There is something for everyone here in Vermont! Need an excuse to plan a trip? Here are some highlights you can look forward to enjoying in every season this year!
Cider Syrup offers a playful and vibrant combination of flavors that are delightful! Learn how you can use this simple combination to dress up the dishes you love and bring an easy pop of energy to your table. Here we offer 10 ways that you can utilize this easy sauce to enjoy these seasonal flavors at home!
Our beautiful flock of chickens has been taken out by a weasel. Last week, we had a brutally cold snap and were spending less time outdoors than usual. During this time, a brave little weasel made a visit to the hen house and took out the flock. The next day, we saw it loping through the snow.
With this, we’re starting to think about whether or not we should order chicks this spring or take some time and design a better coop.
I love to find ways to utilize the by-products of our kitchen. Most of our fruits and veggies go straight to the chickens, as payment for their daily fresh eggs. The chickens, however, do not appreciate fruit peels. Rather than throw them away, I wanted to try using them as a vessel for bird food. Utilizing a few kitchen leftovers, I made some easy bird feeders to keep our neighboring songbirds happy through the winter months.
This year has been different in so many ways. With fewer people traveling this year, we’re doing a lot of projects and we’ve been keeping busy here on the farm. There really is never a season when we are truly sitting still, but the fall season is particularly active. Here’s a look behind the scenes, at what we’ve been up to…
View from the Guest House lawn. The house sleeps 6-8 people and rents by the week with availability for foliage and ski season. Book before Labor Day for special pricing!
COVID-19 has changed so much in the world. We recognize how fortunate we have been to live here and feel relatively safe from the virus, especially compared to friends living in the city. And still, we have noticed a big difference in our experience with guests, whom we miss dearly!
One of the the things that brings us the most joy is seeing our guests connect with each other and enjoy creating memories in the spaces we have created, indoors and out. Over the years, we have had returning guests who have become more and more like family. While we have had a few guests over the summer, we miss the hubbub of games being played by the fire and guests chatting on the porch.
It has been a blessing we could not have anticipated, to have added the Guest House on to our property this year. We have been thankful and happy to welcome guests for week-long stays in the stand-alone rental just up the hill. It has been a wonderful way to extend the getaway experience to people looking to quarantine safely and enjoy a restful getaway.
Enjoying the view and space to play at the Guest House!
We’ve noticed that we’re using our time a little differently too. As usual, Luke has been busy with projects! Every year, Luke’s garden expands by at least 30% and this year has been no different. He has electric fencing in the lower cutting garden, to keep the flowers from being devoured by neighboring deer. With the garden being so far from the house, he rigged up a gravity-fed pump system to draw water from the pond, so that we could water the plants more efficiently.
Last year, we lost a flock of chickens to a sly fox, so we started fresh this year. The chickens love to have space to roam, so now we have 28 chickens that are now protected by better electric fencing. To stave off aerial attacks, Luke put in a wire and net system above the coop.
Flock fencing seems to be a theme of the summer, as we welcomed 12 sheep to our farm this summer. It was an unexpected opportunity, when the neighboring property came on the market, and we were excited to put the beautiful pastures back to use. It has been such fun to see the animals getting more and more comfortable with the space. In the morning and afternoon, they leap and frolic through the field and into the barn for a treat. It’s been especially fun to see our dog, Stout, who is so curious about them. They follow each other along the fence line and amicably play chase with each other.
We have a flock of 12 Border Leicester sheep, who have made their home in the barn and pasture.
I’ve taken on a few projects of my own this season. Having left my 9-5 at the start of the pandemic, I have been incredibly grateful to have the time and ability to focus on growing our business and developing a few passion projects of my own. I’ve been spending time every day on my spin bike and feeling grateful for the opportunity to exercise safely. I’ve also been collaborating with some other entrepreneurs in the area, and I’m excited to be working on another project… more soon!
Having indulged in too much sourdough bread this spring, like the rest of America, I started the summer with an outdoor project that would engage my muscles and keep me committed to finishing the project quickly. With the start of the warm season and outdoor adventures, I wanted to make the most of a fire patio vision that I had in mind. So, I measured a 21’ circle near the pond, and dug it 10” deep. After tamping it down by hand and laying stone grit, we move 2 tons of stone by hand. It was quite a feat and I’m so grateful to Luke and my in-laws Nate and Huck, for their brute strength and patience. (They thought they were visiting for a weekend away and I put them to work!) After moving the stone slabs - much like doing a puzzle without a picture of how they go together - we filled in the cracks with pea stone and called it a day. I am so happy with how it turned out! We have been able to enjoy the space as a family and also create a bonfire for guests, which has been a fun new option for people to enjoy the space safely outdoors.
Summer is rainbow season here!
Being home more, we have been able to explore our own backyard and enjoy the space even more ourselves. We cut some paths into the thicket between the Guest House and B&B, so we can stroll through the woods or take a ramble on the Gator (which is a very convenient tool, now that we have 70 acres and lots of critters and gardens!). We have also seen some of the best rainbows I have ever experienced in my life, falling just over the pond.
One gift of this unexpected time has been that I have been able to spend more time with Luke, which has been great. We are often talking about our next projects and dreams for the property. I feel so fortunate to have met someone with whom I share a dream and an easy partnership, in marriage, work, and parenting. (Don’t get me wrong - pandemic parenting has been a trip, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.)
Our kids are growing like weeds and we have enjoyed teaching them how to help out around the farm. Kellen (almost 4) loves lifting heavy things and Finn (1) is a wheelbarrow aficionado. They make a good team and an excellent addition to our crew. Some of our favorite adventures have been in the garden, in the evening hours before or after dinner. It’s fascinating how curious their taste buds are when they are out in the garden, when sometimes we cannot get them to eat the same vegetables inside the kitchen, next door. In any case, we were happy to share with them the joys of plucking sugar snap peas and colorful carrots. We are incredibly grateful for the added time we have been able to spend with them and also for their incredible preschool and teachers for helping us all to get back into a better pandemic groove.
