Celebrate Earth Day like a local
This morning on the way to the bus stop, my six-year-old suddenly shouted, with no apparent reason or impetus, at the top of his lungs (as six-year-olds are wont to do), “HAPPY EARTH DAY MOMMA!” Hey, at least he remembered the date’s significance, even if it was a jolt to my eardrums and under-caffeinated senses.
It’s pretty commonly accepted and celebrated that growing and buying local can make a meaningful difference in the health of our bodies, minds, economies, and communities - but how often do you put these theories into practice in your everyday life?
Earth Day (April 22) is a great time to reflect on how our daily choices can impact the health of the planet, and one of the most significant activities where we can do good is in growing and buying local - supporting local farms, farmers, and businesses, either with our time, money, or verbal and social support.
Here’s a round up of a few easy ways you can celebrate Mother Earth locally, along with our recommendations within a 15 mile radius of our farm.
Reduce your carbon footprint by purchasing locally grown produce and products.
We love getting our yogurt and eggs from Willow Marsh Farm on Hop City Road, our salsa, hanging baskets, and ready-to-eat deli salads at Arnold’s Farm Fresh Produce on Sacandaga Road, and gift items for holidays and birthdays at Sugarbush Lane Mercantile on Maple Avenue. Piggyback on visiting local shops by selecting carefully at your local grocery store - look for items grown or produced close by. You’re supporting your local farmers and vendors, no matter where you make your purchase! Finally, consider joining a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). They allow you to purchase a share of the farm’s output throughout the growing season, and some offer both produce and meat options.
Visit Farmers Markets.
If you don’t have farmstands or CSAs near you, focus your weekly shopping at Farmers Markets, where you can support a variety of local vendors in just one trip. It’s easy to grab lots of seasonally available, fresh produce, dairy and meat without traveling far, and shopping for fresh items each week can help you avoid waste. Our favorite is the Schenectady Greenmarket, held year-round (indoors during winter months and outside, street vendor style, in the warm months) - maybe because they always have some fabulous local cideries and breweries there too, like Nine Pin Cider (Albany) and Weyward Lane Brewing (Schoharie).
Search out ways to reduce waste.
Locally grown produce typically requires less packaging than that found in big stores and shipped long distances, reducing the waste that winds up in landfills. Single use plastics are a big no-no, and easier than ever to avoid - bring your own bags, water bottles, straws and utensils when you’re heading out for the day, or to enjoy your food with after a busy morning at the Farmers Market. It’s easy to forget these items, so make a practice of keeping them in your vehicle or whatever bag you’ll be bringing to the market to help you remember.
Use zero-cost ways to celebrate our planet.
Promoting farming, sustainability, and earth-conscious practices can be a no-spend operation. Follow your favorite local businesses on social media, and engage with their content. Doing so helps their reach and gets them noticed more, at no cost to you but tremendous value to them! Ask about local producers when you’re in stores and restaurants to encourage buyers that their shoppers favor products sourced from small, nearby vendors. Learn more about farmland preservation initiatives by attending their events or watching remotely - they’re usually free and open to the public! - and vote for local candidates who are aligned to these practices. You can also start a small (or large!) home composting operation with food scraps and yard waste to create your own nutrient-rich soil for your garden.
The reality is that Earth Day and planet-conscious practices are competing for space and time in our brains with all the myriad items on our daily to-do lists. If we all committed to just one of these pro-planet activities a week, imagine the cumulative effect we could have!
Shop local, buy local, support small farms, and stay green!
The secret’s out…
We tell people all the time how wonderful the greater Capital Region is to visit, vacation, and live in.
Well, now the secret’s really out (at least for readers of Country Living Magazine).
Saratoga, Schenectady, and Lake George were named three must-see small towns to visit in New York - and we really couldn’t agree more, considering that we’re 20 minutes, 15 minutes, and 45 minutes away from each, respectively.
Check out the article: Best Small Towns in New York — Cute Small Towns Near NYC (countryliving.com).
In fact, if you were to stay with us at one of our super cute camp sites (book on Hipcamp today!) you could access six of these picturesque spots within an easy drive - including pristine Saranac Lake, historic Cooperstown, Lake George Village and surrounding hiking and boating adventures, upscale Saratoga Springs, and charming downtown Schenectady.
Here’s a few of our favorite summer and fall activities in our incredible upstate New York towns:
Saratoga Springs Race Course - named one of the world’s greatest sports venues by Sports Illustrated, featuring live horse racing for over 150 years
Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) - the summer venue for live music, including concerts, orchestras, kids events, and more
Stand Up Paddleboarding on Ballston Lake, Saratoga Lake, or Saranac Lake
For history nerds like us, Saratoga Battlefield, Fort Ticonderoga, and Ft William Henry
Brewery Ommegang and the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown
All the local breweries within a 20 mile radius of Birch Star Farm, including Wolf Hollow Brewing, Active Ingredient Brewing, Common Roots Brewing and so many more
Send us a message (hello@birchstarfarmcharlton.com) for more info, personalized Upstate New York vacation recommendations, or to camp for a few nights while you explore everything this wonderful region has to offer.
