Friends of Slate Run Farm

THE BACK PORCH BLOG

Welcome.

I'm one of the many volunteers who help out at Slate Run Farm. My whole family volunteers.

We've had quite a few adventures at the farm doing typical 1880's activities like making apple butter, gathering eggs, picking and canning beans, sewing, harvesting corn, working on the thresher, feeding and caring for livestock, and many others.

In this blog, I'll be sharinga bit ofwhat's been happening"down on the farm."

So pull up one of the old, weathered chairs, sit down and visit for a spell.

Farm Lady

friends@friendsofslaterunfarm.org

Welcome to our Back Porch

Thursday, 06/14/12

Saturday, 08/13/11

Oh my, how time does fly! Several of you have asked where I've been and why I haven't updated the blog in so long. Don't worry, I'm fine. Like many of you, I'm one of the "sandwich" generation. Between taking care of parents and children, working full-time, volunteering at church, school and the farm, I've just been extremely busy.

The high heat and humidity this summer has limited my hours at the farm...as I get older, I find it harder and harder to put on six layers of clothing and cook over a woodstove in 90 plus degree temperatures.

However, I have managed a couple of short visits and have been keeping in touch with the farm staff. I've used my "farm" time this summer to explore a new way to communicate with those who love and visit the farm and to get the word out to folks who haven't yet discovered Slate Run Living Historical Farm.

I've started a page on Facebook called Friends of Slate Run Farm. Like this website, volunteers and staff share information and experiences from the farm. Also, visitors are welcome to post messages and share photos. I find it easier and faster to post program events and updates on the Facebook page, so check there if you're looking for the most "up-to-date" information.

So, if you're interested, check out the new Friends of Slate Run Farm Facebook page and feel free to "like" it. Also, for those of you who enjoy the other Metro Parks as well, their Facebook page is Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks.

Farmlady (now on Facebook, too!)

Monday, 07/05/10

I've spent the morning organizing photos I've taken over the last couple of months and found some that I wanted to share with you. Most of you are familiar with the story of Farmer Mike and his little lamb. If not, you can read all aboutthem in our Young Livestock section. In a nutshell, a ewe had tripletts this spring and didn't have enough milk for all three lambs so Farmer Mike took one home and bottle fed it until it was old enough to be weaned. That little lamb has followed him everywhere ever since.

I was visiting the farm on May 17th when I took the pictures below.

It's dinner time and Farmer Mike has come to the pump to wash up. Look who gets there first!After Mike washes up, he heads to the house to eat. Guess who follows.

As Farmer Mike heads into the house, the lamb--as usual--is right on his heels. The ladies won't want a lamb in the house!

The staff and volunteers sit down to eat lunch and there's the little lamb right by Farmer Mike's side. A young visitoris delighted to keep the lamb company while the farmers eat.

Sunday, 04/11/10

I spent the afternoon at the farm yesterday. It was a beautiful day: clear, sunny and in the low 60's.

The farm was bustling as many visitors came by to see our new baby animals, watch and help plant potatoes, watch the farmers plant with the horse drawn potato planters and generally just enjoy another lovely day on the farm.

The combination of nice weather and lots ofnew lambs and piglets made for a very busy week. I'm told that earlier in the week there were a couple of days with ove 700 visitors and on Wednesday, the day of the sheep shearing and preschool programs, there were over 1000! That's a new one day record number of visitors for Slate Run Farm.

I spent most of Saturday afternoon sitting out in the field across from the grape orchard with my daughter talking to visitors. She was holding baby lambs so that children of all ages could take a close up look and feel the lovely, soft wool. I was working on crocheting my fascinator and answering lots of questions. Many folks were interested in our sheep shearing programs.

There are still a couple of sheep related programs remaining on this year's schedule for those of you who'd like to come on down and visit with the new lambs and see the farmers shear our Merino ewes (mama sheep) with our set of hand-cranked clippers that were the latest technology in the 1880s. Here's a photo from a previous shearing day.

Sheep Shearing with the hand-cranked clippers from the 1880s

Saturday was also the day of our annual Friends of Slate Run Farm (FSRF) volunteers's meeting.

The FSRF is a non-profit organization of farm volunteers who donate their time and energy to helping out at the farm. Farm volunteers come in all ages, shapes, sizes, abilities, interests, and backgrounds. All have a love for the farm and a genuineinterest in sharing the farm with the public.Volunteers perform many tasks around the farm from feeding animals and cleaning stalls, to carpentry work, sewing, gardening, historical research, machine repair, cooking, leading tour groups and many others. The group plants and harvests pumpkins every year and makes them available to the public. Donations from the annual pumpkin harvest provide funds that are used for special projects around the farm. FSRF also provides the funds to support this website which is volunteer run.

