Summer is flying by! David & John finished cutting the first days of hay right around the Summer Solstice on June 20. Regrowth of second cutting and regrowths of the cows’ pasture is very slow on account of the drought we are experiencing. Whenever we get a rainy day, or even an hour, I feel so relieved! We have had countless beautiful summer days, but feeding our cows depends on what we can grow from May to October, and those dry, perfect days can start to feel a little ominous! My job for today is canning up a 40 gallon stainless steel barrel of Amber Rich that David has brought up fro ..read more

The maple sugaring season was pretty wild this year! No two years are ever the same. This year we boiled twice in February- the 23rd and 25th. Then no sap ran until March 5th when the trees opened up and sap came in everyday until we quit on March 23rd! It was an incredible run and challenging to keep up with. They made around 475 gallons of syrup, all grade A. David and his loyal helpers stopped because they ran out of wood and stainless steel barrels to store the syrup in. The sap kept running but we chose not to collect and boil.. The trees gave us a generous crop and we are very grateful ..read more

The sap ran all day and night, and just slowed down yesterday afternoon. Al Franklin, Jr., Michael Franklin, John Franklin, and David all worked to make the first boil come together. The syrup they made tasted delicious! Visitors are always welcome when the steam is coming out roof vents ..read more

All the taps are in! The sugarhouse is cleaned up and put together. A good crew joined in to make it happen. Tyler Potter and Paul worked together. Rob Potter and Dana Franklin worked together. Michael Franklin joined in too. Now we wait for the temperature to get above freezing during the day. Monday looks promising! Thank you everybody for all your help. We couldn’t do it without you. John happy to be in the woods Thanks to our awesome tapping crew! A very happy and tired farmer Dave after a long day ..read more

Cows enjoying one the last days of the 2021 grazing season. They have been out every day since May 3rd. Yesterday, November 11 was their last day eating fresh grass. We have never been able to graze them this late in the fall. All the rain kept pastures growing. The cows and us are grateful ..read more

Fixing a healthy, homemade, satisfying meal at the end of the day is often a challenge for me. That said, I do like to eat and everyone in our household has put in long day on the farm, and we are hungry. I often hear that soups are easy to prepare. Yet I remain intimidated by them. I recently decided that it is time I master a few easy ones that I can put together in little time, using what I have on hand, and make everybody happy, including me. “Simple, super easy, and delicious hamburger soup made with Franklin Farm ground beef.” So, the other night, I threw this soup together. I had done n ..read more

Here on the Franklin Farm the stillness of winter days is interrupted by the twice daily rhythm of chores. Our alarm clocks announce the arrival of 4:30 am. And the day starts for whoever is milking. Out to the barn by 5, the cows are roused from their beds and brought in to the barn for milking. It doesn’t take long for the cows to take the chill off the barn. Thirty-six 1000 pounds animals with body temperatures of 101.5 throw off quite a bit of heat. The stanchions rattle as the cows eat their few pounds of grain which is doled out at every milking. The amount of grain they receive is based ..read more

Winter caught us off guard. Winter has come early to New England. Just the other day I heard a weatherman say that this has been the third snowiest November in Vermont since records have been kept. That said, there is still plenty of fall work left to do here on the Franklin Farm.  All of the heat on the farm, much of the hot water, and all of the maple syrup is produced by burning wood from the farm forest. Quite a bit of that wood still needs to be cut, split and stacked. John often spends the hours in between chores working on wood. Another big job is bringing the hay crop home. David ..read more

For quite some time I have contemplated writing a Franklin Farm blog. As winter sets in, it seems as though this may be as good a time as any to begin. Few people make their living farming anymore. If you have never lived this way, or known relatives that did, you might find this blog interesting. In these entries I will shed light on my family's work and our commitment to the animals we partner with here on the Franklin Farm, as well as the diverse, beautiful and productive land that supports us all.   I encourage you to comment and ask questions. I will do my best to resp ..read more

Back when David’s father Bill Franklin was growing up here in Guilford, pancakes were served every morning at breakfast. Most of the time with maple syrup, but also with left over gravy from supper the night before. They were wholesome and filled everybody up till dinner was served at noon. Here on the farm we still eat them two or three times a week instead of boxed cereal. Franklin Farm Whole Grain Pancakes 1 Cup whole milk* 1 Tbsp. vinegar or lemon juice 1 Tbsp. mild oil (such as sunflower, canola, vegetable) 1 large fresh egg 1/2 Cup white flour** 1/2 Cup whole wheat flour ..read more