The Barn at Sweet Fern Hill

06/13/2026

Depending on your age, many of us remember that classic episode of the Brady Bunch where Marcia gets hit square in the face with a football. One moment she's minding her own business, the next she's seeing stars and sporting a swollen nose.

Well, this morning, I had my own Brady Bunch moment.

While chatting on the phone with a friend about an upcoming class we're hosting here at the farm, I was making my usual rounds—watering, feeding, and tackling morning chores.

This morning started out like every other.

Except today, I let my guard down.

While distracted by the conversation, I forgot the number one rule of raising animals:

Situational awareness.

No matter how young you raised them, how much you love them, how gentle they usually are, or how well you care for them—always assume they have the potential to injure you.

I opened the coop door to let our laying hens out to pasture, just as I do every day. A few came running out. A few came flying out.

And as you may have guessed by now, one airborne feathered football launched itself directly into my face like it had just been released from the hands of Joe Namath throwing a last-second Hail Mary. The kind of pass you throw when you've got nothing left to lose and everything riding on the play.

Not a gentle flutter.

Not a glancing blow. A full-speed, wings-flapping, feathers-flying, gallons out collision. 8 pounds of feathered fury at 15 mph right at my face.

To say I was stunned would be an understatement.

One second I was discussing event details. The next I was questioning every life choice that had led me to being body-checked by a poultry before a 2nd cup of coffee.

Just last week I told Will that if I wore a GoPro camera around here every day, we'd be millionaires from the content alone.

After today's incident, however, I think we may need a full production crew.

Because somewhere between the escaped pigs, the beekeeping adventures, the equipment breakdowns, the unexpected wildlife encounters, and now getting tackled by free-range poultry, I'm starting to think this place isn't a farm at all.

It's a reality show...

So if you see me with a black eye this week, rest assured, its not my husband I have to fear; its Hennifer Lopez, who I need a restraining order on...
😆 🤣 😂

06/12/2026

Why Has My Honey Crystallized?

Good news—crystallization is completely normal and is actually a sign of high-quality, natural honey.

If you primarily use your honey in hot drinks like tea or coffee, crystallized honey can actually be less messy and easier to scoop. There is no need to do anything at all—simply enjoy it as is.

If you'd prefer your honey to be pourable again for yogurt, smoothies, baking, or cooking, restoring it is simple. Place the jar in a bowl of warm water and allow it to gently warm until the crystals dissolve. Avoid high heat or microwaving, as excessive heat can damage some of honey's beneficial enzymes and compounds.

A Note About Honey and Metal Spoons

You may have heard that honey should not come into contact with metal utensils. While some honey enthusiasts prefer using wooden or silicone honey dippers to preserve honey's natural properties, occasional contact with a metal spoon is unlikely to significantly reduce its benefits. Honey has been valued for centuries for its nutritional and wellness properties, and you can rest assured that you are still enjoying its many advantages.

Do All Types of Honey Crystallize?
Yes! All natural honey will eventually crystallize, whether it's classic clover honey, wildflower honey, or even premium manuka honey.

In fact, crystallization is often a sign that the honey is raw, natural, and minimally processed.

Highly processed or pasteurized honey may crystallize much more slowly because heating alters its natural structure. Some commercial honey products containing additives such as corn syrup may not crystallize at all. While these products may remain liquid longer, they often lack the rich flavor and many of the natural qualities found in pure honey.

So if your honey crystallizes, don't worry—it's doing exactly what real honey is supposed to do.

🍯 At The Barn at Sweet Fern Hill, our raw honey is never over-processed, so crystallization is simply nature's way of reminding you that you're enjoying the real thing.

06/12/2026

06/12/2026

06/11/2026

06/10/2026

🌿 The Honest Harvest: Honoring the Bird, Preserving Lost Skills & Feeding Our Families 🌿

📍 The Barn at Sweet Fern Hill
🗓 Sunday, June 21st | 8:00 AM

There was a time when every family knew where their food came from.

Not from a grocery store shelf. Not wrapped in plastic. But from the land, from careful stewardship, and from the understanding that life sustains life.

This class is not about convenience.

It is about reconnecting with a skill that nourished generations before us. It is about learning to process meat with dignity, respect, and gratitude. It is about understanding the responsibility that comes with raising animals for food and ensuring that every bird is honored from its first day to its last.

At Sweet Fern Hill, we believe that if an animal gives its life to feed our families, that life deserves respect. We believe that knowledge should be shared, not lost. We believe that food security begins with learning the skills our grandparents once considered ordinary.

Whether you come to observe, learn hands-on, or process your own birds, you will leave with a deeper understanding of ethical food production, self-reliance, and the sacred relationship between farmer and flock.

🌿 We honor the birds.
🌿 We preserve lost skills.
🌿 We feed our families.

Class Options:
🐔 Observe & Learn — $20
🐔 Hands-On Experience (Process One of Our Birds) — $45
🐔 Bring Your Own Birds to Process — $100

👧🧒 Children 10 and older attend free.

This isn't just a class.

It's a return to knowledge, responsibility, and gratitude.

Join us as we reclaim a skill that once connected families to their food, their land, and each other.

Text or call to book and prepay to guarantee your spot. Dawn 508-942-4106

🌾🐓❤️

06/04/2026

They convinced us we were too busy to cook real meals.

Too tired to grow a garden.

Too modern and sophisticated to preserve food.

Too fragile for the sun.

Too inept to learn how to use the herbs and plants that generations before us relied upon.

Instead, they filled our time with television shows, endless entertainment, and sporting arenas that consume our attention and free time.

They convinced us the sun was something to fear and avoid.

They taught us that the answer to every symptom was a doctor's visit and a prescription.

They made us believe that healing could only come from a bottle, and that our ancestors knew nothing worth remembering.

They normalized the harsh frequencies, the lyrics, the messages, and the noise that now surround us every waking hour.

They convinced children that they should question what they see in the mirror before they even know who they are.

They told us that self-reliance was outdated and dependence was progress.

We have normalized ultra-processed foods while chronic illness continues to rise.

We have glorified unhealthy lifestyles while becoming more disconnected from nature, movement, and personal responsibility.

We tell people that drugs are dangerous, yet millions of children now take prescription medications every day.

We have traded gardens for grocery aisles, front porches for screens, and wisdom passed down through generations for whatever is trending this week.

The result?

A society that is "connected", yet more isolated.

More entertained, yet less fulfilled.

More medicated, and yet sicker than any other time.

Maybe the answer isn't another app, another prescription, another expert, or another distraction.

Maybe the answer is remembering what made us strong in the first place.

Grow the garden.

Spend time in person, and grow that community.

Cook the meal.

Learn the skill.

Get your hands dirty.

Spend time in the sun.

Know where your food comes from.

Question what you're told and always ask who stands to gain from you being disconnected, distracted, dis-eased and disengaged from nature.

And remember that the things our ancestors considered normal are now being rediscovered as revolutionary and backed by science.

06/02/2026

Tonight's side quest after work:

A felled tree with an enormous colony of honey bees in Duxbury who need re-homing now.

🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