News and Blog

      We hope you enjoyed Farm Heritage Day. It was the first day of the NASPIG season and the pigs were a little distracted by the new faces and strange sounds. But perhaps the experts in pig racing were surprised the most. All during the September training and pre season hype the #2 Magic Lantern pig was no where on the radar screen to be a points leader. Pigs such as Jack be Quick #8 and Gold Rush #1were the talk of the track, sprinkled with a late round of Muchkins #4. The season is young and it will be interesting to see how the pigs respond to the experience. No one questions the speed and stretch of Jack Be Quick. Out front in the open he has demonstrated remarkable speed and the heart to go with it. But Naspig racing includes such things as getting a bad start or being blocked in by other pigs. Sometimes you will see pigs fight through that to get to the front, others tend to just go with the flow. Keep in mind Pumpkin Day ,Ocotber 15, will be key for determining a champion! Watch for more updates on pumpkin day later this week.
Pick Your Own Pumpkins will be open Saturday mornings ( 10-12 ). Call about Wednesday and Friday afternoons.

At the end of October 1 the point leaders are:

Magic Lantern 84

Jack BE Quick 52

One Too Many 37

Ironsides 35

Gold Rush 29

Little Boo 19

Merlin 17

Happy Jack 17

Muchins 14

Farm Heritage Day is October 1. That means the whole month of October is under way. I must say it begins with full momentum.

Please help spread the word by telling your neighbors, by face book or twittering your friends.

The schedule for Farm Heritage Day looks like this.
9am hay rides begin when enough people fill the wagon.The exhibits will be available during most of the day.

Exhibits include;
Basket making, Mrs. Helen Cashwell is one of those rare personalities that you don’t easily forget. Her spirit and love for helping people know how to "do" inspires a "can do" spirit. Check out her basket work but ask her about life. She has lots of good things to share .
 Indigo dyeing, Crystal Walters is young but she has learned from a good mentor, Cathy Perry. Being young is good in this case because her enthusiasm has inspired her to extend her indigo dyeing into useful ideas. Be sure to check this exhibit out. I am confident she can tell you much about indigo and if she can’t answer questions about the local history ask Cathy Perry. Indigo syeing and the history of indigo are particularly interesting for this area.
Paper making, Barbara Fyre has been making paper for quite some time. Some of her work may interest you as stationary, cards, etc.

Weaving

, Beth Miller , Barbara and Cathy have encouraged each other for many past event days. So when you check out the spinning be sure to check out the weaving and paper making also.

Spinning

, by Cathy Perry is a rare treat to learn from someone who lives as a long time spinner. Her interest goes back many years and includes college level studies. Her experience and knowledge of fabrics is excellent. A dyer herself, she has worked and experimented with natural dyes, creating some nice hues of surprising colors.

Old tools display by Mr. Horace Butler. Mr. Butler is a bit of a living legend. A man whose life is tied closely with the trees and woods of southeast NC. He and his dad were on the last of the logs to be sent down the Cape Fear river. His first hand knowledge of the history of timber, logging trams and the network of rails feeding virgin trees to large lumber mills is something to learn about. Such timber companies as the Jackson Brothers and the Hammer Lumber Mill in Little River neck.. After ninety years his experiences and his strong faith are quite worth hearing.

The

1920's grist mill being demonstrated by the Horry County Museum. This grist mill was owned by Mr. Otha Plowden Bellamy who milled grain for the community.

The mill is turned by a 1915 Morse-Fairbanks hit & miss vertical "t" engine. Learn about the history of this engine from the Horry County Museum. Mr. Walter Hill is an incredible source of experience and knowledge for his age. Not only is he the director of the Museum but a first class blacksmith whose work graces many of the plantations such as Brookgreen Gardens and Weymouth plantation in Georgetown. But that is not all, his roots tie into some of the most interesting histories of the Horry and Georgetown Counties. From knowing people who ran barges of fertilizer up the Waccamaw River, to hunting wild hogs, to working tobacco, to local lore and interesting individuals that have given the area it’s flavor; there is much you can learn from him.The area is very fortunate to have a passionate museum director whose roots go hand in hand with the history of the area.
The Waccamaw Tractor club will be exhibiting some of their restored tractors. More important than their tractors are the stories they can tell that go with the tractors. Along with the time and energy to restore these tractors are the memories of using tractors like these. As a club they enjoy sharing their experiences with one another. But you will find new interesting things as you talk with them.

