Another big time-consuming cleaning chore is checked off the "to do" list at my Bedford, New York farm.
Yesterday, Carlos, Enma, and Elvira took on the task of cleaning all the precious glass objects stored on the shelves in my Winter House Brown Room - American cut glass, pressed glass, blown glass, vases, candlesticks, bowls, valuable crystals, in all different sizes, some some very old, and some new. Cleaning these items takes time and a lot of elbow grease to complete, but now these pieces are shimmering once again.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Along one wall of my Brown Room, I have deep shelves filled with precious glass and crystal. Every so often it is a good idea to take stock in these pieces and clean them so they’re ready for the next special occasion or holiday.
All these pieces are quite delicate, so they need to be washed by hand and not in the dishwasher.
These vases have not been used in awhile. In fact, because of the pandemic, most of these pieces haven’t been used in more than a year. Many have developed a bit of dust and are due for this cleaning.
One can see the dust on this carafe – it’s no longer shiny, but dull.
Each piece is removed from the shelf carefully one by one.
For washing glass and crystal that is well-maintained, use a mild dish soap and a soft sponge. For pieces that have developed tannin and lime deposits, add some white vinegar.
To get into tight, narrow spaces, one may also need a variety of soft bottle brushes. To make them even softer, one can be wrapped with a small dishcloth before using.
Enma holds this bud vase securely in one hand as she gently rubs with the soapy sponge – never use scouring pads or abrasive cleansers.
Enma rinses with warm water. It’s important to always use just-warm water, not hot. And never rinse with cold water. Extreme temperatures can cause cracks or breakage.
And here’s a good thing to remember – whenever washing anything delicate in the sink, always line the bottom of the sink with a towel, just in case the object slips or accidentally hits the surface.
After rinsing, dry immediately with a clean, lint-free towel to prevent spotting.
While Enma washes, Carlos dries – it is a very efficient production line process. The rims and stems are naturally the weakest parts, so hold the pieces gently but securely and avoid lots of twisting.
For drying very tight areas, Elvira wraps a bamboo skewer with a piece of paper towel.
And then gently wipes the inside.
This allows one to get into all the crevices without scratching the glass.
Next, Carlos washes this heavy glass container.
As pieces are washed, place them on a dry towel next to the sink. Always save old hand towels – they’re great for these chores.
Once the shelves are emptied, they too must be cleaned. Here, Carlos dusts each shelf with a dry cloth.
Look closely and one can see the light layer of dust – these shelves were definitely due for a cleaning.
Guests always admire my open cabinet shelving. I designed these custom slat walls on the inside of my cabinets to secure the shelves – they can be adjusted to so many different levels.
Carlos dusts each shelf and cabinet completely.
And remember the dusty carafe – here it is, clean, shiny and bright.
I instructed the team to place all the glass objects on top of soft flannel sheets on my long dining table. The next task is to put everything back on the shelves – I will go through this vast collection and decide what will be returned to the shelves and what can go elsewhere. Care should always be taken when handling and stacking items – they should never touch each other.
These pieces look so beautiful. I am looking forward to when it’s safe for us to gather and entertain family and friends once again.
So many of you comment on how much you enjoy the photographic tours of my Bedford, New York farm, particularly when it is blanketed with early morning fog.
Yesterday was one such morning - for a few hours, the entire property was covered in a dense fog. Fog consists of tiny water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. Because I live in close proximity to a reservoir, early patches of fog are common, especially in the winter and fall.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
The following photos were taken before 9am. The atmosphere was thick with fog. Here is one side of a linden tree allee with a row of small European beech trees to its left – most still holding on to their leaves. These trees are visible up close, but little can be seen in the distance.
Fog is actually made up of millions of tiny droplets of water floating in the air. It can form in two ways: either by cooling the air to its dew point or by evaporation and mixing – this happens when the earth radiates heat at night or in the early morning. I live in a region where there is additional moisture, so when the air is cooled, and the vapor starts to condense, patches of fog emerge.
Fog reduces visibility quite a bit. In fact, it can make objects look deceiving. On the other side of this paddock, what may look like a small snow-covered roof is actually a gate to this pasture.
Fog is most likely to occur at night or near dawn when the temperature of the day is normally at its lowest. Some describe fog to be “as thick as pea soup”. This was originally used to describe the dingy yellow smog from burning soft coal common in Europe. Such fogs occurred in London until the Clean Air Act of 1956.
Here is a view through the grove of old apple trees near my peony gardens. Don’t confuse fog with mist – mist is actually easier to see through. Visibility is at least a half-mile with mist. Visibility below this is considered fog.
Look at the fog across the paddock – it’s so dense. However, the foggiest place in the world is the Grand Banks off the island of Newfoundland, Canada. It gets more than 200-days of fog per year.
Look carefully, all five of my donkeys are in this photo – they are not bothered by the fog or low visibility at all.
There are also several different types of fog – radiation fog, sea fog, ground fog, advection fog, steam fog or called evaporation fog, precipitation fog, upslope fog, valley fog, ice fog, freezing fog, and artificial fog, which is when water, glycerin or propylene glycol are mixed together to create “fog juice” and then passed through a super-heated nozzle at high pressure and atomized into the air in a fine mist.
This footpath between the paddocks leads to my Winter House, but it can hardly be seen through the fog. And, the thicker the fog, the longer it takes to dissipate.
My dear Friesians are all facing away from the slight wind and light rain.
This is my newly pruned allee of lindens outside the pigeon and peafowl pens. It is difficult to see where the road leads, making it quite mysterious and even ghostly.
This is a view of the tree line from across the pastures – it’s very hard to see any trees except the Eastern white pines on the left, but on a clear day, the view is gorgeous.
