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Whisper Hill Farms

"This is the GOOD Stuff"

What blizzard?

Last Thursday we decided to install some new culvert pipe before the ground froze up ,yes ,it’s been that warm . No sooner did we begin when the wind picked up and the snow began . We managed to get it done as well as some pruning in the orchard before we turned into snowmen ,literally !!
Ordered Bees and picked up some more food. We are selling so much honey that we must expand the apiary to keep up with demand.
still working on formulating the rest of this years plan .
A farmers work is never done.

Onwards and Upwards

I know,it’s been a while. I have been trying to post but where the posts are going ,is beyond me.
Anyways I’ll try to catch you up ,it’s been a great year on the farm .
This was the first year we have had much to sell ,and sell it did. We had a great first year at the Wellsville Farmers Market selling Honey and Fresh Blueberries. We had small crops of Aronia and Blackcurrants which we made into syrup and they drew rave reviews . We are almost sold out of both. Blueberry syrup and Hickory syrup have also been big sellers.
Probably the biggest surprise has been the sales of creamed Honey . Both the plain and the Blueberry flavored have been big sellers.
Our products are now available at several specialty shops including,Oldies But Goodies in Big Flats as well as Denny’s Sub Shop. We are also at A Stroll Down Memory Lane in Galeton Pa. and Abundant Blessings in Coudersport Pa.
We added Red Raspberries this year ,Four varieties ,350 plants as well as 190 more Aronis and 125 more Blueberry bushes as well as 12 new Apple varieties. we will prepare new areas this year to add Blackberries and Black raspberries next year.
More to come if this post goes through
Because a Farmers work is never done.

Looking Good!

Now that I have figured out how to post again ,here goes .
Spring has been very good this year ,a little late, but for the most part cooperative ,weather wise.
Replacement Blackcurrants are in the ground and doing nicely . Some of last years Blackcurrants are loaded with buds .
18 new fruit trees are doing well along with 18 trees grafted from last year spending this Summer in the “nursery” getting ready to join the orchard next year Sweet Cherries are new ,along with Pears and more Apples.
Red Raspberries were just planted . 325 ,including 4 varieties ,Prelude ,Nova ,Encore and a test planting of Tula Magic.These guys could use a little rain ,but it’s in the forecast.
New Bees have joined the Winter survivors and are doing well .Thee bee yard is being moved closer to the pond to make way for Blackberries next Spring. New electric fence has been installed. One hive left to move this weekend .
The Aronia is loaded with flower buds and I am anticipating a small harvest this year . Elderberry looks good too ,but it’s too early for buds yet
Blueberries look real good ,no Deer damage ,so far ,Critter Gitters ,did the job keeping those pests out of the patch.

Last years soil tests revealed lots of fertility and Organic matter in our soils . This Spring we only have added Lime and Soil acidifier where needed.
Still lots to do ,but I have very happy with progress so far .
A Farmers work is never done !

busy,busy ,busy

Going to make this post short ,kind of a test . To say it mildly ,I have been super busy on the farm. If I can get this to post ,I’ll add more . A farmers work is never done1

Spring has sprung

Spring appears to be here ,and this year ,I’m excited !Last year it was very hard to move forward on any of the farm plans .The weather was horrible and my heart wasn’t really in it .This year ,I’m fired up about catching up and getting ahead ,if that is at all possible.
We have been working at the farm all Winter,cutting down trees blocking progress, adding a work bench to the shed and doing our best to keep the Deer out of our crops . I have learned to make creamed Honey and we have come up with a great Blueberry syrup recipe .
Fruit trees have been ordered to expand the orchard and 325 Red Raspberries bushes are on the way along with 100 more Blackcurrants to fill in for the ones that perished .
Also set up at my first craft show in Belfast N.Y. and had very good sales. Trying our had at selling Honey wedding favors ,finding some interest there. More surprises being planned that I will report on as we make progress . A Farmers work is never done

Life goes on

I know it’s been a long time since I have posted anything .I apologize . I will do my best to get you up to speed on what has happened in my life and on the farm since my last post .
2017 saw us with our first blueberry harvest season ,a great Honey harvest ,good progress with our medicinal herbs ,Elderberry and Aronia . We were also working towards our Organic Certification .
A year ago, today, the unthinkable happened . Charlotte passed away from a heart attack .Nothing could have been more unexpected ,more devastating to me than that . She was my whole world ,my soulmate ,my reason for living . I can’t begin to put into words how I felt and how I still feel about her passing . Many ,many times I prayed to my Creator to take me, too .I will always love her and my heart will never be whole again.
As much as that hurt and continues to hurt ,I have to acknowledge that I have been a blessed man .I was blessed to have the love of my life with me for 41 years and 39 years of marriage.So many people never have that . We had a great marriage and great communication . We had discussed ,on more that one occasion, what we wanted for each other should one of us pass. Charlotte told me she never wanted me to be alone and she would find ,and send ,someone to me . Without going into detail ,she did what she said she would.
I have also been blessed to have friends and family that have been supportive of me as I endeavor to move on with my life .I am doing the best I can to move on with my life and the farm ,things I know Charlotte wanted for me .It has been hard and I have nothing but love for those who have helped me continue on . If I have learned anything this year it’s that life is short ,too short . I don’t know if I have 30 more seconds or 30 more years but I am determined to live my life to the fullest I can and honor what my Charlotte wanted for me. For those that can’t understand that I feel sorry for you. I hope you never find yourself alone and broken and that no one ever turns their back on you .
Rest assured ,I’m still standing and more determined that ever to live a purposeful life. Quitting is not an option. I would not wish what I have gone through the last year on anyone but I have learned who has my back and who doesn’t . Something we all need to know .
The farm this year was a struggle both with motivation and weather but I did get most of my Blackcurrants in the ground before they died. I lost the whole Blueberry crop to Deer who broke down the fence and browsed the flower buds . New fencing and Critter Gitters are holding those varmints at bay ,so far . The Bees produced another great harvest despite having fewer hives. I’m finalizing next years plans ,looking forward to better weather year .

