Trebuchet Attracts Kids for Fun & Science

Wilton Bulletin - Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Posing with Ambler Farm’s trebuchet are the many children who participated in a recent demonstration, with the device’s builder, Mike Cuddy, back row at left, and Kevin Meehan, at right, a teacher who lives at the farm. —Paula Casiraghi photo

Written by Patty Connor

About 20 children from Wilton participated in an Ambler Farm trebuchet demonstration on Sunday, Nov. 9.

Here’s a definition compiled from Wikipedia and Webster’s Dictionary: A trebuchet is a siege engine that was employed in the Middle Ages either to smash masonry walls or to throw projectiles over them.

A trebuchet was built by Mike Cuddy for Ambler Farm. Ambler Farm used to rent a trebuchet in the years past to use as a demonstration at Ambler Farm Day, which typically takes place in early fall. Two years ago, Mr. Cuddy made one and donated it to the farm.

Mr. Cuddy and Mr. Meehan, who lives at the farm with his family and is also the science instructional leader at Cider Mill School, explained the program and help got the kids excited about science. The parents came, too, and everyone had a ball watching the pumpkins, squash, watermelons and the like shoot through the sky, across the field and SPLAT! onto the ground. Some went more than 270 feet.

Winterize Your Garden

The growing season may be over, but that doesn't mean your work is done. It's important to get your garden in shape before the start of winter in order to guarantee a great start to next year's growing season.

• Clean out annual and vegetable beds. You will find that plant pathogens and insects can over-winter in the garden on infected plant debris, therefore do a thorough clean-up and tilling of the soil in areas where you've had issues. Throw out any plants you suspect to be diseased or infested with bugs. The rest you can add to the compost pile. Do one last weeding and discard any weeds that have seeds on them.
• Cut perennials back almost to the ground -- unless they add charm to your garden in winter. If you don’t think you will have time to mulch, don’t cut back the old plants, as the stalks and leaves will give some protection to the roots.
• Plan next year's garden. After ridding your garden of debris, plan where you want to put next year's plants and vegetables. Take a pad with you out to the garden and draw a diagram of your beds and note where the perennials are planted so you can avoid damaging them in the spring while they lie dormant. This is also a good time to reflect on the growing season and make notes about what worked and what didn’t. Make a sketch of where you want to put all your plants & vegetables in the spring.
• Dig up tender bulbs. Cannas, caladiums, tuberous begonias, gladiolus, dahlias and most other summer-blooming bulbs don't survive the winter in USDA Zone 9 and colder. Dig them up as the foliage turns brown in early fall, trim off the remaining foliage or flower stalks, let them air dry for a week and then layer them in paper bags filled with peat moss or vermiculite. Store in a cool (65 degrees F or cooler), dry spot.
• Add organic material such as your own compost, manure, blood meal or bone meal to your soil to make it better for next year’s garden. Adding these elements in the fall will give your soil plenty of time to absorb all the healthy ingredients before planting in the spring.
• Apply a two- to four-inch layer of mulch on top of perennial, shrub and bulb beds after the ground freezes hard. Winter mulch serves as a blanket, protecting the plants from freezing winds and frost-heaving, moderating soil temperatures and conserving moisture. You can use chopped-up leaves from your lawn or other loose materials like pine needles, or straw for the perennials and shrubs. Don’t put down un-shredded leaves or other matter that compact easily because it will suffocate the plants. Incorporate them into the soil in the spring before planting.
• Clean and store tools, ceramic pots and birdbaths. Wash using soapy water. Rub off rust with very fine sandpaper or with fine steel wool. Dry with an absorbent rag. Sharpen cutting edges with a file or a whetstone. Wipe metal surfaces with an oiled cloth (vegetable oil is fine). To keep wooden handles from drying out, apply a light coat of boiled linseed oil and buff.

Submitted by Jim Meinhold, Chairperson of Ambler's Agriculture Committee. Email Gardening Tips to amblerfarm@gmail.com. We will publish selected tips in our newsletter and blog!

