The Hayloft Farm

05/10/2022

Planting bulbs in the sleet and snow last fall (because I procrastinated) paid off! These are gorgeous!!

04/29/2022

We are real close to adding two more items to the farm stand. One is our local honey but can you guess what the other is going to be?!?

04/14/2022

Have you ever wondered where saffron comes from and why it’s so expensive?

The answer: crocus sativus (saffron crocus)

🌸Remember back to biology class when you learned about stamens, pistils, and stigmas? Well, finally that information will come in handy. Saffron is the red/orange stigma on the inner part of the flower.

🌸When harvesting, cut the flower off mid morning on a sunny day when the flower is open. Remove just the stigmas into a dish. The stronger the color, the stronger the flavor!

🌸Allow the saffron to dry without exposing to high heat.

🌸4000 flowers makes only 1oz saffron

It’s worth noting, the crocuses you see popping up are likely not saffron crocus because saffron crocus flower in the fall.

04/05/2022

The egg fridge is stocked! Come get some delicious farm fresh eggs. $3/dozen at the self serve truck stand.

03/14/2022

Today was an amazing day to boil some sap! I can’t wait for the finished product!

03/09/2022

If you see milk jugs out at the farm, this is what we are up to! Winter Sowing!

❄️ Winter Sowing ❄️

I’m pretty sure winter sowing was developed for people like me who get anxious to start planting 😬 Not only that, it’s a pretty cost effective way to get a head start on plants if you don’t have grow lights.

Winter sowing is exactly that - planting seeds in the winter. There are many different methods but most follow the same principles.

You’re probably asking, what seeds can I plant? Any thing that needs cold stratification (aka, the seeds need to be chilled before planting)! Examples are: milkweed, lupine, coneflower, primrose, larkspur, lavender, and many more.

Here’s how to do it:

❄️ Find or save some old milk jugs. This will act as a mini greenhouse and it is recycling. These jugs can be used for several years. Clear jugs are best.
❄️ Cut the milk jug in half but not all the way off.
❄️ Drill/cut drainage holes in the bottom. Just a few will do.
❄️ Fill the bottom with soil. Water.
❄️ Plant seeds according to planting instructions on the packet.
❄️ Tape milk jug back together to really give it the greenhouse effect.
❄️ Set outside and wait!

Once the weather is warm enough (past the last frost), it’s safe to plant you plants into the ground. I do water mine as I notice the soil getting dry while in the milk jug.

Pro tip: Use plant markers that won’t fade, otherwise you’ll have a bunch of jugs and not know what’s in them 😬 Of course I’m not speaking from experience.

03/09/2022

Anyone else starting seeds?!

We started the first of our seeds indoors 🌱These guys are getting 16hrs of light, a heat mat, and a dome until they start to emerge. Once I see proof of life, I’ll take them off the heat mat and remove the dome.

We are doing a “small” cut flower garden this year on top of the normal veggies and flowers we grow. One of my biggest mistakes starting off was starting too big. I *try* to limit myself every year and was able to ONLY add 5 new varieties of flowers to try this year which are:

🌸Campanula
🌸Strawflower
🌸Lisianthus
🌸Cornflower
🌸Coleus

If your interested in starting a garden this year but don’t know where to start, just pick a couple veggie plants and give it a shot. Peppers and tomatoes are easy to grow with full sun and water and you can make a great salsa with the fruits of your labor. As far as flowers go, sunflowers are pretty easy (watch out the birds don’t eat the seeds after you plant them), zinnias will bloom all summer and attracted pollinators and calendula can be used in homemade salves.

03/07/2022

It’s maple tapping time at the farm!

01/25/2022

We have some exciting news to share! We have partnered with our friends at Rolling Hill Farm and they are now carrying our honey in their shop. Go check it out at Kalamazoo Kitty (581 Romence Rd, Portage). Enjoy their freshly made goat milk soap and pick up a bottle of our regular, hot, or infused honey 🍯🐝🐐

10/21/2021

Our jalapeño and habanero pepper plants have been producing all summer and continue to produce. Hot honey coming right up! 🍯🐝🔥

10/15/2021

The last of the lavender is planted! I’m hoping there’s enough time for it to establish before the weather turns. I can’t wait to see what this fence line looks like when these are full grown 🥰 We use this lavender in our lavender honey and bath teas!

09/15/2021

It’s been hopping on the farm! No, really…the hops is looking great! 😂🍻

09/03/2021

Baby #2 has arrived. It’s a boy! 🦙💙🦙💙

08/29/2021

She’s almost a week old and is finding her personality! Dazel, on the other hand, is very pregnant and wants nothing to do with her 🤷🏻‍♀️🦙😂 I still haven’t figured out a good name for the little one, any names suggestions?

08/27/2021

This sweet girl is latching like a pro! I’ve been weighing her every night to monitor her growth. Things can go from good to bad quick, so making sure she’s putting on weight is important. Tuesday she weighed 14 #, Wednesday she weighed 15, and today she’s coming in at 16.2. That’s some solid weight gain!

08/24/2021

This beautiful cria made her worldly appearance today! It’s crazy to think that all of that fit in Gypsy’s belly ❤️

08/23/2021

08/20/2021

We moved the meat birds to their outside pen this week. They are loving the fresh air and grass. The laying hens are still not too sure about them….

08/18/2021

I just added a couple dozen more eggs into the fridge at the farm stand! Come stock up. Also, thank you to those that drop off old cartons, it allows us to keep our egg prices at $3/dozen.

08/18/2021

One of the easiest ways for me to dry herbs in a large quantity is to hang them in the barn. There’s enough airflow that the dry out fairly quickly! Here is sage and dill from the garden❤️

08/18/2021

Grateful for a bountiful harvest this year…also, up to my ears in canning, freezing, and dehydrating 🤪

08/15/2021

Elderberry coming in hot! It’s ripening so quick that I’m having a hard time keeping up.

Elderberry is one of my favorite natural cold remedies. I like to dehydrate it and then use it in a tea when I’m not feeling so hot. It’s full of antioxidants and vitamins and can help with inflammation.

08/14/2021

The zinnias are amazing right now. This red one is my favorite so far. Definitely keeping seeds for that one 😍🥰

08/03/2021

We put up cattle panels in several spots throughout the garden. This is the arch into the garden and as you can see, the birdhouse gourd is crushing it 😅 The other gourd climbing on it is a luffa - the original. I’m really hoping for a few of them because I can’t wait to try them out!

08/02/2021

Definitely saving seeds on these beauties 🥰😍 Anyone else grow zinnias?

07/28/2021

Mmmm 🤤🤤🤤 Fresh honey comb is my favorite. The bees have been working hard this summer!

06/21/2021

Mulberries are in full production! The farm has several mulberry trees (not a bush as we learned as kids) that we all get to share. What I mean by “we” is that I get to fight the alpaca and chickens for what has fallen 🙄

06/19/2021

Our elderberries have exploded this year. I can’t wait to make all the things!!!

06/14/2021

🐓☀️Rise and shine ☀️🐓

06/10/2021

Caught them sleeping on the job! One photo is from the 2nd floor in the house 😂🦙🦙🦙