Our farm crew, on the job watering the garden!
The summer is coming to an end. The days are shorter. The shadows are longer. Everything is in the height of bloom and feeling more and more precious. As we turn the bend into fall, we know it will be a little different this year. We miss seeing our guests and hope that you stay safe and well in this challenging time. Please let us know if you’re interested in staying in the Guest House. We are so happy to be able to provide a safe and comfortable place for folks to relax and recharge.
Wishing you the best from our family!
Until we see you again, stay well!
-Carin
Hello there! So it's been about a year and a half since we posted anything to this blog. It's definitely not from lack of attention. As we walk around and explore the property we keep saying to each other "this would make a good blog post!".
Go to a Ben & Jerry's Concert on the Green? "This would make a good post!"
Make some dams in the stream? "This would make a good blog post!"
Build a Greenhouse? "This would make a good blog post!"
Set up a woodland obstacle course among the sugar maples for our oldest child? "This would make a good blog post!"
Have another kid? "Yeah sure, why not! Blog post."
First and foremost, yes. That last item on the list did happen! In addition to our 3 year old we welcomed another member of our family into this world in June. We couldn’t be happier.
Now we are a family of four! It’s hard to believe nearly a year has passed since we welcomed this little being into our world.
So, it's not for lack of subject matter that we haven’t updated the blog until now, but for lack of time! So, now that we have an abundance of time and are spending it at home, we thought we would finally sit down and update you all on the happenings around the property.
The added set of hands has allowed us to get a lot done around here! (Joking, but really…) We have been busily making improvements and additions to the property. We had another great maple sugaring season. We tapped 75 maple trees to make enough maple syrup to feed our guests (and family!) throughout the year. We successfully raised a flock of chickens, who lovingly roamed free across the property and were subsequently picked off by foxes. Our ducks remain happy egg layers and we have doubled down our predator control efforts, as we plan for the next flock. As usual, we have greatly expanded the gardens, moving the vegetable garden into raised beds, creating an acre of cut flowers in the lower field, and building a greenhouse to prepare for a lively growing season. We continue to make improvements to the Bed and Breakfast, including adding a grand piano to the living room and updating the guest rooms. Our efforts to increase sustainability efforts mean we have finished up a new siding project to improve our energy use and spruce the place up a bit. Even with all that we were able to sneak in a few concerts, take the kids to Shelburne Museum a few times, explore the Echo center, take a magical Christmas train ride, Carin taught our eldest how to ski and we are generally enjoy life in the Green Mountains!
Celebrating Love!
We have enjoyed hosting weddings and elopements.
Fresh eggs!
We aren’t supposed to have favorites, but these ladies were so sweet! We miss them and will be raising another flock this summer!
The B&B gets a fresh look!
We added insulation and energy efficient siding to improve our carbon footprint.
So fresh!
When the season changes and the weather warms, we make our own maple syrup to serve to guests.
Now Offering a Guest House Getaway!
As a new option, guests can choose to stay for a week or more at our Guest House, located just up the hill and enjoying pristine views and privacy.
Life in the COVID-19 era has taught us a new appreciation for where we live. While we are far away from our friends in the city, we remain deeply connected to world events and share our incredible gratitude and appreciation for front line workers, who are risking it all to support survival and recovery rates. This experience has also taught us how to be more present and recognize the gift it is to live here, with access to outdoor exploration and a strong (and socially distant) rural community. With both kids at home, (as daycare closed down in mid-March due to COVID-19, ) we have been exploring the property more than ever before. Every day, we have ventured out to explore the outdoors. Our oldest takes us on long walks and shows us the world from a completely new vantage point. We are loving explaining what "peepers" are, what woodpeckers do, reading books from the little library by the pond, and watching him splash around in the stream, making little dams. We have also been learning new skills. Like everyone in quarantine, we are baking up a storm. Kneading, proofing, and baking a loaf of King Arthur Flour bread has become a new part of our daily rhythm.
Nothing smells better than fresh bread!
In another advent, a few months ago our neighbors relocated for work, and we were incredibly sad to see them go. They were amazing neighbors! And, in an interesting turn of events, we purchased their property and now have a guest house to offer for overflow guests of the Bed & Breakfast, or as a short term rental. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been busy painting and decorating to prepare for an active rental season. We are hopeful that the summer months will allow us to accept bookings and welcome guests to our new rental space. We are excited to offer this new addition, as it returns the property to the 75 acre parcel that preceded our ownership, rejoining the neighboring lots to maximize the mountain views. In addition to the new Guest House, the property has a beautiful little barn, which has been home to many horses over the years. There are well-maintained pastures and many trails that we intend to revive for snowshoeing and hiking. Carin and I are not exactly equestrians, so we are looking into getting some sheep(!) this spring to help us maintain the fields. We will keep you posted with lots of cute lamb and chick photos over the next few months!
I realize any one of these things could be an entire blog post on it's own - but it's been a year and a half! We had a lot to catch you up on.
Cheers to a fresh start!
-Luke McCarthy
Fresh cider from the apple trees at our Vermont Bed and Breakfast!
What a difference a few months makes! When we last checked in our flowers were in full bloom, we were swimming in the pond, and enjoying everything summer has to offer. But, this is New England and just as soon as you get fully comfortable in one season, another comes knocking at the door! I know everyone likes summer to be just a little bit longer, but I personally love the changing of the seasons. Sure, the "to do" list might not have been fully complete; but each season brings its own fun activities and events, and makes you appreciate each season in its own special way.
Fresh Cider!
Our guests enjoy local treats from close to home, like cider from our apple trees!
