Live Music this Weekend at BBQ and Brunch!

Steve Hayden

John Rafuse

Steve Hayden and John Rafuse will be treating our ears to acoustic tunes this weekend for the July 4th festivities! They're also involved with the Altrusa Food Aid Concert going on this summer in at Hesky Park in Meredith, NH on August 27th. To learn more go to their website, http://altrusafoodaid.org/ 

Strawberry Fields Forever..

Fresh strawberries at the Farm Stand!

July 4th is just around the corner and we're starting celebrating the weekend by having our first BBQ of the season! Saturday night, July 2nd, we're having the first of our weekly BBQ nights at the Pavilion on the Hill. There'll be prime rib, chicken, a fish special, potato salad, hotdogs, etc. and for dessert... strawberry shortcake made with native New England strawberries and Thomas Dairy's heavy cream freshly whipped and dolloped on top. We've already had reservations, so call now and book your spot or just show up and join us as we celebrate our country's independence!

And if you're planning your own July 4th celebration... let us help! We're now taking catering orders for July 4th. We can make up a big batch of potato salad, or some of our famous BBQ ribs, we can provide delicious Basic Ingredients' pies or whatever else you might need prepared for your party. We've even got a couple legs of lamb in the walk-in to roast up for one patron. So call 603-968-9381 and make your order now!

Grey Day at the Computer...

It's raining again outside and all I want to do is curl up with a book in bed. Instead, I'm sitting at the computer trying to design July's newsletter. Sophie's working at the Farm Stand for me but I wish I could trade places with her. The thing is, it's really not difficult to make the newsletter, especially with the template all set up for me, but for some reason my perfectionist streak is kicking in right now and I'm overthinking everything. If I could get over myself then I could have this newsletter ready to go in a half hour. As it is... would anyone like to trade places with me?

The Longest Day of the Year



Strong  independent women moving tables.



Dragging the surprisingly heavy canvas tent.

Carving/whittling (not cobbling) marshmallow sticks.

June 21st was the longest day of the year, and we decided to take advantage of the extra sunlight to set up the tent for the upcoming wedding. It was almost the full crew, Steve, Amanda, Sophie, H.O., Lorri, and even Lorri's sister, Sally, and her husband, Carl. We were only missing Lib! But even with so many helping hands, it was not easy to get the heavy canvas pieces up on the metal frame, and then there was the matter of sewing each piece together. Carl and Steve ended up with the job of standing on top of ladders and putting the canvas together. Carl joked that it should have been us girls doing the sewing, but we were having fun cutting up tree branches, carving sticks for marshmallows, (which we'll be selling at the Farm Stand for 25 cents each) and burning the debris. I completely understand why boys love playing with sticks and fire after the other night! Amanda, Sophie and I had a running joke about being "strong independent women" as we lifted heavy tables and raked up leaves that we piled up in a wheelbarrow and then dumped on the fire. With all the great people and festive spirits, it hardly felt like work! And best of all, we got to test out some of our marshmallow sticks at the end and made s'mores!

R & R Woodworkers



The new chairs and end table in the store.



Robin and Bob of R & R Woodworkers (http://www.randrwoodworkers.com/) stopped by today and dropped off a couple really nice pieces of furniture to sell at the store. I happened to be sitting in a small rocker of their design on the porch when they arrived. I've sat in my fair share of Adirondack chairs and sometimes I find I sink too far into them and that they prop up my back at an uncomfortable angle, but Robin and Bob's small rocker is just right for my frame. They use New England white cedar to craft their furniture and it has a lovely smooth feel, even against bare skin. White cedar also holds up really well, the rocker on the porch has been outside all winter and all it has to show for wear is a silvery-gray finish that I personally prefer to the sandy fresh wood color!

Here's me reading in the small rocker.

Happy Father's Day!

The brunch was a big success! Lots of people turned up to enjoy succulent prime rib and adorable mini strawberry shortcakes. I got to enjoy a plate brought down to me at the farmstand. I'm not much for sweet things for breakfast, but the banana pancakes were the perfect texture and taste, moist and fluffy and just sweet enough. Steve's family even came up from Exeter for the event! If you're feeling bad that you didn't treat your own dad to our delicious brunch, fret not. This summer we'll be hosting a Sunday Brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every week! Join our email list on the website http://www.longhaulfarm.com/ and get flyers of the upcoming events and menus!

Here Comes the Bride...

The big day is looming closer and closer and H.O. and Steve have been busting their buns getting the farm ready! Lorri snapped some shots of the men at work. They've done a great job of clearing out all the brush and debris in the surrounding woods, and here's a picture of Steve moving rocks around for the altar:

I went up in the evening to take a look myself. I stood on the stone platform they've started to create and of course I couldn't help but think of my own possible wedding one day. I've always wanted an outdoor ceremony in a wooded area very similar to Longhaul and I'm really excited to see it all come together!

Bread Baking Class!!

Come one, come all! Garlyn Manganiello of Basic Ingredients (http://www.basicingredientsnh.com/) who makes our delicious pies at the farm is going to be here in person to lead a bread baking class on Tues. June 21st from 5 - 8 p.m.! The class will be held up at the Pavilion in our fully licensed commercial kitchen. I've only spoken to Garlyn on the phone so far but she was really sweet and I can't wait to meet her properly. Everyone who attends will go home with a doggy bag and the knowledge of how to bake a multitude of delicious breads! It's $25 per person, and it's going to be a lot of fun! If you've ever tried any of Garlyn's recipes, you know that it's going to be worth it!