4 Ways Nature Helps us Destress
Whether it’s ongoing or sporadic, low-level or intense, stress can impact our health, happiness, and even our longevity. But you know what’s scientifically proven to help fight the effects of stress and enable us to better manage it in the future?
Getting outside.
April is Stress Awareness Month. While Birch Star Farm can’t help with the stressors you already encounter, we may be able to lend a hand in helping you deal with the impact. Psychologically and physically, getting your muck boots dirty is a great way to temporarily relieve the toll that stress takes on your body.
Upstate New York in April isn’t exactly renowned for its incredible weather, but we’re in the midst of a Fool’s Spring here in 2023 and aim to get out there and make the most of what Mother Nature is throwing at us while we have it!
Here are just a few ways that science says the outdoors can help us relieve stress in our lives.
There’s a reason they say taking a walk when you’re upset can help you calm down. Studies show that just being in nature and surrounded by fresh air, the vibrant colors of spring, and natural scenery can have a calming effect on the mind and body. Spending time in nature can reduce levels of cortisol (the stress hormone), lower blood pressure, and improve mood (see also: forest bathing). We’re working on a path that wraps through and around our property - following the orchard, around the pond, through the trees and past the corn fields. Once it’s done, we’ll welcome anyone to stroll!
Exposure to sunlight helps the body produce vitamin D, which is important for overall health and can help regulate mood. This is something I’ve personally experienced and found to be true - and probably why so many of us from Upstate New York head south of the Mason Dixon for a few days each winter. Sunlight can trigger the release of endorphins, those natural feel-good chemicals in your body. This can be as simple as walking out your front door and soaking in the sun for a few minutes between meetings - something we like to do here, a lot.
We’ve got too many farm chores to count, but they have some nice side effects. Farm life can involve prolonged and intense physical activity, whether it’s raking, gardening, weeding, planting trees, chasing rodents from tunneling through our barn, and lots more. Exercise has been shown to reduce stress and improve mood by releasing endorphins and reducing levels of cortisol. Swing by to help us get some of these 75 new apple trees into the ground, and watch your stress melt away!
Sometimes simply getting away from our normal environment and our day to day routine can lift your mood. But you don’t have to go far: just being outside for a few hours offers a change of scenery and a chance to disconnect from daily stressors, which can help us relax and recharge - book a stay with us through HipCamp and experience the difference just one or two days away can make. We have a few pond-side tent and camper sites, and we’re building a few in the woods too, for those of you who prefer to be amongst the trees.
Whatever you do, take advantage of any weather that doesn’t require 7 layers of winter bundling and observe whether it has a positive impact on your stress levels. Have fun out there.
HipCamp with us.
Using travel housing and apartment rental sites like AirBNB and VRBO for vacation planning are now considered part of the norm.
But what do campers, RV’ers, and tenters use when they just want an easy, relaxing and relatively inexpensive night under the stars? Or how about those remote workers looking to squeeze in some adventures once they shut their laptops for the day, but don’t want to spend a fortune on expensive housing rentals?
Enter HipCamp.
We first heard about this “roughing it” rental option through a friend. Basically, travelers with tents, camper vans, or RVs use the platform to book a campsite, hosted by those with land to spare.
It’s easy to sign up as a HipCamper. You can review nearby spots or those you’re planning to visit, check the pricing and photos, view availability, and even message the host to ask specific questions. HipCamp also surfaces local activities and tourist spots that are nearby so you get a sense of what’s close and worthy of a visit.
Why camp?
There’s quite a few benefits to using HipCamp for your camping and travel needs:
You’re supporting a small business (like ours!). And usually, hosts are environmentally-conscious and eager to preserve the beauty of the outdoors while sharing with others.
It’s better than a parking lot! Sleeping in a quiet campsite is far superior to sleeping in a parking lot or other “public” location where overnight stays may be permitted. Instead, enjoy the peace and quiet of sleeping under the stars in a safe location (HipCamp hosts are vetted and checked by HipCamp).
There’s usually exclusivity. Many listings, like Birch Star Farm, only offer a few sites - unlike “RV parks” or other large camping venues, you may be the only camper or tenter enjoying the space.
It’s affordable. Many sites on HipCamp are budget-friendly. Ours start at $36/night and top out at $40/night.
It’s (relatively) easy. HipCamp’s app can sometimes be buggy, but it seems to be improving all the time. It’s simple to book and message hosts, and hosts are rated based on their responsiveness - so they’re incentivized to be prompt.
Visit us!