From Ambler's Kitchen: Curried Butternut Squash Soup

A healthy, warming soup for cooler days

Ingredients:
1 large butternut squash, cut in chunks
1 large baking potato, peeled and sliced
1 large onion, chopped
8 cups vegetable stock
1 heaped teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon each of ground cumin, fenugreek + coriander (or similar spices used in curry)

Chop onion finely and saute in 1-2 ounces of butter until soft. Add sliced potato and saute for 10 minutes, stirring now + then so the vegetables don't stick to the pot. Add butternut squash. Cover the vegetables with a sheet of waxed paper and put the lid on the pot. "Sweat" the vegetables until soft - 20 minutes or more. Add spices, turn up the heat and cook the spices to release their flavor. After a few minutes, add the stock. The amount of stock you add depends on how thick you like your soup. Bring soup to a simmer and cook uncovered for 20 minutes. Let cool slightly then puree in a food processor or blender. Sometimes I add some milk to 'thin' the soup when I serve it. To dress it up, add a swirl of heavy cream.

Recipe courtesy of Alison Semple. If you would like to submit a recipe for our enewsletter, please send to amblerfarm@gmail.com.

Ben + Ambler in the Bulletin

Don't miss the Cover Story on Ben + Ambler's Bumper Crop in the Wilton Bulletin. click here

Photo by Jeff Yates

Greetings from the Ambler Farm Stand!

We've had a great first week as our Farm Stand is now officially open. Our farmer, Ben Saunders, is in the fields early, harvesting, to maximize the quality of everything we sell. Our goal is to sell produce AND build relationships with people - people who will frequent the Farm and

spread the word about locally grown, fresh produce. Come visit us as we are so proud of our newest production field; a patchwork of specialty crops with pathways to easily view the crops. If you haven’t been by the farm lately – here’s a picture of the field:

Our Produce

Here's what you'll find at the Farm Stand this week:

• Arugula
• Beets (Red Ace, Chioggia)
• Collards
• Herbs (Tarragon, Rosemary, Dill, Basil, Cilantro, Lavender, Chives, Garlic Chives, Mint)
• Kale (Red Russian, Winterbor)
• Lettuce
• Mesclun Mix (Mizuna, Arugula, Tatsoi, Mustard, Kale, etc)
• Raspberries
• Swiss Chard
• Turnips

If you are in the area on Thursdays and Saturdays, 9:30AM – 5PM, please stop by the stand at 257 Hurlbutt Streetin Wilton, CT. Pick up some produce for dinner on your way home. Talk with the people who grow your food. Ask Ben how we grow it (chemical and pesticide free - all the produce is grown under a protocol at least as stringent as theUSDA organic protocol). Ask about the variety. Ask for ideas on how to cook and slice the product or share a favorite recipe with us. And remember – ALL farm stand sales as well as donations go back into the farm!!

Volunteer Opportunities

With such a productive garden, we really need extra help with all aspects of growing our crops and operating the farm stand. NO EXPERIENCE IS NECESSARY! We need:

• Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays anytime 9:30 to Noon – 6 people for general gardening chores (weeding, thinning, watering, planting, etc)
• Thurs & Sat 7AM to 9:30AM – 2 people for harvesting for the Farm Stand
• Thurs & Sat anytime from 9:30AM to 5PM – 1 person to oversee the Farm Stand

For the first two above, our farmer, Ben Saunders, is the contact. His email is: bsaundersis@gmail.com. If there are other times that are more convenient for you, this can be easily arranged through Ben.

If you're more interested in helping with the Farm Stand, please contact Jim Meinhold at jmeinhol@optonline.net.

See you at the Stand!

Solstice Supper

The Solstice Supper at Ambler Farm featured farm-to-table food provided by Barcelona, a silent auction of farm, garden, table and culinary items, and hayrides and horseshoes. The trebuchet was also a big hit!



The Solstice Supper Committee:


Organizers of the Ambler Farm summer solstice supper were, from left, Cory Lee, Lynn Caldwell, Kathy Rosenbaum, Claudia Avallone, Tracy Taylor, Amy Curley, Stephanie Mercado and Michele Bennett.

Organic Food + Wine

What a pleasure to see so many people come out for an evening of Organic Food & Wine at Ambler Farm last week. A crowd of both new and long-time Ambler supporters enjoyed a lively and informative talk about organic wine, delicious hors d'oeuvres made from local food sources, and good conversation with one another.

Special thanks to Amy Dixon of Stew Leonard's Wine Shops; Lynn and John Holbrook of Holbrook Farm; Thomas Camm of Artisan Made - Northeast; Wave Hill Bread; Offinger's Farm; and Ambler farmer Ben Saunders. And many thanks to all of you who joined us on a perfect spring evening at Ambler.

