What do pasture raised eggs have to do with homeschooling? A lot!

It’s officially firefly season! We’ve tried taking a picture to capture the magic but just haven’t been able to do it justice. The yard and field have been twinkling most nights like a scene from a fairy tale. That’s why when it came down to picking a name for our farm we chose Firefly Fields.

We can’t believe how well our beehives have been doing over the past month! We’ve successfully made six splits (new hives) already because the bees have been so productive. Our apiary is getting fairly full between those, our existing hives, and the swarm we caught. We can’t argue with that though - it means more delicious honey as well as plentiful pollinators for our pumpkins! It’s also relaxing to sit in the shade next to the apiary and watch the bees fly in and out of the hives. We slowed down today for a while to do just that and it was well worth it.

As for maple, we’ve still been plugging along and doing some work here and there to prep for next year. However, most of our time has been spent elsewhere as the bees and other projects around the house / farm have taken priority.

Our little beekeepers have ordered more chickens that should be here and laying around August/September so they can keep you all supplied with fresh, pasture raised eggs! If you’re not familiar with that term, pasture raised is a step above free range (the term most people are used to). Free range chickens by definition only need to have about two feet per chicken of outdoor space. Pasture raised means they have at least 108 feet of outdoor space per chicken. Ours have no restrictions and roam all over! Pasture raised eggs are proven to be healthier for several reasons (higher levels of omegas and vitamin d for example). Our little beekeepers are hoping to sell as many of these healthy eggs as possible. They’ve decided to join a local homeschool coop and are looking to use their profits to fund some of their extra field trips, dues, and supplies.

To keep you all in the loop of the birds in our Bird Friendly Sugarbush - the most exciting update is that we recently found a pileated woodpecker nest right behind the sap house! Unfortunately, there’s been no more indigo bunting sightings. The goldfinches seem to not be quite as plentiful but on a positive note there has been more bluebirds around lately.