January 2019

Written by 2018 Assistant Education Director, Becca Sears

The Winchester community is fortunate to have access to acre upon acre of trails in the woods. At Wright-Locke Farm, our property abuts the Whipple Hill conservation area. During the 2018 season, the Youth Education Program made a conscious effort to spend more time in the forest by incorporating daily woods walks into our sessions.

We enter the woods next to the small pond near the bee boxes. We first use our eyes to take in our surroundings. As quietly as we can, we walk on the path alongside the long edge of the pond. What colors do you see? With younger groups, we bring color swatches to help narrow their focus. Once we reach a designated meeting spot, we discuss what we saw. Green leaves, brown dirt, blue sky, white clouds. Once a child pointed out a piece of blue litter on the ground, which led to a discussion about the importance of “leave no trace” and why we should keep our forests clean.

What do you hear? We do a mindfulness listening activity called “Fistful of Sounds”: everyone closes their eyes, silently raises a hand in the air, and puts one finger down with each new sound they hear until they have a fistful of sounds. This exercise spans all age groups. It is endearing to watch preschoolers as they open and close their whole fists with each sound, and encouraging to see reluctant 5th graders silently listen and wholeheartedly participate. We hear nature sounds: leaves rustling, branches cracking, bird chirping. We hear human sounds: planes flying overhead, a car beeping, the tractor plowing. This is to practice being in the “here and now”. Starting at a young age, children and their families are constantly on the go, oftentimes going  from one activity to the next. Even taking a minute or two to be present in the moment makes a positive difference on one’s state of mind.

As we continue down the path into the woods, we come to a large clearing. This is where we construct our fairy house city. I’ve  found that fairy houses are a great equalizer. No matter your age, and whether you’re using your imagination or engineering skills, everyone can participate in some way. I watch as children create new friendships, share, and resolve conflicts. After a set amount of time, we take a tour and practice listening while others tell the group about their creations.

We move along the path, making our way toward Locke Pond. I listen as the children chatter away, talking about whose birthday party is coming up, what school they go to, or a cool plant they just discovered. Conversation comes naturally to children no matter where they are. In adults, conversing while walking seems to happen more easily. Although seemingly mundane, walking is a shared activity and fosters a connection in that regard. We are also less focused on our body language (i.e. What do I do with my hands? Am I making too much eye contact?) and can actually think about the conversation itself. There are no awkward silences like when we are sitting face-to-face since conversation is a secondary activity to walking.

Despite some resistance, we go up the hill. Everyone (myself included) is huffing and puffing to get to the top. We discuss the importance of physical activity and making our bodies work hard. It is easy to get exercise when you are doing something enjoyable, and where it is not the primary goal.

After we make our way down the other side of the hill and back toward the farm, there are some grumbles of feeling tired, feet hurting, being hot. I remind everyone how close we are to the farm, and how there is value in feeling uncomfortable sometimes (within reason, of course). I read that “the more discomfort you introduce into your life, the more your comfort zone will expand”; I feel strongly about instilling this at a young age, and keeping it in mind as adults. If you slowly introduce discomfort, more opportunities will arise as your comfort zone expands.

As a native New Hampshirite, I have spent much of my life in the woods: hiking, playing, skiing. A season full of walks in the woods at Wright-Locke Farm reminded me of their importance. There are constant learning opportunities for both children and adults, as well as physical and mental well-being benefits. So, whatever the reason,  take a walk in the woods. Bring a friend, spouse, child, grandchild, niece, nephew, dog, or nobody. Go for a short walk for 5 minutes, or a big hike for 6 hours. Challenge yourself or take it slow. Go in the rain, snow, or sunshine; when it’s cold or hot. Go with the flow, and take things as they come. You never know what you might end up experiencing, learning, feeling.

Thank you Becca for your time at Wright-Locke and this lovely piece about one of your favorite things to do with the kids in the youth programs. The best of luck to you and have fun with where the wind takes you!

October 2018

Written by By Sally Quinn (Former Board President)

September 10 was my last Wright-Locke Farm Conservancy Board meeting. My first one was the inaugural meeting of the Conservancy in the fall of 2008.  If I may take a moment to wax poetic, here are a few thoughts.  Leaving the Board is bittersweet for me.  Maybe it is hitting hard since this meeting fell two days after I watched my daughter marry her boyfriend of 11 years, a love affair that started in Ms Maserian’s art room at Winchester High School.  Or maybe I am just getting sentimental.  I am leaving the board because my term limit is up and I believe that is a good thing for the organization.  A place as vibrant as the farm profits from change in leadership.  And I am leaving the farm in extremely good hands.  Our Board and staff are committed, hard-working, and all share a love of the farm.  No problem there.

It has been a pleasure (and a fair amount of hard work) to watch the farm grow to what it is today.  I mean that.  I have enjoyed working with and meeting so many bright and energetic folks.   As lovely as the landscape is at the farm, it is the people who make it special.

I do not have to remind the board about how far we have come.  The farm is a distinctly different place from its first years when volunteers operated a pick-your-own raspberry effort from under the big tree on Ridge Street.   Due to the Life Estate granted to the Hamiltons, we only had access to the squash house and to get there we could not use the driveway.  Today we are well over a half-million dollar a year enterprise offering a full range of certified organic produce, locally sourced goodies in our farmstand, a rich panoply of youth and adult education courses, and over 70 events ranging from birthday parties, to Family Farm Nights, PTO get-togethers, Scout meetings, farm dinners, and weddings. This is managed with a staff of well under 20 (mostly seasonal), countless volunteers, and a dedicated Board.  Most noticeably absent from that list are the many, many people who just wander through, every hour of every day, all year long.  Something keeps bringing people back.  The farm possesses a magic and a serenity that humans need, more and more every year.  With the help of a very supportive community, we have created something special here and this success is due to WLF’s staff and dedicated volunteers. 

