Here at my farm, we're expecting rain, slush, and temperatures in the 30s.
So far, the weather has allowed us ample time to ready the property for the cold season ahead. My outdoor grounds crew has been especially busy blowing leaves, storing supplies, covering greenhouse vents, fertilizing the fields, mulching the garden beds, and completing other necessary tasks. Are you ready for the winter?
Here are some photos, enjoy.
As colder weather approaches and sunlight decreases, trees that drop their leaves seal the spots where the leaves are attached, which causes them to change color and fall to the ground. Many of the trees are now bare at the farm. Here, the crew has also mulched the ground beneath them. Mulch keeps the soil warm in winter and cool in summer and prevents roots from damage caused during freeze and thaw cycles.
All the garden beds are also mulched. This is one section of my long pergola garden, newly planted with thousands of spring blooming bulbs.
Here’s Jimmy in my trusted Kubota tractor transporting buckets of rich mulch to the beds.
Another big task this time of year – putting the stakes in the ground. Pete places stakes along the edge of all the carriage roads throughout the farm. These stakes are very important for guiding cars and other vehicles when there is snow on the ground. It also reminds drivers to go slowly – there’s a strict 5mph speed limit here at Cantitoe Corners.
I also like to mark where catch basins are located. This saves a lot of time and needless digging when clearing them of snow and debris. I use stakes that are tall enough to see in the deep snow and mark both sides with black so there isn’t any confusion when it comes time to access them.
As work is done in the woodland such as pruning and cutting down dead trees, logs and branches are neatly piled along the carriage road. They will soon be put through the chipper and thrown back in to the woods as top dressing.
In the goose enclosure, a new shelter is being made. Geese are very resilient animals and love the outdoors in all kinds of weather, but I like to provide shelter from high winds and falling snow along with a bed of thick hay to help keep them warm.
Cesar takes excellent care of all my birds – the geese, peafowl, pheasants, chickens, and turkeys. He’s also proving to be a very good carpenter!
Chhiring feeds the hay fields with NPK 20-5-10, which is a specific nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potassium mix that provides essential nutrients to support healthy hay growth and development.
Here is the spreader, which is hitched to the back of the tractor. It moves the granules and throws them about 30 feet out as it is driven through the field.
In the Japanese maple woodland, Ryan feeds the trees to replenish any nutrients lost during the growing season. Feeding at this time also helps to maintain robust root systems. I use Miracle-Gro food in my garden beds.
In my wood shop, Doug builds a new door for my Winter House kitchen – it’s easily the most used door here at my farm.
The crew cleaned and organized the giant Equipment Barn. All the equipment is checked and cleaned and put away on one side of the room. Any manual tools are also cleaned and hung on designated hooks so everything is easy to find and access.
All the telescoping sprinklers are collected, cleaned, tied, and stored away until next year. For years I’ve used hoses and sprinklers from Gilmour. I’ve always been pleased with the durability and performance of their supplies.
Just behind the Equipment Barn, my gardeners hurry to get evergreens into the ground in the pinetum while the ground is still soft enough to plant.
Here’s Pete wrapping the exterior vents around my small greenhouse. These vents are first covered with a layer of plastic and then burlap.
And then a custom frame to secure the material. Pete made this frame a couple of years ago making this task very quick and easy.
The flower cutting garden near my hoop houses and chicken yard was cleaned, tilled, and top dressed.
Daily tasks such as blowing the cobblestones outside my stable is always on the list. Juan uses a durable battery powered blower from STIHL. Juan and Helen keep the stable complex very clean and tidy.
And yes, it’s time to decorate for the holidays. Here’s Elvira pulling ornaments from storage. All my decorations are stored neatly by type and color. Wait and see how I planned this year’s décor around my home.
I always enjoy seeing photos taken by others who love photography as much as I do.
Not long ago, my grandson, Truman, introduced me to one of his friends, Nikki, a young and very talented and passionate photographer. Nikki started taking photos when he was just 11 years old. Now 14, Nikki's stunning wildlife images can be seen on social media @nikkibirding - gorgeous images of birds from the New York City area and across North America. While he enjoys photographing lots of animals, when asked why he focuses on birds, Nikki says, "because it never gets old, there is always a new bird to take a picture of or a new shot I can get." Right away, I asked him to share some of his favorite pictures. I think you'll agree, they're absolutely breathtaking.
