1BLG29xGPkO9XR3T7i/w286-h400/IMG_2342.jpeg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carol Metzger (Wilkerson) and<br />Dawn Metzger (Newton) among the<br />potatoes "by the sugar bush".<br />July 1950<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLBOWKRElBHgr1fxUhEo4cvXvYI8hKfYHXrwvODKRfOOENoqLqL5HS78QOJZSotoInT8-bTmOcUiF2gOmexJJzldozEdyiw67lslN5BgbdRp3WMNNikMb0hkfTBk100L7H-mR56HL3-hFUSt_mg7A4vOSo-RfAYGHeFWqkHVlPf71yjeNZdYQXdYEZ/s1084/IMG_2341.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1084" data-original-width="700" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLBOWKRElBHgr1fxUhEo4cvXvYI8hKfYHXrwvODKRfOOENoqLqL5HS78QOJZSotoInT8-bTmOcUiF2gOmexJJzldozEdyiw67lslN5BgbdRp3WMNNikMb0hkfTBk100L7H-mR56HL3-hFUSt_mg7A4vOSo-RfAYGHeFWqkHVlPf71yjeNZdYQXdYEZ/w259-h400/IMG_2341.jpeg" width="259" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">and from the same roll of film,<br />this one says "over to Sheldon's"<br />See the tractor near the horizon?</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Jane Metzgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11766855276023469153noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226995567986530686.post-67096913010870180492023-04-28T10:47:00.001-04:002023-04-29T09:18:27.971-04:00Story Of Place<p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6xwbc0U22-ZD-QBdLDGN5HPlDQleqaKtYK158zDBXBpRFWb__J0p1zJMopxsz4zAKR2WFUtTFCW3U8Q05ACOo8KQJbJUmZ3EzACeTqz17YCYCb1E8r4hcH_ZDVJPvpeAOWfrUG9sOirlNjhP039qyt9T4osFB0Fqrh6yb_kp6f7iohseEIplShLJC/s801/IMG_2127.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="801" data-original-width="700" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6xwbc0U22-ZD-QBdLDGN5HPlDQleqaKtYK158zDBXBpRFWb__J0p1zJMopxsz4zAKR2WFUtTFCW3U8Q05ACOo8KQJbJUmZ3EzACeTqz17YCYCb1E8r4hcH_ZDVJPvpeAOWfrUG9sOirlNjhP039qyt9T4osFB0Fqrh6yb_kp6f7iohseEIplShLJC/w350-h400/IMG_2127.jpg" width="350" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #2d3033; font-family: Lato; font-size: 17.5px; text-align: left;">Through the 46 years I've made my home in this place, spirits of those who walked these fields, those who picked up and moved rocks from these garden spaces, those who hid daffodil and crocus and tulip bulbs deep in the cooling autumn earth, those who stood on my front porch and watched the sun make a fiery ascent on a cool spring morning - those spirits walk with me - perhaps just a little closer in this spring of great change.</span></div><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #2d3033; font-family: Lato; font-size: 17.5px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwfWipiUNdLMaJdvLJgb2HZrcPEP1TAG7mbE-X1HojB8YaWVzCk34qG_mma7giR9fhwhlkcA689_dIj7I8-KiLQf8cPmSE97Pfg6qH8tUi0cQID1kCGqUfQXutISvH0eKq5yhLc16hBeoz5L_at_pmdBly-NewYKYmgaa1YPNHSOvFXO8SXKc0qiZb/s744/IMG_2192.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwfWipiUNdLMaJdvLJgb2HZrcPEP1TAG7mbE-X1HojB8YaWVzCk34qG_mma7giR9fhwhlkcA689_dIj7I8-KiLQf8cPmSE97Pfg6qH8tUi0cQID1kCGqUfQXutISvH0eKq5yhLc16hBeoz5L_at_pmdBly-NewYKYmgaa1YPNHSOvFXO8SXKc0qiZb/s320/IMG_2192.jpg" width="301" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPvSuTiaVwQDSUtz-DECvh_QWamydX_zwha1MyP9XOlc-OFal7RpoHTSQImFqAzmZgojxpLbfrEJGHpk13db3w2xJqjJ7UhSAL9JHLswDmLe6fa_thFLwaEdBnIHe1bsN_KbMnp4Vm0wX_4Ol8u9pu3VWdGOfFTLbsRNhquMMhRfo6NU9PQIHSJcx3/s933/daffodils23.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="933" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPvSuTiaVwQDSUtz-DECvh_QWamydX_zwha1MyP9XOlc-OFal7RpoHTSQImFqAzmZgojxpLbfrEJGHpk13db3w2xJqjJ7UhSAL9JHLswDmLe6fa_thFLwaEdBnIHe1bsN_KbMnp4Vm0wX_4Ol8u9pu3VWdGOfFTLbsRNhquMMhRfo6NU9PQIHSJcx3/s320/daffodils23.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBfD3Qk-PeRkcX-v7ncHJ0YLRAOAkL2LOCUrCMXpHrV2fXkv9JPeB9U_IZQxhEcC_fGqIhgGhgkkCkJPDcWKT2V9YdyLt_zc3hUmu4Pgp2sxtudwIY0hi4_oT7NPcOXgkBb27BSdgMsYjlPpVKme741u6OuD7ROWS-i1j0IgALpnJcOmFA4W9_RCFj/s829/IMG_0746.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="829" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBfD3Qk-PeRkcX-v7ncHJ0YLRAOAkL2LOCUrCMXpHrV2fXkv9JPeB9U_IZQxhEcC_fGqIhgGhgkkCkJPDcWKT2V9YdyLt_zc3hUmu4Pgp2sxtudwIY0hi4_oT7NPcOXgkBb27BSdgMsYjlPpVKme741u6OuD7ROWS-i1j0IgALpnJcOmFA4W9_RCFj/s320/IMG_0746.jpg" width="270" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqXE6E1_7Miw2SDC7BILbeUFZqfZ52TS6NvmWej7_G85gLTRLml8Gr_6BAksEqCKgdw94ypOwOFVD4w95D_GcT1tZ_AExoMoKqg7AwHlQdX2F2h5w0T3WNZW06F-V--vMTC-CSLUFxU7wQ53uCZ8vbh4bn1_5IDlUOptGTayvUKdXXj1Ve_7VOqEyB/s700/IMG_6799.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="588" data-original-width="700" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqXE6E1_7Miw2SDC7BILbeUFZqfZ52TS6NvmWej7_G85gLTRLml8Gr_6BAksEqCKgdw94ypOwOFVD4w95D_GcT1tZ_AExoMoKqg7AwHlQdX2F2h5w0T3WNZW06F-V--vMTC-CSLUFxU7wQ53uCZ8vbh4bn1_5IDlUOptGTayvUKdXXj1Ve_7VOqEyB/s320/IMG_6799.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>From author Louise Penny in her most recent Gamache novel, "World of Curiosities"</div><div><p style="text-align: center;">"It was the home Pierre Stone himself built. It had been in the family for generations.<br />Billy's parents had sold the place when it got beyond them.<br />Times change. You had to roll with it.<br />But it was impossible to roll without getting bruised."</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p></div>Jane Metzgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11766855276023469153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226995567986530686.post-77044245565883074702023-04-02T08:31:00.009-04:002023-04-06T09:05:03.257-04:00The Secret of NIMH<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5aoZaZLbiibv0I_EI5WXQI-T-lge1NPbWJ1AbWGN2Zc6DDrOUPxiqGhjYI0uWosuI3JFoxYL5e8Yr7V_fTS2RCsSddbrKcGKndBF-lwv8Et4SMpTvBvs9zmAcksW12cfmXkeTkTvYvFkeBJcBwViWfkCT6RKwbkKxk_EQG8fFpbBkRyBrIDfKlrAK/s259/images-11.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5aoZaZLbiibv0I_EI5WXQI-T-lge1NPbWJ1AbWGN2Zc6DDrOUPxiqGhjYI0uWosuI3JFoxYL5e8Yr7V_fTS2RCsSddbrKcGKndBF-lwv8Et4SMpTvBvs9zmAcksW12cfmXkeTkTvYvFkeBJcBwViWfkCT6RKwbkKxk_EQG8fFpbBkRyBrIDfKlrAK/w400-h300/images-11.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Remember those days when you went to visit Smitty at his video store in the Damascus Plaza to select videos that might appeal to the whole family? Our kids were of the age that I could sometimes still select old favorites like Disney's Swiss Family Robinson and peruse new titles in the family-friendly section. And thus the animated re-telling ("The Secret of NIMH") of the Newberry Award winning book "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" captured my imagination on a cold winter evening.</p><p>The movie version is described this way: "Mrs. Brisby, a widowed mouse, lives in a cinderblock with her children on a farm. She is preparing to move her family out of the field they live in as plowing time approaches but her son Timothy has fallen ill and moving him could prove fatal."</p><p>The rumble of the tractor grows closer and closer to the cinderblock, the earth quakes and the blade cuts its way through the soil. Terrified children huddle together as bits of earth rain down on their heads. And, just at the last possible second before they're tossed into oblivion, the giant earth moving equipment sputters and stops as a resourceful rodent chews through a hose.</p><p>In these early spring days, I hear the rumble of heavy equipment here and wish there might be a group of resourceful rodents at work to stop it as trees fall and the ground is ripped apart.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh52p7Kh_VNZ0fBZVSzLA2_VzH7Xoe6ZvAIsnZ7JXUYlEPC387a4ER1SUduJlt5ZcBk8XefvAQQ40JWc-6rM5ckk4A_3n3wkmFnvPMTKdgff8wLEL4lOJkJjnLygI_kTtmYKodb6YafJP_20lMd8-XqSOuWZ1gXP0ri1W6P0Dyl7u8qdIXhTSUJhGzn/s934/IMG_1975.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="934" data-original-width="700" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh52p7Kh_VNZ0fBZVSzLA2_VzH7Xoe6ZvAIsnZ7JXUYlEPC387a4ER1SUduJlt5ZcBk8XefvAQQ40JWc-6rM5ckk4A_3n3wkmFnvPMTKdgff8wLEL4lOJkJjnLygI_kTtmYKodb6YafJP_20lMd8-XqSOuWZ1gXP0ri1W6P0Dyl7u8qdIXhTSUJhGzn/w300-h400/IMG_1975.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Jane Metzgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11766855276023469153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226995567986530686.post-17295917425703162312023-03-27T11:43:00.005-04:002023-04-06T11:02:02.847-04:00Metzgers Serving Leeks!<p>We went in search of leeks yesterday but came home empty handed. Perhaps it's a bit early to see them emerging from their forest hiding spots.</p><p>Our neighborhood Hebron Grange was reportedly the first in the Potter County area to offer leek suppers beginning in the 1930s. Cooked leeks served with plenty of ham and other homemade side dishes were the attraction.</p><p>From Potter Enterprise: 7 April 1949</p><p><span style="font-family: courier;"></span></p><blockquote><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier;">Leek eaters, ATTENTION!