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WHO ARE WE?
Hickory Nut Farm is a small, family owned and operated farm located in rural Lee NH on York Lane. We
are an assemblage of three generations of family and some wonderful Christian friends, who just like
being here and helping out.
WHAT WE DO
We raise goats, sheep, donkeys and chickens and harvest the products they produce. From goats, we
get cheese, yo-goat-gurt, and soap. From sheep, we get wool. From chickens, we obtain a variety of
eggs. From donkeys we harvest laughter. From our Australian Kelpie dog and our two (marmalade)
cats, we find loyalty and snuggability – perfect reading and study conditions.
WHY WE USE THE TERM “ARTISAN” in our description of products.
All of our products are individually crafted by skilled workers. No two wheels of cheese out of the same
the recipe and method are exactly the same taste or texture, due to the variables that we cannot control.
This, too, is to our delight as each new wheel opened comes with its own mystery. Each is unique and
hand-made. Nothing is mass-produced. Each variety of cheese is of our own development and naming.
Our milk is not pasteurized as that process kills some the nutrition that is good for us. Expectant and
nursing mothers, therefore, should not eat our cheese. Each bar of soap is equally hand-crafted, as is
our yo-goat-gurt and wool.
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
We are content with the quality and taste of the cheese we now market. New combinations of ingredients
and aging processes are continually being explored. As our quantity increased to the need for 6-8
refrigerators and freezers, we built a cheese cave on the farm where a change in grade level gave us
some advantage for a buried “room”. Being under six feet or more of soil and grass cover allows us to
acquire a year-round temperature needed for the aging of the cheese without having to provide either
heat or cooling to the space. We use electrical power only for lighting and fans to circulate the air. We
are now exploring solar and wind power as sources for the electricity we do use. Our object is for ‘nature’
to provide us with a self-sustaining space at the right temperature and humidity for best result in cheese-
making.
FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK?
What got 2 architects into goat-milk products? We lived in York Maine along the York River in a pleasant
neighborhood of friends enjoying our work designing homes and buildings for wonderful clients. But a
dream persisted for a farm life centered on white woolly puffs on a green landscape and the designing
and weaving of wool tapestries. We found this farm for sale. We loved it, bought it, and soon acquired 2
donkeys, 2 sheep, 20 chickens, and a horse. Repairs and new fencing commenced as well as a
conversion of the two car garage to our living room and design studio. After the first shearing of our
sheep, spinning began. The dream was being realized. Then an unusual twist occurred. Our church
had an Easter pageant that included our donkeys and sheep along with some baby goats that belonged
to a friend. Our granddaughter fell in love with the kids and soon owned them. She was wonderfully
excited for a few days – until her neighbors objected to pet goats and the family was told to get rid of the
goats. We got them. They were precious! A bit later, a friend wanted us to babysit her milking goat . She
brought her milking stand and showed us how to make those spigots work. After much soaking of each
other (on opposite sides of the two-teated goat) we eventually got the hang of it. This combination of 4
goats led to wanting to do something with the milk produced . Also we wanted to have more kids because
of their' leaping in the air and coming down any old place, often on top of other goats. We were hooked.
Spinning continued. But goats became supreme.
Any other dreams?
All summer long, we attend various Farmers Marketing selling our cheeses and soaps. Many of the
vendors sell fresh farm vegetables, and their produce is colorful and lush. We have had a vegetable
garden every year in Lee as we did in York, but, alas, it exists mostly in shade. Veggies are stunted or
not at all. Very disappointing. So, we have piles of barn fertilizer and 9 years of leaf mulching sitting
around for use. The only available sunny spot is in mid-donkeyville, where goats and sheep also roam.
Hate to take of their grassland, but plan to build a raised bed, and fenced in garden with the best
combination of fertile soil that we can mix. Our objective is to produce spectacular vegetables like the
true vegetable farmer does.…but maybe not in as large a quantity.
IN THE PRESENT At the end of each day, and the lights are turned off in the barn, we stand
still and listen to the munching of hay. Peace!
Hickory Nut Farm is a small, family owned and operated farm located in rural Lee NH on York Lane. We
are an assemblage of three generations of family and some wonderful Christian friends, who just like
being here and helping out.
