Josh Kilmer-Purcell's Blog, page 123

Picnic Napkins

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Most of our craft projects at Beekman 1802 are the result of needing to find a solution to a problem at hand.   Need to create a quick placecard?  Use twigs and acorns.  A quick and fragrant candle votive?  Hollow out one half of an orange rind.

When recently planning an outdoor feast to conclude a community barn-raising, we wanted to find a way to keep the napkins from blowing away from the table.

Our simple solution not only solved the problem but allowed  the napkins to blow in the wind just like they were on a summer clothesline all the while staying just in reach of our guests' hands.

We first placed a rustic nail just to the side of each place setting.  If you are using an outdoor table that you don't want to use a nail on, a thumb tack or push pin will also work fine.

We purchased large packs of cheap flour sack cloths (available at most big box stores) and folded them in half lengthwise.

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Using an inexpensive grommet kit, we placed a grommet half way down the length of the napkin about 1 inch from the folded edge.  Slipping the grommet over the nail held the napkins perfectly in place while allowing enough maneuverability for easy use.  The generous size of the napkins allowed guests to reach their hands and mouths without having to remove the napkin from its hook.

The best part is that after the dinner and a trip through the washer, we had a large number of kitchen and craft-space rags that can be placed at arm's reach—ready for any number of  the creative messes to come.

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D.I.Y. Week 2 Recaps

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For Season 1 of The Fabulous Beekman Boys, we had famed author James Frey re-cap each week's episode.  Hilarious!  To make a good recap, you have to encapsulate the important story points of the episode but still make it entertaining.

To see how James did, click here

But in the true nature of Beekman 1802, where we believe in doing it yourself and in sharing, we want the fans to do the recaps.

Leave your recap for the this week's episode in the comments section below.

Remember that your goal is not only to fill people in on what happened but also to inspire newcomers to tune in.  Can you do it?

Mary Learns to Knit

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Mary Beekman is a four-year-old ghost who resides in The Beekman Mansion, and considers Brent and Josh her "imaginary friends." Follow Mary Beekman's Diary each week to learn what it's like to be a young child in early 19th century America

I was awake early this morning.  I was cautious to slip from under the covers without moving them.   It took a long time. Sister was still sleeping so I walked very softly to the window to see what the sky would be telling Father  It was raining very gently and the clouds were hanging low.  It seemed as though I could touch them from the window.  I know it is good for the ground . Mother is going to show me how to begin to knit.  It is important that I learn.  I shall be making mittens.  Someday I will be able to make stockings.  I hope I can make mittens for Josh and for Brent.  They are my dear friends.  They make me smile when I am sad. I am the only one who can see or hear them.

I think I would make mittens for Josh that are the color of oatmeal.  He has larger hands than Brent.  I would make grey mittens for Brent.  We do not have much yarn left this time of the year. Mother told me some of the words of the instructions.  I do not yet know how to make all the loops but I shall learn.  I know that to begin the work, I must lay up enough loops on my wires  in order to make the proper size.  Perhaps I shall make little brother a pair of mittens first because his hands are small.  I hope he does not lose them.  I am good at finding things in my house.

Sister has made mittens for me.  I have not lost them.  She told me it would not be too difficult because it was mostly plain knitting.  It would be necessary to have an idea of the size of the hand.  Mother told me one has to know where to narrow as the fingers rise. Perhaps I shall make a drawing of Josh's hand and Brent's hand to be certain.  Sister said it is not difficult to create a right loop but making a wrong loop is a bit more difficult.  I hope I am able to quickly learn. It will be good to practice each day after my lessons and chores.

Week 2 Sipping Game

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A Very Refined Sipping Game

To enhance your viewing pleasure and to make each and every episode of The Fabulous Beekman Boys as fabulous as possible, we're going to encourage the playing of a nice parlor game.

Each week, we'll post a new Beekman 1802 elixir recipe for you to use and give you a new reason to "raise your glass"—to your mouth that is.

This week the beverage of choice is The Black Sheep (click here for the recipe).