If you too, love the farm and are interested in becoming a volunteer, you can visit themetro parks website volunteer page and fill out an application. You can also pick up an application the next time you visit the farm. Just ask any of the farm staff or volunteers and they'll be happy to get you an application. Once you send in the application, you'll be contacted and provided information about upcoming orientations. A volunteer orientation is held regularly. You're welcome to attend the orientation to see if being a farm volunteer would be a good experience for you.

Farm Lady

03/13/10

On Saturday, Feb 20th, the farm was once again host to the annual Slate Run Metro Parks and Historical Farm Winter Hike. It was a beautiful, cold, mostly sunny day.

I spent the morning in the summer kitchen with my daughter and other volunteers and staff where we served lunch to all of the hikers. The menu that day was poultry vegetable noodle soup with cornbread. There was plenty of the farm's maple syrup to go over the cornbread, but unfortunately, no sorghum molasses as it had been a bad year for the sorghum. In addition, there was plenty of hot coffee and homemade cookies.

This is one of my favorite events at the farm. This year we served lunch to about 450 hungry hikers.

It was also a special day because for the first time in several years, we were able to hook up the sleigh and give demonstrations in the front field next to the orchard. Here's a photo of Farmer Dave and my daughter taking a ride. That's Sailor, our newest horse, pulling the sleigh.

Karl F., a photographer and frequent visitor to the farm, took a couple of interesting videos of the sleigh in action:watching the sleighgo around the field and riding in the sleigh.Click on the links and take a look. You're also welcome to view some of his marvelous photographs of the farm here.

Thanks for sharing Karl!

Farm Lady

02/16/10

It's too cold to sit on the back porch today so I invite you to come on in and pull up a chair next to our old wood stove and sit for a spell.

Here in Ohio, we're in the middle of our third major snowstorm in the past 10 days. The picture on the right was taken after the first snow fall over a week ago. The second snow dumped about 8 to 10 inches and so far this third one has given us a little over a foot of snow.

Life goes on here at the farm despite the weather. Things just move at a little slower pace.

One good thing about all of this snow is that last week, for the first time in about 10 years, we were able to hook up the horse drawn sleigh and have the horses take a tour around the farm.

Right now everyone is getting ready for the annual Metro Parks Winter Hike coming up this Saturday, February 20th.This is a wonderful day when our farm staff work together with the staff at our sister park, Slate Run Metro Park, to provide hiking opportunities for the public. The hikes start in the Slate Run Metro Park at 10 am. Hikers can choose from 2, 4 and 5 mile hikes.

Farm staff provide a hot lunch for hikers at the farm after they finish the hikes. There's usually chicken noodle soup, cornbread with maple syrup or sorghum molasses, cookies and hot coffee. Most everything is prepared right on the farm.

Also coming up beginning 2/20, we will be offering maple syrup programs on Saturday and Sunday afternoons through the end of February (weather permitting). For more information, check out this month at the farm.

Hope you get the chance to stop by andvisit.

Farm Lady

11/15/09

For those of you who have been wondering, I haven't given up writing this blog; this has simply been one of those years when my time has been needed elsewhere. Things are settling down and I'm hoping to be able to get back on track.

Today was a lovely day with temperatures in the mid '60's...quite mild for the middle of November! The program at the farmwas "Firewood Warms You Twice". The farmers demonstrated the use of tools commonly used to cut firewood in the 1880's and visitors were welcome to try the tools as well.

The harvest is in and the thoughts of the farm ladies have been turning to those projects that have been neglected in the hustle and bustle of the busy summer and autumn months. This is the time of the year when the women take stock of items in the house and begin to sort them into those that are fine for another season, those that can be mended and made to last another season and those things that are completely worn out and need to be replaced.

The ladies make most of the clothing that all of the staff and volunteers wear at Slate Run. That means keeping eight staff members and about twenty-five volunteers clothed and shod. Boots, stockings, men's heavyweight pants and suspendersare ordered from catalogs much as they were in the 1880s. Much of the rest is made by the women here on the farm.

5/18/09

Life has been very hectic lately and I have been too busy to visit the farm. Luckily, I was able to slip away and slip back into time yesterday.

And what a perfectly beautiful day it was! Clear blue skies and warm, but not hot temperatures.

Our program this weekend was "Heirloom Gardening" and several of the farm ladies were out in the kitchen garden planting beans, cabbage plants and other crops. They shared their love and knowledge of gardening with visitors and many of those folks "lent a hand."

One of the farm ladies walks along a row of newly planted cabbage plants.

My knee was hurting too much for me to spend a lot of time in the garden so I looked for a chore that I could do while sitting down and staying close to the house in case folks had questions.

So I decided to gather up a basketful of shoes and boots and take them outside to give them a good cleaning.