WHAT WE DO
We raise goats, sheep, donkeys and chickens and harvest the products they produce. From goats, we
get cheese, yo-goat-gurt, and soap. From sheep, we get wool. From chickens, we obtain a variety of
eggs. From donkeys we harvest laughter. From our Australian Kelpie dog and our two (marmalade)
cats, we find loyalty and snuggability – perfect reading and study conditions.
WHY WE USE THE TERM “ARTISAN” in our description of products.
All of our products are individually crafted by skilled workers. No two wheels of cheese out of the same
the recipe and method are exactly the same taste or texture, due to the variables that we cannot control.
This, too, is to our delight as each new wheel opened comes with its own mystery. Each is unique and
hand-made. Nothing is mass-produced. Each variety of cheese is of our own development and naming.
Our milk is not pasteurized as that process kills some the nutrition that is good for us. Expectant and
nursing mothers, therefore, should not eat our cheese. Each bar of soap is equally hand-crafted, as is
our yo-goat-gurt and wool.
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
We are content with the quality and taste of the cheese we now market. New combinations of ingredients
and aging processes are continually being explored. As our quantity increased to the need for 6-8
refrigerators and freezers, we built a cheese cave on the farm where a change in grade level gave us
some advantage for a buried “room”. Being under six feet or more of soil and grass cover allows us to
acquire a year-round temperature needed for the aging of the cheese without having to provide either
heat or cooling to the space. We use electrical power only for lighting and fans to circulate the air. We
are now exploring solar and wind power as sources for the electricity we do use. Our object is for ‘nature’
to provide us with a self-sustaining space at the right temperature and humidity for best result in cheese-
making.
FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK?
What got 2 architects into goat-milk products? We lived in York Maine along the York River in a pleasant
neighborhood of friends enjoying our work designing homes and buildings for wonderful clients. But a
dream persisted for a farm life centered on white woolly puffs on a green landscape and the designing
and weaving of wool tapestries. We found this farm for sale. We loved it, bought it, and soon acquired 2
donkeys, 2 sheep, 20 chickens, and a horse. Repairs and new fencing commenced as well as a
conversion of the two car garage to our living room and design studio. After the first shearing of our
sheep, spinning began. The dream was being realized. Then an unusual twist occurred. Our church
had an Easter pageant that included our donkeys and sheep along with some baby goats that belonged
to a friend. Our granddaughter fell in love with the kids and soon owned them. She was wonderfully
excited for a few days – until her neighbors objected to pet goats and the family was told to get rid of the
goats. We got them. They were precious! A bit later, a friend wanted us to babysit her milking goat . She
brought her milking stand and showed us how to make those spigots work. After much soaking of each
other (on opposite sides of the two-teated goat) we eventually got the hang of it. This combination of 4
goats led to wanting to do something with the milk produced . Also we wanted to have more kids because
of their' leaping in the air and coming down any old place, often on top of other goats. We were hooked.
Spinning continued. But goats became supreme.
Any other dreams?
All summer long, we attend various Farmers Marketing selling our cheeses and soaps. Many of the
vendors sell fresh farm vegetables, and their produce is colorful and lush. We have had a vegetable
garden every year in Lee as we did in York, but, alas, it exists mostly in shade. Veggies are stunted or
not at all. Very disappointing. So, we have piles of barn fertilizer and 9 years of leaf mulching sitting
around for use. The only available sunny spot is in mid-donkeyville, where goats and sheep also roam.
Hate to take of their grassland, but plan to build a raised bed, and fenced in garden with the best
combination of fertile soil that we can mix. Our objective is to produce spectacular vegetables like the
true vegetable farmer does.…but maybe not in as large a quantity.
IN THE PRESENT At the end of each day, and the lights are turned off in the barn, we stand
still and listen to the munching of hay. Peace!
_________________ |
Goats
Our goats graze
lush pastures
from spring
through the Fall.
Our goats graze
lush pastures
from spring
through the Fall.
About Us
Get to know the Hickory Nut Farm Difference
_________________ |
Sheep
Our sheep have
huge beautiful
eyes - a treat for
us as we look
them with such
love.
Our sheep have
huge beautiful
eyes - a treat for
us as we look
them with such
love.
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| Hickory Nut Farm |