</span></p></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier;">Want to attend that famous Hebron Grange Leek Supper on Crandall Hill this year?</span></p></blockquote><blockquote><p><span style="font-family: courier;">You'll have to get up on your toes if you do.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">Last year the leek-hungry public almost mobbed the good ladies of the Grange who were cooing the fragrant(?) leeks in 20-bushel lots.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">This year different arrangements are being made. You leek eaters have gotta get your tickets in advance or you don't eat leeks. Only 300 will be sold.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">Folks in Allegany County, McKean County and Cameron County better write to Mrs. Wanda Metzger, R.D. 2, Coudersport, if they want to fill up on the stinking liliaceous vegetable that springs up in the wild lands of Potter County in the springtime.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">The dinner is scheduled for Saturday, April 23 at 6:00 p.m.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">Reservations must be in not later than April 28.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">Costs a buck and a half for adults and half that amount for the kids.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">Get tickets in advance or you don't eat. </span><span style="font-family: courier;">Guess that's tellin' 'em off.</span></p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p>From 22 April 1954, The Potter Enterprise</p><p></p><blockquote><p><span style="font-family: courier;">Leek suppers!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">The season is here. Hebron Grange, originator of leek suppers, will hold its 20th such annual event Saturday May 1.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">The Grangers have dug, cleaned, cooked hundreds of bushels of the popular odoriferous spring greens.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">When other organizations observed the public taste for leeks, they joined the leek supper parade and now a half dozen such events take place each year.</span></p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4C-kgdBg2nYQ1h1Pg-VhlsxMsUneNAXJPXxuz2lr4wycSTCFJo9I6gMS2TDQOq1ecpO-yHxTEiB0b_7lchzFCOIxVUqba_4vpeX6kUa3wAzbWCpSXlMGlJ2cGLN-rcz1lXja1y0i8bNKYBPjOovw0CVc205UeHzLnCyEVmfyjcos7CUpKHU2TdYik/s700/leek%20supper.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="618" data-original-width="700" height="566" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4C-kgdBg2nYQ1h1Pg-VhlsxMsUneNAXJPXxuz2lr4wycSTCFJo9I6gMS2TDQOq1ecpO-yHxTEiB0b_7lchzFCOIxVUqba_4vpeX6kUa3wAzbWCpSXlMGlJ2cGLN-rcz1lXja1y0i8bNKYBPjOovw0CVc205UeHzLnCyEVmfyjcos7CUpKHU2TdYik/w640-h566/leek%20supper.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />The newspaper;s archaic custom of identifying women by their husband's name makes it seem<br />these women are the property of their husbands. So for the record, (left to right):<br />KATHRYN Thompson, WANDA Metzger, EVA Swift, GRACE Pepperman<br />and THELMA Metzger.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> : <p></p><p></p><p>ADDENDUM:</p><p>from The Potter Enterprise, April 12, 1961:</p><p><span style="font-family: courier;"></span></p><blockquote><p><span style="font-family: courier;">Leek suppers –</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">Strange how Hebron Grange started a trend when it was a pioneer in serving leeks a number of years ago.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">The idea caught on and the affair became so big that hundreds came to Crandall Hill to feast on the spring green, with plenty of other food.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">The time came when each Grange family was assigned the task of hunting and digging a bushel of leeks. That was not all – he leeks had to be cleaned and washed. It was not a small task.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">Now the picture has changed – Hebron Grange has resigned from the leek supper business. it is willing that others should carry on. The Grangers are too busy with other duties to dig leeks, wash them, cook and serve them.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">Makes us a little sad to announce - No Hebron Grange leek supper this year.</span></p><p></p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p> </p><p></p>Jane Metzgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11766855276023469153noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226995567986530686.post-8345808472565933042023-03-23T13:47:00.002-04:002023-03-23T13:47:50.374-04:00Sugaring Close To Home<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFWviIjHRBsiv4TAXQSWwPh-loDJKzu9ELcLqLijeI4tFHezdEx-4esGyBCgYDOK3Md34A-ltlcz5JChUesIrsMwyLsJHWTuibTg5uXX50B4WE0GSLdkysFDLAPfPTZOLah7QcfEEPAGSsq9vSqQ9CnP6qpDMStFXpQ5omVNb7swW80AOnT8DkwZj1/s1047/IMG_1649.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1047" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFWviIjHRBsiv4TAXQSWwPh-loDJKzu9ELcLqLijeI4tFHezdEx-4esGyBCgYDOK3Md34A-ltlcz5JChUesIrsMwyLsJHWTuibTg5uXX50B4WE0GSLdkysFDLAPfPTZOLah7QcfEEPAGSsq9vSqQ9CnP6qpDMStFXpQ5omVNb7swW80AOnT8DkwZj1/s320/IMG_1649.jpg" width="214" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Here's young Arthur Metzger offering his assistance as the family syrup making commenced back in the 1950s. Note the barn boots, cap and belted jacket! His mother, Wanda Gooch Metzger was the family photographer.</p><p>There's a long tradition of making sugar from maples in this neighborhood.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTFDz4zsLA3_Rm_akFjVcwvPML-JmJVxHbsZBc_VQyBS-tMM07WgvxX4oFi72BshASgsG3SmMBh-uuVtagk-bL-03qr8tsUxYZbFB0h5-qNL3Kata-L3c0Bbvqrp8nqTnr6Oh1vrfCrr7c4yjIC9KTa0Cwj2GRN_AzbJiU4YwZ0rVgiPOrg54I131r/s542/21%20March%201907.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="124" data-original-width="542" height="73" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTFDz4zsLA3_Rm_akFjVcwvPML-JmJVxHbsZBc_VQyBS-tMM07WgvxX4oFi72BshASgsG3SmMBh-uuVtagk-bL-03qr8tsUxYZbFB0h5-qNL3Kata-L3c0Bbvqrp8nqTnr6Oh1vrfCrr7c4yjIC9KTa0Cwj2GRN_AzbJiU4YwZ0rVgiPOrg54I131r/s320/21%20March%201907.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Potter Enterprise, April 4, 1907</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwkgdpcZ0sTQFGcMaGhC3TB5xBgiT8sAM0mQ_lsJetxiPL87cFAiHowpunPamtKAz-EOTIJc7TbjiTDCgodg8HEYKQMbIY1HN8v1ozuHpj7pHSU8UxoRx72Yzo3tzCHSFqmuicBY4ZDDgHkKVJmzFLBIGfuzYf-ceqF-p7ctT5Vt4KZrEQZhKs6AiI/s526/4%20April%201907.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="158" data-original-width="526" height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwkgdpcZ0sTQFGcMaGhC3TB5xBgiT8sAM0mQ_lsJetxiPL87cFAiHowpunPamtKAz-EOTIJc7TbjiTDCgodg8HEYKQMbIY1HN8v1ozuHpj7pHSU8UxoRx72Yzo3tzCHSFqmuicBY4ZDDgHkKVJmzFLBIGfuzYf-ceqF-p7ctT5Vt4KZrEQZhKs6AiI/s320/4%20April%201907.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>We're not in the maple business but just over the hill, we enjoyed pancakes, sausage and maple syrup last weekend at Green Hill Sugar Shack.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-nC38-ljidTVa-yVMxoj52yonShhBbMgn3j7UzQeMJ9wRyMyWmEwmXzMyyMybEw_LOuQQkk_r6vTbFb-VDTTUZO0wKzDRyxdjDmQvyx9hxdVZBepljleccIEuc6lI6ogsPrksgz0ZsvR_8vQAVDyywH_sDIN993QY1SenjDbgSg5qrlYt4O6ZGymx/s652/1916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="276" data-original-width="652" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-nC38-ljidTVa-yVMxoj52yonShhBbMgn3j7UzQeMJ9wRyMyWmEwmXzMyyMybEw_LOuQQkk_r6vTbFb-VDTTUZO0wKzDRyxdjDmQvyx9hxdVZBepljleccIEuc6lI6ogsPrksgz0ZsvR_8vQAVDyywH_sDIN993QY1SenjDbgSg5qrlYt4O6ZGymx/s320/1916.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1916</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgroSEyH-b29FGS3RGYQmF8T75z9InVLIzhcb9VY8J3WSePPJy5vPgRz5SVEz7Jb9q6fXh3fmK9uoCyKMt8fqANBuNxJPoqCgSHM9gfIJzdSToKQZbePxLXP0P8AS8ilFxmyg2JdvHuKE3If4pXW8kuLWS4V1YyFqaR8fhL2jC9f4WFbShdb3YSx25i/s644/1930.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="124" data-original-width="644" height="62" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgroSEyH-b29FGS3RGYQmF8T75z9InVLIzhcb9VY8J3WSePPJy5vPgRz5SVEz7Jb9q6fXh3fmK9uoCyKMt8fqANBuNxJPoqCgSHM9gfIJzdSToKQZbePxLXP0P8AS8ilFxmyg2JdvHuKE3If4pXW8kuLWS4V1YyFqaR8fhL2jC9f4WFbShdb3YSx25i/s320/1930.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1930</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Our neighbor, Kristin Gavin, showed up on our doorstep yesterday bearing this from their Applewood Hollow Farm. The Gavins live on the farm formerly owned by C.L. Stearns referenced above.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLDVlTuqv6H5IIatq_1UazQmuCXYcRv8CPTwfg5aSkL6EdQBmtNfqPhT3H406FkphefQMpdnrUh022wz657HTgfcZbdWaQRRrJBeocoNImw4FIMUcvdvStQlyKDdL4pd7iWQcwZhGKxbZ9r0TLDs-I4iwqf_8nDk6ITFDoDvBbrONPR3IiWDjbPgBm/s853/IMG_1958.