Expanding the Heritage Orchard Corridor

The earth is moving fast at the grange this week. We have cleared out the old interior fencing and taken down the old barn to open up the entire 240-foot heritage orchard slope. The rich, aged soils from the barn footprint are being integrated into planting berms for our incoming heritage apples, pears, and Damson plums.

Down along the forest edge, the pad for our Tudor Poultry Palace is graded and set with stone footings. With 40 heritage chicks arriving mid-October, the heated nursery brooder is prepped and ready for their arrival.

This Week’s Hearth & Apothecary Feature:

• 🔥 From the Bakehouse: Wood-Fired Savory Heritage Chicken & Herb Pasties.
• 🍯 From the Apiary: Raw Unheated Carniolan Honey & Propolis Salves.
• 🥬 From the Pottage Field: Organic Biointensive Leeks, Storage Onions, and Winter Squash.

Carniolan Hive Overwintering Preparation

As the cool evening air settles across Washington County, our 30 Carniolan hives are beginning their winter cluster prep. The late summer wildflower flow has concluded, yielding an exceptional harvest of golden amber honey rich in native blackberry and clover pollen.

We leave generous honey stores within every brood chamber to ensure the hives overwinter naturally without sugar syrup feeding. Meanwhile, the bakehouse is firing up for weekly sourdough hearth bakes featuring our first harvest of Delicata squashes and sweet leeks.

Featured Grange Harvests:

• 🍞 Wood-Fired Spelt Sourdough Loaves with Wildflower Honey Glaze.
• 🥚 Yeoman’s Rainbow Eggs from our Speckled Sussex and Easter Egger flocks.
• 🌿 Elderberry & Propolis Oxymels steeped in raw apple cider vinegar.