MAURA CONNOLLY, BETH CULNANE, STEPHANIE GORDON, VICKY MEANY, ANDREA O'MEARA, SARAH SIMMONS, REBECCA THOMPSON
Organic Food & Wine Committee
Friends of Ambler Farm Hurlbutt Street, June 7

Wilton Newcomers Club gives a boost to Ambler Farm

The Wilton Newcomers Club recently donated $10,000 to the Friends of Ambler Farm. The club raised the money through two successful events during this past year: the sale of holiday ornaments featuring a hand-painted image of the Red Barn at Ambler Farm, and the art auction held at the Wilton Library in March. The donation will be used for educational programs for local schoolchildren and for new farm equipment, which will help the farm expand its agricultural capabilities.

This is the largest amount of money the Newcomers club has raised during any program year. Stephanie Mercado and Kelly Gervolino, WNC fund-raising chairs, organized both the ornament sale and the art auction this year.

Each year the club selects a local organization to benefit from its fund-raising efforts. The Wilton Newcomers Club is a nonprofit social organization that serves more than 200 families in town.

Golf by Ambler

On Monday, May, 19, the sun shone, somewhat intermittently, on Rolling Hills Country Club on Hurlbutt Street for the golfers who participated in a fundraising golf event to benefit Ambler Farm. Many thanks are due to the board of governors of Rolling Hills Country Club who donated the use of the course for the day to Friends of Ambler Farm. We are also grateful to the staff members of the club, and all the local businesses and individuals who donated prizes for both golfing skills and scores, in addition to a most successful raffle.

Such local support enables us to keep Wilton's agrarian roots alive among the community.

JON BELL, DIANE FOGERTY, KIM FORTUNA, DEBBIE LAFOND, ALISON SEMPLE, BONNIE SHEEHAN
Golf Event Committee
Friends of Ambler Farm Hurlbutt Street, May 2

Kevin Meehan: A Man of Many Hats

Photo By: Carolyn Rundle Field

By Carolyn Rundle Field, May 16, 2008

Kevin Meehan is a man who can multi-task. How else to explain his ability to serve as the Cider Mill science instructional leader, run an afterschool science club, oversee the school’s independent summer course program attracting over 1,000 kids each year, and in his role as Ambler Farm’s property and program manager-in-residence, lead a summer student apprentice program, organize a maple sugaring program, and shoulder much of the behind-the-scenes preparations for the annual Ambler Farm Day celebration? And, after all that, he still has enough energy at the end of his day to repair a crumbling stone wall or a barn door hinge; plus, with his wife Susan, raise two young children and two dogs.

Read more at Wilton Magazine

Bees at the Farm

Kevin Meehan and Ben Saunders installed four bee hives near the old sunflower garden this afternoon. Several friends joined us to watch the installation - and we even have a few adult "apprentices" lined up to help maintain the hives. In addition to honey production, the bees and hives will be used for educational programs.

Earth Day

The Friends of Ambler Farm held its second annual Earth Day celebration on Sunday, April 27, on the farm’s 18 acres at 257 Hurlbutt Street.

Around the Carriage Barn, there were recycling-oriented activities for kids of all ages. Children prepared milk-carton birdhouses, made rain sticks out of paper rolls and craft wind chimes from natural materials such as twigs and shells. Kevin Meehan led the construction of a giant building out of cardboard boxes. Families wound their way through an Ecology Maze, where making good choices about the environment led to the end.

A representative from the United States Department of Agriculture taught visitors about home composting. And Gerri “Bat Lady” Griswold, of the White Memorial Conservation Center, was at the Carriage Barn with her collection of live bats to talk about the importance of bats in the ecosystem. Farmer Ben Saunders will give visitors a first look at the new planting fields and talk about upcoming agricultural programs at the farm.

Congratulations to Chairperson Rebecca Thompson and her large crew of volunteers for another successful event!

Underground Railroad

Tied together and marched to the auction block, Cider Mill School students recently stepped back in time to an era where all were not free and many were treated with savage cruelty. Those students took part in an exercise at Ambler Farm where they took on the role of slaves trying to escape. Through listening to teachers and parents, they learned about life as a slave and what being on the underground railroad might have been like.
Read more at the Wilton Bulletin

Photo by Brian Shea, Wilton Bulletin

Making Maple Syrup

Ambler Farm's Maple Syrup Program is featured in the Wilton Bulletin and our own Mike Cuddy graced the cover. Kevin Meehan, Mike Cuddy and several participating families helped to make the program's inaugural year a great success.

http://www.acorn-online.com/news/publish/wilton/30022.shtml

Photos by Jeff Yates