Shortly after our last blog post we acquired an apple press in order to make our own apple cider. We spent a few days exploring the apple trees scattered across our property and collected a few large barrels of apples. After that we got to work grinding them up and pressing them into delicious apple cider! The first batch came out a little tart, but we are still perfecting our recipe! As an added bonus, we gave all the leftover ground up apples to a local farm down the road to feed to their goats!
We have a wide variety of heirloom apple trees on the property at our Vermont Bed and Breakfast!
Also this fall we made a quick afternoon trip over to the East Charlotte Tractor Parade. A truly Vermont event, the parade and festival is timed around the end of harvest season and features a pie eating contest, local vendors and music, and the main event: a stream of about 200 tractors of all sizes and ages rolling down the street. On the way home we stopped in at a family run apple orchard and I had one of the best apple donuts of my life! It had just come out of the fryer so was nice and crispy, then they put it in a dish and topped it with a maple creemee. A tractor parade, cider donuts and maple creemee? I'm not sure how more Vermont you can get. I think I was even wearing a flannel shirt!
Quite the festive scene at the East Charlotte Tractor Parade!
Just as soon as you get content with the seasons though...
Fresh snow at our Vermont Bed and Breakfast!
Sure enough, Mother Nature decided we had enough of fall and decided it was time to throw some winter at us. It was an unusually snowy November here in the Green Mountains, but in my book a fresh blanket of snow is just as pretty as the flowers we grow all summer (and i don't have to work for it!) Vermont is a skier’s paradise right now with relatively moderate temperatures and a thick blanket of fresh natural snow.
Snowed in at our Vermont Bed and Breakfast!
If snowshoeing is your preference (as it is mine) we have begun to carve out a network of trails across our property so guests can get out and enjoy themselves! We'll have some hot cocoa ready for you when you get back!
With the holidays approaching and the end of the year upon us, we have been spending some time reflecting upon what an incredible time we have had this year at the Bed and Breakfast. Through the seasons, we continue to be grateful for the incredible guests who we have met since we opened our doors in 2015. Thank you!
We are full of good cheer and the magic of Christmas!
Wishing you the best this holiday season, from our family to yours!
- Luke & Carin McCarthy
It’s been a while since we have updated the blog, mostly because the summer is such a full, verdant, vibrant time to be here. It’s been a hot summer and we have spent a lot of time outdoors appreciating the beauty and working on projects outside to improve our guests’ experience.
So much has happened since our last post! In a quick recap of summer, everything is in bloom and we are extending the boundaries of our gardens to make room for new flowers and crops. Luke has put in 8 new flowers beds in the lower field, and his plans include spring, summer and fall blooming flowers. It really has been a joy to see them bursting out in a colorful array. We are excited to experience each new season and the surprise of flowers that pop up in the freshly tilled soil.
Luke has added new flower beds in the lower field, where every season we enjoy new blooms!
Now, with more flowers to tend to, Luke is working on perfecting our irrigation system. With a series of timers and gravity fed spigots that draw water from the pond, we are getting closer to nurturing the plants to their optimum potential. (More on this, later!)
Dahlias are some of our favorite summer blooms!
I’m coming to realize that we just don’t have enough vases for all of the flowers that are adorning the property. It has been such a rejuvenating experience each week to fill a bucket until it is brimming over with flowers to make bouquets for every room. In true form, the square footage (or acreage) of Luke’s gardens grow by 20-30% every year. What started as a 10x10’ plot has grown to 5,000 square feet. I think next year we will have to start a little flower stand or bring them to market, as they are so beautiful and abundant!
Foxgloves bloom in the lower field, where Luke has planted a cutting garden.
Our chickens have learned how to escape their coop and we love seeing them explore free-range, enjoying the fresh food available in the garden and yard. They have gotten braver and friendlier with each day, where now you must close the doors and windows of your car or they might take it up as their new roost. I absolutely love them. As I write this, they are hunting and pecking around my feet at the pebbles of our outdoor patio. Now that they are exploring a wider footprint of the property, we sometimes find their eggs on the lawn, which brings back all of the joys of childhood scavenger hunts and Easter egg parties!
Our friendly little chickens enjoy exploring the property at our Vermont Bed and Breakfast, free-range!
The Bed and Breakfast has been busy and we have loved seeing returning guests, who we are happy have enjoyed their experience enough to come back – some have even brought friends on their return journey! We have had a few long-term stay guests and it has been fun to get to know people better and see them feel at-home as guests at our Vermont Bed and Breakfast.
Guests at our B&B enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and the view from our Vermont Bed and Breakfast.
One project that truly excited me to accomplish was the addition of a tiny free library, which guests can enjoy as they walk the path around the pond. Placed just next to a mossy rock, it’s the perfect place to read a little poem or reference a bird watching book to see what species just flew by. As I write this, a hummingbird stopped by to visit the zinnias and enjoy their sweet nectar. I find that if you are quiet for a moment here, you are bound to see something awe-inspiring.
Check out the books in our new tiny free library!
It has been a fun and delicious experience to enjoy the berries and fruit that grow on the property. We had a very healthy crop of currants this year and the walk around the pond easily becomes a feast when the raspberries are in full season, as they were earlier this month. The blueberries are still a little young to harvest but are starting to show the signs of fruit development and hold promise for next year. Our next big crop will be apples, which are starting to blush a beautiful pink. Our dog, Stout, is starting to visit the apple trees to snack on the sweet and tart treats.
Summer is winding down and we are savoring every day that we get to play outside and enjoy this beautiful place. Fall foliage is starting to turn and we are looking forward to the crisp air and coziness that autumn brings to New England. We are so grateful to live here and share this experience with guests at our Bed and Breakfast.
-Carin McCarthy
The view of Camel's Hump mountain, to the north, from Vermont Bed and Breakfast at Russell Young Farm. (Notice the deer at the center of the field, by the stand of trees and shrubs.)
