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Maple Syrup

Extremely limited amounts of Meduseld’s maple syrup are available!

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This year gathering the maple sap was late and difficult.  The extreme cold temperatures made the run later than usual and with the excessive snow it was difficult to get equipment up into the woods.  This may be your only chance to get some syrup since it sells  very quickly!

A note about shipping!  The rates are set by U.S. P.S. and we have no say!  If you are charged for more shipping than it actually costs, I will reimburse the difference.  If you are local, I can hold your syrup and arrange for pickup.  You can buy Meduseld’s maple syrup here!

 

2013 Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival

If there could be a theme for this year’s Fiber Festival in Berryville, VA, I think it would be “friends.” 

We saw so many old friends and made so many new ones.  From one moment to the next, there would be lively chatter in the booth, and surprise visitors popping in throughout the day. 

Meduseld's 2013 Booth

Meduseld’s 2013 Booth

It was terrific to meet some of the other vendors that we had not had a chance to meet in previous years.  Kellie Tatem with Lizard Toes where they make awesome drop spindles, Allegra Studnitz with One of Kind making her darling fiber angels and fairies, Connie DeLamater, Andrea Thornock (who in addition to selling wooden yarn cubbies is also a professional singing instructor), and so many more interesting and informative vendors.

I was finally able to meet Kate Blaney with Gourmetstash.com who makes punis for spinning.

Kate Blaney with Gourmetstash

Kate Blaney with Gourmet Stash

Here are some of her punis.

Gourmet Stash Punis

Gourmet Stash Punis

Opposite our booth was Lynn Blake with Mayhem Farm.  In this picture you can see her stunning handmade shawl creations behind her.

Lynn with Mayhem Farm

Lynn Blake with Mayhem Farm

Fiber arts were not the only skills represented.  There were also some woodworkers who had gorgeous works of art.  If you are looking for a present for your spouse for Christmas, you might want to consider one of the wooden pens handmade by Becky and Dave Lloyd of Timber and Whimsy.

Becky and Dave Lloyd of Timber Whimsy

Becky and Dave Lloyd of Timber and Whimsy

Another highly skilled woodworker was Bill Hardy of Turnstyles.  He made exquisite boxes with drawers and hidden drawers, in addition to drop spindles, crochet hooks and even ice cream scoops!   Notice the butterfly box on the left.

Bill Hardy of Turnstyles

Bill Hardy of Turnstyles

We saw familiar faces such as Emily Estrada of the  Fibretown Podcast, and Judi and Clyde DeWitt, the historic bobbin lace makers.  And, we were delighted to have a visit from Sue Groundwater who used to have the locally famous FrogEye Fiber Emporium in Winchester.  Sue gave knitting, spinning, and weaving lessons there for years and has probably instructed half the fiber artists in Winchester.  She taught me to spin and taught our son Gavin to knit.

Patricia Culver, Sue Groundwater and Gavin Culver

Patricia Culver, Sue Groundwater and Gavin Culver

It was fun to watch all the creations worn by Festival attendees.  There were so many shawls and sweaters handmade by their owners.  It was truly eye candy.  Here is one visitor to our booth in a shawl of her own creation.  In addition to being loaded with stunning fall colors, it used up ends and pieces of yarns from other projects. 

Spectacular Shawl Creation

Spectacular Shawl Creation

We also had on hand to give advice our knitting expert Kate Rabjohns in one of her diaphanous beaded creations in alpaca.

Kate Rabjohns

Kate Rabjohns

Even Miss Clark County was there with her mother.

Miss Clark County 2013

Miss Clark County 2013

 

Sincere thanks to all who stopped by and especially to our repeat customers.  Thanks for helping to support our farm and our dream!

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Meduseld Having Open House!

We are excited to announce that Meduseld will be having an open house on July 27, 2013, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm!

We have had several calls and emails asking to visit our farm, and thought we’d go ahead and make it an official day.

You will  be able to:

  • See the conservatory,
  • See the assorted animals, sheep, horses, cows, alpaca, geese, peafowl, etc.
  • Tour the gardens and hoop houses (tunnel houses)
  • See the ponds, walk in the vineyard, deer damage and all :(
  • Bring a picnic and hang out. 
  • Pick fresh peaches.

Please make the trip to see us.  We would be delighted to show you around.  This event is invitation only.  Please RSVP!  Directions are available by emailing meduseld@live.com

See you then!