From the hard work that allowed the town to buy the farm in 2007, to the marvel of raising enough money to purchase the 12.6 acres that were up for development in 2015, the farm has been a miracle since its inception.  The many people who pitched in and made this happen deserve the thanks for that.  But it is extremely satisfying to look back upon.

So what sage advice do I leave for the farm?  Keep doing it like we do.  Maintain our open and welcoming attitude.  Every single person that comes to the farm deserves a hello and how-do-you-do.  Summer days can be hot, work in the fields and with children is hard, but we need to pull out a smile for our visitors.  That is what got us to this place. Nurture everyone who happens through. Who knows? The future leadership of the farm may be found feeding the goats some day soon

We have been smart (and perhaps lucky) enough to keep a handsome reserve as we all know that farming is tough and there are lots of things over which we have no control.  We have a board agreement that we will always hold a reserve at least equal to half of our annual budget.  For a rainy day.  Or, since we are a farm, a drought or a fire, or whatever. Hold on to that reserve, in case we need it someday.  It also helps us sleep at night.

And really, I am not leaving the farm or Winchester.  It is home. And I am certainly not leaving the Farm with any leadership issues. Lia O’Donnell, who has been Vice -President, is ably taking over the President’s role and Scott Gilmour is taking on the Vice-Presidency. These are two smart and energetic fans of the farm who care deeply about its future. So no problem there!

I might take some time to travel with my ever-patient husband, but the bees still need keeping, chores never cease, sunsets still need to be admired at the end of the day, and I love to fill in where needed.  So, you probably won’t know I left.  That works for me.  

Thank you for all the fun.  It has been a great ride.

Continue to think and dream big.  No one could have imagined where we would be today and I cannot foresee where we will be in another 10 years.  But let’s keep dreaming.  Believe there is no limit.  

Keep an eye to the budget.  Write it as well as you can and try to live within it.  Know where the money will come from.  But never be afraid to invest in something new.  Every week we think up and hear about new ideas.  Usually the good ones float to the surface and the others seem to just wither away.  Visitors, staff, volunteers, and board members all need to be listened to, because they are a source of great forward movement.  Let’s keep reaching out to all of them.

September 2018

Written by Board Member, Michelle Prior

Many of you know about our 1827 Barn and our famous Squash House, but have you ever noticed the small building off the back of the 1827 Barn? It is an old Ice House! What is an Ice House do you ask? For many of us, the whole booming business of ice harvesting has long left our memories, but this Ice House is a remnant of that time.

We have recently redone the Ice House as an exhibit so more people can learn about the history of the area and of the farm. Here is some information and to give you some background (courtesy of Michelle Prior, one of our board members).

Before the advent of freon-based refrigeration in the early 1900s, ice was the only way to keep things cool and keep food from spoiling. Ice Harvesting – the process of extracting ice from freshwater sources – was a significant business throughout the 1800s.  The commercial ice industry can trace its roots to Boston, the first natural ice business began in Boston in 1805.  In its heyday, ice was the first agricultural product of the year in New England, harvested in the heart of winter, January & February.

Specialized tools were developed to harvest 12-20inch thick ice, and the work was extremely labor intensive.  Scrapers were used to clear snow from frozen lakes and ponds and the pond ice was scored into large grids (like a checkerboard) by ice plows. Large custom-made saws were used to cut ice blocks following the outlines of the scored grid. Splitting bars or spades separated the blocks from the larger grid.  People working on the edge of the cut sections of ice then used long picks or poles to direct the ice blocks into channels cut into the pond – pushing them along like a floating assembly line. Ice blocks were then lifted into ice houses by conveyor belts powered by animals, machines or humans.  Gaffs were used to lift the blocks into place and the ice was tightly packed in rows and columns inside the ice house.

Ice Preservation and Ice Use

Ice was preserved in houses which were specifically built for the purpose of storing harvested ice.  Ice houses were double walled and tightly insulated with straw or sawdust. Small ice houses were built by private landowners and commercial ice houses could store as much as 80,000 tons of ice.  The ice itself was sold to individuals and businesses and ice harvested in the heart of winter was preserved and sold throughout the year. Ice was often wrapped in blankets before being transported for sale.

Ice from New England was sold to customers in the southern United States, in the West Indies, South America, India, China and Europe. In the 1850s the ice box was patented and ice boxes began to appear in homes in greater numbers and families would receive weekly ice deliveries.  

Ice was used primarily for preserving foods and making ice cream– it was not consumed the way it is today, to chill beverages or be blended into smoothies. Ice harvesting from natural water sources began to decline with the invention of automated ice machines and the widespread expansion of refrigeration.  However, ice harvesting is still being done in New Hampshire and Maine and the public can participate in the annual President’s Day weekend harvest at the Thompson Ice House in South Bristol, Maine.

Currently we do not of a consistent schedule for the Ice House. If you would like a tour of the Ice House Exhibit, please contact Archie McIntyre.