Raise your glass every time you hear us say "Martha"

The Black Sheep Cocktail

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Even the family at the Beekman Farm has a black sheep (or two).   They need to take a trip to the "watering hole" every once in a while, too

 

The Black Sheep Cocoktail

 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 ounces vodka

dash anisette

dash St Germain

3 oz Tonic Water

2 blackberries

Garnish:thin lemon wedges

 

Instructions:

In empty shaker, combine vodka, anisette and St. Germain.

Add Ice, shake 20X and add 3 ounces of High Quality Tonic Water (Fever-Tree or Q)

Gently strain into a ice filled Collins Glass

With a bar spoon, embed 3 fresh blackberries into drink. (the blackberries represent the black sheep)

Garnish with lemon.

 

Eben Klemm is the Senior Manager of Wines & Spirits of BR Guest Hospitality, a group of Restaurants, Bars and Hotels.  In that capacity he creates all the specialty cocktails served there.  He grew up on a small family farm in Sharon, five miles from the Beekman Mansion and is proud to say that the first cocktails he ever consumed were rejected from his body, at very high speed, not far from its shadow.  His book "The Cocktail Primer: All You Need to Know to Make the Perfect Drink" was published in 2009 by Andrews McNeel.

White-washing

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Mark Twain wrote:

All you need is ignorance and confidence, and the success is sure

and when we purchased Beekman Farm in Sharon Springs, NY,  in 2007, we sure were hoping that he was right.  (He also said to buy land because they're not making it anymore, and this had proven to be pretty good advice over the years.)

Twain often wrote about the power and pull of rural life and, in fact, in his recently released autobiography (click here for info) he tells the story of how his wife, Olivia, had to remind him not to wear his galoshes when invited to an official White House dinner with Grover Cleveland (should we be invited to the White House, we would wear ours because we would plan to work in the vegetable garden)

While both of us had grown up in rural locations and had spent many barefoot childhood summers walking among the rows of a garden, we knew nothing about managing a farm.

But, alas, this is what we wound up doing when a down-on-his-luck goat farmer and his herd of 80 homeless goats showed up on our doorsteps.  Who could say 'no'?   What Farmer John didn't know, we asked our farming neighbors, and for everything else we Googled.  (It's really amazing what you can learn to do by searching Google.)

Life on the farm has taught us many things:  how to grow over 110 varieties of heirloom vegetables, how to raise and harvest over 80% of all the food we consume, how to make cheese, how to make soap, even how to weave our own fabrics and cast our own utensils.

But more than anything, it has reawakened in us a desire for a real community, which is something that so many of us have lost behind the barrier of the computer screen.

This summer when we needed to make some repairs on the barn, we asked friends and neighbors to join us on the farm for a "barn raising".  In the "good ol' days", entire villages would come together to help a farmer erect his barn.  Everyone would show up to help because they knew at some point they would need to have the favor returned.

In those days, the menfolk did the lifting and the women would cook the food to celebrate the completion of the project.

Of course, we run a modern farm, and when we have people over for "whitewashing the fence", the responsibilities are not necessarily divided along gender lines.  Some of the best cooks are men!  We let people decide what their best contributions will be.

We still remember the toast we made as all of our guests sat down to this feast:

"At the end of day, life is not about the things you have.  It's about the stories you have to tell.  We thank each and every one of you for being a part of ours."

We like to think that Twain would approve.

PS: Brittny Gastineau

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PolkaSpot is serving a month-long internship as a BendelGirl for the legendary Henri Bendel.  Check back here for all of the majorly important things she's Spotted this week.

PolkaSpot's iPhone is full of fabulous people who know a thing or two about a thing or two.  They've all asked her for beauty tips in the past and now she's making them return the favor to YOU.  She's generous that way.*

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This is Ms. Brittny Gastineau

PS:  What was the most important beauty llesson your mother taught you?

BG: Always be prepared to see your future boyfriend or husband in public i.e. wear makeup

PS: What is the one thing you've done in the name of beauty in the past that you willll NEVER do again?