Enjoy Nikki's gallery.
Nikki uses a Canon R6 with a Canon RF 300-800M F6-3.9 USM lens to take many of his photos. This is an American woodcock. These birds typically have plump bodies, short legs and rounded heads. They spend lots of their time on the ground surrounded by brush to stay camouflaged.
The American Woodcock is a mix of different shades of brown, black, and gray. Its large eyes are located high on its head giving it excellent, nearly 360-degree vision.
Nikki caught this bird just sitting on a branch. Blackpoll warblers are small songbirds with short tails. This one is a male, characterized by its distinctive black cap and white cheeks. These birds hunt for insects off foliage and near the trunks of evergreen trees.
Also small is the bright colored yellow warbler. Both males and females have unmarked heads showing off their large black eyes. Nikki catches this bird hopping along small tree limbs looking for caterpillars and other insects.
This is the red-winged blackbird. Males are easy to identify – they have handsome red and yellow shoulders. These birds live ear fresh water marshes and wet roadsides and fields.
Ever see an ovenbird? This walks lower to the ground searching for food – holding its short tail just a bit higher than its backs. The name comes from the way it builds its nest – a domed structure with an entrance on one side, similar to an old-fashioned oven.
Black and white warblers are easy to recognize – bold streaks of black on white bodies. These birds feed on a variety of insects including caterpillars, ants, flies, and certain spiders.
Nikki captures such clear details. Here is a female black and white warbler.
Here is the same bird starting to sing in a thin, high-pitched and squeaky whistle.
The Blackburnian warbler has a trim body with a short, thin and pointed bill. This is also a male, marked by a bright orange face and throat, and the interesting black patterns around his eyes.
Breeding male Blackburnian warblers like to perch high on branches, singing and showing off their vibrant orange throats.
Here sitting on a limb, watching the activity around him is this common nighthawk, a medium-sized, slender bird with a short neck, large eyes and a medium-long tail. These birds like to roost during the day and look for food during the early morning or evening hours.
This is a Cape May warbler, with a delicate short tail and a decurved, or curved downward, bill. Males are also known for their high-pitched song.
This is a hermit thrush. It has a brown body with spots on its breast. It also has a reddish tail. These birds can sometimes be found foraging on the ground shaking their feet to move grass and leaves in search of moving insects.
The red-bellied woodpecker has a bright red cap stretching from its bill all the way to the back of its neck making it stand out on trees, where it looks for insects and spiders in the crevices of trunks. It also has a well-marked back filled with black and white bars and a plain, white or pale gray underside.
Nikki got this photo just last week of a winter wren. Winter wrens prefer to hide among fallen, broken logs close to the ground. These birds are small with short tails, pale throats, and darkly marked backs.
And a great find is this barred owl identified by its streaked chest, round tuftless head, and big, dark eyes.
Nikki took several great photos – this one of its back. Barred Owls have brown and white striped patterns and white barring on the tail.
Barred owls roost in trees during the day, waiting and watching, and actively hunt small rodents at night. Sometimes their calls can be heard – their calls sound like “who cooks for you?” Ever hear one?
Barred owls live in forest areas where deciduous trees and evergreens grow, often near water sources and can be very territorial once they establish nests. Nikki also enjoys taking photos of other animals and has begun taking images at sporting events. Hopefully we’ll see more from this young photographer soon. Thanks for sharing your pictures, Nikki.
Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all have a very safe and enjoyable holiday!
I love baking pies and for years it's been my own Thanksgiving tradition to bake pies for members of my staff at the farm. I offer a choice of several kinds and then I spend two to three days preparing the dough and baking each pie from scratch. Last weekend, I made the pâte brisés, so they were ready to roll into pie crusts. And then earlier this week, I, along with a small group of helpers, mixed all the fillings and baked a total of 32 pies and tarts - maple bourbon pumpkin pie, pumpkin honey molasses pie, pecan pie, and chocolate pecan tart.
