Broadturn's Barns

 Last night Broadturn Farm hosted a dinner with the Scarborough Land Trust. The event raised money for the land trust, but more importantly, it was a "friend-raiser" where we had great conversations, and some pretty stellar food too.

A pig roast was among the food coming directly from the fields around us.

Part of our farm lease involves an innovative approach to building maintenance. Both the farmer (us) and the property owner (Scarborough Land Trust) contribute (50/50) to a maintenance fund. The fund is spent on basic building projects which preserve the farmstead's house and barn complex.

It does not upgrade the buildings to the extent of particular needs of the farm business. A walk-in cooler, electrical upgrades, or improving the workshop in the barn would all be projects outside the maintenance fund's purpose.

Our Walk-In (above) and our intern's "Clubhouse" (below)

But the roof, the doors, and anything structural is paid out of the fund. This approach will ease the burden of keeping up with the many antique structures that make Broadturn Farm so special.

If we were "going it alone;" if we owned this farm outright, we would be more inclined to cut our losses with buildings in decline, and build instead some more affordable, practical, but far less attractive  storage buildings.
Luckily for all of us who come to the farm, or just drive by, the buildings are here, and they remind us of working landscapes and our common farm heritage.

The Harvest:
Chard
Dill
Basil
Radishes
Celery-- this is our strong flavored but sweet and spicy celery which is so hard to grow, but worth the wait!
Cucumbers
Butternut Squash-- squash enthusiasts will have to be prepared for another poor crop due to bugs which for the second year in a row, have greatly diminished our yield and quality...
Peppers-- best pepper year ever...
Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes and a few Tomatillos
Soybean edamame-- As with last week, take the whole bunch of plants home, strip them of the pods, and cook the pods in a little boiling salty water. Add some more salt if you want, and butter, and pop the pods to eat the beans inside. Preferably served with beer while watching TV.
John