Apple Meadow Farm

03/12/2026

And many more....

03/07/2026

MAPLE weekend! Free hot Maple Syrup Shots & Sugar on Snow. $8/bag Maple Popcorn that we sell at the Mason Farmers market. See comment for picture.

03/04/2026

Can't wait to play in the dirt

02/28/2026

Pineapple Chow...
Looks interesting...

Learn how to make pineapple chow, a Trinidad snack made with juicy pineapple, fresh herbs and aromatics. Easy and packed with Caribbean flavor!

02/28/2026

02/26/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BtgLu4P8m/

Butterflies don't just need flowers. They need mud.

More specifically, they need dissolved minerals — sodium, potassium, and amino acids — that they can't get from nectar. They get these by drinking from wet soil, mud puddles, and damp sand. It's called "puddling."

You've probably seen butterflies clustered on a muddy patch, a damp gravel road, or — less poetically — animal droppings. They're not confused. They're mining.

THE PROBLEM:

Suburban landscapes are increasingly lacking in exposed wet soil. Mulch covers everything. Concrete and pavers eliminate bare ground. Irrigation systems water lawns from below. The simple mud puddle — once abundant — is disappearing from the suburban landscape.

Butterflies are losing their mineral source.

THE $3 FIX — 5 MINUTES:

MATERIALS:
→ 1 shallow dish, saucer, or old pie tin (from your kitchen: $0, or $1-2 from thrift store)
→ Sand or fine gravel to fill the dish ($0-1 from your yard or a bag from the hardware store)
→ A pinch of sea salt or Himalayan salt (from your kitchen: $0)
→ Water

METHOD:
→ Fill the dish with sand or fine gravel to within 1/2 inch of the rim
→ Add a pinch of salt — literally a pinch. 1/8 teaspoon max. Sprinkle over the sand surface.
→ Add water until the sand is saturated but the surface is NOT submerged — butterflies land on damp sand, not standing water. Their feet need traction.
→ Place a few flat stones on the sand surface — butterflies bask on warm rocks between sips.
→ Place in full sun, near flowering plants. Ground level is fine.
→ Refresh water every 2-3 days. Re-salt every 2 weeks.

OPTIONAL BOOST:
→ Place a piece of overripe fruit (banana, melon, apple) on the sand. Rotting fruit attracts: Red Admirals, Question Marks, Commas, and Mourning Cloaks — species that prefer fruit over flowers.
→ A small amount of composted manure mixed into the sand adds amino acids. Elegant? No. Effective? Absolutely.

WHO SHOWS UP:

→ Swallowtails (Tiger, Black, Spicebush): Your most photogenic visitors. Males puddle MORE than females — they transfer minerals to females during mating as a "nuptial gift."
→ Sulphurs and Whites: Cabbage White, Clouded Sulphur. Puddle in groups of 10-30. A "puddle party" makes for incredible photos.
→ Skippers: Small, fast, brown. Often overlooked. Important pollinators of wildflowers.
→ Red Admirals: Prefer overripe fruit over flowers. Your fruit addition targets them specifically.

THE NUMBERS:

→ A well-maintained puddling station attracts 15-40 butterfly visits per day during peak season (June-August)
→ Male butterflies that access mineral-rich puddles produce 30% more viable eggs in their mates
→ A "puddle party" of 20+ butterflies clustered on your station is documented to occur within 2-3 weeks of installation in butterfly-active areas
→ Butterflies can detect dissolved minerals from 50+ feet away using chemoreceptors on their feet — they taste the ground by walking on it

$3. 5 minutes. The result: a front-row seat to butterfly behavior most people never see.

02/23/2026

Wow

02/23/2026

Growing fabulously here

02/21/2026

Please register if you plan on bringing cupcakes!!
https://townsendlibrary.assabetinteractive.com/calendar/cupcake-festival-2/
No need to register to attend as a spectator or to but cupcakes at the end of the event!

02/21/2026

Google CSA near me and find your local farm, farmer and eat real food 😋 👌

02/21/2026

Connect with your community and farmer. Join a CSA (Community supported Agriculture).

02/19/2026

I'm nervous about pruning the grapes. They've never been done, opps 😬😆
6 years later