Corner Crest Natural Farm: November 2010

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Open for the 2010 Christmas Tree Season!

We think our customers are great. Thanks for the smiles.

We hope you enjoy your natural, unsprayed Christmas tree and have a happy holiday season!

Monday, November 22, 2010

Opening Friday, November 26, 2010

Tis the season! Or at least, 'tis very nearly the season. We open in just a few days! Our trees enjoyed the wet spring and summer. Many of the nobles that were on the small side last year are now tall enough to touch the ceiling, and if your ceiling is high our bigger trees have kept growing too. As always, they are unsprayed and unshaped for a naturally healthy and beautiful Christmas tree.

Craig has done more work on the trails over the year, but don't forget your boots because the grounds are still raw in many places. Don't forget your camera too, because the view is gorgeous. If you do forget your camera, just ask and we can snap a couple photos and email them your way.

We are excited for our third Christmas season at our farm. It seems that we look forward to it more each year. We feel lucky to share this mix of nature and holiday spirit with so many people. Hope to see you soon!

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Early Snow

What a beautiful and welcome gift the weather brought. We actually ended up with quite a bit more snow than these photos show...

Days like this just feel special.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

First Frost

This evening when we went on our night walk the moon was full and there was a familiar crunch from frozen grass under our feet. Winter is definitely coming soon, with more freezing temperatures in the forecast.

We open in less than one week and hopefully there will be many days as beautiful as today for folks to come up, hike around, and get their Christmas trees.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Fall is here, Winter is near.

Summer came and went, bringing beauty to our farm in many ways. Sun and warmth were welcome but fall is our favorite season so for us, things get even better as the air turns crisp. We love seeing the leaves change colors and feeling them crunch under our feet as we walk in the woods. The light peeks through the trees at a lower angle that emphasizes their height and majesty.

And there is harvest time. We enjoyed plums, figs, and blackberries in the summer, but the most delicious and bountiful crop this year was apples, particularly from our biggest tree. One of the littler trees that was fully covered in blackberries until Craig discovered it and cleared it from the vines the first year we were here also had a bumper crop. Getting the farm back in order is lots of work - a slow but very rewarding process.

We were also excited when Craig discovered that we have three different kinds of grapes growing here. Last year he put fencing in around the grape vines so they did not get eaten by the deer. They were in much better shape to produce fruit this year and it was a surprise to see fruits in red and purple. Thankfully, Craig noticed when the robins started eating the grapes at a remarkable pace so he picked the rest so we could enjoy them too. We even had homemade raisins for the first time.

Now, one week before Thanksgiving, we are getting ready for Christmas tree season. It is such a special time of year for us and we truly look forward to opening our farm and sharing the season with the folks who come here as part of their holiday tradition. We love autumn, but we still find ourselves looking forward to winter.

Rustic U-Cut Basics

Our trees are unsprayed and unshaped so there is a lot of variety from which to choose, but you will not find a full, symmetrical, cone shaped tree like at most tree farms. Saws and twine are provided, along with cocoa, candy canes, and a helping hand if desired.

Don't forget your boots. Your feet and ankles will thank you as much of the hillside is still raw with mud, tall grasses, gopher holes, and blackberry brambles here and there. Gloves are also recommended to protect your hands while you saw and carry the tree. And bring your camera.

Friendly dogs are welcome, but please keep them on leash. Our chickens really appreciate this.

About Our Farm

Corner Crest Natural Farm is a small, family run business that offers naturally grown, unsprayed noble firs for sale during the Christmas season. Our U-Cut experience has a rustic feel... bring your boots and walk along the rolling hillside, enjoy the beautiful view, and choose then cut the tree that you like.

This farm has been in operation for about 30 years, but it became ours relatively recently in fall of 2008. We are learning all the time as we care for the land, reclaim it from the blackberries, and plant lots of seedlings.

Most people prefer the full, groomed, cone shape most other farms offer, but our customers like the sparse, layered look of the natural noble with its character and charm. We are not certified organic, but we allow our trees to grow as nature intended, untrimmed and without sprays. As such, there is a little Charlie Brown in a lot of our trees. You will also notice that the natural growth leaves the branches with a bit more space between them to highlight your ornament collection.

Our nobles are healthy and beautiful. We think they are perfect for a traditional Christmas. We hope you think so too and we look forward to your visit!

More details...

It has been increasingly difficult to grow nobles in the last few years as the summers have been so much hotter and dryer. The trees grow more slowly, have more brown needles, and a much higher rate of seedling loss. We are trying to find other species that might fare better with the changing climate.

Meanwhile, our small nobles are also very important to us because they become future years' big trees. We are working to increase our crop size by planting seedlings, but it takes at least 10 years in the ground for a baby tree to reach about 6 feet. We try to keep our young trees growing, but if a tabletop noble catches your eye, please come ask about pricing.