Art

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“Best field trip ever”

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One young boy shouted this as he was on his way back from the farm animal sanctuary this morning. How could it not be the headline today?

Modeling leaf resist t-shirts

Modeling leaf resist t-shirts

That young man was here with Charlene Finch and her Junior Gardeners from Continental. This was the second year that the group visited the Quarry Farm. They are one of best bunch of people we’ve ever met. Enthusiastic about everything, which is good since their day started here with rain. But since the shelter house went up last summer, the roof was ready and overhead. The new tent curtains were draw to the west and south, so the rain was hampered enough that kids and parents could make leaf shirts and select herbs for culinary, scent and healing bundles.

Charlene and her gardeners make herb bundles

Charlene and her gardeners make herb bundles

Charlene Finch started the Junior Gardeners group four years ago as part of her Defiance County Master Gardeners project. She liked it and the participants so much that she kept at it. Her own pocket paid for materials and seeds at

Costmary, an herb

Costmary, an herb

first. Now the group receives donations, holds 50/50 raffles and sells food at the Continental fall festival to fund summer gardening projects.

During the 2012 visit, Beatrice was just a piglet, a very shy one. Her encounter with Continental Junior Gardener Brandon was a positive turning point for us and Little Pig. Prior to the first trip, she wouldn’t let anyone close. But she liked Brandon. This morning as we all walked up the path to see the animals, Beatrice came at a trot, full grown and not a bit shy. Buddy and the goats were especially happy to see the 50-pound bag of peanuts that the group donated today.

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You’ve got mail

2013 Summer Newsletter.inddThe 2013 summer edition of The Quarry Farm Newsletter is done.

Click on the cover to the left and see for yourself what’s coming up.

There are three events planned, so get registered while the getting’s good. Not all require preregistration, but still. Take a look.

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The gloves are off

Peter Noyes and his camera lead the way down the hill from the upland trail

The rains finally came and the trees, grasses, birds and animals with every number of feet collectively sighed with relief. Most joyously, the rains fell throughout the day of July 19 and stopped just long enough for the Allen County Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalists (OCVN) to hold a meeting at Red Fox Cabin and walk the floodplain and upland forest trails. As the group emerged from the nature preserve and reassembled on the cabin porch for cookies and lemonade, the sky opened up for another dousing. Photographer Peter M. Noyes recorded the OCVN visit. Check out his website at http://www.naturebypete.com/ for that album as well as more from his portfolio. Good stuff all around.

Today was quite literally of a different color. Many colors. A major tie-dye event produced a gallery of hats, shirts, cloths and even a few onesies that are now drying on tree branches and chairs at the neighboring Seitz farmhouse. A few hands were dyed in the process, as pictured above.

 Meanwhile back on the Quarry Farm, the shelter house is rising as a Seitz family crew is now in its third day of adding timber to the pad poured last month. Chief architect and foreman Keith Seitz designed the shelter house to blend aesthetically with the natural environment. The facility will be the site for many future gatherings, workshops and meetings, open to all by reservation appointment.

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Making Leaves While the Sun Shines

Putting Burdock to Work

For everyone who wonders why there have been colossal burdock plants flourishing in certain yards in the neighborhood, you can rest easy as the plants have been harvested. The giant leaves from these towering weeds* were reserved for today’s “Art in Nature: Make a Lasting Leaf” workshop on the grounds of The Quarry Farm’s Red Fox Cabin here on Road 7L.

Casting in Concrete

NOAA predicted a hot, dry day without much-needed rain but the shade trees off the front porch kept today’s outdoor studio cool enough to cast leaf-molded birdbaths, bowls and stepping stones. But enough talk. Here are some photos of the Class of June 9, 2012.

If you couldn’t make today’s event, look for upcoming workshops posted in “events”, or get on our emailing list by sending a message saying, “Sign me up for the newsletter” or “Put me on the mailing list” or “Hey, you!” to thequarryfarm@gmail.com.

*Although I’m paraphrasing, a favorite quote says something along the lines that one person’s flower is another man’s weed growing where he doesn’t want it.

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A Brand New Intimidation

For those of you unfamiliar with The Quarry Farm, we’re a small, nonprofit conservation farm and nature preserve located in Riley Township, Putnam County, Ohio, just about halfway between the villages of Ottawa and Pandora. It’s a family operation, as are most undertakings in this little corner of the state. Taking this whole adventure one step further, we’ve decided to start blogging; it seemed the likeliest avenue down which we should optimistically skip. In theory, at least. In fact? Well, that remains to be seen.

As this whole concept ultimately gelled, for me at least, around a small flock of reddish chickens … this, then, and I’ll bow out (for the moment):

red and purple sky
horned owls stir in cottonwoods
in the coop, silence