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLDVlTuqv6H5IIatq_1UazQmuCXYcRv8CPTwfg5aSkL6EdQBmtNfqPhT3H406FkphefQMpdnrUh022wz657HTgfcZbdWaQRRrJBeocoNImw4FIMUcvdvStQlyKDdL4pd7iWQcwZhGKxbZ9r0TLDs-I4iwqf_8nDk6ITFDoDvBbrONPR3IiWDjbPgBm/s320/IMG_1958.jpg" width="263" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Destined for sourdough buckwheat<br />cakes coming soon!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbEoUQtnS-_OWEEiLU_dSL0JlNqJ4H79EkkQXGWCruKqN6WR6meeFU2PgT7XuxvVU_jsPl8y48sFviQIxHyKJHleTgGp5rvP5huUuAfvWK6c8nxi-Uvkn0A1jtuZkHtHuxDg5wH41ig6R_mrQ3J9N6emxDG3IewAu0kJVbNnMtVJMidHpY5DShz2QI/s913/12%20April%201923.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="913" data-original-width="671" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbEoUQtnS-_OWEEiLU_dSL0JlNqJ4H79EkkQXGWCruKqN6WR6meeFU2PgT7XuxvVU_jsPl8y48sFviQIxHyKJHleTgGp5rvP5huUuAfvWK6c8nxi-Uvkn0A1jtuZkHtHuxDg5wH41ig6R_mrQ3J9N6emxDG3IewAu0kJVbNnMtVJMidHpY5DShz2QI/w294-h400/12%20April%201923.jpg" width="294" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From 1923</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Jane Metzgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11766855276023469153noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226995567986530686.post-86126430605497680322023-02-22T11:23:00.002-05:002023-02-22T11:23:35.349-05:00Black History On Crandall Hill<p>Old black and white photographs taken on the farm by Wanda Gooch Metzger in the 1950s provide a glimpse of life in the days when migrants traveled from the south to harvest vegetables in the summer.</p><p>It's not my story to tell but the photos stored in the White Owl cigar boxes are waiting for the words.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLICsp6a9e3-ju-ciJMpDQoaulp7iXsXet6w5JjM1D0IWliwieA9twYBgQq4pXOywbHpbZ2jYbRjMuwwzyT_nqVBUpRvIMyu5ij_Dke7P8WyeHvDlHFDQvQIEC4AkXuKlj4oD_AFnqjUHd9-WE0Ml2nfYIbX2wHRpGMARoJIMUFpscZ_n3N6bRCOzm/s707/IMG_1669.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="707" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLICsp6a9e3-ju-ciJMpDQoaulp7iXsXet6w5JjM1D0IWliwieA9twYBgQq4pXOywbHpbZ2jYbRjMuwwzyT_nqVBUpRvIMyu5ij_Dke7P8WyeHvDlHFDQvQIEC4AkXuKlj4oD_AFnqjUHd9-WE0Ml2nfYIbX2wHRpGMARoJIMUFpscZ_n3N6bRCOzm/s320/IMG_1669.jpg" width="317" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">William and Esther Gardner<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhczDJL1vV-aBKz3EzfcvlrE4e3m5ePgQ-HzpLKrgcdoKPSxpxV8jzLCQa_LesTTkZj4hlUgPDWlU4V7E8gougt7dLbx5OMxTmhM1A_SE5YZSjBf9svdGYlY3ykktS6T2usGjNWJP6muEcpJQ9i2BB2WIJQQ8YBouu1ZdfMW-3_KEVj_og_5Wr5yOSs/s713/IMG_1768.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="713" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhczDJL1vV-aBKz3EzfcvlrE4e3m5ePgQ-HzpLKrgcdoKPSxpxV8jzLCQa_LesTTkZj4hlUgPDWlU4V7E8gougt7dLbx5OMxTmhM1A_SE5YZSjBf9svdGYlY3ykktS6T2usGjNWJP6muEcpJQ9i2BB2WIJQQ8YBouu1ZdfMW-3_KEVj_og_5Wr5yOSs/s320/IMG_1768.jpg" width="314" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynTd_wG0CVUQcXaOVVdpqNM5H0dUi2q6oiCy2ESy8j0SC1H7KhEvQjQaS5HDap6WcB4lhQakaZZu98aGKEPedPZGpEZ6M02wgoroDLwK9lnVe20qO3rGO-s4XhS7Qm49DX9otHIeI0sOSLkySd7qt8YEexHQwEHWQ_akqb85I0Ynh4r_bQqTuOWYg/s708/IMG_1668%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynTd_wG0CVUQcXaOVVdpqNM5H0dUi2q6oiCy2ESy8j0SC1H7KhEvQjQaS5HDap6WcB4lhQakaZZu98aGKEPedPZGpEZ6M02wgoroDLwK9lnVe20qO3rGO-s4XhS7Qm49DX9otHIeI0sOSLkySd7qt8YEexHQwEHWQ_akqb85I0Ynh4r_bQqTuOWYg/s320/IMG_1668%20(1).jpg" width="316" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzKeNE8r002NQMXMcfnlemXZCcvQlHmNE8DsN45BFUNI-o6DzxEhNF6-U6atzdTUk-F-rrjxeSUdfRyGwTVq6dRjnOQoCq1IXi2pC5XnZoF3xx4QlSckRQ66ubfXlpIp5qrAzB14zr-f60wLcL1q5V_hxb4rGgqHAQ79_O1C4KM0wccQi1ZUu-_18N/s718/IMG_1670.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzKeNE8r002NQMXMcfnlemXZCcvQlHmNE8DsN45BFUNI-o6DzxEhNF6-U6atzdTUk-F-rrjxeSUdfRyGwTVq6dRjnOQoCq1IXi2pC5XnZoF3xx4QlSckRQ66ubfXlpIp5qrAzB14zr-f60wLcL1q5V_hxb4rGgqHAQ79_O1C4KM0wccQi1ZUu-_18N/s320/IMG_1670.jpg" width="312" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Jane Metzgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11766855276023469153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226995567986530686.post-66832399914470777862023-01-25T15:05:00.004-05:002023-01-25T15:05:28.021-05:00"Flail Was Tool Of Pioneer Days"<p> The winter months sometimes allow a little extra time for me to work on a project that has been in the works for many years. - compiling reminiscences written by my grandfather, W.D. Fish, known as "Golly" to those who looked for his column in the weekly newspaper.</p><p>Born in 1875, he lived in Allegany County near Whitesville during his youth and that's where he was bitten by the printing/newspapering bug. He worked for many area newspapers and print shops. He wrote a book (which was never published) about his time in Cross Fork in the early 1900s. But in the 1920s, he made Coudersport his home and The Potter Enterprise his newspaper.</p><p>Golly continued working at the newspaper until shortly before his death in 1969 and in the later years especially, he penned pages and pages of stories, written in pencil on now-yellowed newsprint. My mother squirelled them away and now they've made their way to me. And such treasures!</p><p>This particular piece was in a folder marked "filler" and here's the introduction page as I found it. It was likely written in the late 1960s.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivMm2rK3YMw1pRmc47tzDNSGwXZuoy6pb-KeYuh9qFviebcOotbaqFu0ByPuyJ6CsikYoNmipSrz6cBc19UN3vOw9dy6G3GbCOOAqvCJMuKDhpcXWY8XwitquE6DzUCMC1aRh7Iy52VfWaAjGCw1zdD1RhCmw4rqPlNkLWuUgV537EZqF3u1mVg_GU/s700/IMG_1622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="502" data-original-width="700" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivMm2rK3YMw1pRmc47tzDNSGwXZuoy6pb-KeYuh9qFviebcOotbaqFu0ByPuyJ6CsikYoNmipSrz6cBc19UN3vOw9dy6G3GbCOOAqvCJMuKDhpcXWY8XwitquE6DzUCMC1aRh7Iy52VfWaAjGCw1zdD1RhCmw4rqPlNkLWuUgV537EZqF3u1mVg_GU/w400-h286/IMG_1622.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>It seems to fit well with my stories of this old farm. Though Arthur tells me he has not come across a grain flail, we do have a grain cradle from the old days.</p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <b>This Crude Instrument Start Of Modern Harvest Methods</b></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYuDrQOnRqEGvSHdSrGEvRPz1C7CWAkZl-iA5O79QUrpFnV8f-MD-tPCXFw4yDoKmzw1QZ-JK7U1lRHAwfM64FNH7F2Tqj_F5i8fITZXw5XnqHmwm2jVRMvMC7TYgiCmIMhPPRd-4yfWG9d1wXzwRrzba4i87A4QZum-5BKQfoH7rjWtbyd9x3t0HT/s315/images-10%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="160" data-original-width="315" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYuDrQOnRqEGvSHdSrGEvRPz1C7CWAkZl-iA5O79QUrpFnV8f-MD-tPCXFw4yDoKmzw1QZ-JK7U1lRHAwfM64FNH7F2Tqj_F5i8fITZXw5XnqHmwm2jVRMvMC7TYgiCmIMhPPRd-4yfWG9d1wXzwRrzba4i87A4QZum-5BKQfoH7rjWtbyd9x3t0HT/s1600/images-10%20(1).jpg" width="315" /></a></div><br />The instrument pictured in this photo is the forerunner of the modern grain combine. It can hardly be designated as a machine but more correctly as an implement.<p></p><p>It is a simple invention that did service for the farmers of one hundred years ago. Today there are few people who could give its name or have any idea of its use.</p><p>It is a flail. It was used in the early days to thresh grain such as wheat, oats, barley, millet, buckwheat and other grains. It was a slow but effective way of separation of the grain from the straw.</p><p>The handle was perhaps four feet in length. The shorter piece of wood fastened to the handle with a loose toggle, probably of buckskin, was called a whipple or swingle.</p><p>The grain was scattered over the barn floor some six inches in depth. The operator moved the handle enough to let the swingle strike the straw to release the grains. The straw was removed and the grain, heavier than the straw, remained on the floor.</p><p>There was chaff and broken pieces of straw mixed with the grain. To remove the chaff it was tossed in the air when there was wind and the light refuse was blown away while the grain, being heavier, fell back to the floor. At a later date the fanning mill was invented to clean the grain.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXahN5hjuMa2KOM4assexdanO45osqUQq7_7jxgvj9m-myk83L_vqwvQsKxaUU9C9DQOH_iL-sABDIWvJvx6bpsev0eOoLQiS-muCetFL7O2jL5JdOwGFJoy8en9chjOcs5gGOz_gXz2nLelNrowuZKJawgmT-vFnz-EMZwEd18EC_2YXmHyVguBlc/s252/images-9%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="252" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXahN5hjuMa2KOM4assexdanO45osqUQq7_7jxgvj9m-myk83L_vqwvQsKxaUU9C9DQOH_iL-sABDIWvJvx6bpsev0eOoLQiS-muCetFL7O2jL5JdOwGFJoy8en9chjOcs5gGOz_gXz2nLelNrowuZKJawgmT-vFnz-EMZwEd18EC_2YXmHyVguBlc/w400-h318/images-9%20(1).