A Farmers work ,is never done

Water ,water everywhere

The weather lately has been warm and extremely humid ,with plenty of rain . A huge difference from last year .It has made plowing and tilling for next years additions impossible ,so far . However it has been a boon for both the Aronia planted late last Fall and The Elderberries planted this Spring. I recently removed all the blooms (Elder flowers ) in order to promote more growth but snapped a couple of photos to show the waist high growth ,so far.
Blueberries are nice and plump and have yet to reach peak . I expect 2-3 more weeks of picking
Medicinal herbs ,after a slow start, have taken off. the Bees seem to be making good use of the extra pollen and nectar . The plants are very healthy.
It is supposed to be a little cooler mid week so I am planning to add more supers to the hives.The Spotted Knapeweed is just starting to bloom and is our most prolific Honey producing plant .
On the down side, we are way behind on getting more raised beds constructed and mulching .
A Farmer’s work is never done .

Berry time

We have started picking Blueberries and we have been selling out as soon as we get back from the farm .I hope our sales increase as we get to the main crop as it is looking real good . If not ,we will be making lots of Blueberry syrup and freezing pie size containers
A farmer’s work is never done

Busy ,busy ,busy

Sorry,it has been a while since my last post .I managed to lose a post a few weeks back ,so I will try to catch up on what has been going on .We have been very busy !

Due to a very wet Spring, we have fallen behind on all of our plantings .The 300 Elderberry plants we have been able to get in, are going strong . With any luck, we will get the final 100 in by next weekend . We are also behind on our medicinal herb plantings . We lost our Pleurisy root plantings ,the soil was just too wet, but our Echineacia  plants are thriving as well as our Elecampane and Blackberry lilly . our seedlings are thriving in nursery trays ,awaiting a permanent home.

We will start picking our first Blueberry crop very soon and it looks like it will be a good one .Prices for Blueberries are as follows :$ 3.00 a pint or 2 pints for$ 5.00 . If you wish to place a large order ,we can arrange a discount . We are unable to offer pick your own pricing at this time . If you wish to place an order,you may do so now and we will contact you as soon as your order is picked so you get the freshest berries possible. These bushes have never been sprayed and have only seen organic fertilizer.

Our Aronia bushes are also doing very well and should produce a small harvest this season . We have promised some of this crop to “Tres Gatos Vineyards” for some vino experimentation .If you wish to procure some of these “Super berries ” contact us and we will try to get you some .

The Winter was very hard on the Bees but we did see a couple of hives survive . Those hives, along with the new ones, are going gangbuster! All but 2 of our 14 hives have honey supers on ,some have as many as 3 . I am awaiting more supers to be built . If we dodge the Bears, we should have a huge Honey crop .

We have added significantly to the Orchard this year with an eye to adding Cider Apples . We grafted a total of 68 Apple trees and 44 Pear trees  . It looks like our Apple grafting was about 90% successful ,while our Pears  about 30% . While the Pear success was low ,I actually got the number I wanted ,the Apples were much higher than I expected ,so we may have trees to sell next year.The rootstock that survives the Winter will be usable next year ,so nothing is truly lost unless it dies .

I am looking forward to getting more mulch on all the berries tomorrow . A Farmer’s work is never done

 

Time to catch up!

Sorry for the lack of posting . A lot has been going on. Root stock for Apples and Pears arrived yesterday and we will start grafting today . I was able to collect many varieties of scion wood to graft with, both from my orchard and another orchard close by. With some luck ,we will be giving these trees new life on the farm in the near future .
The last I checked ,we still had three hives alive on the farm. It has been a terrible year for Bees ,with all the wild temperature fluctuations . I am hoping these gals make it but I’m not holding my breath . Replacement Bees have been ordered and if these gals do make it ,the Apiary gets a little bigger . Still have a good supply of excellent Honey from the farm ,the Honey from here at the house will soon be sold out .
We should see our Elder cuttings arrive soon and have a work weekend planned for the 4/15 weekend to get those babies in the ground .
Attended an excellent workshop on Medicinal Herds put on by Healing Spirits Herb Farm in Avoca N.Y. Learned some new stuff and also got confirmation that we are doing a lot of things correctly . It is a huge plus to have farmers so close by to learn from .We have Elecampane ,Astragulus , Codonopsis, St John’s Wort ,Echinacea, Pleurisy Root, Ghost Peppers, Arnica and Rhiodiola started in our basement grow room. Some of these are almost ready to transplant into single pots . I anticipate having extra plants to sell on a first come ,first serve basis .
I am expanding the orchard on the farm this year with some Apple varieties that are noted for Cider (Hard and Sweet),along with some more Peach trees. . .What was supposed to be a tiny orchard ,is close to 50 trees (without counting any grafted trees we are doing ourselves ) YIKES!! Someone needs to rein me in!!
I have put a lot of thought this Winter into getting to the Farm full time . I’m not getting any younger and I am really feeling my soul being pulled in that direction .I have so much to do before I can make this change that sometimes the burden seems overwhelming .
A Farmers work is never done .