When Carin and I moved into this house in early 2015 we moved into our dream home. The first day we looked at it there was a fresh blanket of snow and the sky was so clear that the peak of Camel's Hump mountain was so defined it was practically calling for us to go hike it. On the spine of the Green Mountains to the right, you could almost see the top ski lift of Mad River Glen spinning around. We walked in the house and were met with the large field-stone fireplace in the living room and we had the same reaction I'm sure many of our guests do; that of relaxation, tranquility, and (for us anyway) a desire to spend the rest of our lives here.
A snowy day at Vermont Bed and Breakfast at Russell Young Farm.
The hearth in the Great Room, at Vermont Bed and Breakfast at Russell Young Farm.
Interestingly, this house didn't always have that fireplace we love so much, or even the front porch. When this house was first built in the 1870's it resembled more of a small Cape Cod style house sitting on a fraction of what is now a rather large footprint.
The Young family, Luthera and Russell, first moved to the property sometime shortly thereafter and worked the 500 acre property adjoining the house. They maintained a heard of milking cows, and a large barn across the street where the town road turn-around is located today. Each morning they would milk the herd by hand and put the milk in the shed across from the house, where it was kept cool until it could be picked up. There was a second carriage barn behind the house where a small shed now stands. One of their children, Ralph Young, was born in 1925.
When the Young family moved on, and the farm was no longer being worked, the house underwent a few major renovations. It's unclear exactly when, but somewhere along the way the house was expanded to accommodate a larger living room, and a full second floor was added. At some point in this time frame the field stone fireplace was added. The entire front of the house was re-worked to have an almost Greek-revival feel with pillars stretching from the ground all the way to the roof. For some time, the house itself was being used as a ski dorm with several small rooms upstairs. We have enjoyed having some of the former residents' family come and stay with us. Hearing their stories and memories of the place has been a gift.
The start of spring at Vermont Bed and Breakfast at Russell Young Farm
Over time, the majority of the land was divided and the house went back to use as a single family residence, until the early 2000's when another major renovation took place. The porch was reconfigured to take advantage of the beautiful mountain view. The pillars were boxed in to create two large guest rooms upstairs and the entire back half of the house was added on, where the kitchen and garage are today.
We are fully aware that this house has significant history. Not just for the individuals who poured their hearts and souls into it over the years, but for the town as a whole. As the current caretakers we want any changes that we make to not only accommodate our guests and our own future at the house, but also keeping the extensive history of the house in mind.
Energy efficiency renovation at Vermont Bed and Breakfast at Russell Young Farm.
This spring, when the bed and breakfast is closed, we are embarking on a small modernization and energy efficiency project. All the windows and siding on the front of the house will come off so we can add some insulation, replace older windows for a more energy efficient style, and install sturdier siding. These improvements will keep our guests a little cozier in the winter, improve energy efficiency and go a long way toward extending the longevity of the house.
Welcoming entryway at Vermont Bed and Breakfast at Russell Young Farm.
Ralph Young, who was born here in 1925, passed away in 2014 and we hope he, and all the other former occupants of this house, appreciate the love and care currently being put into this wonderful home. We love sharing the experience that this property provides to our guests and we are happy to take good care of it and call it home.
-Luke McCarthy
Winter at Vermont Bed and Breakfast at Russell Young Farm
With the New Year upon us, we have been thinking about what an amazing year 2017 was. We had guests from around the world – France, Israel, and all over the United States, including a handful of guests who have come back for a return stay at our Bed and Breakfast. As always, we enjoyed visiting with our guests and helping them to experience the best of Vermont in a weekend.
Since our last blog post, we have taken some time for family visits and vacation. We enjoyed an amazing trip to the Azores, which was our first trip abroad with our son, Kellen. We had such a good time exploring, and it was a great reminder of what we enjoy as travelers – good food, kind people, and quality sleep after full days of adventuring!
We Took a Family Trip
Terceira island, Azores
Our Fall Foliage season was exceptionally busy this year and we are grateful that we already have a handful of reservations for next autumn. Last year, we were surprised by thoughtful gifts and gestures from our guests, who shared with us prints of their photos, wine from their hometowns, essential oils, and delicious treats from around the world! It’s always amazing to us how by opening your home you also open your heart. We love having guests and sharing the Vermont Bed and Breakfast experience with them.
Enjoying games and books by the fire at Vermont Bed and Breakfast at Russell Young Farm
With the quiet season that comes after the leaves fall, we enjoyed visiting with friends and family, especially spending time together over the holidays. This is such an incredible place for reconnecting and enjoying a slower pace. In the last few weeks, we have enjoyed doing puzzles by the fire, marking Christmas ornaments and cookies, and having friends and family visit.
Blue Skis at Vermont Bed and Breakfast at Russell Young Farm
Now that the ski season is ramping up, we are excited to welcome families who are looking for a relaxing retreat after a full day of adventure at the mountain. With both Mad River Glen and Sugarbush Resort nearby, as well as Sleepy Hollow Nordic Ski and Snowshoe Center, there are miles and miles of trails to explore in the winter.
Enjoying an evening walk at Vermont Bed and Breakfast at Russell Young Farm
We’ve also been working on some projects at the house. Luke has more than 65 new Dahlia tubers to grow this year and I am excited for the beautiful flowers to decorate the property and bedside tables. Our seed catalogs have started to arrive and we are enjoying leafing through and dreaming of what to grow this summer.
With the chilly winter months here, the chickens and ducks have slowed their laying. They are nestled in with a heat lamp and are enjoying their feather-down jackets. Luke and Stout bring them fresh food and water every day, and check that their house is cozy and warm.
Stout, enjoying fresh snow at Vermont Bed and Breakfast at Russell Young Farm
All is well on the farm. We are keeping the house cozy and warm and enjoying the restful pace of winter months. We hope you plan some self-care and travel into your New Year’s resolutions. We will have a room ready for you when you are ready for a getaway!