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Still later came the threshing machine, the first powered by horses on a treadmill. The grain in bundles was hauled to the barn when dry. It was run into a rapidly-revolving cylinder with spikes which separated the grain and a fan carried away the chaff and straw. The grain came from the machine in a spout. Burlap bags were fastened to the spout and filled to contain the grain for storage.<p></p><p>The next improvement in threshing was steam power which hauled the machines know as "separators" and provided the power to thresh at the various farms of the neighborhood.</p><p>"Having threshers" was a day of activity on the farm, even until recent years.</p><p>A goodly crew was necessary to operate an operation successfully. Sometimes the farmers hired extra help and the thrashers, as they were called, had have a meal or two. It was up to the housewife and often a wife or two on nearby farms came to the rescue. The men worked hard and they were hearty eaters.</p><p>As a side light of those earlier days, the writer remembers hearing the comments of a man who worked one season on a traveling crew. Since fresh meat to feed the thrashers was often not to be had, the farm wife could always prepare a sufficient number of hens to provide food. For those traveling with threshing outfit, chicken became too much of a good thing. In those old days, one thresher declared that when asked a question he either cackled or crowed in response.</p><p>Today as one sees pictures of modern combines in the west, traveling northward driving the harvest of thousands of acres as the grain matures, he should hesitate a moment to think it all started with that simple little implement, the flail.</p><p style="text-align: right;">-- written by W.D. Fish</p><p> </p>Jane Metzgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11766855276023469153noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226995567986530686.post-5476230496490642992022-11-17T14:00:00.002-05:002022-11-17T14:00:33.597-05:00Celebrate National Apple Cider Day!<p>I never realized there is a day set aside on the calendar each year to celebrate apple cider. But there is and it's November 18.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYaysHwIm3_Fd6NnVe8TL_c-TiEe89A9veo-5m7SstD1E8df-rRjw02gpcOSkxU959rUnyQzlindejY1CO5aDTU5xYszXr5VqlrSX9bHRk18MhuCkpgrcVyTDWY_Wxg2idRvl41ycbBa2h4m0XH2W_BckiQLQ0omldmef2vHfEVMuTga7-ZpsGtJ_W/s861/cideritself%20(2).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="861" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYaysHwIm3_Fd6NnVe8TL_c-TiEe89A9veo-5m7SstD1E8df-rRjw02gpcOSkxU959rUnyQzlindejY1CO5aDTU5xYszXr5VqlrSX9bHRk18MhuCkpgrcVyTDWY_Wxg2idRvl41ycbBa2h4m0XH2W_BckiQLQ0omldmef2vHfEVMuTga7-ZpsGtJ_W/s320/cideritself%20(2).jpg" width="223" /></a></div><br /><ol class="holiday-list holiday-list-celebrate" data-gtm-vis-first-on-screen-6239585_182="174125" data-gtm-vis-has-fired-6239585_182="1" data-gtm-vis-recent-on-screen-6239585_182="174125" data-gtm-vis-total-visible-time-6239585_182="10000" style="box-sizing: border-box; counter-reset: my-awesome-counter 0; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1.15em; text-align: left;"><li class="active" style="box-sizing: inherit; counter-increment: my-awesome-counter 1; margin-bottom: 20px; position: relative;"><div class="holiday-list-item-inner" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-left: 1em;"><h3 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; clear: both; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: 400;"><span style="color: #33244a;"></span></span><blockquote><span style="font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: 400;"><span style="color: #33244a;">From The National Holiday website: "</span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: 500;">Apple Cider Day is celebrated on November 18 every year. The day celebrates the rich and fruity beverage that fills our hearts and bodies with warmth. They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but a glass of apple cider at the end of a long day can rejuvenate the soul. Apple cider is made from freshly harvested apples that are mashed and made to resemble applesauce. This is then pressed to extract fresh juice."</span></blockquote><span style="color: #333333; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: 500;"></span></span></h3></div></li><li class="active" style="box-sizing: inherit; counter-increment: my-awesome-counter 1; margin-bottom: 20px; position: relative;"><h3 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; clear: both; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: 500;">And what's the number one way to celebrate this "holiday"? Again from the website:</span></h3></li><li class="active" style="box-sizing: inherit; counter-increment: my-awesome-counter 1; margin-bottom: 20px; position: relative;"><span style="color: #333333; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: 500;"></span><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: arial; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit;">Buy Cider From A Local Farm</b><span style="font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit;"> </span></div></blockquote><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit;">Support local farmers. Ditch the 'cool' brands</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit;">and buy your cider</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit;">from a local farmer</span></div></blockquote></span></li><li class="active" style="box-sizing: inherit; counter-increment: my-awesome-counter 1; margin-bottom: 20px; position: relative;"><div>We're celebrating National Cider Day (only a day late!) by offering for sale the final pressing of our own apple cider, lovingly crafted from organic apples grown right here on Crandall Hill in the wilds of Potter County. We'll be at the Potter County Farmers' Market on Saturday, November 19 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and encourage you to stop by to sample our unique blend. Of course, in doing so, we are hoping to coax you to buy a gallon or two.</div></li><li class="active" style="box-sizing: inherit; counter-increment: my-awesome-counter 1; margin-bottom: 20px; position: relative;">The Market has moved inside for the cold months and vendors set up in the Riley Gallery on Main Street in downtown Coudersport (next to the Hotel Crittenden).</li><li class="active" style="box-sizing: inherit; counter-increment: my-awesome-counter 1; margin-bottom: 20px; position: relative;">We've always sold out of cider and this pressing is smaller than others so it's best to reserve your cider in advance by calling (814) 274-8004 or sending us an email. If you can't make it to the market, you can arrange to pick up the cider at the farm.</li><li class="active" style="box-sizing: inherit; counter-increment: my-awesome-counter 1; margin-bottom: 20px; position: relative;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF01ZUze6Ol63sM49wyVj-SmJlYBwpxh-H3SGxIlkCshkV_n0LxJYmc-4h5PSU6y3vylc3OgSjtuAH0JyBh26jvKCn5X5qNnm-IfmNbfHfgxWWD7JmTqgjBGFgUtExI9AG6gJcNl8iih3OEvKMYYivW01uSk58PZitCO-3WyY3Aqs3nV8uIOLeCVnr/s3300/lastciderad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3300" data-original-width="2550" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF01ZUze6Ol63sM49wyVj-SmJlYBwpxh-H3SGxIlkCshkV_n0LxJYmc-4h5PSU6y3vylc3OgSjtuAH0JyBh26jvKCn5X5qNnm-IfmNbfHfgxWWD7JmTqgjBGFgUtExI9AG6gJcNl8iih3OEvKMYYivW01uSk58PZitCO-3WyY3Aqs3nV8uIOLeCVnr/w494-h640/lastciderad.jpg" width="494" /></a></div><br /></li></ol><p> </p>Jane Metzgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11766855276023469153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226995567986530686.post-88411405195357324832022-10-30T10:01:00.003-04:002022-10-30T10:02:41.262-04:00Apple Enthusiasm<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBA3o-S1RnXOQD5ZxdTJYYTgK8AoQX_SFkDQFmM8uOs1M_qLo574T3peGdCThrQmsJUtYh0EDsv5WMp9sGTTd9A9v0vMl7WXYVVFsJ6hBPFfG1j27mV121uNmX13kYqTbPyrKF5fhbbU7PXXTVT46s8goy_60al5q3rKKTr06l2rGCEfLjxgWkA3vO/s800/IMG_1185.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBA3o-S1RnXOQD5ZxdTJYYTgK8AoQX_SFkDQFmM8uOs1M_qLo574T3peGdCThrQmsJUtYh0EDsv5WMp9sGTTd9A9v0vMl7WXYVVFsJ6hBPFfG1j27mV121uNmX13kYqTbPyrKF5fhbbU7PXXTVT46s8goy_60al5q3rKKTr06l2rGCEfLjxgWkA3vO/s320/IMG_1185.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise 30 October 2022</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p>The bird feeder hangs empty, waiting for someone to fill it this fall though the birds seem to be satisfied picking at the leftover drooping seed heads on the sunflowers. There are a couple of chickadees that make their way into the high tunnel and greet me when I make my daily visit there.</p><p>It's cider season here on the farm - in case you haven't been following my posts on social media. The apples made their journey to the cider mill in nearby New York State on Friday and many of the crates of apples stored in the cooler have been replaced by crates full of the very special apple cider we craft every year.