A Great Step

Soon there will be something for us to apply for!!

Last night was the Town Board Public Hearing on Local Laws #2 (chickens) and #3 (CSA).

Watertown Times Article

The Town was generous with time and extended the public comment period as residents continued to make statements and ask clarifying questions. Now the CSA law language is being sent to Albany to go on the books. littleGrasse is submitting a Special Permit Application to the Town Planning Board and will attend their May 21st meeting to explain our proposal. If all goes according to expectation, they'd be voting on our proposal at the June 18th meeting (once the law is official).

Things are looking up.

april showers bring asparagus and rhubarb

peas sprouting

planting broc, cabb and brussels at may garden morning

Town Board Public Hearing May 13th

LET'S PACK THE HOUSE, 
IT'S THE MEETING WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!

WHO: Canton Town Board
WHAT: Public Hearing regarding 2 proposed laws 
WHEN: Monday May 13th at 5:30pm
WHERE: Municipal Building at 60 Main Street, in the basement courtroom

Arrive a couple minutes before 5:30pm so the audience is ready on time. This is following their monthly meeting at 4pm, which is also open to the public. There are two proposed laws, #2 related to the keeping of chickens and #3 related to CSA's. There is only 15 minutes per law, and the comment time would be best filled with residents who live in the affected zones. After each fifteen minute slot, the Board will vote on whether to pass the discussed law.

Spread the word.

Mushrooms

Last week a group of us congregated at the barn to innoculate logs with shiitake mushroom spores. We plugged thirty logs, half with a cool season variety and half with a warm season variety. Given the proper temperature and moisture, these logs can produce for up to eight years!

step one- drilling an even grid of holes in the logs

step two-inserting  dowels inoculated with shiitake spores into the holes

step three- covering the plugs with wax to seal in moisture and seal out contaminants

Now they sit in a cool, shady spot. We wait while the mycelium gradually colonizes the log. Though they'll likely not begin fruiting until next season, folks are welcome to check out the mushroom yard. It's located in the back near this season's pigs.

Yard Sale this weekend at Farmhouse

MULTI-FAMILY SALE
307 MINER ST ROAD
FRIDAY MAY 3rd & SATURDAY MAY 4th
8:30am-5pm

Beaucoup stuff from families who've collected too much for too long!
Includes: 
          Kitchen Items
               Tools
                    Kids Stuff
                         Furniture
                              Books
 
                                     and More!
                                          (with Free Pile on Saturday)

This weekend is also the Rushton Canoe Races next door at Taylor Park.
Come by to visit.

Local Living Festival Saturday April 27th

Ever wonder about mushroom growing
renewable energy or seed sowing?
Check out this fair, it's social and fun
And hopefully that day we'll be graced with the sun!

Local Living Fest Workshop Schedule

Flip & Lew will be there representing littleGrasse at an outdoor booth as part of a CSA section. Come by for a visit with us.

ALSO, Hannah & Flip will be singing Springy Songs with the local shape note group, Vocal Skies. That short event in the dining tent will be during the lunchtime slot noon-1:30. We'll be opening for the lively and fun Modern Times Theater as well as Severine vonTscharner Fleming talking about 'the Greenhorns: Tilling our Land'.

The event is at the Cooperative Extension learning Farm at 2043 Route 68 Canton. Parking is off-site, with shuttles bringing folks to the farm. All cyclists get free admission! Others donate $5-10.

 

wild leeks have sprung

 

new life at the gardens

This past week brought the arrival of piglets and quail.

These Japanese Courtnix quail are a small-scale experiment, bestowed upon us by a SLU student who had hatched them for an ornithology project this semester.  They're just over two weeks old and it's been interesting to observe them. They have more wild in them than chickens and can bounce right out of their brooding chamber when the lid comes off for food and water replenishing.It's a 'straight run,' mix of male and females, so hopefully at least half are females and we can experience their impressive lil' mottled eggs.

The pigs are starting to settle in. As long as we can keep Stás from barking excitedly at them, they should do well.
If you're over visiting, please leave the lid on the quail brooder, so they're not running loose. Rules for pigs: We can accept food scraps for the pigs as long as it does not contain meat, citrus or raw root vegetables. Please stay out of their pen and keep kids from poking and prodding them.
Folks are welcome to come by and see these animals at the start of their life. Thanks much.
 

Farm Film at Cinema 10 Tonite

Hope to see you in Potsdam at 7:15p. Last film of the Cinema 10 Spring season.

Betting the Farm

***Special appearance by the director, Cecily Pingree and company CEO Bill Eldridge

A group of Maine dairy farmers faced with the possibility of losing their livelihood when they are dropped by a national milk distributor, instead try their hands at launching an organic milk company - a gamble that will either ruin or save them. The Washington Post writes that the filmmakers capture the plight of the small farmer "with sensitivity and painterly beauty." Others call it "effective and dramatic," "beautifully crafted," and "nerve wracking." (NR, language; 85 min.)