I hope you saw photos on my Instagram page @marthastewart48. Here are more, enjoy.
Here I am rolling out one of the pâte brisée discs. When rolling, make sure there are no cracks. To fit a nine-inch pie plate, roll out an 11-inch round that’s about 1/8-inch thick. I have been making this pâte brisée for many years and have perfected this recipe. It calls for two-and-a-half cups all-purpose flour, one teaspoon kosher salt, one teaspoon granulated sugar, two sticks unsalted butter, and a quarter to a half cup of ice water.
Here are several chilled pâte brisée discs. Pâte brisée is the French version of classic pie or tart pastry. It is a versatile all-butter dough for both sweet and savory recipes—from apple pie to quiche.
While I roll out the doughs, Enma gathers all the necessary tart pans and pie plates.
Look closely – one is clearly a Martha Stewart pie plate.
To keep everything organized, I write down all the ingredients and amounts for every kind of pie on my list and then adjust the amounts for the number of each pie I need to make.
My productive hens made sure I had enough fresh eggs for all my pies. Eggs are picked every day and brought to the house at 3:30pm sharp.
As part of the preparations, Matt chops several bags of pecans for the pecan pies and the chocolate pecan tarts.
Matt also selects all the “perfect” pecan halves for the pecan pie tops.
Semi sweet chocolates are measured and laid out for the chocolate pecan tarts.
Also for the chocolate pecan tarts – corn syrup. I use a strainer held over the pot with wooden spoons and then turn the bottles upside down to empty – frees up my hands to do other things.
Because I am making several different kinds of pies all at the same time, it is crucial that everything be labeled as it’s mixed and cooked.
I rolled all 32 pie and tart crusts myself – it’s fun and good exercise.
After pressing the dough into the plate, using kitchen shears trim the edge to one inch over and fold under, so it looks neat and tidy. Save the scraps for the decorations. Then put the plate into the fridge to chill.
I told my baking team it isn’t worth all the work if the pie crust isn’t done right. I taught Matt how to crimp the pie crust, so it is well defined. Crimping is not only decorative, but if done properly, it makes it less likely the sides of the pie will fall or shrink during baking.
Here’s Matt pouring in the pumpkin for the maple bourbon pumpkin pies. I need enough filling for at least eight.
As the fillings are made, the stainless steel bowls are covered and accurately labeled.
For the pumpkin, the filling is poured carefully into the chilled pie crust. I asked Matt to hold the crust on the edge of the metal bowl to prevent unnecessary drips. I am using my square ladle – it’s part of my kitchen tool set at my shop on Amazon.
Enma brushes the crusts with an egg and cream wash – just enough to moisten for a simple glazed finish.
These are all lined up and ready to put into the oven.
Find lots of holiday recipes in ENTERTAINING from Clarkson Potter. My very first book is now re-released for all of you to enjoy. It includes all 300 recipes and 450 full color photos from the original version.
These maple bourbon pumpkin pies will bake for about 45-minutes to an hour until the custard is firm and the top is glossy and golden brown. Unfortunately, I had to leave while the pies were still baking.
I also make lots of small decorations for the pies. The decorations are cut from the scraps of dough and baked separately.
I make seasonal appropriate decorations, such as leaves.
Small cookie cutters are perfect to use for these decorations.
Here are the pecan pies in the oven – they look great. They’re almost ready.
These are the chocolate pecan tarts also ready to go into the oven – every member of the staff is required to bring the pie plate back after enjoying their dessert.
This is a pumpkin honey molasses pie.
Here’s one of the maple bourbon pumpkin pies.
Here’s a chocolate pecan tart.
And a traditional pecan pie. The team works in an assembly line fashion to get all the pies ready on time. Once cooked, they are left to cool – on the counter, on the stovetop, near the sink – anywhere there is room.
After they are all done and slightly cooled, the pies are packed in boxes and brought outside for “pick up.”
All these pies were ready on time. I am always so happy to make pies for my hardworking staff. I hope you are all having a wonderful time preparing for today’s big feast. Enjoy.
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