Summer is such a great time to be in Vermont. Even for those of us who love winter and enjoy adventures in the snow, the change of seasons is a welcome thing in the Green Mountains. Looking forward to the next few months, there is so much to see and do that makes a Vermont getaway worthwhile - and so memorable.
For the Foodies and Outdoor Adventurers, there is an abundance of fresh, local food that you can enjoy. Some of our favorite activities include attending the Waitsfield farmer’s market, ranked one of the top 5 Farmer's Markets in New England by Yankee Magazine, to pick up delicious treats to fill a picnic basket and take a hike, or go tubing down the Mad River.
There are so many great day hikes in our area. My favorite hikes are within an hour of our Bed and Breakfast, and include a few hours of moderate hiking, ending with a picturesque view of the Green Mountains and Lake Champlain. Some of these hikes are even located near our favorite breweries and vineyards, so you can pick up a growler and enjoy a sunset hike!
Another great way to enjoy the season is to visit some of the local pick-your-own farms and orchards. Nearby, we have blueberries, strawberries, cherries and apple orchards where you can spend a sunny afternoon enjoying the scents and sounds of summer while you pick fruit to eat fresh or use for ingredients to make a delicious pie or breakfast treat! We grow our own strawberries and blueberries at the B&B, so we are excited for a good growing season!)
If you’re interested in cultural events, there are so events coming up! The Discover Jazz Festival takes over Burlington in early June, with world-class musicians and performers filling the venues across town. Higher Ground brings top-line musicians to perform live in their venue, at the waterfront, and at Shelburne Museum. Check their calendar early to reserve tickets to one of the upcoming shows!
The Church Street Marketplace comes alive the summer, with restaurant seating spilling out into the pedestrian marketplace. It really is a celebration of the season of sunshine! There are other annual celebrations that take place in the summer, like the weekly Farmer’s Market, Kids Day and Festival of Fools (Circus Arts), to name a few.
Shelburne Farms hosts the Vermont Cheesemakers Festival every year in July, and I can’t think of a better setting to enjoy local food and learn about the rich history of Vermont agriculture. Some of the world's best cheese is made in Vermont, and you'll know what makes it special when you see the beautiful landscape and hardworking people who make it.
One of my favorite things to do in go out on a sunset sail with the Whistlingman, on Lake Champlain. Sailing towards the Adirondacks, you look back at Burlington as it sits glowing in the evening sun, with the beautiful Green Mountains in the background. You can pack a picnic on the boat, which has a capacity for 12 people. It’s a perfect way to enjoy an evening. When you land on the docks at dusk, you can walk up to the Church Street marketplace and enjoy some of the best bars and restaurants in the area.
If you’re needing a getaway this summer, there’s no better place than Vermont. Some of our guests don’t ever leave the property – they enjoy a leisurely breakfast, have coffee on the porch, read by the pond, stroll around the property or practice yoga with a view! We love it here and we are so happy when our guests enjoy themselves, either by exploring the nearby attractions or settling in for a quiet weekend retreat at our B&B. Summer is the perfect time to visit Vermont and make the most of the local food, beer and wine, outdoor adventures, and cultural events. We hope you will come and see for yourself!
-Carin McCarthy
It's been a little over a month since our last blog post and things have been happening fast around here! As we mentioned, we have started our own little fruit orchard in one of our fields. So far we have 5 Peach trees and 4 Pear trees planted, and we have 2 Plum trees sitting in the driveway waiting for the yard to dry out a little so we can drive over it without making a mess of the lawn. Eventually we will get a 3rd Plum tree to make the orchard a little more symmetrical, but that may wait until next year. Hopefully if all goes well in the next few years we will be whipping up some peach cobbler or plum preserves... or perhaps some Perry? (Pear Cider.) We are excited to add new fruits to the breakfast menu at our B&B and serve local fruits that we have grown on the property! Food is better when it's so fresh you can still taste the sunshine!
Our new plum trees, making their way to the orchard!
Seedlings, safe and warm inside!
The little seedlings we started a few months ago are itching to get into the garden. Admittedly, I started them too early. Last year, by this time, things were dry and pretty warm. This year things are still a little too soggy, and the nighttime temperatures are still dipping a little too low to get them out. (Chilly nights make for great sleeping weather!) But that's OK, they are perfectly cozy in the little greenhouse with all of their friends. Eventually the peppers and tomatoes will be placed in the garden under the gardening hoops you can see in the picture below. Then a white fabric gets stretched over the hoops and secured. This will keep the plants warm, and protected from the elements while they get settled in and grow roots.
The greenhouse plays a key role in keeping our plants safe and warm in the early season!
While we grow 100% of our vegetables from seed, space in the house, as well as time commitments on the part of yours truly, prevents us from growing everything from seed. While we still grow a fair amount of flowers from seed, including zinnias, sunflowers, and petunias; and divide and overwinter our dahlias every year, there are some things we rely on local greenhouses to provide. This last weekend we were visiting family down in the Lebanon, NH area and stopped by one of our favorite nurseries, Edgewater Farm. We picked up some basil and mint for the wonderful breakfasts we will be serving up, and we also picked up some impatients for the flower pots on the front porch. I also snuck some creeping phlox and delphinium into the shopping cart for around the pond. I can't resist flowers!
We prepare the soil with compost, then overlay it with ground cover to keep the weeds down without using chemicals. The hoops are covered with fabric to provide shelter to young plants in the early season.
Over the next few weeks all of this will be going into the ground and the property will start showing it's true colors. I can't wait!
-Luke McCarthy
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Spring is my second favorite season in Vermont. And it's a very close second. There is so much going on here at the farm in late March and early April! The landscape is coming to life, and we are getting busy with preparation for yet another successful season at our Bed and Breakfast.