I set up a bench near the back porch in the sunshine and put out a stiff brush, acouple of jars of saddle soap, a small basin of water and some rags.

A basket of boots and shoes waiting to be cleaned

Within five minutes, I had several curious helpers. I showed the children how to brush off the dirt with thebrush, then wet the rag and rub it in a little saddle soap and then rub the soap all over the leather. After the footwear was clean, we put the boots and shoes in a row in the sun to dry. Once dry, we buffed the shoes with a clean rag.

In no time at all, we had cleaned three basketfuls of boots and shoes. Most of the visitors were fascinated by the process. Several adults even lent a hand.

3/15/09

SPRING IS COMING!

Last Saturday, the weather was gorgeous with a high in the mid 70s. Over 450 people decided to come and visit the farmand enjoy the beautiful day. This was a record number of visitors for March.

Yesterday was also a very nice day--for March that is. It was in the low50sand partly sunny.I spent the afternoon in the house, doing chores, baking cottage "pudding" and talking to the 50 plus folks who stopped in to visit.

2/17/09

It's Almost Levy Time

I just wanted to remind folks that this spring we will have a chance to renew the Metro Parks levy. I'm not employed by the Metro Parks (nor is anyone in my family). I'm just a person and a taxpayer who loves Slate Run and the other wonderful Metro parks and will be voting to renew the levy. I believe that access to nature is important to our quality of life.

Here's some information regarding the upcoming levy. For more information, you can go to the official Metro Parks website at www.metroparks.net

Metro Parks Levy: Please vote to support the levy on May 5, 2009

Why now?

Metro Parks current 0.65-mill 10-year levy expires at the end of 2009. Central Ohio

residents have enjoyed the benefits of the previous 10-year levy. This levy will allow

Metro Parks to continue to operate clean, well-maintained, safe parks that are open

daily throughout the year and are free to the public while continuing to acquire and manage

natural areas to protect wildlife and water resources.

Did Metro Parks fulfill all of its promises during the last levy?

Yes. During the current levy period, Metro Parks added five new parks, acquired more

than 7,500 acres of land, built 80 miles of trails, provided educational programming for

more than 50,000 school children and thousands of visitors each year, developed programs

for senior citizens and urban youth, enhanced protection of wildlife habitat especially

in the Darby Watershed, and increased yearly visitation by more than a million people.

Each year more than 6 million people enjoy a visit to a Metro Park.

How much will the levy cost?

The cost to the owner of a $100,000 home would be about $23 a year or about six cents a day.

How long will the levy last?

The ballot issue is a proposed 10-year levy, so it would run until 2019.

How much money would the levy provide?

The 0.75-mill levy will provide about $21.5 million a year.

How will Metro Parks use the money from the levy?

Metro Parks will:

• Operate and maintain the current 15 Metro Parks while providing a wide variety of programs

and opportunities that encourage physical and social health, relaxation and enjoyment

of the natural world.

Metro Parks will work to further improve wildlife habitat

and water quality within its parks by restoring

1,000 acres of wetlands while enhancing existing park forests and prairies.

• Expand and enrich existing educational programs and outreach focusing on school and

urban youth, senior citizens and special populations

to accommodate regional growth trends

and the need to address the nature

deficit disorder among young people.

This will include construction of a nature center in

the Darby Watershed and increased programming with Central Ohio schools.

• Acquire land and restore habitat to further protect the rare species of Big Darby Creek

and secure land adjacent to existing parks.

Land will also be purchased and three new parks will be opened in response

to the anticipated growth of 500,000 residents in

Central Ohio over the next 25 years.

1. 1. Along Rocky Fork Creek in northeast Franklin County
2. 2. Along Little Walnut Creek near Canal Winchester and Groveport
3. 3. Along the Scioto River in southern Franklin County near Grove City

Franklin County voters will have the opportunity

to approve a 0.75-mill property tax on May 5, 2009.

For more information about the levy, go to www.metroparks.net, or vote4metroparks.com

2/15/09

Farewell to Farm Friends

This will be Slate Run Farm's 28th year as a Living Historical Farm. Those of us who love the farm owe a great deal to those early volunteers and staff members who began with a vision of what a living 1880's historical farm could mean to future generations. This month we say farewell to Ritchie Teach, one of our original volunteers who was so important in planting the seeds and nourishing the young seedlings ofwhat would become Slate Run Farm as we know it today. I never met Ritchie, but I've heard wonderful stories about her from other staff and volunteers.

(from "The Slate", Jan/Feb 2009)

FAREWELL

Ritchie Teach, an original Farm volunteer, passed away Jan. 24.

