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Old 09-23-2007, 07:42 AM
 
191 posts, read 519,576 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by forest beekeeper View Post
I am having a lot of fun at the fair and learning a lot.

Today I did one workshop on "Edible Landscaping", then "Drip Irrigation", "Low Hoop houses", "Medicinal Fungi", "Homeopathy for animals", and finally "how to build your own cider press".

Oh, I so wish I was there. I would love to be attending some of those workshops. I might have got hang gliding crossed off my "things to do in life" list last week, but I quickly added attend Common Ground County Fair in Maine to the list. I WILL be there next year!
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Old 09-23-2007, 04:45 PM
 
Location: Forests of Maine
37,496 posts, read 61,484,089 times
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Today my DW was able to go with me

I attended "Growing Peach tree farms in Maine", while she attended "Organic Certifications". Then I attended "Rodale Research Institute", and she attended "Shaker Herb Gardens". Then I attended "Solar Power", while she attended "After Butchering Poultry". Then I attended "Your Thyroid", while she attended "Growing Hot Weather Plants in Cool Climates". Then we together attended "Organic Livestock Management". Then we both attended "Colony Collapse and Honeybee diseases".

My DW had entered a basket of coloured soap eggs in the fair competition for which she got a red ribbon. And she entered a basket of seashell shaped oatmeal soaps that got another red ribbon. And she entered a dozen scented and coloured eggs in an egg carton which got a blue ribbon. And I entered a dozen of my chicken's brown eggs which got a blue ribbon.

I met MRVphotog, who was in the company of some beautiful ladies and together they were making great food! They maintained an impressive long line of customers.

And I met Starwalker, whose hat was wonderful!

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Old 09-23-2007, 05:07 PM
 
191 posts, read 519,576 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by forest beekeeper View Post

"Organic Certifications". Shaker Herb Gardens". "Solar Power", while she attended ". "Growing Hot Weather Plants in Cool Climates". "Colony Collapse and Honeybee diseases".

)
Very cool, & congrats to you and the wifey on the ribbons, though I am not surprised. You seem to be quite knowledgeable about all those things.
The workshops sound great. When I make my move north - maybe you can give me some tips on how I can preserve some of my plants I am hoping to move with me. Any news on the bees?
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Old 09-23-2007, 07:02 PM
 
Location: Forests of Maine
37,496 posts, read 61,484,089 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FLtoMaine View Post
Very cool, & congrats to you and the wifey on the ribbons, though I am not surprised. You seem to be quite knowledgeable about all those things.
The workshops sound great. When I make my move north - maybe you can give me some tips on how I can preserve some of my plants I am hoping to move with me. Any news on the bees?
Swans Bees [the largest honey bee producer/retailer in Maine] has been going to Ag Conventions in D.C. and convinced that 'Colony Collapse' is just the combination of effects from loading a hive with Varroa Mites, intestinal fungi and stress. He hauls 800 hives back and forth between Florida and Maine and has only seen a 4% loss per year in his hives. But he religiously treats his bees for mite and the fungus.
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Old 09-23-2007, 07:11 PM
 
Location: West Michigan
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Forest, just saw where you attended a "Growing Peach Tree farms in Maine" seminar. This is something I have been saying for years, that can be done here. Sure there is very little return on investment for the first 4 to 6 years until the orchard matures. What was the consensus? If you are thinking of Peach trees for your place, my recommendation would be the "Glo-Haven" variety. ( I was raised around orchards and miss them something terrible.)
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Old 09-23-2007, 07:30 PM
 
Location: Forests of Maine
37,496 posts, read 61,484,089 times
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The instructor is a peach farmer who grows his orchard of peaches in Brooklin Maine which is a peninsula going out into the ocean. He operates a fruit tree nursery, and markets both peaches and peach trees. He recommends a Wisconsin variety.
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Old 09-23-2007, 07:50 PM
 
Location: West Michigan
12,083 posts, read 38,886,126 times
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The Glo-Haven was developed in Michigan and is quite cold hardy. It is one of the best cold location peaches I've had the pleasure of both seeing grown, and eating. It is a relatively new variety that is freestone, juicy, has great flavor and texture. Another one I ran across is a Canadian Harmony, not sure hardiness, but large fruit with good flavor, kind of a cross between a Red Haven and a Glen-Haven for flavor.

Last edited by Bydand; 09-23-2007 at 08:53 PM..
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Old 09-24-2007, 05:41 AM
 
Location: on a dirt road in Waitsfield,Vermont
2,186 posts, read 6,831,703 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by forest beekeeper View Post

I met MRVphotog, who was in the company of some beautiful ladies and together they were making great food! They maintained an impressive long line of customers.

It was great meeting you. Sorry I didn't recognize you right away. Fewer vendors and record crowds made for long lines everywhere.

Despite having my son drive all the way to the cheesemaker(2 hrs one way) for more cheese and our organic farmer getting us another 200lbs of veggies Sat night we ran out of pretty much everything 2PM on Sunday. As you probably saw several food vendors ran out of food early on Sat and Sun. Maybe someday we can enjoy the fair as it just gets better every year.
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Old 09-24-2007, 10:40 AM
 
Location: Teton Valley Idaho
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I think it's great that you got to meet!! Next year hopefully more of us on here will make it, and we can mingle!! I'm glad you had such a good time
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Old 09-24-2007, 12:16 PM
 
Location: Forests of Maine
37,496 posts, read 61,484,089 times
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I am sorry too that I was so hurried.

We do so many things during the year, and looking at the scheduled list of workshop topics, we see so many things that we need to brush up on. And we schedule ourselves for topics often every hour of the fair. It is great to have such an event, so close to us, where folks are getting together to share each of their facets of organic crop production.

It was wonderful to see faces from this forum, and two other forums of mine where some of the posters attended the Fair. And I bumped into a number of other farmers that I see at the markets, too.
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