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Cold Winter Caused Bee Colony Decline

We experienced a long winter with cold temperatures and snow extending into the spring months.   This is extremely hard on the bees, who need warm days to exit the hives  to clean themselves and to gather their honey ingredients.  Cold temperatures force the bees to gather closely to warm themselves, and if a cold spell is prolonged they will literally starve themselves trying to keep warm while only inches away from an abundant food supply.

 Areas in Europe and in the U.K. also had long winters with record low temperatures in March and April.  As reported in the BBC, this long cold winter has contributed to massive bee colony collapses.  BBC report here.

Disappearing Bees

Dr. Mercola covers the problem of colony collaspe disorder (CCD) and its impact on the almond industry in California this spring.  In his thought-provoking article, he reminds people about the necessity of bees in the world’s food supply and draws attention to the dire consequences if we do not find ways to protect the bees.  Please take a moment to read Dr. Mercola’s article.

Honey bee on Hady Almond at Meduseld

Honey bee on Hardy Almond at Meduseld

EU Takes Additional Steps to Protect Bees

From the BBC:

“Neonicotinoid chemicals in pesticides are believed to harm bees and the European Commission says they should be restricted to crops not attractive to bees and other pollinators.”

For the full article, please go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22335520

Unfortunately, the EPA is not protecting bees, and is now being sued by environmental and beekeeping groups. 

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Meduseld Jacob Roving Featured in Fibretown

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We were thrilled (and grateful) to learn that Meduseld’s Jacob wool was recently covered in Emily Estrada’s blog, Fibretown.  I remember Emily at the Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival and I think there’s another bottle of maple syrup in her future:)  She discusses the roving and even our maple syrup at about minute 13:00.   Watch until she talks about the maple syrup!

FibreTown Video

Emily is a serious fiber artist with many skills and she profiles projects and different kinds of yarn and roving that she uses in her knitting, weaving, and spinning projects. 

She is also on Ravelry.com where she has a strong following.   On Ravelry, look for chainoffools in people or fibre town podcast in groups.

And here is a link to her blog.  http://fibretown.blogspot.com/

We still have some roving available in our store.  This particular roving was a mix of two lavender grey jacobs we have.  These two Jacobs  are also the source for Meduseld’s pale grey Jacob yarn.  Click on the link to the Meduseld Farm Store to to your right.  In the next few days, you can also find the maple syrup :)

EU addresses bee problems

Einstein is popularly quoted as saying that if bees disappear, humans will follow shortly after.  Considering the vast numbers of trees and plants that exist that need pollination to produce their fruits and seeds, this is not an exaggeration.

Unfortunately, in this country special interests dominate much of the decision making and usually, there is a direct relationship between the size of the organization and its influence.  In Europe, they have displayed some impartiality to the special interests of big-agra, and many countries of Europe had banned GMOs, rGBH (a GMO growth hormone used to increase the production of milk in cows) and now the latest –  Stepping up to the bat in protecting bees, the EU has called for the restriction of pesticides that are harmful to bees.

 

beehive

While our own government agencies such as the USDA and EPA have not called for a ban or restriction on pesticides, each of us can still do our part to reduce their use in this country.  Find alternative ways to handle pests, encourage beneficial insects,  make habitats more acceptable for birds who can eat their weight in insects, and buy organic produce to encourage more and more farmers to join the pesticide-free lifestyle.

The full article is here on the BBC.  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21277933

 

Marvelous, Medicinal Honey

Via Dr. Mercola, learn about the incredible health benefits of natural honey, available directly from Meduseld’s online store.

Meduseld honey - available in glass jars and squeeze bottles

Meduseld honey - available in glass jars and squeeze bottles

The Sweet Golden Treat That Can Help Wipe Out Deadly MRSA

Honey was a conventional therapy in fighting infection up until the early 20th century, at which time its use slowly vanished with the advent of penicillin.

Now the use of honey in wound care is regaining popularity again, as researchers are determining exactly how honey can help fight serious skin infections.

According to their findings, certain types of honey might be more effective than antibiotics!

After any skin injury, bacteria that live on your skin can infect and penetrate the wound site.

One particularly common type of strep (Streptococcus pyogenes) can result in wounds that refuse to heal.

But honey, especially the kind made by bees foraging on manuka flowers, was found to destroy these bacteria.

Scientific American recently reported:

“In lab tests, just a bit of the honey killed off the majority of bacterial cells — and cut down dramatically on the stubborn biofilms they formed.

It could also be used to prevent wounds from becoming infected in the first place.”

According to the authors of the study,

These findings indicate that manuka honey has potential in the topical treatment of wounds containing S. pyogenes.” ii

Should You Dress Your Wounds with Honey?

As long as you use the right kind of honey, science does back up its use for wound treatment, which is especially relevant today as antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections are on the rise.