</p><p>This year's version seems to be extra sweet - a factor of a summer with limited rainfall. That little bit of information was related to us last evening as we met Aaron Rush, the owner and winemaker for <a href="https://www.innerstoic.com/">Innerstoic Wine and Cider Company.</a></p><p>Aaron loves everything apple and as we chatted at the Halloween Open House at the Potter County Artisan Center where he was hosting a wine tasting, his love of his craft was obvious. We're excited about talking more with him and perhaps finds ways to share our apples with him in the future.</p><p>But meanwhile, act now to get your fresh apple cider. While much of the pressing was reserved for those who ordered in advance, the refrigerator in our makeshift self-serve farm stand is stocked with cider you can take home for $8 a gallon. Buy 5 and pay $35.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNrg2kpfZM1HCh5Ugscd5mhl9e11DbaXqHIEZ4sBWOaKVMs07lLsYjA51XcPC7y5UzpY_4wBXYcAukMydFhtM9V_AQljeYT3_IudYWxtM0AQtN1NQCEj9fjG4QHGK6BYooQUoyVxtRVWi6Xsfu9RQeuj4LJMgMP5g9kRQ5iaQxSt5NwWg9GMLlKoIb/s3300/cideradsunday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3300" data-original-width="2550" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNrg2kpfZM1HCh5Ugscd5mhl9e11DbaXqHIEZ4sBWOaKVMs07lLsYjA51XcPC7y5UzpY_4wBXYcAukMydFhtM9V_AQljeYT3_IudYWxtM0AQtN1NQCEj9fjG4QHGK6BYooQUoyVxtRVWi6Xsfu9RQeuj4LJMgMP5g9kRQ5iaQxSt5NwWg9GMLlKoIb/s320/cideradsunday.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Jane Metzgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11766855276023469153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226995567986530686.post-15464826614619863942022-10-28T08:26:00.002-04:002022-10-28T08:26:47.149-04:00Today Is Cider Day!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOc9xDWxnOWzgStwBWJhbi-LJ_RenArAX6SbGSnY1Ly6Q0dkVnc2XmtZfNvvValtCv-DQrhkKhcPjd7zDg02jGXM2cOF--ZSyuDtH4o6sg0GW6G-NmmCC3TDMcBoTrvDAA2ecekFhhEsFphnjma6Nokfo_h74HrVvGcVL63G20mlqpbwnyl_hCnAbk/s3000/cidersmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="2550" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOc9xDWxnOWzgStwBWJhbi-LJ_RenArAX6SbGSnY1Ly6Q0dkVnc2XmtZfNvvValtCv-DQrhkKhcPjd7zDg02jGXM2cOF--ZSyuDtH4o6sg0GW6G-NmmCC3TDMcBoTrvDAA2ecekFhhEsFphnjma6Nokfo_h74HrVvGcVL63G20mlqpbwnyl_hCnAbk/w544-h640/cidersmall.jpg" width="544" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Arthur was up well before dawn to load the apples onto the truck for their journey to the processing facility in nearby New York State. We're excited to taste the blend this year. It seems to us that growing conditions this year have resulted in apples that are especially delicious - and sweet!</p><p>If you missed the opportunity to pre-order your cider, there is a limited supply that we will be putting out in the makeshift farm stand tomorrow (Oct. 29) and we'll open the doors daily at 8 a.m. until it's gone.</p><p>Call us if you have any questions - the landline at 814-274-8004 is best. Email works too: metzgerfarm@gmail.com.</p>Jane Metzgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11766855276023469153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226995567986530686.post-2589128624657626932022-10-16T09:02:00.000-04:002022-10-16T09:02:03.362-04:00Great Apples Make Great Cider!<p>We've been pressing cider to sell for several years now. And cider starts with the apples. Our cider is crafted exclusively from organic apples we grow here on Crandall Hill.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ4soX-zPnkp3MZsmaOPLiKkMWlRFUroyPYDiAiNgyfK2VB1eoZmllmb_GpfARYKKcIc7jqCK9DUfxW9wldcsc0FdRS-S1QZOHRUdcDrNmnMYLmtnFe_0zxIiEPzjm0Gt3M2TKKfG-eBslvdxMRh_z2ZCaSAalEs18TyazLyMF8ot4eqlG7UWbE8_L/s2448/blossom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2226" data-original-width="2448" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ4soX-zPnkp3MZsmaOPLiKkMWlRFUroyPYDiAiNgyfK2VB1eoZmllmb_GpfARYKKcIc7jqCK9DUfxW9wldcsc0FdRS-S1QZOHRUdcDrNmnMYLmtnFe_0zxIiEPzjm0Gt3M2TKKfG-eBslvdxMRh_z2ZCaSAalEs18TyazLyMF8ot4eqlG7UWbE8_L/s320/blossom.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">spring apple blossoms</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSFNeHNSxohvDg1MfK9tLJ_671j0Gu-RN9AF5oL2uxE7B-Jp4j22QJ6Tk2MFWVMG1zbdeslrtyeds9568jN1NL-dr0SD-x9_EAktdVrmFFaKrksj6-rKQu2lMqSFTxWHzl-L9NsIWhJhm1pMjQy9UiowrvEbPfSRw02b2sbdBmoNLg1kq4yKQPFQ63/s1333/appleafterrain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSFNeHNSxohvDg1MfK9tLJ_671j0Gu-RN9AF5oL2uxE7B-Jp4j22QJ6Tk2MFWVMG1zbdeslrtyeds9568jN1NL-dr0SD-x9_EAktdVrmFFaKrksj6-rKQu2lMqSFTxWHzl-L9NsIWhJhm1pMjQy9UiowrvEbPfSRw02b2sbdBmoNLg1kq4yKQPFQ63/w240-h400/appleafterrain.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">after an afternoon shower</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Why organic? First of all, organic is our personal choice for most of the produce we eat. <a href="https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/full-list.php" target="_blank">The Environmental Working Group</a> (from their website: "We've spent the last three decades bringing you breakthrough research and education so you can make smart, healthy decisions.") puts out a "dirty dozen" list that identifies the produce with higher concentrations of pesticides. Over 90% of apples tested positive for at least two or more pesticide residues. Choosing organic apples is one of the best and most efficient ways to reduce your pesticide exposure.<div><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw9g488W-w7P9kD1Ay491GVKwIqbP3tiOkxdV-faVPfwLmddsVVdnSJ1GWxHCIuil1ZGf03cxvoBF5avjtEFK00GftLoq3triCKCyyZuaruZC1njK3pFIQKYpF7tjONWLnWMJESdZVLIN8rvL7GYxvcrtjqMIJGkRyX1FBtOY2Ku_KcGNHhgaxw3kv/s2668/apples2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2356" data-original-width="2668" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw9g488W-w7P9kD1Ay491GVKwIqbP3tiOkxdV-faVPfwLmddsVVdnSJ1GWxHCIuil1ZGf03cxvoBF5avjtEFK00GftLoq3triCKCyyZuaruZC1njK3pFIQKYpF7tjONWLnWMJESdZVLIN8rvL7GYxvcrtjqMIJGkRyX1FBtOY2Ku_KcGNHhgaxw3kv/s320/apples2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">dozens of varieties for exquisite taste<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The best fruit makes the best cider. Harvest begins in late August and continues through late October. Apples are refrigerated in our walk-in cooler immediately after harvest. And one cool early morning, they're loaded onto the truck to make the trip to the processor.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigCcdvw-G4XTOwQ5v-QBTZd8KFH1YJ33pEvNxjwcGAHJCqlCf5MAQ_coZlE-XzTaaHk5RWueB_yU7zbQtkJgoKqRJmarpejGOpMNkGVRjm-a8hhAxefierr9Dnu9b93ybeS2y3maXmk2_bnIGjoGcjGx8ByObuEyBsvGKV3twUKdZhJpMbSbgyxe-N/s3264/applestruck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigCcdvw-G4XTOwQ5v-QBTZd8KFH1YJ33pEvNxjwcGAHJCqlCf5MAQ_coZlE-XzTaaHk5RWueB_yU7zbQtkJgoKqRJmarpejGOpMNkGVRjm-a8hhAxefierr9Dnu9b93ybeS2y3maXmk2_bnIGjoGcjGx8ByObuEyBsvGKV3twUKdZhJpMbSbgyxe-N/s320/applestruck.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div>The apples are brushed and washed, then ground up, pressed, UV processed and bottled. Keeping the cider in its natural state with nothing additional added ensures all the flavor, nutritional value and vitamins of 100% pure apple juice.</div><div><br /></div><div>Cider will be pressed on October 28 and available beginning that afternoon. There is a limited supply so it's best to order in advance to make sure you can enjoy the best tasting cider around!</div><div><br /></div><div>Call 814-274-8004 (this is the landline at the farm) to place your order. You can also email: metzgerfarm@gmail.com. Deadline to place your order is Thursday, October 27. Cost is $8 per gallon, $5 half gallon. When you order in advance, we offer 5 gallons for $35.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzsWefBFoZogKdiCES8JuirMn_QZGAUzxoLGSBZFMKpcq75PLADNJcdF9o6kYCcLUxsuKrUkeFylmeNDc9_9oupUW_hvMyCD5_kfCh2FNkQBx6I7XtC6fYwg5ngoReNsDArL3h3vDK2AGusTM11A5oV1rr2ZDeR9hJQWcColq2e4T-v38gF4ueoczi/s600/sign2022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="496" data-original-width="600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzsWefBFoZogKdiCES8JuirMn_QZGAUzxoLGSBZFMKpcq75PLADNJcdF9o6kYCcLUxsuKrUkeFylmeNDc9_9oupUW_hvMyCD5_kfCh2FNkQBx6I7XtC6fYwg5ngoReNsDArL3h3vDK2AGusTM11A5oV1rr2ZDeR9hJQWcColq2e4T-v38gF4ueoczi/s320/sign2022.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div></div></div>Jane Metzgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11766855276023469153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226995567986530686.post-67762261819827687472022-10-13T07:54:00.003-04:002022-10-13T07:54:45.455-04:00cidre de pomme<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5j8epV3lYWLjY8ivTB8NvqQPwnaXovAGQ7nzXrDw182OuOogtik7z8-KR88ntw5Vv7PErJoDn3iAehdyrEd62gsixW3ujvTl8m3_5BMK_DzCqgf0A83tkmKcLaFnQplXs6z1sCJjR5rhMQFjjwJyTVV9-PU5NZLgyRty12SVC4zPGjEBEG_CCor6m/s3300/cider2022.