Judy Grillo
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A Working Farm

5/23/2017

22 Comments

 
"Man cannot himself escape from Nature. Neither can he ever subdue her or
attempt to exploit her endlessly without becoming himself a victim." -
Louis Bromfield, Pleasant Valley, 1945 
As I continued to travel north, I found a Hostelling International location in Ohio that seemed interesting. Again, I knew very little about the site's history pre-arrival, but I ended with a memorable three-day learning experience through a house tour, walking trails, exhibits, and great stories from the hostel manager. ​

Nestled in Pleasant Valley, Malabar Farm is the dream come true of Pulitzer Prize winning novelist, Louis Bromfield. Born nearby in 1896, he returned to the area and purchased several older farms to create Malabar Farm, and was one of the pioneers of sustainable agriculture, combining grass farming, woodlands and wildlife. He had studied agriculture at Cornell, journalism at Columbia, served in the army, and lived in France with his family, but his love of the land brought him home. 

Using an existing farmhouse as the base, he and architect Louis Lamoureux built the "Big House", a 32-room mansion that was furnished and decorated in a French style. Visitors included local farmers and Hollywood stars, as there are a dozen films based on his novels and short stories. He also held to a philosophy that if you visit and eat, then you work the farm, too. It's noted that locals occasionally bought produce at his farm stand from James Cagney, and in May 1945, Bogart and Bacall were married at Malabar Farm. 

After his death in 1956, the property was preserved for nearly 20 years, then became an Ohio State Park in 1972. It was Bromfield's wish that the Farm "go on being used in the same fashion so long as it stands." The Big House, and all its interior accessories remain as they were, from the furniture to the magazines! The house tour is a real step back in time. 

Many other tales surround Malabar Farm, from its connection to the film, The Shawshank Redemption to the sad, true story of Ceely Rose, the local Lizzie Borden.

On a lighter note, I also learned some farm facts, so here's a little quiz for you:
  • Approximately how many "squirts" are there in a gallon of milk?
  • A cow spends 6 hours a day eating, but how many chewing?
  • How many gallons of milk does it take to make a gallon of ice cream?
  • How many glasses of milk does the "average cow" produce daily? 

The first person with 4 correct answers gets a large ice cream from their nearby farm on me! 
22 Comments
Fred Williams
5/26/2017 09:55:23 am

Wow - this is fascinating place that you make me want to visit for myself.
I have milked a cow using the squirt method, but did not nearly fill a pail, so I will refrain from wild guesses at your dairy quiz!
Rock on Judy~

Reply
Judy
5/26/2017 05:58:33 pm

Fred,
It is a really relaxing and interesting place to be. It far exceeded my expectations and the hostel manager is a local who is deep into the history and local folklore. I really enjoyed it. LOVE that you've milked a cow; can't say the same! Judy

Reply
Anne-Marie
5/26/2017 11:51:22 am

1. 350 squirts 2. 8 hours chewing 3. 12 lbs. of milk 4. 400 glasses

Wood"s Ice Cream is now open!

Reply
Judy
5/26/2017 06:09:16 pm

AMG: Sorry, a score of 50% will not get you a free cone at Wood's! That said, I did edit Question 3 if you would like a 2nd chance at playing! J.

Reply
Anne-Marie
5/27/2017 05:50:45 pm

I'll take that second chance:
1. 350 squirts
2. up to 8 hours chewing
3. 3 gallons milk :: 1 gallon ice cream
4. "average cow" produces 90 glasses/daily

Judy
5/29/2017 06:05:23 pm

AMG: A good second try!!! #3 a bit far off!!! Awaiting other entries. If not, I will share answers soon...j.

Reply
Eileen
5/26/2017 01:42:40 pm

Judy: Interesting read on Malabar Farm. Constantly amazed at how you come upon so very many beautiful out of the way places.

Reply
Judy
5/26/2017 06:00:48 pm

Eileen,
This one really surprised me, too. I literally "googled" the words "hostel" and "Ohio" and there it was. My mode of travel sure helps but yes, many surprises along the byways! Judy

Reply
Claudette
5/28/2017 09:32:10 pm

Sounds like a wonderful experience. I have never milked a cow but got to watch a birth of one at Uncle Frenchy's. I'll have to come back to the computer to check your photos. It's locking up and won't allow right now.
Have to ask Anne if she used google or really did some research.

Reply
Judy
5/29/2017 05:16:20 pm

Claudette,
Trust me, I didn't milk any cows either! I enjoyed the history and house tour and trail walking and stories from the folks that now work there. Assume you're still using the "house computer" where you live given your technical difficulties. j.

Reply
Claudette
6/5/2017 07:35:29 pm

Yes I am. There are more new people who have moved in who also use it.

Steve Ham
5/29/2017 07:34:06 pm

Interesting stroy this park has.
I may visit sometime tis summer.
Thans for sharing.

Reply
Judy
5/29/2017 08:13:24 pm

Steve,
Glad you found me! As I mentioned 2015 is really fun as I ventured our incredible National Parks. This great little historic farm is just a 3-hour drive from Ann Arbor. Hope to see you on the saddle again! Judy

Reply
Eileen
6/1/2017 10:09:41 am

Am guessing about cow:

1. 345 squirts
2. 8 hours chewing
3. 25 gallons of milk
4. 80 glasses depending on breed

Reply
Judy
6/1/2017 01:56:12 pm

Eileen,
Nice try but you're way off on #3!!! Contest stays opens until my next blog entry is posted and I will then reveal the correct answers. Expect to blog on Sunday! Judy

Reply
Eileen
6/2/2017 09:39:33 am

Judy: Apparently my cows did not produce milk with much cream. Glad I have dairy farm right up the road.

Judy
6/2/2017 02:42:23 pm

Eileen,
Time for those cows to go out to pasture! You best sign up for a summer internship at that farm!

Reply
Eileen
6/3/2017 10:42:53 am

Judy: OK, revising #3, went back on site and was listing cups. So many different answers, think 3 gallons closest number but with extra amounts of cream added.

Will just be happy to patronize farm store for their products.

Reply
Judy
6/5/2017 12:32:56 pm

Anne & Eileen -- the answers are (based on Malabar Farm exhibit):

*approximately 350 squirts in a gallon of milk
*a cow eats for 6 hours and chews for 8
*it takes 1.5 gallons of milk to make 1 gallon of ice cream
*the average cow produces about 100 glasses of milk/day

Who's buying?

Reply
Claudette
6/5/2017 07:38:47 pm

No wonder they had to invent a machine to milk those cows. That's a lot of squirts. Thanks for the info.

Reply
Anne-Marie
6/5/2017 08:49:10 pm

I'll buy---but my dairy cows are going to be getting a motivational lecture at milking in the morning! They're cheating me out of some serious profit!!

Reply
Judy
6/6/2017 02:35:46 pm

AMG: It must be the "feed". I'll buy if there's frozen pudding. J.

Reply



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