Chris and Sherry Hardie

B&B homesteaders

Opening up a bed and breakfast was the realization of a dream for us. Our long-term goal is to be self-sufficient (we're well on our way) and to be able to share the earth's bounties with our guests.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Enjoying fall rituals


Fall is here and along with it comes some of our favorite fall rituals.
1. The first apple pie of the season. We have a number of apple trees that produce from August through October. We always look forward to making that first pie with our own apples. In early August we have Lodi and the heirloom apple Duchess. Later in September we pick our favorite – crisp Cortlands. Also in September we pick the hardy climate Harralson, Northwestern Greening and the huge Wold River apple. In October the sweet Honey Gold apple ripens last. We freeze plenty for sauces, crisps and pies. We have new Honeycrisp trees that will bear in a few years.
2. The first pot of chili. When there is a chill in the night air, it’s time to make that first pot of chili. We let it simmer all day for the spices to fully develop. It’s always better when we use our own tomatoes from the garden. We’ve been canning juice to take us through the winter.
3. Fall decorating. The abundance of our garden supplies the majority of our natural fall décor. Squashes, pumpkins and colorful gourds all make the house more festive. A large corn shock graces the front porch to welcome guests. We scour the woods for bittersweet and bright red hawthorn branches.
4. Lastly, fall baking fills the house with the wonderful fragrances of the season. The aroma of apple and pumpkin pies and baked goods add a warm, spicy, homey welcome when you walk in the door.
Welcome fall and all the rituals that it brings.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Moving a piece of history


We have always had a deep sense of appreciation for history. We wake up every day in the farmhouse that was built by Chris’s great-grandparents. We enjoyed every minute of visiting cathedrals and old homes in England, some of them going back to the 1100s.
It’s in that spirit that we’ve embarked on a historical journey of sorts. A pioneer cabin – actually two cabins that were joined together – will join our farm sometime next year.
This summer we spent time working with the Preservation Alliance of La Crosse to carefully mark and label the logs, tear down the cabin and move the logs. It’s been a lot of work.
The La Crosse Tribune published a story about the process. In the story Chris was quoted as saying that we intend to use the cabin as a sugar shack. A wife of a cousin said those words drew some snide comments from co-workers who thought we were expanding our B&B business into some sort of cabin of ill-repute!
Sugar shack is the term that is also used for the building where maple sap is boiled down, which is what we intend to use the cabin for. We may also have some historically appropriate furnishings.
We hope to put together a family history of the cabin. After the story was published, we had many people come forth who grew up in the cabin or had connections to it.

The cabin was located about 40 miles from us in Monroe County. As of late August, with the help of our friend Carl Wallace at Village Lumber in West Salem, the logs are safely stored in our shed. Our goal is to prepare a site for the cabin next year and start the reconstruction process.
We’ll provide updates on that project next year!