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="600" data-original-height="2550" data-original-width="3300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5j8epV3lYWLjY8ivTB8NvqQPwnaXovAGQ7nzXrDw182OuOogtik7z8-KR88ntw5Vv7PErJoDn3iAehdyrEd62gsixW3ujvTl8m3_5BMK_DzCqgf0A83tkmKcLaFnQplXs6z1sCJjR5rhMQFjjwJyTVV9-PU5NZLgyRty12SVC4zPGjEBEG_CCor6m/s600/cider2022.jpg"/></a></div>Jane Metzgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11766855276023469153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226995567986530686.post-3541753768031552042022-10-11T08:31:00.001-04:002022-10-11T08:31:22.906-04:00There's A Difference<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-I8cQ-5UglRMcYJ0PH5CFj_JqHCNpDCSOfcJbjRkX2stjTERLuq8pZHxvogFKPPv-bGQu-wTv-HUag9oLOxX1FwJhZZIa3qLnL8J1kl9ZRKdeYA1DLExB2igiU6xC9e0tmtO-dP3azlef4dXSdi0d_VKKnuTb1THv022kb8I9CZmbfOz60qISt5c1/s1201/childorganic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1201" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-I8cQ-5UglRMcYJ0PH5CFj_JqHCNpDCSOfcJbjRkX2stjTERLuq8pZHxvogFKPPv-bGQu-wTv-HUag9oLOxX1FwJhZZIa3qLnL8J1kl9ZRKdeYA1DLExB2igiU6xC9e0tmtO-dP3azlef4dXSdi0d_VKKnuTb1THv022kb8I9CZmbfOz60qISt5c1/s320/childorganic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>While you may pay a little more for our cider, you are getting a product that limits your exposure to the persistent chemicals and pesticides in commercially-grown apples.</p><p>Our cider is processed at a licensed facility and passed through a UV filter <span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: "Roboto Condensed"; font-size: 16px;">that kills pathogens without heat. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: "Roboto Condensed"; font-size: 16px;">Order today by emailing metzgerfarm@gmail.com or calling our landline (814-274-8004) where you can leave a message if we can't answer. Cider will be available beginning in the afternoon on October 29. It's best to pre-order your cider to avoid disappointment because we have always sold out.</span></p><div class="fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-10 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-one-full fusion-column-first fusion-column-last" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #111111; float: none; font-family: "Roboto Condensed"; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; position: relative;"><div class="fusion-column-wrapper fusion-flex-column-wrapper-legacy" style="background-position: left top; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: cover; box-sizing: border-box; min-height: 1px; padding: 0px;"><div class="fusion-clearfix" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both;"></div></div></div><div class="fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-11 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-one-full fusion-column-first fusion-column-last" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #111111; float: none; font-family: "Roboto Condensed"; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; position: relative;"><div class="fusion-column-wrapper fusion-flex-column-wrapper-legacy" style="background-position: left top; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: cover; box-sizing: border-box; min-height: 1px; padding: 0px;"><div class="fusion-title title fusion-title-4 sep-underline sep-solid fusion-title-text fusion-title-size-two" style="align-items: center; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(224, 222, 222); border-left-color: rgb(224, 222, 222); border-right-color: rgb(224, 222, 222); border-top-color: rgb(224, 222, 222); box-sizing: border-box; flex-wrap: nowrap; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding-bottom: 10px; width: 591.406px;"><h2 class="title-heading-left fusion-responsive-typography-calculated" style="--fontsize: 22; --maxviewportsize: var(--grid_main_break_point); --minfontsize: 22px; --minviewportsize: 360; --side_header_width-int: 0; --side_header_width: 0; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--h2_typography-color); flex-grow: 0; font-family: var(--h2_typography-font-family); font-size: var(--h2_typography-font-size); font-style: var(--h2_typography-font-style,normal); font-weight: var(--h2_typography-font-weight); letter-spacing: var(--h2_typography-letter-spacing); line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: var(--h2_typography-text-transform);"><br /></h2></div></div></div>Jane Metzgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11766855276023469153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226995567986530686.post-86478207185074420632022-10-10T09:55:00.000-04:002022-10-10T09:55:14.496-04:00Cider Time!<p> The old adage tells us that good things come to those who wait. Well waiting this apple season is going to bring you a thing is is more than just good - it's a bright, tasty, wonderful thing - fresh apple cider from our organic apples!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD2QbuUpPkAcJcuEHfZzqR4pwpi9G3fYpe5jZqvwqz0TS9N2kBM9ssOyRjWGlOxrHQ-mkNvXQaShsKOdA9l8plIX9MHPnTYQeZ0iYve336T0ZL83WFXFdtlcKjSZ-mXcr6QG6JsKOpVXckr48f3ItA8AkCsNL7-X-55qc2Es_mdZntp2yfpmtlGo1V/s677/IMG_4362.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="677" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD2QbuUpPkAcJcuEHfZzqR4pwpi9G3fYpe5jZqvwqz0TS9N2kBM9ssOyRjWGlOxrHQ-mkNvXQaShsKOdA9l8plIX9MHPnTYQeZ0iYve336T0ZL83WFXFdtlcKjSZ-mXcr6QG6JsKOpVXckr48f3ItA8AkCsNL7-X-55qc2Es_mdZntp2yfpmtlGo1V/s320/IMG_4362.jpg" width="284" /></a></div><br /><p>We're waiting until all the apples are harvested so we have all the varieties (more than 50) included in the mix we take to the cider mill. The result will be an amazing mix that you can not find elsewhere.</p><p>Meanwhile, the walk-in cooler is filling with apples and Arthur works every day gathering more from our orchards. Today he's working on the golden delicious apples.</p><p>Prices will stay the same as last year. $8 per gallon, $5 per half gallon. You can order 5 gallons for $35 (a discount of $1 per gallon).</p><p>We're scheduling our first pressing for October 28 and the cider will be available for pickup beginning mid-afternoon that day. As in previous years, we ask you to order your cider in advance. That assures you of being first in line to avoid disappointment as we always have sold out quickly. You can email us at metzgerfarm@gmail.com with your order (and contact information) or call the landline at 814-274-8004.</p>Jane Metzgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11766855276023469153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226995567986530686.post-11103985124937157662022-10-05T10:25:00.001-04:002022-10-05T10:26:10.922-04:00Tater Tot(s)<p>Our Joe and Jennifer make their home on remnants of one of the Matanuska Colony Farms in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley in Alaska. In addition to gardens full of vegetables every summer, they're also raising three little girls.</p><p>The Mat-Su Valley is known for the <a href="https://www.alaskavisit.com/plan-your-trip/itineraries/culture-heritage/giant-cabbages-colonies/">Mat-Su Giants</a> - giant vegetables that is!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZLcpVwizenpAk3KgnqQ_dxOXHmeqD4B3HQttaKc4oqO-zbZmO_4lv17AkYC3dKEvs4qtvsxcIjwgJwbiZ6SMOizpzqP3IQS6FQmptSQGda5kPVzLgoVjeUPX4JW82PuEXlRF7B-0uNanb61u2Ljky6y-TnqVsZmOsn_-MM6pvXdKd5cjadZELP3hu/s832/Juniperspud.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="832" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZLcpVwizenpAk3KgnqQ_dxOXHmeqD4B3HQttaKc4oqO-zbZmO_4lv17AkYC3dKEvs4qtvsxcIjwgJwbiZ6SMOizpzqP3IQS6FQmptSQGda5kPVzLgoVjeUPX4JW82PuEXlRF7B-0uNanb61u2Ljky6y-TnqVsZmOsn_-MM6pvXdKd5cjadZELP3hu/s320/Juniperspud.jpg" width="231" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Youngest grandchild<br />Juniper Jane with one of those<br />Matanuska Giants</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>When this photo arrived in the inbox, I traveled back in time to a previous blog post 12 years ago. Here's our eldest grandchild, Rowan who was photographed with potatoes grown by daughter Kate and her husband Jon (mostly Jon, I would reckon) in eastern Oregon.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXpZmjxArOWilfCDVbSvp-y4Ip1tsQbX6uVaB1fcpP-sO_6NTIM2Cwf-DT4mDTXHww4GGHuHzbmE_7fIKx4ERkG95O1Mb2JpbNBg8VvAfIlJpQAmlD-BB9k7noD5j518VKRW9DWlI8_9kIMY5JRjZ3oji5JEh9p-FowOHOh0Jl8DqKGMagI4YvpWkO/s457/rowanthefarmer.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="457" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXpZmjxArOWilfCDVbSvp-y4Ip1tsQbX6uVaB1fcpP-sO_6NTIM2Cwf-DT4mDTXHww4GGHuHzbmE_7fIKx4ERkG95O1Mb2JpbNBg8VvAfIlJpQAmlD-BB9k7noD5j518VKRW9DWlI8_9kIMY5JRjZ3oji5JEh9p-FowOHOh0Jl8DqKGMagI4YvpWkO/s320/rowanthefarmer.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This guy's now a teenager!