And here is a view over the vegetable garden – more dense fog hovers in the atmosphere.
Below the chicken coops, I have a grove of majestic dawn redwoods. We planted these trees shortly after I moved to this farm. These trees are considered fast-growers. Dawn redwoods are typically between 50 and 60 feet tall, but can grow taller than 160 feet with a trunk about seven feet in diameter.
And by the time this photo was taken on the other side of the pines, they are a bit more bold in color.
Here is a closeup of the fence. The melting snow left a pattern on the ground. I am so happy this antique white spruce fencing from Canada has lasted so long – I try to maintain them as best as I can.
This giant sycamore tree is just one of the many on the farm. The mighty sycamore is the symbol of the property.
Here’s another view looking between two other paddocks and leading toward my stable barn in the distance.
The soccer field and weeping hornbeams still look so pretty in winter. As the fog lifts, or burns off, more and more of the trees and shrubs can be seen. This happens as the sun’s heat warms the ground and air.
And here is the clematis pergola – its path still covered in a layer of snow. After the fog, the day ended up to be considerably cloudy for some time, but temperatures rose to 50-degrees Fahrenheit – another positive sign spring is on the way.
My outdoor vegetable gardens may still be covered with snow and ice, but I'm fortunate that I have vegetables growing beautifully in a special greenhouse tucked behind my Equipment Barn.
Its design was inspired by Eliot Coleman, an expert of four-season farming. My gardeners, Ryan McCallister and Brian O'Kelly, have been doing a fine job with succession planting and keeping the produce coming. I'm always so happy to share the bounties with family and friends. Very little goes to waste as these vegetables taste so pure and delicious to eat - it's gratifying to have fresh, organic produce available even in winter.
Enjoy these photos.
Whenever I have time, it’s always so nice to walk into the vegetable greenhouse to see all the organic produce growing in the beds. We do a lot of prep work to get these beds ready. This year, I decided to use compost-based potting soil mix from the Vermont Compost Company in Montpelier, Vermont. This soil is specifically developed for organic gardening. It is a germination and growing mix often used for soil blocks – this is called Fort Vee potting mix. I am so happy with how it works.
The entire greenhouse is filled with windows. Most of the energy comes from the sun through these giant windows, which can be programmed to open for ventilation or cooling when needed.
The ideal temperature inside the greenhouse is around 85-degrees Fahrenheit to keep all the vegetables growing their best. We have a large thermometer at the entrance to the structure, so the temperature can be checked easily several times a day.
Look at all the full beds of fresh, organic produce. We built 16 of these wooden garden boxes to fit the entire length and width of the space. Raised bed gardening allows good drainage, prevents soil compaction, and provides protection for those plants that may otherwise get trampled.
This bed has a newer, younger crop – we always plant in succession, so there is always something growing in the greenhouse. Succession planting is a practice of seeding crops at intervals of seven to 21 days in order to maintain a consistent supply of harvestable produce throughout the season. This dramatically increases a garden’s yield, while also improving produce quality.
The gorgeous Swiss chard stalk colors can be seen through the leaves. They are so vibrant with stems of yellow, red, rose, gold, and white. Chard has very nutritious leaves making it a popular addition to healthful diets.
Here are some of the bright red Swiss chard stems. The most common method for picking is to cut off the outer leaves about two inches above the ground while they are young, tender, and about eight to 12 inches long. Here, one can see where a leaf was cut during the last harvest.
Kale is related to cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, collard greens, and Brussels sprouts. There are many different types of kale – the leaves can be green or purple in color, and have either smooth or curly shapes.
Arugula is a lesser known cruciferous vegetable that provides many of the same benefits as other vegetables of the same family. Arugula leaves, also known as rocket or roquette, are tender and bite-sized with a tangy flavor.
Look at the beautiful heads of lettuce. I always grow lots of varieties of lettuce, so I can share them with my daughter and her children. This is ‘Red Cross’ – it has large, fancy, bright heads that are suitable for spring, summer, and fall outdoor crops.
Lettuce is most often used for salads, although it is also seen in other kinds of dishes, such as soups, sandwiches and wraps; it can also be grilled.
Butter lettuce is a type of lettuce that includes Bibb lettuce and Boston lettuce. It’s known for loose, round-shaped heads of tender, sweet leaves and a mild flavor.
The frilly fronds of frisee are bitter with a bit of crunch, which adds dimension and texture to both salads and sandwiches.
Parsley is a flowering plant native to the Mediterranean. It derives its name from the Greek word meaning “rock celery.” It is a biennial plant that will return to the garden year after year once it is established.
Parsley ‘Moss Curled’ is a bushy biennial forming a dense rosette of rich green, deeply-cut, tightly-curled, aromatic leaves.
Endives are vegetables belonging to the genus Cichorium. Species include Cichorium endivia, Cichorium pumilum, and Cichorium intybus. Common chicory includes types such as radicchio, puntarelle, and Belgian endive.
In this bed – beets, waiting to be picked. Beets are sweet and tender – and one of the healthiest foods. Beets contain a unique source of phytonutrients called betalains, which provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and detoxification support.
We harvest a lot of spinach all year long for my green juice, which I have every morning. Spinach is an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, folate, and a good source of manganese, magnesium, iron and vitamin B2. This is ‘Bloomdale’ – a large, spreading spinach with meaty, dark-green leaves and a rich, nutty flavor.
Here’s more spinach – so lush and green. I make it a point to plant what I like best and what I will use most, so there is never any waste from the gardens.
I am so pleased with my vegetable greenhouse this year. Soon, we will be working on the outdoor beds, but for now, I am so fortunate to have this greenhouse where I can harvest flavorful and healthy produce all winter long.
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