Squam Lake and Wedding Preparations at the Farm

I had the last couple days off, and lucky for me on Wednesday the sun finally shone through again and the rain let up so I spent the day basking at Squam Lake. The water was warm (although I'm used to the ocean so anything seems warm after that) although for some reason there are warm and cold spots, which is slightly disconcerting. One thing that no ocean can match is the view of trees and mountains Squam Lake offers. I was there from noon to five but Steve met up with me after he got done clearing brush with H.O. for the wedding ceremony that's going to be held here on Sat. June 25th. H.O. is going to set up lights along the rocks in the woods, and the altar is going to be a large rock underneath a canopy of hemlocks, birch, and white pine. It's the first of a few weddings we have lined up for this season, I can't wait to see them all, although I fear I'll get swept up in the romance!

Placing Orders

Farmstand is closed today so I spent the morning placing orders and sitting at the computer trying to come up with an inventory sheet and a new closeout sheet for the store. The orders took no time at all, in truth, as we're still biding our time before the season really starts up after July 4th. It's nice that most of the companies we work with are local, small affairs so that when I call up a place I'm usually talking directly to the owner. Lorri usually makes the orders so I've been calling up and letting people know that I'm going to be taking over the ordering for her from now on. Like I said before though, I didn't place many orders today. One of the main things I needed to make sure we restocked was ice cream. After the power outage, all our Sandwich Creamery ice cream (http://www.sandwichcreamery.com/index.html) melted so we had to order a whole bunch more for next week. I can't decide if their ice cream is a blessing or a curse yet, it's so light and delicious that I find myself dipping a spoon into a pint and then looking down and realizing I've eaten half the tub in one sitting. One thing about this job, I'll never go hungry!

Pie and Paella

The Tapas Party was a lot of fun last night! Because of the foul weather it was held indoors at the Pavilion. Steve and I weren't working so we went up to get some food and see how it was going. The Pavilion looked lovely, it was warm, cozy, and romantic with lots of candles and string lights, a welcome respite from the wet, gloomy outdoors. There was a happy crowd of people lined up on the bench tables and plenty of food to go around. My personal favorite was the paella, it was warm and filling with chunks of chicken and whole shrimp, but then I've always been a fan of rich rice dishes. 
          As for today, most of the crew had the day off as it was one of the few Sundays we didn't have a brunch. (We are having a special Father's Day brunch next Sunday that I'll give more details about in a later post). The farmstand was open though so I was working. I didn't mind, it was a relaxing day and the store was homey and bright with the fridges humming away and the lights on. Speaking of fridges, we finally have a working one for our pies again. The pies are made locally in Bristol, NH by Garlyn Manganiello's company Basic Ingredients, http://www.basicingredientsnh.com/. Her pies are one of our most popular products, and after tasting the mixed berry and a slice of the strawberry rhubarb with fresh whipped cream, I can see why!

Got Greens?

Woke up to a cloudy, rainy day today but the Tapas Party will be going on inside the Pavilion regardless! Down at the farmstand, I bagged a bunch of fresh greens that Lib picked from our gardens. We have mustard greens, swiss chard, and a salad mix containing red and green lettuce, spinach, kale, mustard flowers, bok choi and mizuna beat greens! We also have some fresh picked mint, dill, oregano, cliantro, and clives. The season's just beginning but if you're looking for local, organic grown greens then stop by!

Power Outage and Tapas Party

You might think that having no power wouldn't be as big a setback on a farm as it would be in an office or other indoor jobs. Unfortunately, that's not so. The severe thunder storm that ripped across the East Coast yesterday luckily amounted to no more than a brief bout of whipping winds and heavy rain in Holderness. We sat on Lorri and H.O.'s porch and enjoyed the thunder and lightening. The major downside came from the power failure that started pretty much as soon as the sky suddenly got dark around 3 p.m. We all assumed (or hoped) it would be back by this morning, but it took a little longer than expected. And no power means no water because the water pump runs on electricity. It was a lucky thing that it rained most of the night, otherwise the plants might have been crispy by this afternoon. The other major problem with no electricity was keeping the fridges and freezers (containing all the vegetables, milk, cheese, bacon and other produce we sell and grow) cold. H.O. and Steve spent the morning setting up a generator at the pavilion that hadn't been run in four years, and thankfully it started up and we were able to keep the fridges cold at the pavilion. Then it was just a matter of bringing any perishable goods from the farmstand up the hill!

But on a happier note, the power is back and preparations are being made for the Tapas Party tomorrow night! Tapas is a tradition from Spain, basically it's the name given to a wide range of appetizers. It's going to be a delicious spread and it's all-you-can-eat for $25, tax and gratuity included! So come up the hill to the pavilion and check it out!
           

Last Minute Planting!

Due to the foul weather we've had the last couple months, we're late getting our gardens in this year. So the crew met up at 7 a.m. today and we hopped on the transplanter to get our vegetables and flowers in. For the most part things went smoothly, except that H.O. kept veering left and nearly punctured the hoseline at the very end. But with four people helping the planting went quickly. We now have peppers, beets, nasturtium flowers, and tomatoes growing in the sun!