BG: Red lipstick with dark eyes looks scary in photos. Always keep it glamorous

PS: What is the one product that you use every singlle day and why?

BG: Sunscreen. My mom had melanoma and it is so important to me to spread the word to protect your skin

PS: What is the beauty secret you willll pass along to your daughter?

BG: Don't try to go with the beauty trends. Sometimes "green" is in won't translate well on your face.  Always keep makeup fresh and beautiful

PS: Which cellebrity do you think is the most beautifull/who is your girll crush?

BG:  Elizabeth Taylor. She had the most beautiful eyes.  Her eyes were almost as beautiful as PolkaSpot's

 

Brittny Gastineau is a model and actress who has walked runways all over the world.   She knows how to model walk.

Garden Email Checklists Archive

Below are the archived email garden checklists for each growing zone:

Zone 2/3:

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Zone 4:

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Zone 5:

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Zone 6:

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Zone 7:

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Zone 8:

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Zone 9:

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Zone 10:

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W-inspired!

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Starting a business in the midst of a recession is always risky.  Starting a farm-based business, risky even in the strongest economic circumstances, may be a sign of mental instability, but we are dedicated to making a go of it.

When we first purchased Beekman Farm, our ultimate goal (which will take us many decades to reach) was to make the farm biodynamic, meaning that everything we use on the farm is somehow derived from the farm.  The idea of being self-sustaining is a lofty goal but one worth the effort no matter how many years it takes us to get there.

Since buying the farm, we've been working with the team at Titan Powersystems, to design and implement new technologies that will make the farm one of the "greenest" small farms in America (they can offer you tips for your own home, too).

A lot of thought and planning used to go into how houses were situated on a piece of land.  It was important for ventilation, heating and cooling.  The Beekman was built on a specific knoll because of the sun and the wind pattern blowing through the Mohawk Valley.    It was the later that led Rick Anderson from Titan to recommend the installation of a wind turbine on the farm.

Knowing that we were concerned about maintaining the natural beauty of the farm and the living environment for the animals, he recommended Windspire.

The Windspire® wind turbine is a small-scale vertical axis wind turbine designed for use in urban, suburban and rural environments. It is distinguished by its sleek propeller-free design, quiet operation, ease of installation and affordable pricing. These characteristics position it as an ideal solution for homeowners, businesses, non-profits and governments looking to decrease their electricity costs and their carbon footprints.

The standard Windspire is 30-feet tall and 4-feet wide, designed to come in under the typical 35-foot height restrictions of local municipalities (many small towns, including Sharon Springs, are just now creating laws and regulations for the use of windpower). Due to the vertical axis design, sound levels were tested at 6 decibels above ambient, rendering it virtually inaudible and the  1.2kW Windspire installed at the farm will produce approximately 2000 kilowatt hours per year in 11 mph average wind which will cover a lot of the electricity needed to run the milking operation during peak season.

The U.S. government provides a 30 percent tax credit for the total cost of the unit, including installation. Many state and local municipalities also offer rebates, as do local power companies.

Oddly, the wind turbine is so quiet and blends so well that we often have to point it out to people in order for them to notice it.  Once they do, they are generally mesmerized.  It actually has a tranquility to it.   We think of it is a wonderful piece of kinetic art in the farmyard.  Like all things Beekman, it is beautiful and practical.

PolkaSpotted!

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So many of you witnessed my recent makeover on The Fabullous Beekman Boys.  It goes without saying that the hairstyllist chosen by the boys was no Frederic Fekkai.  Now that I have connections at Bendell, my next haircut willll be done at the Fifth Avenue sallon.

Sans folllliclles, I want my skin to have a summer gllow.  Gllowing makes spots llook even prettier.

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Rodial Brazilian Tan: This innovative tan-in-a-can is a revolutionary new product to make self-tanning

the easiest job ever!

Bronze beauty without the damaging rays of the sun.

And absollutelly no tan llines for llama.  {wink}

 

PolkaSpot is serving a month-long internship as a BendelGirl for the legendary Henri Bendel.  Check back here for all of the majorly important things she's Spotted this week.