My steps today took me all the way over to Hurd Orchards in Orleans County. www.hurdorchards.com The Hurds have been growing fruit for years in this area south of Lake Ontario that has the perfect climate for fruit trees. This year the Hurds were a little bit nervous about the cold spring and imported bumblebees to pollinate the fruit. Apparently bumblebees can tolerate colder temperatures than other bees. Their strategy worked – the cherry trees are loaded with cherries, which are small and green right now. It’s a reminder of how precarious the farming life is – totally dependent on the weather.

The Hurds have a 200 year old barn where they serve lunches during the summer. Each lunch has a particular theme, and everyone eats the same meal. The tables are beautifully arrayed in white tableclothes and fresh cut flowers. The lunches feature seasonal produce that is grown right there on the farm. The first course was a salad, and I actually ate a flower for the first time ever. It was ok but not as tasty as the greens. The main course was a chicken concoction and asparagus with a rhubarb sauce. There was homemade bread and homemade jam to go with it. Dessert was maple rhubarb cake with homemade whipped cream, and the beverage was their homemade cider infused with some kind of leaves – I can’t remember what.  This time I didn’t eat the flower.                         

After lunch we were treated to a talk about cobblestone buildings, which are peculiar to Western New York. And then a visit to a cobblestone school and a cobblestone church which are both part of a museum in Gaines, NY.

 Cobblestones are small stones that were left in the soil when the glacier receded years ago. Some have been washed very smooth by the lake, and those are the most valued stones and used for the front of cobblestone structures. We were told that the prosperity that the Erie Canal brought to Western New York between 1825 and 1860 gave rise to this decorative form of architecture. www.CobblestoneMuseum.org

90% of all the cobblestone structures of North America are located within a 90 mile radius of Rochester. This is something truly unique to our region.

Day 145: 11,006 Steps   YTD: 1,326,466 Steps  Goal: 1,364,000 Steps