Ritchie was an upbeat and encouraging person, and was very

active for many years at the farm. One of her talents was rug

braiding. She led the volunteer project of braiding the first parlor

rug, which warmed and cushioned many a school childs parlor

experience. We send our condolences to her family.

We also say goodbye this month to Red, the ox, who was put down recently. Red had suffered for some time from arthritis and hip degeneration. When at last the medications could no longer give him relief from constant pain, we did not want him to suffer. Red was 12 years old--very old for a cow. He will be much missed by staff, volunteers and visitors. His teammate Tip, who was also born at the farm two weeks after Red, is still with us. As Tip is an animal who works with a partner, we are currently looking for a new home for him at another historical farm where he can once again be part of a team.

2/13/09

A Beautiful Day

I had a rare free winter weekday today, so I decided to spend it at the farm. The weather was glorious for mid-February, a high in the 40's with a clear bright blue sky. There were only four of us working: two staff, another volunteer and me, and I was the only woman.

The men were busy cutting up two large pine trees which had toppled in the strong winds we'd had earlier this week. Fortunately, that seems to be the only wind damage.

I spent most of the day in the house making cornbread. Next Saturday, 2/21, is our annual Winter Hike and the farm women provide a home cooked hot lunch to the 500+ hikers who come through between 10 am and noon. We'll also make a soup (often turkey or chicken vegetable soup with noodles), cookies and provide drinks as well as homemade sorghum and maple syrup for those who like to top their cornbread.

Usually at this time of year, we'll only see a handful of visitors, but the combination of a beautiful day and cabin fever brought out around 30 folks today. Those who came through were an interesting mix of old timers and first time visitors.

2/12/09

Seasons on the Farm

Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall

February marks the one year anniversary of this web site and The Back Porch Blog.

It seems more like a few weeks than an entire year. Every season at the farm has its own rhythm; it's own joys and challenges and this blog has given me the opportunity to share some of it with you.

Winter is slowly drawing to a close. The past few months have been a quiet time with colder weather, fewer visitors and less time spent on outdoor chores. The farm workers have had some time to catch up on those projects which we couldn't get to during the busy summer and harvest months.

And now, as the days grow longer and brighter, one of my favorite events is about to begin. It's almost time for our winter hike and maple syrup days.

On Saturday, February 21st, the Slate Run Parks will host one of the annual Metro Parks Winter Hike. It's a wonderful chance to get out of the house, enjoy the woods, fields and farm, and to savor a hot lunch of soup, cornbread, cookies and drinks made and served by the ladies of the farm.

Here's an excerpt from this month's Slate with information on maple syrup.

HOW BIG DOES A TREE HAVE TO BE?

Trees need to be ten inches in diameter to put in one tap. Eighteen inches can have two taps. Twenty-eight inches can handle three taps and so on.

WHEN DOES THE SAP FLOW?

Warmer days of forty degrees and below freezing nights make the sap go up the tree in the day and back down at night resulting in a good sap flow. The length of syrup season varies with the weather.

HOW MUCH SAP DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE SYRUP?

About forty gallons of sap make a finished gallon of maple syrup. The sap straight from the tree tastes like water, with 2% sugar for a hint of sweetness. The sap is concentrated until it is about 66%sugar.

WHEN DOES SUGERING SEASON END?

The taps are removed when the trees start to bud and the sap is cloudy-yellow or dark in color. The best tasting sap is clear.

DOES TAPPING HURT THE TREE?

Drilling a hole opens the pathway for disease. Like skin on humans, the bark acts as a protective layer to the tree. When the tap is removed, the tree exerts extra energy to repair the tap hole. But overall tapping trees won't hurt the tree if done properly.

WHAT KIND OF TREE IS USED?

The sugar maple or black maple is the best tasting for syrup. Sap from other types of maples and trees, such as birch, can be boiled down and used. The sugar maple has the best taste and highest sugar content. Most maple syrup is produced in northeastern U. S and southeastern Canada, where the two preferred maple species grow.

HOW DOES IT GO FROM SAP TO SYRUP?

Heat evaporates the water in the sap and concentrates the sugar. It is a long, slow process. Sap is boiled until the sugar content is about 66%. Finished syrup boils at 7 degrees above the boiling point of water or 219 degrees. The syrup is filtered and bottled or canned when it reaches the correct temperature and density.

WHY DOES IT COST SO MUCH?

The sugaring season varies from two to eight weeks. Each tree needs to be retapped each year. The product is condensed to 1/30 of its original weight. Each tap hole gives about 10 to 12 gallons of sap which results in 1 quart of finished syrup per year.

It is regionally produced where the right types of maple grows.

If you have the opportunity, come on out. You can get some exercise, enjoy a nice lunch and learn about maple syruping and even taste some of nature's sweetness.

Farm Lady

If you'd like to read more about our adventures here on the farm, you can check the blog archives