Example of early preparation of the garden, at the start of the growing season 2016
We try to be fairly self-sufficient at the B&B. We have our own flock of chickens and ducks for eggs, we make our own maple syrup, and we try to grow most of our own fruits and veggies we use around the bed and breakfast. Back in mid-February we had a good run of weather to collect maple sap, which we boiled down into a few gallons of syrup. Right around the same time I started a whole bunch of pepper and tomato seeds. This is pretty early to be starting any kind of seed in Vermont, but as you'll read later on we start early because we take some precautions in order to set plants out a little earlier than normal. (Normal for our mountainous area is right around Memorial Day.) Anyway, after we boiled some sap and started some seeds, mother nature had a good laugh at us and it turned cold and snowy again. The sap stopped flowing and I questioned my sanity starting so many seeds early.
Collecting maple sap from the trees
Then, at the end March, we saw Robins so heavy with eggs they could barely fly, and those that had already laid their eggs were busy searching for food to feed their hatchlings. Spring had officially arrived at the B&B!
By now the temperature swings are perfect for maple sap collection and those seeds I planted in mid-February are about 6 inches tall. We keep them under a combination of LED and fluorescent lights near one of the baseboard radiators to keep some heat in and they love it. They will soon outgrow their 4 inch pots, as well as require more light than we can give them indoors.
Indoor seed starter station
Just today I went out and shook the cobwebs out of our little 6 foot by 6 foot greenhouse. In another week or so all of the large seedlings will move out to the greenhouse where they will enjoy 80 degree days and a small electric heater will keep them at around 50 degrees at night. With almost two months until our official "plant out" date, how can we keep them in pots for that long you ask? Well, as soon as the ground thaws out a bit in the garden we will go out and cover it with black fabric, and then cover a few areas with row cover, or a mini hoop-house. This will heat up the soil where plants like melons, peppers and tomatoes are planted; and it will also provide up to 7 degrees of frost protection at night for the seedlings. With this system, we can plant up to two weeks earlier than normal Vermont gardens.
Greenhouse grow space
I will collect some sap today, and then tomorrow I'll take down all of our taps and buckets until next year. Taking the buckets off the trees is always bittersweet for me; while i love the process of collecting and boiling, by the time they are ready to come off I'm usually ready to move on to other things. Tending to the garden, planting the annual flower beds, regular maintenance, and this year we are planting an orchard with peaches, pears, and plums which should all be arriving in early May! Stay tuned for more on that later.
-Luke
We love to grow flowers to put on the breakfast table or in our B&B's guest rooms. Even in the dead of Vermont winter, we are starting seeds or planning the flowers to plant in the seasonal garden beds. It takes some love and care to keep the gardens in line.
During our last post we mentioned that our Dahlia tubers that we placed into storage this winter began to mold a little and were generally not doing well. We are going to devote an entire post to Dahlias because not only do they add a huge burst of color to the Bed and Breakfast property every summer, but this flower in particular holds a special place in our hearts.
Dahlias run the gambit from small, 1 inch diameter flowers on short stems; to flowers the size of dinner plates on massive stalks that need stakes driven into the ground in order to support their weighty heads. Whichever type of Dahlia you choose, they run the rainbow spectrum in color and eye popping appeal. This is why they line the banks of our pond and adorn the nightstands of our guestrooms when they are in season. Dahlias do, however, have one major drawback for Vermont growers.
Native to Mexico, Dahlias are closely related to the Zinnia and Sunflower. Needless to say, they are a very tender annual and do not handle cold very well. While Zinnias and Sunflowers are easy to grow from seed each year, the Dahlia's root system is a group of meaty tubers that take time to become established. Therefore it isn't as easy as throwing a bunch of seeds in the ground each spring. Dahlia tubers can be purchased from any mail order seed catalogue, or even purchased at your local hardware store; but if you live in a climate such as ours, and you want to save your favorite Dahlia plants from one year to the next, certain precautions need to be taken so they can thrive in a Vermont garden.
At the first signs of frost their hearty stalks turn black with winter chill and they begin to die off. Before that frost reaches the ground, we snip off the blackened stalk and use a pitchfork to loosen up the soil around the mass of tubers. Once we can extract the tubers from the ground we rinse the mass off with water and set them out to dry for several days. The reason we had some mold popping up on our crop this year was twofold: I was impatient and didn't let them dry enough before putting the tubers into storage; and the storage container I placed them in did not have enough ventilation holes.
Dahlia tubers, being prepared for winter storage
Dahlias adorn the Blue Spruce Room bedside table.
Since there is a good 6-7 month stretch from killing frost to spring planting, these Dahlia tubers actually spend most of their life in storage, which means we need to be very careful about how and where they are stored. In years past I've placed them all in a cardboard box, separated by thin layers of newspaper, and placed them in the basement. This works well for many but here at the B&B our basement stays a little too warm. Ideally, they should be in storage conditions similar to a root cellar. Chilly, but never frosty. To meet these special conditions, our Dahlia tubers get stored in our garage for winter. I wanted to upgrade from the cardboard box to something more substantial this year, so we went out and got two large plastic totes to store everything in. Since Dahlias need to breathe, I drilled a few holes around the sides and top of the totes, and stored them just like I always had: with just a few pieces of newspaper in between them.
Dahlia storage
After two weeks I went to check on them and lo and behold: MOLD! I knew right away what had happened. In the short time that they had been in storage, the extra moisture in the tubers came out and the few holes and sparse packing material were not enough to wick away the moisture. We were able to save them just in time! They all came out, got sprayed with 1:10 bleach solution, sat under a fan for a week, and we re-packed them for a long winter’s nap. This time I drilled many more holes in the containers and used a bag of pine shavings to pack in between the tubers. You want your packing material to pull extra moisture away from the tubers, but not pull TOO much moisture away from them. So now they sit in our garage. I make a point of checking them every other week to make sure they are still doing well; and waiting for their chance to be planted and enjoyed by our guests for another season.
