Jay Fuller's Ideas

My husband (Jay Fuller) has a lot of ideas. Let’s build a commercial kitchen in our basement so you can bake scones for other people, he says. Let’s get baby doll sheep so they can mow the grass, he says. Let’s build a farm store so that we can have seating for all the people who want to eat your scones, he says.

Slowly but surely, we built a community around farming, baking and serving others.

When he brought these ideas to me in the beginning, I thoguht they wouldn’t work. I am a nurse I told him, I can’t sell anything. Now, we are sellling LOTS of things from our Farm Store every weekend. I am a nurse I told him, I don’t have the time to do _____ (fill in the blank). Invariably, I find the time, as does he, and with Ella’s help, we have been having a fun time of it.

Now, he has convinced me to try something newl. I am going to give it a try. I am going to continue to work on taking care of me- exercise, sleep, nutrition, that goes without saying- I can’t do things for others if I am not healthy and happy myself. I am going to keep baking and working at the Farm Store. I am going to keep being a nurse executive. I have the strength to do all of these things because of him and because of Ella.

So, here’s to the next big thing! Wish us luck! More to come…

Another Early Morning Walk Adventure

I know the picture isn’t perfect, I wish I had something other than just my cell phone with me, but on my walk this morning I saw a pair of ducks guarding their nest. They built their nest on a rock in the middle of the river, on a rock and were admantly trying to protect the nest as the water rushed by. They spotted me quickly, the male duck jumped off the rock and started swimming around, while the female stayed with the nest. I am not sure if they thought I would jump in and try to steal their eggs because that definitely was NOT in the cards this morning!

They were clucking and quacking the entire time. It was adorable and sweet. It made me think about our own families and how protective we are, and despite the precarious situations we may find ourselves in, we are able to overcome and grow and learn.

I am growing and learning new ways of being as I am recovering from my cervical spine issue. I will write more about that later, but for now, I want to share with you my journey in walking and nutrition that has made me feel so much better in such a short amount of time.

Take care of yourself. Only you can do it. Be well. Till my next walk…

Early Morning Walk

I have been walking to heal my cervical spine and often find the most relaxing time is right after 5am, the sun is just coming up, the birds are beginning to waken, my family is still asleep and there are hardly any cars on the road. I can take my time or move fast, depending on how the sound of the river is influencing me. I can listen to a podcast on how my nutrition is healing me, or I can listen to the sound of the river and birds and do a walking meditation.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my walks and this morning I had the pleasure of meeting this little orange fellow who was enjoying his walk too…

Note his legs seem like they are in motion, but he was absolutely still. He truly seemed to be suspended mid step. I had already taken over 6,000 steps before I spotted him, so I was glad for the chance to stop and take a peek.

As I came upon him, he was already still, apparently in mid step. Perhaps my jostling of the ground behind him had him spooked and he decided that if he was as still as could be then I wouldn’t see him. His bright orange body made me pause, crouch down and take his photo, whether he wanted me to or not!

I left him in peace, saying goodbye to the little salamander and continued on my way. My back and nexk were feeling good and I was happy that i had spent time outside before the rains come. Again.

Mid Winter Adventure 2019

Sometimes you just need a little away time. Away from your routine, away from your house (and dustbunnies!), away from everything. Fortunately, we had the chance to get away from it all, if only for a few days, to visit one of my favorite places- Lake George. I have never been to Lake George in the winter, and I wasn’t really sure what to expect.

The Blue Sky was expansive, the mountains were as I remember them (calming and majestic) and the ice was plowed so that cars, ski mobiles, quads, bikes and people could walk easily to the middle of the lake.

What we experienced were folks enjoying the winter weather in a way that suits us just fine-tailgatting on the expansive of frozen lake. Eating, drinking (of course) and hanging out watching ice fishing, ice diving, ice bike riding, ice driving- the ice adventures seemed endless.

Folks were very friendly and shared their knowledge of Lake George in the winter with us. We not only met some new people, but we also met many folks from CT! Either visiting or just having moved to the Adirondacks, they were very happy with their choice of living locations, even during the dead of winter. The Winter Festival for the month of February brings many folks to the area to enjoy skiing, winter sports and of course, everything related to the ice!

Having never seen the lake in winter, I wanted to get right to it. Running out on the frozen lake seemed impossible to me, but there we were standing on the edge. I took a deep breath, grabbed Ella’s hand and said, “here we go”, stepped over the burm of ice/snow and stepped onto the lake. It seemed impossible that I was standing on Lake George, along with countless others, and countless cars doing wheelies. We walked for a long time to get to the center of the lake for a good picture looking north.

It was absolutely beautiful! I would not have traded this weekend for anything! The best part of the weekend was sharing this winter adventure with my two besties, Ella and J Fuller.

Trying out a familiar place at a different time was just what we needed to break the cycle of endless winter in Connecticut! Enjoy the snow and ice!

The Goslings are Moving Out!

Ode to Gossie and Gertie

We took care of you since you were babies.

We loved your antics and your really huge webbed feet.

We will miss you on the farm.

We wouldn't have traded this experience for everything in the whole world.

Thank you for being our friends.

- Teresa and Ella Fuller, June 24, 2018

Today was the day! Gossie and Gertie needed to find a new home! We heard of a beautiful place from our friend Kelley from Howling Flats Farm, so we packaged them up (I dare you to try to put two almost full grown goslings in a box!) and drove them to their new home. With tears in our eyes, we managed to talk ourselves into the fact that this is the right thing to do for these two loves. We cared from them as best we could from when they were tiny goslings, snuggling them to keep them warm, feeding them the best green weeds everyday, taking them for walks and even having them over for a swim! We knew that it was time, especially since the larger one had started getting a nasty attitude with the chickens and with Jake. It was only a matter of time till he started goosing us!