Wayne Skipper and his mother, Mrs. Skipper will be doing horse drawn demonstrations and making sugar cane syrup, respectively. He will be turning the sugar cane mill part of the time as well. Wayne’s experience with horses has taught him many life lessons. He shares a strong belief as Walter Hill does that young people miss out so much because they don’t have this kind of relationship with "real life" interactions. Learning the "how to" from a mentor and then learning to respect and learn from horse or mule to create a harmonious working relationship changes a person. Just ask Wayne Skipper or Sam Bellamy. Sam Bellamy hopes to be able to do some Horse demos as well, hopefully, enabling some youngsters to put their hands to the plow themselves.

Music, Randy Hawes and the Bluegrass Boys will be performing about 10 am to noon. This group is new to me but their reputation speaks very well of them. They will be followed by The Flat Land Ramblers, one of the best loved local groups around. The music alone should be reason to make this heritage day more than special.

Master Gardeners of Brunswick County will be giving information on and about native plants. Be sure to check them out. If you have questions about wild plants here is an opportunity to get some answers.

NASPIG Racing, Stockpigs racing series at the STOCKYARD 500 will be getting the season off to the 2011 start. This year’s racers are the offspring of the all time NASPIG champion, February Heart. Heart was in the 2008 group of racers. This is her second racing litter. Look for updates on the series and learn a little about the inside life of a naspig racer and how the point system works. The races are scheduled throughout the day. Most likely 10:00, 12:00, 1:30, 3:00, 4:00 .

Hay rides, pony rides, Pick Your Own Pumpkins, Hay maze will be on going throughout the day.Many thanks go out to these folks and many others who have volunteered to help. Special recognition to the Horry County Museum, the N C Forestry Museum, The NC Cooperative Extension. We encourage you to visit and be involved in helping bring out the history of the area by discovering the ways local museums are seeking to do this.

Indigo Farms update. August 25

   There are still some blueberries left for PYO. You need to check in and check out at the produce market during market hours ( 8:30 am -5:00 pm ). We still do have some peaches which is a very good peaches. These were grown upstate by a grower we know that does a good job. Our cantaloupes are coming in ,as well as watermelons. Although we don’t have the quantity there are some good melons. Heirloom tomatoes, beans are not as plentiful as we desire we soon will be in a new field.

    August is a tough month, typically, high temps and high humidity, highest insect counts and weeds are the type that love these conditions growing fast and towering high. It is also the transition month from summer going into fall. Although Fall is still a way off, it is this time that Fall and winter crops are planted. Strawberry beds have to be prepared which takes about a full week, just to prepare them. Now is the time for putting in cover crops. Plans and set up for Fall event days happens now through September. Everything from repairs , clean up , creating tipi, straw houses, hay maze, scarecrows and pumpkins on roofs, etc is in the works. This year’s Naspigs are gradually making the adjustments to begin training for the race season. Meanwhile preparations for Fall tours and night time hay rides are taking place.
   If that isn’t enough August is the beginning of making grape juice. Now that is a pleasant thought! The season of dry summer has affected the fig crop but we still have figs. The grapes are not 100% but still are fairly plentiful. We will be pressing Noble and Carlos soon. Apple cider will follow in late September. We will see about some PYO grapes later in September.

Obviously, if you are interested in volunteering to help with the Fall events or tours please let us know.

 Blueberry picking is still available! Wednesday, Friday ands Saturday are the mornings for PYO.

  This is really is the peak of peaches. We have a special on peaches when you buy 10 lbs or more. Currently we are picking Sun Prince, Jefferson, Georgia Belle and Alberta. They are all sweet and tasty. You can sample them before you buy, just ask. If you want to enjoy the peach season in other ways try our peach milkshakes, peach pies, peach cobbler or one of my favorites, peach pound cake! We have had people comment on how good the peaches are.

  We are getting some figs with this rain we hope that the Alma figs will begin to come around.

  The Dixie Lee peas and other peas are coming in well. Watermelons continue to be very good. The Mickey Lees are especially sweet.

 Don’t forget the spinning demo this Saturday. Cathy will giving 2 or 3 free lessons on the drop spindle around 2 :00pm. Barbara will be playing the dulcimer so if you have interest or you know of families that would like to do something fun and enjoy a learning experience let them know.

    The blueberry fields should be open 8am to 11am Monday through Saturday this week ( July 18-23). There are some nice berries. This is the time for the Garden Blue variety.