We offer pond-side campsites compatible with camper vans, small RVs, and tents. With only 2 spots available to book, you’re practically guaranteed peace and quiet. Our large firepit is perfect for s’mores under the stars or enjoying a few beers one of the area’s many craft breweries.
We’re just 25 minutes from the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) and downtown Saratoga Springs, close to the gorgeous Adirondack State Park (with both family-friendly and expert hiking trails), Lake George’s attractions, and much more.
Find us on HipCamp, or reach out to us directly to book: hello@birchstarfarmcharlton.com.
Beets me.
This past spring, we enthusiastically planted a bunch of golden beets without giving much thought to what happens after (if) they actually grow. We enjoy eating beets on goat cheese salads, but the beets in the salad look decidedly different than what comes out of the ground.
Off to the internet we went, searching for the easiest way to prepare beets for human consumption.
Ultimately, we decided to wash them pretty well (we have a 7 month old and a 5 year old and “pretty well” is about as good as anything gets around here), toss them in some extra virgin olive oil, wrap them in foil and throw them into the oven, and see what happened.
Turns out, that’s a super simple, delicious way to get your beets salad-ready.
Here’s the steps we used:
Preheat oven to 425, and politely ask 5 year old if we can take a quick break from discussing the Avengers.
Wash beets as long as you can before the 5 year old starts talking about the Avengers, again (roughly 4 minutes).
While oven preheats, dry beets and lay on aluminum foil, then coat with EVOO. Compare color of beets to color of Iron Man’s suit.
Wrap in aluminum foil, and discuss whether Iron Man uses foil in his designs.
Bake beets in foil and EVOO for 45-60 minutes, depending on how large they are. We went with 60 to be safe, but we have an older oven.
Once beets are cooled, rinse and soak in cold water for a while (read: until you jump up from your desk in a panic, having forgotten you were soaking them). The skins will peel right off. Cut and enjoy!
As you can tell, we have an Avengers-obsessed kiddo in the house, so I’ll also add that if you feel like telling your kids that beets are a super food that Avengers eat and rely on to fight HYDRA agents, I’m not here to stop you.
It takes a village to plant a lot of trees
When we bought what would become Birch Star Farm, our first thought was to plant a ton of fruit and Christmas trees to use as a mainly passive source of income. Dig a few holes, plant the trees, give ‘em some water, and boom - a few fields full of profit. How hard could it be?
Despite being somewhat seasoned parents of two kids, we overlooked that a five year old and a five month old do actually require some supervision when both mom and dad will be outside in the hot sun for 7 straight hours struggling to get nearly 500 trees in the ground before they dry up and die.
Thank god for family. Over the course of two weekends, we had one very enthusiastic Nana in charge of the littles while two aunts and an uncle rolled up their sleeves to help us get 100 fruit trees and close to 500 saplings (so small that you’d be forgiven for mistaking for someone’s mature tree trimmings) into the ground.
It’s backbreaking (especially for those of us on the other side of 40), but boy is it rewarding.
We’ve got:
Spanish, French, English and American heritage apples
Pear, sour cherry, cold-hearty peaches, and plum trees, and
Balsam fir, Douglas fir and Scotch pine Christmas trees
all mostly thriving and shooting up new growth week over week for us to admire.
Sure, we’re still having to water them with a combination of 300 foot of garden hose and Home Depot buckets, but with the man- and woman-power of enthusiastic and shovel-bearing family, we didn’t lose any to neglect or running out of time. We truly couldn’t do it without them.
Plan your (e)Scape
Plan your (e)scape - with pesto & pickling!
It’s late spring, and our thoughts turn to warm Sunday fundays, gathering at long farm tables overflowing with sprays of wildflowers, farm fresh cheese and crusty bread, pitchers of spicy bloody Marys, and all the charcuterie fixings.
The best way to complement this scene?
Our home grown scape pesto & pickled scapes.
We’re blessed with a scape bounty this year, and Ed decided it would be the perfect stock-up opportunity for our super cute farm stand (located just in front of the Birch Star Barn). We meticulously taste-tested these recipes ourselves, don’t worry!
Let our fresh scape pesto and pickled scapes spice up your next Sunday Funday!
Soon you’ll be able to visit our farm stand to purchase pesto, pickled scapes, and much more (of the non-scape variety) - cash and Venmo only.
Birch Star Farm’s Scape Pesto: $12
- our pesto is made with cashews, basil-infused EVOO, and heaps of fresh grated Bel Gioioso cheese
Birch Star Farm’s Pickled Scapes: $8
- perfect for summer charcuterie boards & bloody Mary Sundays
To build out your own Sunday Funday menu, visit our favorite local vendors & farm stands - #shoplocal, y’all!
Arnold’s Farm Fresh Produce, 1319 Sacandaga Road, West Charlton
Waterwheel Village for cheese, crackers, jellies, and so much more, 2259 Rt 29, Galway