Onward we drove, talking about how the goslings would grow up with new geese friends, learn to fly and to migrate, and eventually make it back to CT next spring to summer over in their new pond.

As we reached the site, our chatter shifted to what would become of the goslings. Would they be ok? Would they survive their first rain storm, their first snow? Would they make friends with the other geese at the pond?

As uncertain as ever, we met our friends, and proceeded to the pond.

The pond was beautiful! The spot, idyllic. There was no better place to release our gosling friends than this lovely spot. Ella looks on with saddness in her eyes, she was really not ready to let the gosling go and trying very hard not to cry.

Jason tossed the goslings in the water while no one was looking (hence no picutres!).  Immediately, they were swimming around with what looked like smiles on their faces. Gosling butts were up as their heads peered down to see what was below them. Their rather huge webbed feet were gliding them effortlessly around the pond. Their flippers knew just what to do- tucking behind them to stay aerodynamic. Amazing!

The goslings swam out a bit- they could hear us from up above them- we were sitting on a rocky out ledge watching them. As they swam and honked, a wild goose came waddling down the embankment, jumped in the pond and swam directly over to them. They met, talked and seemed to like each other immediately. The larger goose then began honking for her family, and soon two goslings, only a little bit older than ours waddled down and swam over to meet Gossie and Gertie.

It began to sprinkle, then rain, as we watched the 5 of them get to know each other.

It was marvelous. 

We left quietly so as not to disturb them. Ella cried as we walked to the car, wanting to visit them as soon as possible. 

What a grand time we had caring for these two goslings! 

Good bye for now our dear Gossie and Gertie.

Eclairs! Eclairs! Oh My!

Eclairs were a big hit at the Farm Store this weekend, particularly with a certain 6 year old.

Eclairs have never been one of my favorite desserts. Actually, I have flat out refused to make or eat them. When I was a baby, my dad fed me some of his cream puff and we both were violently ill. I of course don't remember being ill, but I hear the story from time to time, especially when someone is offered a cream puff or eclairs. The story goes something like my dad abruptly pulling the car over so that he can vomit, and then proceeding to lay down in the middle of the road and proclaim that he is dying- all the while, my mother trying to take care of her baby (me) who is also vomiting.

Obviously, I steer clear of desserts with creamy middles.

But, besides my dad and I, who can resist this type of dessert?

Practically no one. Hence why we decided to try making them.

Jason worked on the recipe for the eclairs one day while I was at work. I gave him some advice about filling them, and I glazed them for him, but other than that he made them, and as you can see from the above photos they were delicious. (Photo credit: JoAnne Bannister, thank you, they are fabulous!).

After I made the chocolate ganache for the glaze, Jason walked over and was staring at the naked eclairs and the bowl of chocolate. Back and forth, I watched his eyes dart between his new dessert and the chocolate glaze. 

I began to glaze the eclairs by dipping their tops down into the chocolate, allowing the excess to drip off and then inverting them back onto the serving tray. "Oh, that's how you do that!" he exclaimed. "I had no idea how I was going to do that without making a really big mess!". 

Thank goodness we have each other. He likes to try new things that I don't want to touch with a ten foot pole. He pushes me not only in the bakery, but in life, to be a little more adventurous then I would normally be. I know how to proofread and am detailed oriented among other things.

I also know how to add those finishing touches that in the end are simpler than he realized.

Spring ran into Summer on the Farm

While I want to talk about how spring is going on the farm, first you need your weekly dose of the gosling pair. They are growing nicely and have become a part of our family. They love the beautiful weather and spent a long time with us outside this weekend as we try to teach them to run, sun and have some fun! They always have one eye on the sky to look out for predators. Sometimes they spot them before we do, large hawks or buzzards circling over head. 

Seems like the weather went from spring to summer in a matter of a few days. We are enjoying all the new growth and signs of fruit to come on the farm. Both the cherry and peach trees made it through the storm a few weeks ago, so the blossoms have turned into tiny fruits! 

We are looking forward to making some Peach Basil and Southern Peach Jam this year and depending on how many cherries we are able to harvest, I would like to make some fancy Cherry Tarts. We have been baking some fruit tarts for the Bakery Farm Store this season, as customers are longing for the days of fresh berries and baked goods. Fortunately, baking tarts with frozen berries works quite well, so people are enjoying summer tart taste before our harvest has begun. We were lucky to be able to make Raspberry Scones all winter long from our harvest of raspberries last year, we are looking forward to another bumper crop of raspberries this year. 

So, how do we do all of this? My blog's original intention was to describe how we do what we do. Not as a tutorial DYI, but as a means of having conversation about working on a farm and creating a farm business. What I love to share with customers at the Farm Store is that I love to do these things, baking, crafting, making, blending and doing all things that are related to the farm. I have found that I gravitate towards the creative things, and have left the bulk of the baking (especially cookies!) to my better half. We bake together on Saturday mornings, in the wee hours, to have everything be fresh for the farmer's market and the Farm Store. I enjoy those mornings, especially when the baking is done and cooling and we get to rest for a moment, eating breakfast together as a family before running off to pack up the car and set up the Farm Store.

In order to stay sane with working all week at the "Full Time Job", I found that I need to be creative everyday- whether it be crocheting for a little while, writing a blog or taking pictures of my favorite fluffy friends (Gossie and Gertie the Goslings). While the baking and farming can sometimes be monotonous, the smiles on customers faces when they walk into our little store is priceless. They oohh and aahh and make me feel good about all the work and long hours it takes to make this happen. 

Enough for now, I will try to share more soon. Thanks for reading.

Fondly, 

Teresa

Full Time Mom, Full Time Nurse Administrator, Part Time Baker, Creator, Farmer and Blogger!