    This week is peach week!!! Sun Prince is a very good peach with good flavor. The Belle of Georgia ( old classic white peach variety, now hard to find)is coming off this week . These two varieties will most likely not last a long time so this is the week to get them at their best. The Jefferson variety is also beginning to come off. Look for some very good deals on peaches this week. We have some $10 boxes ( ½ bushel ) on some days.

    The first of the figs are coming off now also. There are about three varieties at present being picked.

     July 30^th is when Cathy Perry will be demonstrating spinning and Barbara Frye playing the dulcimer. Cathy will be giving some lessons with the spinning as well. If you have a peference of the types of material she uses to spin please let her know. You can comment on the blog at the web site .

July 30, 2011

 This is a great opportunity. Especially so for families or individuals who have a desire to try this.

11 a.m. to 1:45 p.m.

Local spinner, Cathy Perry, has a few surprises in mind this month

Go to our website's photo gallery (not the slideshow) under Cathy's picture and tell us what fiber you would like to see spun or use the comment option at this blog site to indicate your choice. It will send an email response.

The blueberry fields should be open 8am to 11am Monday through Saturday this week ( July 11-17). There are some nice berries. The front field has been mowed and hopefully we will mow the back field early this week.

The end of the Winblo peaches is approaching but Sun Prince , Georgia Belle are starting up. Jefferson will not be far behind with Elberta. As the next varieties ripen , look for some good bargains on peaches by the box or basket.

We have some good watermelons. The seedless are coming in ( not as large as last year ) and have good flavor. Cantaloupes are smaller too but have good texture and taste.

Heirloom tomatoes are coming in now. This year we have several new small , grape and cherry types that you may want to try.

Normally, figs would be starting soon. They have suffered from the extreme lack of rain. Figs are a dry natured bush but this has been hard on them.

Recipe (#388702) from One Million Recipes, Desserts

PEACH ICE CREAM

3 tbsp. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

Sugar

2 1/2 c. milk

3 lg. eggs

8 med. peaches

1 tsp. lemon juice

2 c. whipping cream

1/2 tsp. almond extract

Cook in heavy 3 quart saucepan. Mix flour, salt and 1 cup sugar. Using wire whisk, beat milk and eggs until well blended, stir in flour, mix until smooth. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens, and coats the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. Cover, refrigerate until cool, about 1 hour. Add peaches, pour into ice cream freezer. Freeze until done. Let set to ripen. Enjoy!

You may want to check with One Million Recipes for more information.

The blueberry field is open Wednesday (July 6th )  8am to 11am. It will be open Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The grass in the field is a little tall in places. If we get more berries picked off we might be able to mow without knocking fruit off the bushes.

Now is a great time for homemade ice cream. We have some very good deals on peaches by the box.

If you like watermelons you might like to make a watermelon ice cream.

Recipe (#408996) from One Million Recipes, Desserts

WATERMELON ICE CREAM (FAT-FREE)

Dry milk - enough to make 1/2 gallon

1/4 average size watermelon

10 egg whites or 2 cartons egg

substitute

2 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. salt

Water - if needed

2 c. sugar

Remove seeds from watermelon and dice. The put into blender or food processor until pureed. Add watermelon juice to dry milk and sugar. Add vanilla, salt and egg whites. Then add enough water to fill to 4 quarts. Freeze in 4 quart freezer.

You may want to check with One Million Recipes for more information.

The blueberry field is open Tuesday 8am to 11am. It will be open Friday, Saturday, Wednesday and very likely  Thursday. Watch closely or call.

Now is a great time for homemade ice cream. We have some very good deals on peaches by the box.

If you like watermelons you might like to make a watermelon ice cream.

Recipe (#408996) from One Million Recipes, Desserts

WATERMELON ICE CREAM (FAT-FREE)

Dry milk - enough to make 1/2 gallon

1/4 average size watermelon

10 egg whites or 2 cartons egg

substitute

2 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. salt

Water - if needed

2 c. sugar

Remove seeds from watermelon and dice. The put into blender or food processor until pureed. Add watermelon juice to dry milk and sugar. Add vanilla, salt and egg whites. Then add enough water to fill to 4 quarts. Freeze in 4 quart freezer.

You may want to check with One Million Recipes for more information.

  We want you to know that we do appreciate your being apart of what it takes to keep the farm working. Thank you for your support.