-Luke McCarthy
We love providing fresh food to our Bed and Breakfast guests, so this year we decided to raise ducks and chickens. In May we picked up three day old ducks that we had ordered in the spring from our local hardware store. When we put in our order we were not able to specify whether we wanted male or female ducks, we were only able to order a "straight run." Since we only wanted females for egg production we hedged our bets and ordered three ducks, hoping for at least one female who would produce eggs for our breakfast menu.
Duck eggs are particularly rich and good for baking. In addition to being larger than a chicken egg, ducks lay their eggs all year round, while chickens tend to slow down in the winter months. It takes a few months for either bird to develop to adolescence and start laying. We were hopeful that the cute little ducklings would turn into a brood of layers so we could make delicious breakfast breads and muffins!
Zucchini Apple Bread, made fresh from the farm!
As the weeks passed our little ducklings got their voice and started speaking to us. Not a distinct quack, but a shallow raspy honk almost. From everything I had read this was a telltale sign that we had males. Hoping for at least one female we waited a few more weeks for their full feathers to come in to find out exactly what we had. Sure enough, as their full feathers came in we saw a distinct curled feather on each of their tails. We had three drakes. No eggs would be coming our way.
The little ones, on their their arrival day!
After doing a little research I found out that when customers order from hatcheries, hatcheries fill the order for females or males first, then they fill the "straight run" orders after. Since a lot of customers are in it for the eggs, the female ducks get ordered first which leaves the straight run orders largely male. Since the local hardware store only fills orders for straight run ducks, I knew we would be in the same situation next spring if we ordered more. So, in early September I made a bold choice and special ordered four female ducks from a hatchery.
Taking a field trip to meet the neighbors!
Our four female Pekin ducklings shipped from Metzer Farms on September 6th, and they showed up at our Post Office on the 8th first thing in the morning. It's only been a few weeks but I can already hear a difference in their voices from the males. They are nearly fully feathered now and can go out and join their mates on a full time basis.
Enjoying the grass and pool on a sunny day!
We started out by housing them in the shed under a heat lamp with some supervised time with the other ducks and chickens. Now they have full run of the coop but are still finding their way around. They haven’t yet figured out how to climb back up the ladder to their house, so every night we collect them by hand and make sure that they are tucked in, cozy and warm under the heat lamp in their house. As the nights get colder, it’s a bit of race to see how quickly their full feathers come in.
The little ones enjoy the heated lamp at night, while their mates prefer to sleep outside under the stars.
The little ones are getting along well with the chickens and other ducks. We’re hoping they will figure out how to climb the ramp into their house on their own but until then, we’ll continue to make sure they are cozy and warm before we turn in for the night.
-Luke McCarthy
Once Stout starts visiting the apple trees we know ripe fruit isn't far behind. So this morning I am looking up new Apple breakfast recipes we can try, and find some really good ones for our guests. So not only will our fall guests get some great apple products served up but they can enjoy a walk around the property and pick their own fresh apples while enjoying the fall foliage and views of the mountains. If our guests are really lucky, Stout might even show you her secret tree.
We've been enjoying fresh from the garden lettuce, peas, carrots and broccoli. In the next few weeks we will have tomatoes ripening, and all of the squashes will be the right size for picking. We will also pull up the garlic and begin drying it out. Now, it's time to craft some new breakfast menu ideas with all of our fresh fruits and veggies!
Summer is in full swing!
We’ve had such an amazing start to the summer season! Vermont is greener than green and our garden is flourishing! We are enjoying fresh fruits and veggies from the garden and planning B&B menus to share with our guests. In the next few weeks, we expect to have melons and some veggies ready to work into the menu.
The view from our front porch at Vermont Bed and Breakfast at Russell Young Farm
Updates from the farm:
Our strawberry towers have blossomed and born their first fruit! I’ve never tasted a juicier, more flavorful strawberry. We’re excited to share these delicious treats as part of our menu of breakfast offerings.
We planted blueberry and currant bushes, as well as a peach tree. While these won’t fruit for a few years, we’re excited to envision our guests walking the B&B property and enjoying a delicious tour of Vermont’s truly local foods.
Our brood is doing well. The chicks have grown into chickens! They are still figuring out their gangly bodies and exploring the lawn with great interest. We are anticipating that they will be laying fresh eggs for the B&B by foliage season. In the meantime, they are really funny. They spend most of the day stealing food from the ducks and keeping cool by rolling in the dirt. In the evening, they snuggle into the coop and – while they have spacious sleeping quarters – they all try to squeeze into one little nesting box together. It’s really funny to see. They have made us understand the term “all cooped up” in a new way. They all appear to be female, so thankfully there hasn’t been any crowing or early morning wake up calls.
We had a funny story with the ducks. A few weeks ago, our neighbors approached us because they had found a little duckling that had been abandoned. Naturally, we took it in and tried to raise it with our ducks. It looked a little bit like a Wood duck, but we weren’t sure. It was a few weeks younger than the others, and they weren’t getting along so we had to keep them separate from the Pekins. After a few weeks of continued struggle, we started comparing images of the birds we suspected it might be. As it turns out, the little Wood duck was actually a Canadian goose! Our little "ugly duckling" seemed a little lonely with the ducks and chickens, which makes sense now. It had started presenting a little differently than the others, so we got curious and realized its true identity. Canadian Geese are federally protected, so we have re-homed it at a local rehabilitation center, where it was quickly adopted and warmly taken in by a true Mama goose.