<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p>Jane Metzgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11766855276023469153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226995567986530686.post-64010303022185781152022-09-12T14:21:00.001-04:002022-09-12T14:37:38.364-04:00Change In The Air<p> More than the seasons are changing this fall at the old Metzger/Matteson farm.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH7sSqU53BOuCyMyvfmdgzg_eyiytrO0pA3gq5FLsy6FU_7RllbUca4I7jpUN1NyNoT7O0AhgHPr4XFJ4Jz6XsQcq9zeI4eH6JzJO8Jjs4DtdiQ4thOB5vjbi_bCuuhLUgUQtr45pcYkF9nQSvzbcHYAOhiufsfNuokEw539dKPPLXKfAj6hiOt-T6/s725/blogpix.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="725" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH7sSqU53BOuCyMyvfmdgzg_eyiytrO0pA3gq5FLsy6FU_7RllbUca4I7jpUN1NyNoT7O0AhgHPr4XFJ4Jz6XsQcq9zeI4eH6JzJO8Jjs4DtdiQ4thOB5vjbi_bCuuhLUgUQtr45pcYkF9nQSvzbcHYAOhiufsfNuokEw539dKPPLXKfAj6hiOt-T6/w331-h400/blogpix.jpg" width="331" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">Perhaps if you've been driving up or down Dingman Run, you've noticed the big rolling fields have been mowed and recently giant bales of hay have been gathered together to eventually be hauled away on a flatbed trailer. That's the work of the new owners of that part of this old farm, Carl and Betsy Long, who are adding this Hebron Township acreage to their bustling farming operation.</span></div></div><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih2E2HYlxWATAzb8tP85rWKVQh-hk8rOvEVeZVzTaq8UUMycBzuTOp96a2aAzwG7xZXUbk80i2aI1ddmtDN7BFVH1riIfO7CBwKWGDiu8wbYTYW9jnGOMG_yFJ7h64jCV58U4dMcKWIC1QD0SLBRXKcrVlU5BGvfEIf5gvnQgUQ3OEcCA549N-WpST/s900/butter.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih2E2HYlxWATAzb8tP85rWKVQh-hk8rOvEVeZVzTaq8UUMycBzuTOp96a2aAzwG7xZXUbk80i2aI1ddmtDN7BFVH1riIfO7CBwKWGDiu8wbYTYW9jnGOMG_yFJ7h64jCV58U4dMcKWIC1QD0SLBRXKcrVlU5BGvfEIf5gvnQgUQ3OEcCA549N-WpST/w133-h200/butter.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><br />Folks familiar with the farm will know that the Dingman Run Road intersects the farmland formerly owned by the Matteson and Metzger families. It's the place where Arthur and his sister Carol spent the early years of their childhood in a multi-generation small farm - with their parents, grandparents and great grandparents all living and working on the farm.<div><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="text-align: left;">Time marched on and in the 1960s, Arthur Metzger Sr., his wife Wanda and their children moved away from the farm, though the close ties of the family continued with frequent visits back home.</span><div><br /></div><div>Facing a time when they knew they could no longer manage the farm on their own, the elder Metzgers sold the farm to their granddaughter Karen Gooch and her husband Tom Gilliland back in the 1970s though some acreage around the old farmstead and the farmstead itself stayed with them and later passed to Arthur's parents and then to us.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWsXbq8k2lsodC-Mf58DPm98uTqzDgCo2kDvi7g4RfTo93VUBpZn8sdqPAoqDPitF-xfoAlRTiyXlz9v1zBakqPWPbPXe76C9Z0HGLkXrWAfeXRlb-ktb7maMqluQk1BwwzKIJev_myhGLvvYk4k8bV02MnnKSE54RrguACbjm0RjZzwbFwfuX_fWK/s795/beyesus.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="795" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWsXbq8k2lsodC-Mf58DPm98uTqzDgCo2kDvi7g4RfTo93VUBpZn8sdqPAoqDPitF-xfoAlRTiyXlz9v1zBakqPWPbPXe76C9Z0HGLkXrWAfeXRlb-ktb7maMqluQk1BwwzKIJev_myhGLvvYk4k8bV02MnnKSE54RrguACbjm0RjZzwbFwfuX_fWK/w151-h200/beyesus.jpg" width="151" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1xAJlKpQ1FZ7a3LbiGzF85p0fQQ73jgo-4dnO8GQ0f6AULiZ0X-OuXCze5JCVswagHhO4V4PmW8-ipDLnVXHWWPv_bEtSgAn3c_7AQSEdxHbvGiM0-6hbq5ymXU7nKZNrCjcD8Vo7Hz4PY5VeOqIoWAoQC_PzoqogqnIt7MhFugppOXw9Wx8zUHd1/s871/clover.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="871" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1xAJlKpQ1FZ7a3LbiGzF85p0fQQ73jgo-4dnO8GQ0f6AULiZ0X-OuXCze5JCVswagHhO4V4PmW8-ipDLnVXHWWPv_bEtSgAn3c_7AQSEdxHbvGiM0-6hbq5ymXU7nKZNrCjcD8Vo7Hz4PY5VeOqIoWAoQC_PzoqogqnIt7MhFugppOXw9Wx8zUHd1/w138-h200/clover.jpg" width="138" /></a></div>We've lived on the farm since 1977, at first renting what we've all called "the little house" from the Gillilands. Grandma Metzger had recently died after a year-long illness and Grandpa Metzger lived in the farmstead with his faithful dog Peggy.</div><div><div><br /></div><div>Death ended the dream of Arthur Metzger Sr. to spend his retirement years on the farm of his youth and soon after Grandpa Metzger died. Wanda Metzger eventually purchased the little house and a couple. of acres of land and we moved into the old farmstead and began the never-ending reimagining of this old house and our beloved organic farm.</div><div><br /></div><div>Several years ago, we purchased all of the acreage on the western side of the road (where the farmstead is) as well as the original barn and some of the land adjacent to it from the Gillilands. Recently we've planted wildflower meadows that this year rewarded us with glorious blooms all through the spring and summer, an organic haven for bees and other pollinators. There's also a new planting of an acre of native trees on top of the hill.<p></p></div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq0ZRofxxsOQDp_5dgxHIqciiPB5VHtJKws9_wP1_gEelKo5RpR7BUBuPQqCT6Nh1loNYwYGGaeNMT76Oa4RGTGIdd3I6XFJuM5dI3Dq4nG5QIMjwVI9rKFuCByz5mrjAJ_aL4IZCBS25FsvpdKVJL5b5okl9-HGBR_enyv-1uja3oLvb3qe85KNNi/s628/dandelion.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq0ZRofxxsOQDp_5dgxHIqciiPB5VHtJKws9_wP1_gEelKo5RpR7BUBuPQqCT6Nh1loNYwYGGaeNMT76Oa4RGTGIdd3I6XFJuM5dI3Dq4nG5QIMjwVI9rKFuCByz5mrjAJ_aL4IZCBS25FsvpdKVJL5b5okl9-HGBR_enyv-1uja3oLvb3qe85KNNi/w191-h200/dandelion.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><span style="text-align: justify;">It's going to take us some time to get used to hearing heavy equipment moving across the fields as the landscape changes from meadow to cultivated fields. It's going to take some time to adjust to the knowledge that conventional farming practices will be put in place on this land that's been fallow for at least 15 years. The caution that we may want to keep our bees sequestered when the inevitable spraying happens is chilling.</span></div><div><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="text-align: justify;">Carl and Betsy and their little girl stopped by one summer evening as Arthur and I were enjoying our dinner on the back porch. They shared their excitement in adding this piece to their 21st century farm as they look to the future. We know they intend to be good neighbors. </span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><br /><br /><div><span style="text-align: justify;">And so this fall, when the goldenrod and purple asters fill our fields and the potatoes are unearthed and the squashes reveal themselves from underneath their sprawling leafy vines, we are feeling more than a little melancholy facing this change in our Crandall Hill landscape.</span></div><div><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXXzE2MvVbeZLDCYgFeUIrfUB98lio8rMV3BP0B10GevinLzaUZdVQOY28KN6Tvl2NcKnlYds5U2O-6xQ76HzuV5ijcse1WWMGDgrOi_TBmTyWLFbVGIexCrzvW2m0JW-AVhbDbPsgzZ3_-rQuB4WruKgcwdzu6oP4tMjeIrIaScBiyunM-jePhV-W/s800/IMG_0886.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXXzE2MvVbeZLDCYgFeUIrfUB98lio8rMV3BP0B10GevinLzaUZdVQOY28KN6Tvl2NcKnlYds5U2O-6xQ76HzuV5ijcse1WWMGDgrOi_TBmTyWLFbVGIexCrzvW2m0JW-AVhbDbPsgzZ3_-rQuB4WruKgcwdzu6oP4tMjeIrIaScBiyunM-jePhV-W/w300-h400/IMG_0886.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://metzgerfarm.blogspot.com/p/the-heritage.html" target="_blank">Here's</a> where we post pictures to share the history of farm.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p><br /></p></div></div></div>Jane Metzgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11766855276023469153noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226995567986530686.post-43354062002872403892022-08-31T14:47:00.002-04:002022-08-31T14:47:32.780-04:00August 31<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcRqOwUXcHf0fMzzEmWOnPZw03HGD7q9MdUrl4QqR4iD_qIHVb_3YCfq7lO0t9yBoZfGTlwEJvAsnjMEXe3pj1Qs-IbbwAnjPMHhbbi_z0kOUmx_5tFo6Gyj_veayeREV_QnQu-Y8mMTK-HWlqceRYIIz4WmQJ8hpZvR1ubhYBbNuKSmuwrtX7EcUH/s800/goldenrod.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcRqOwUXcHf0fMzzEmWOnPZw03HGD7q9MdUrl4QqR4iD_qIHVb_3YCfq7lO0t9yBoZfGTlwEJvAsnjMEXe3pj1Qs-IbbwAnjPMHhbbi_z0kOUmx_5tFo6Gyj_veayeREV_QnQu-Y8mMTK-HWlqceRYIIz4WmQJ8hpZvR1ubhYBbNuKSmuwrtX7EcUH/s320/goldenrod.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />So much portends the end of our summer in northcentral Pennsylvania - the calendar to be switched to September tomorrow, the daily transit of the school bus which I often hear climbing the hill on its way up Dingman Run before spotting it from the bedroom window, goldenrod waving in the field and the red apples at the tops of the old Northern Spy trees behind the house. A few colored leaves scatter across the lawn and leaves are turning on the trees that line the road to town. Mornings are foggy this time of year and the sun's rising later each day.