Five years ago, the FDA authorized the first honey-based medical product for use in the US. Derma Sciences uses Manuka honey for their Medihoney wound and burn dressings, which can be found online from medical supply stores. Amazon.com also sells them. These products can also be found in Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.

When considering using honey for the treatment of wounds, it’s extremely important to understand that there’s a major difference between raw honey—and especially Manuka honey, which is in a class of its own—and the highly processed “Grade A” type honey you find in most grocery stores. The latter is more akin to high fructose corn syrup, which is more likely to increase infection, and should never be used to treat topical wounds! (It also will not offer you the same health benefits as raw honey when consumed.)

Manuka honey, on the other hand, is made with pollen gathered from the flowers of the Manuka bush (a medicinal plant), and clinical trials have found this type of honey can effectively eradicate more than 250 clinical strains of bacteria, including resistant varieties such as:

  • MRSA (methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus)
  • MSSA (methicillin sensitive Staphylococcus aureus)
  • VRE (vancomycin-resistant enterococci)

Compared to other types of honey, Manuka has an extra ingredient with antimicrobial qualities, called the Unique Manuka Factor (UMF). It is so called because no one has yet been able to discover the unique substance involved that gives it its extraordinary antibacterial activity. Honey releases hydrogen peroxide through an enzymatic process, which explains its general antiseptic qualities, but Active Manuka honey contains “something else” that makes it far superior to other types of honey when it comes to killing off bacteria.

The level of UMF can vary between batches, so each batch is ranked and priced accordingly. The higher the concentration of UMF, the darker, thicker, and more expensive it is.

To determine its rating, a sample of the honey batch is placed on a plate with a bacterial culture. The area where the bacterial growth stops is then measured. This area is compared to a similar area produced by a solution of phenol and water. The UMF number refers to the equivalent percentage of phenol in water, so, for example, honey with a UMF rating of 10 has the same antibacterial strength as 10 percent phenol. A rating of UMF 10 or higher is recommended for medicinal use.

Evidence Supporting Use of Honey against Infectious Bacteria

Aside from the featured study, many others confirm the soundness of using good-old-fashioned honey for the treatment of bacterial and fungal infections. For example, a 1992 study found that honey sped up the healing of caesarean sections iii, iv. Another study found that honey cured the intractable wounds of 59 patients, and it’s been known to help heal everything from ulcers to sunburn. According to the International Journal of Lower Extremity Wounds, positive findings on honey in wound care have been reported from v:

  • 17 randomized controlled trials involving a total of 1965 participants
  • Five clinical trials of other forms involving 97 participants
  • 16 trials on a total of 533 wounds on experimental animals

A study published in the summer of 2009 also found that chronic rhinosinusitis sufferers might benefit from honey vi. In 11 isolates of three separate biofilms, honey was found to be significantly more effective than commonly-used antibiotics in killing both planktonic and biofilm-grown forms of pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) and staphylococcus aureus (SA), two important factors in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS).

The findings may hold important clinical implications in the treatment of CRS, which affects 31 million people each year in the United States alone, and is among the three most common chronic diseases in North America.

Helpful Additions to Your Home First Aid Kit

If you’re considering using honey to treat a mild burn, sunburn, or small wound at home, make sure to use either Manuka or raw honey. Like the Manuka honey, high quality RAW honey will help draw fluid away from your wound and suppress the growth of microorganisms. Part of what gives raw honey its antibacterial properties is an enzyme called glucose oxidase, which the worker bees excrete into the nectar. This enzyme releases low levels of hydrogen peroxide when the honey makes contact with your wound. A chemical reaction between the honey and the tissue also makes your wound smell good. Heated honey will destroy this perishable enzyme which is why you want to only use raw honey for this application.

For your home care kit, two other natural wound dressings that offer impressive results without drugs are Duoderm and HemCon bandages. The HemCon bandages are made from a natural protein found in shrimp shells, which not only promotes clotting, but also offer an effective antibacterial barrier against microorganisms such as MRSA and VRE—two common antibiotic-resistant strains.

While the focus of this article is on the topical uses and benefits of honey, it also has numerous health benefits when consumed in moderation.

Unfortunately, bee populations are rapidly declining.  Farmers are forced to import bees from other countries or truck them across the states for different seasons of produce.  Toxic chemicals, genetically engineered crops, overuse of antibiotics in animals (their waste is typically used as fertilizer) and monoculture farming are likely the primary contributors to the collapse of the bees.

The collapse of bee colonies should be looked at as yet further proof of our unsustainable farming methods.

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