The real ducks love to swim! They have their adult feathers now, and they spend much of the day jumping in and out of the water and then shaking their tail feathers, literally. While we have provided them with a little swimming pool, they sometimes take a refreshing dip in their drinking water. One of the ducks is smarter than the others, and has figured out how to access the ramp to their coop with ease, so it always enjoys the freshest food and water. The others will figure it out soon enough, we hope! It should be just a few months before they are also laying fresh eggs that we can use to make fresh baked goods for the B&B. Duck eggs are bigger and richer, so they are great for baking.
Our peonies are still popping in the garden and filling our guest rooms with aromatic scents of summer! We have also planted a number of dahlias and other flowers for cutting along the edge of the pond. I’m excited to see them sprouting up and adding color to the landscape.
Dahlias, adorning the bedside table of the Blue Spruce Room
So! Sorry for the long-overdue update. We are busy enjoying the best of summer in Vermont and invite you join us.
-Carin McCarthy
Spring has sprung on the farm! We’re busily planting our garden with fresh fruits, flowers and veggies to share with our guests at the Bed and Breakfast. With the weather warming up and the days getting longer, we’re seeing real changes in the landscape. The trees are blossoming and the mountain view is changing colors every day. It’s really a beautiful place to be!
The garden is filling out!
Vermont is a great place for foodies to visit! With nearby farmers markets, breweries and vineyards, there really is something for everyone to enjoy.
We’re trying to source as much of our food locally as possible. In addition to growing our own strawberries and melons, this year, we’re excited to have a few new additions to our farm. We are raising little baby chicks and ducklings, who are really showing off their photogenic qualities and charming us with their cuteness every day. As they get older, they will begin to lay eggs.
The ducklings, on their first field trip!
As you’ve seen in our earlier posts, Luke has built the ducks and chickens beautiful little coops where they can stay warm and cozy. We’ve fenced an area of the lawn so that they can explore the beautiful Vermont outdoors and stay safe from nearby wildlife who might like to add local meat to their menu. With mountains, fields and water all around, we are confident that these little birds have the best view in Vermont.
The chicken coop, while under construction.
Our hope is that by the late summer we’ll be able to feed our Bed and Breakfast guests a menu of items that include farm fresh eggs. We love making French toast, quiche, baked goods, and fluffy scrambled eggs, and we’re excited to share the fresh flavors of our farm with our guests.
We’re raising a few different breeds, as I mentioned in an earlier post, and I’m excited to see the rainbow of different egg colors. Chickens lay one or two eggs a day during the sunny season, and their production slows down a bit in the winter as they are conserving energy.
The ducks had a swim lesson and were naturals!
Now that the weather is perfect and the nights are mild and breezy, we are nearly ready to move the chicks and ducklings outside to their new home. They are currently housed in one of our little barns and enjoying the added comfort of a heat lamp until their full feathers come in. It should just be a few more weeks until they are ready for the great outdoors. We are excited to see how they like their new accommodations!
-Carin McCarthy
Spring has sprung in Vermont and we are excitedly readying the Bed and Breakfast for travelers to visit and enjoy the sights and sounds of our property this summer and fall. We had a very mild winter and spring, so we are already starting our garden with great success.
Along the pond, we have planted some new fruit trees that will start to bear fruit in the next few years. We are excited to grow our own fresh blueberries and currants that we can serve to our guests for breakfast. Guests will also be able to stroll along outside and taste these treats as they explore the Bed and Breakfast. In addition to shrubs and plants, our chicks and ducklings have arrived, so we’ll soon have fresh farm raised eggs on the menu soon too! (I’ll give a full update soon, but trust me when I tell you that they are adorable!)
One of the great things about visiting Vermont is being able to really get a sense of the flavors of the land. With so many local providers and sustainable farmers, there are delicious ways to tour the Green Mountains and explore the seasons while supporting local businesses. We believe there is nothing like biting into fruits and veggies that are so fresh they are still warm from the sun, and we aim to serve our guests at the Bed and Breakfast fresh, flavorful and seasonally appropriate dishes.
We have a 30x30’ garden (pictured above) that sits on the eastern side of the house. Every morning, the sun rises over the Green Mountains with its first rays hitting the garden and keeping it in sunlight through most of the afternoon and early evening. Because of the short growing season in Vermont, we started a lot of seeds indoors this year and built some raised beds to improve water drainage in the garden.
Gardening in early spring is always a little risky, especially in the mountains of Vermont, where the temperatures can drop low at night. (We think this makes for perfect sleeping conditions!) To protect our plants, we have covered some rows of the garden in straw to insulate them on a particularly cold night but really, this year is shaping up to be an incredible gardening season. We have had perfect temperatures so far and night time temperatures are holding above freezing. We have had some rain, enough to fill the rain barrels but so far not too many May showers.
Because we love to serve our guests fresh flavors of Vermont, we have planted fruits and veggies all over the place here at the B&B. There are some melon seeds that have sprouted inside under lights where they will stay until the weather warms up some more. We have our small greenhouse full of some habanero, jalapeno, and bell pepper seedlings and a few of the many heirloom tomato plants. In order to prepare them for the outdoor elements, we keep some plants on a rolling cart in the garage to stay warm at night and take them out daily to enjoy the sunshine.
The garlic we planted last October is coming up nicely, and last month we planted lettuce, spinach, radishes, and carrots. We also have some kale, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and broccoli already planted. Normally our last frost date is somewhere around Memorial Day but we are keeping our eyes on the forecast daily. If conditions look good we will plant a few things under row covers to get a jump on the growing season.
For those of you who read the strawberry tower blog, the strawberries are doing great! The towers have big and lush foliage popping out of every square inch of the pipe. It shouldn't be more than a few weeks before we start seeing small flowers emerge where the juicy red fruits will grow. We add a little bit of fertilizer that is specifically designed for hydroponic strawberries so they get all the nutrients they need. It seems to be working! We’re excited to serve our guests fresh strawberries from our garden.
With all the veggies pretty much squared away, it's time to turn our attention to our flowers!
-Luke & Carin McCarthy