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMue_252trwh0uvjjZY1Txllm11Vc1aPB-aMzQlUzqYZrITOtenJe4Y1iS89NK3UF7FUAeN4YwbOnqwV35zK01Tjz9yUVOF3nUh_MuUK4YahHnjWz-81NbBmmXM7toH8t2Vj_BwwIGbYxOX1b13xCIsUX9v3nU0eiMoBVcm6JkQIrZ0eJfB2sQTaTs/s788/tomatoesonvine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMue_252trwh0uvjjZY1Txllm11Vc1aPB-aMzQlUzqYZrITOtenJe4Y1iS89NK3UF7FUAeN4YwbOnqwV35zK01Tjz9yUVOF3nUh_MuUK4YahHnjWz-81NbBmmXM7toH8t2Vj_BwwIGbYxOX1b13xCIsUX9v3nU0eiMoBVcm6JkQIrZ0eJfB2sQTaTs/s320/tomatoesonvine.jpg" width="244" /></a></div><br /><p>We had a vacation at my beloved Chautauqua Institution last week and returned home to tomato vines laden with fruit, overstuffed green beans clinging to their tired vines and a pepper patch taking on the beautiful red tones that signify that special sweetness.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjmy8CQpa8vhY1dSQw2PmNQ2v9wzoa7v0ddFOCxk6Z5UV3i-4i8AGA2ebwiv4cke6ZKDLKI7Cz-ejnzltq2gKJL12_OLFdNAXnnckgl7tB5Bw-Vy0wxCwi0ymzrZWl7AYtmXeBAICodHQQabiBJ7NlSyALBukFZyzJ-QPvF-dlwhW2PD10o78fbDAW/s628/gardenpepper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjmy8CQpa8vhY1dSQw2PmNQ2v9wzoa7v0ddFOCxk6Z5UV3i-4i8AGA2ebwiv4cke6ZKDLKI7Cz-ejnzltq2gKJL12_OLFdNAXnnckgl7tB5Bw-Vy0wxCwi0ymzrZWl7AYtmXeBAICodHQQabiBJ7NlSyALBukFZyzJ-QPvF-dlwhW2PD10o78fbDAW/s320/gardenpepper.jpg" width="306" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdTdm4dw0zg3R_JGss3mr5XguB9oOJn7iNehkKPrTkzoY6CDccYSWwHE8oc6yKAuZfW0unX-MNj9iAz5Qy6bSJMm3bYva-JI89d1zEC3sHo4YboZS4oZZe-cvgykUAvcP5zoGyDY01XEZyP9-NT0mVV8vP_r5axVLITnAOl2iOaoHoZw1QkS_2Ptvc/s600/kitchenpeppers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="600" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdTdm4dw0zg3R_JGss3mr5XguB9oOJn7iNehkKPrTkzoY6CDccYSWwHE8oc6yKAuZfW0unX-MNj9iAz5Qy6bSJMm3bYva-JI89d1zEC3sHo4YboZS4oZZe-cvgykUAvcP5zoGyDY01XEZyP9-NT0mVV8vP_r5axVLITnAOl2iOaoHoZw1QkS_2Ptvc/s320/kitchenpeppers.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Selection of Hot & Sweet Peppers<br />Poblanos, Czech Black, Jalapenos, Jalora,<br />Bangles,Sarit Gat, Osmarko Kambe</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWZOWnphROG7LuR4GblHvu-qwzPbKptcSQ3ILiRYUfIYOVuJUDIM7-k_x9z3L8xiuFM_m67QndVFRmsLDB0R4agi5eJub2Y-oX0DEiqn8o_DbOtR8jqUcd9XqEZyFOfr3PrWA-_lpCaFO6zXF3HuXiJZ25dz67f0OtuOE_JzGeCl9Cfd6IxNksQZkj/s600/tomatojars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="393" data-original-width="600" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWZOWnphROG7LuR4GblHvu-qwzPbKptcSQ3ILiRYUfIYOVuJUDIM7-k_x9z3L8xiuFM_m67QndVFRmsLDB0R4agi5eJub2Y-oX0DEiqn8o_DbOtR8jqUcd9XqEZyFOfr3PrWA-_lpCaFO6zXF3HuXiJZ25dz67f0OtuOE_JzGeCl9Cfd6IxNksQZkj/s320/tomatojars.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canning after a week away - sauce and jarred tomatoes</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Jane Metzgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11766855276023469153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226995567986530686.post-64566036226291419422022-08-24T17:27:00.000-04:002022-08-24T17:27:33.687-04:00Sunflower Stories<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYhv6L-XLL0JoCHy8eMlmKZAyJqupRrjGN-al55ACxfqMC2kPjLWwPb3HzJu_ljjEaLEJHxORJx5FzLtSyEPAs7m9W7ph1aQrb9KSLfDcoJtp3mzRdRY3cqlv-2BPH7_pskACRz0sQsvgdy9W3bnTyLIcKSa3BmfTur8phg7je0edRC2C4D8h2VKA_/s600/IMG_0553.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="600" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYhv6L-XLL0JoCHy8eMlmKZAyJqupRrjGN-al55ACxfqMC2kPjLWwPb3HzJu_ljjEaLEJHxORJx5FzLtSyEPAs7m9W7ph1aQrb9KSLfDcoJtp3mzRdRY3cqlv-2BPH7_pskACRz0sQsvgdy9W3bnTyLIcKSa3BmfTur8phg7je0edRC2C4D8h2VKA_/s320/IMG_0553.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Anyone who drives past the farm will notice a proud stand of sunflowers in the Mama Wanda garden patch this year, keeping guard over our winter squash patch.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_AvwGNll-rILTz-xRRdCCVxblAoa7IrKb7gC4FK9HXUemikmF2k29lHFjdvi66X8ApUzVvS4A2QWcWim7NSeBEGwkThRfsubuYIyJ_Izj68wDMqpRgjN8cgV60hFgXxm7X4JtSKcdC5kzq7k1tMJFdl4pzUD06bRmXdWdShCTAoDyb853ACo26bWU/s760/IMG_0527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_AvwGNll-rILTz-xRRdCCVxblAoa7IrKb7gC4FK9HXUemikmF2k29lHFjdvi66X8ApUzVvS4A2QWcWim7NSeBEGwkThRfsubuYIyJ_Izj68wDMqpRgjN8cgV60hFgXxm7X4JtSKcdC5kzq7k1tMJFdl4pzUD06bRmXdWdShCTAoDyb853ACo26bWU/s320/IMG_0527.jpg" width="253" /></a></div><br />Many of those sunflowers started life as volunteers in our high tunnel. At one point in time, several years ago, someone (me) thought it was a good idea to plant a few sunflowers in the high tunnel just to add some late-season color. I carefully selected the seeds, reeled in by names such as Lemon Queen, Autumn Sunset. Santa Fe Sunrise, Velvet Queen and the exotic Soraya.<p></p><p></p><p>They grew well, some reaching well above the tomato lines. They were beautiful and colorful, full of bees and a treat for the birds who came inn through the open sides and ends of the tunnel.</p><p>And in the spring of the next year, hundreds of little sunflower plants sprouted all through the tunnel. And thus began the annual sunflower transplanting. They go at the end of the corn rows and in the squash patch and at the ends of the potato rows. They go in the flower beds and sometimes next to the kitchen door.</p><p>The thing is - they don't seed themselves outdoors, likely because it's just too cold to keep the seeds viable. But in the protected high tunnel environment, it's like a sunflower nursery.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvbuRCPqaTUtFw0XF4hTy3iF_akbF1knjaeDZxPhDap-wrIECRWssm1JRtBby2d4C9LzDlBAIB5uqxMla0WSyXqJcsMCaPTid6y2phxBPDe_MMcjs_BoN5FggX1ljg0JHuZfiwuNqUCt22SrYLcE-2x4EQFMSsX-LM82jtVqr4KHjlJNNtoH9D8rmF/s800/IMG_0657.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvbuRCPqaTUtFw0XF4hTy3iF_akbF1knjaeDZxPhDap-wrIECRWssm1JRtBby2d4C9LzDlBAIB5uqxMla0WSyXqJcsMCaPTid6y2phxBPDe_MMcjs_BoN5FggX1ljg0JHuZfiwuNqUCt22SrYLcE-2x4EQFMSsX-LM82jtVqr4KHjlJNNtoH9D8rmF/s320/IMG_0657.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />I vowed this year to remove nearly all the sunflower plants that volunteered - thus the squash patch sunnies! Some went to my mother's garden downtown. But I wasn't nearly ruthless enough for the high tunnel is once again a sunflower seed nursery!<p></p><p><br /></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh51WZZsux_h2VJ-MERpaBEbdW2DXnBaIlewPRu0v-Vm7nKhVUrhs2hzNZVV2qDt14sUqrG3BrCgsqbZRsbwtq2oGBC5_hlIuA9jRwFBiRVwx6KaKSKrA6YAunbGGc1Zu5639MWhrnG9dAjceP54zXQvJ_i5h9-n-1ZxakRGayyqRIm4rzywKedoJ0A/s632/IMG_0678.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="632" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh51WZZsux_h2VJ-MERpaBEbdW2DXnBaIlewPRu0v-Vm7nKhVUrhs2hzNZVV2qDt14sUqrG3BrCgsqbZRsbwtq2oGBC5_hlIuA9jRwFBiRVwx6KaKSKrA6YAunbGGc1Zu5639MWhrnG9dAjceP54zXQvJ_i5h9-n-1ZxakRGayyqRIm4rzywKedoJ0A/s320/IMG_0678.jpg" width="304" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">front porch bouquet of sunflowers<br />catching the August sunrise</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Jane Metzgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11766855276023469153noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226995567986530686.post-59101334709953504822022-08-08T21:05:00.002-04:002022-08-08T21:10:04.429-04:00The Joy of Shell Beans<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY-dEbRrcdjDne-Vc73d8N02VrDpmo4t-3a0bSSxeLqDspFbEueHO9igEELXkkpEr0HhD8HnMRuEf_gc2GhRnDZPDADVlziGoX5geqP5JQ3AZRFf07hNeBU01B_M5360BCCX9lJIQSGhG9Bf6vuGbiPyKzJOJ93Mpe4pJiDKBO_hwCp4ywvFyO5-Tq/s600/IMG_0654.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="357" data-original-width="600" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY-dEbRrcdjDne-Vc73d8N02VrDpmo4t-3a0bSSxeLqDspFbEueHO9igEELXkkpEr0HhD8HnMRuEf_gc2GhRnDZPDADVlziGoX5geqP5JQ3AZRFf07hNeBU01B_M5360BCCX9lJIQSGhG9Bf6vuGbiPyKzJOJ93Mpe4pJiDKBO_hwCp4ywvFyO5-Tq/w400-h238/IMG_0654.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>We've planted a variety of shell beans this year and here's a sampling of yesterday's harvest. We shelled them this evening, remembering the always-wise advice of Mama/Grandma Wanda who always waited a day after picking before shelling. "It's so much easier!" she opined.</p><p>Pictured are Cannellini, Vermont Cranberry, True Cranberry, Painted Pony and the <a href="https://metzgerfarm.blogspot.com/2011/02/bird-egg-bean-story-recipe.html">family heirloom Bird Egg Beans.</a> (Click on the link to read the history of our family bean from a blog post in 2011 - my most-read blog post ever!)</p><p>Still filling their pods on the trellis are the Tolosa black beans which have a longer growing season.</p><p><br /></p><p><span face="Alegreya, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"></span></p>Jane Metzgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11766855276023469153noreply@blogger.com0