Sunday, February 2, 2014

Country Barns and Other Stuff

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Well, it's Ground Hog Day! and Super Bowl Sunday! Two big events on one day. We lucked out! I'm sure you've heard enough hype on both of these subjects so I won't bother to add any more drama to these categories.

I thought I'd start this issue off with a few little anecdotes. The first one was when my husband's cousins were coming to visit from Alabama. They had never been to New York State before and were so excited to be coming up north. They were looking forward to all the Skyscrapers that the State is so well known for. Well, driving north when they entered the State from Interstate 81 they were surprised to see farms with cows, barns, and trees. They couldn't believe that New York State wasn't entirely made up of the big city and all its lights. They were also surprised when they visited Lake Ontario. The day we took them to the Lake it was pretty windy and the waves were rolling in pretty high. The waves were so high that they thought it could have been an ocean.

2. There was a barn between the silos,
but collapsed a few years ago.
Another little anecdote happened when our daughter was attending the University of Buffalo. She had several friends that were from across the State and one of them was from New York City. She said that he loved the campus because of the 'forests' that surrounded it. They weren't really forests, but he had not seen that many trees before. One weekend he came up to our house to visit and my daughter took him for a ride around the countryside. He just loved it with all the trees, farmland, and animals. After awhile he was a little curious because he didn't know what those round, tall buildings were with the dome roofs on all the farms. My daughter asked him to point out what it was that he was unfamiliar with- he pointed to a silo! He had never seen a silo before!

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While thinking of some things to write about this winter, I thought it would be nice to share with you some barns and other country scenes from our Oswego County, New York. Some of these barns are very old and some are still in use. Some older ones are dilapidated and close to falling down. I've done some simple photo enhancements on some of the pictures to bring out the barns beautiful characteristics.

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Oswego County is mostly a rural area with benefits of a great agricultural community. Our County produces milk, cheese, ice cream and yogurt. The Chobani (Greek) Yogurt plant first opened in the United States in 2005 in New Berlin, New York (south of Syracuse)  by a Turkish immigrant named Hamdi Ulukaya. He opened the plant in a Kraft Foods plant that was being closed. This plant has benefited the dairy farms across the State and even into Pennsylvania. To make Greek yogurt it takes three times more milk because it's so dense. It takes about 3 million gallons of milk a day to make 1 million gallons of yogurt.


We also have horse farms, sheep, goats, beef, and poultry farms.

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Other products of our agricultural industry include crops of corn, soybeans, hay, and oats. We also produce onions, lettuce, potatoes, corn, beans, peppers, and tomatoes.


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We have a ethanol plant in the County, south of the City of Fulton. A brewing company closed leaving the plant vacant. After several years it was purchased by Northeast Biofuels. They had problems in the design of the plant and were unable to rectify them so they filed bankruptcy. Sunoco purchased the plant from Northeast Biofuels. They purchase corn from more than 50 Central New York farmers.





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In addition to the above products we also grow cranberries, pears, cherries, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and apples (if you haven't seen my blog post on the new apple varieties you can read it here Fall Arrivals and Departures). Blackberries grow wild in this area.








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Another element that helps our agricultural industry is a certain type of soil that is located in part of our County. It's called muck. Muck is a rich, black, organic soil where onions flourish. The New York Bold Onions are grown in muck. The New York Bold Onion are grown by a Consortium  of 14 farmers in Oswego County.

The "yellow cooking onion" or "pungent yellow cooking onion" grown in New York State has a high phenolic content and antioxidant and antiproliferation activity which inhibits liver and cancer cell growth. This research was done by Cornell University Associate Professor of Food and Science, Rui Hai Liu, M.D. (http://news.cornell.edu/stories/2004/12/onions-and-health-clarification)


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Some speciality products from our County include the production of maple syrup, honey, fruit juices, apple cider, and Christmas Trees (blog post on Christmas Trees).

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Related Links:
Greek Yogurt a Boon for New York State (The New York Times January 12, 2012): Greek Yogurt

How Rural Chenango County Became Greek Yogurt Capital: The Story Behind Greek Yogurt (The Syracuse Post Standard July 3, 2011): The Story Behind Chobani Yogurt

Onions? Sweet Corn? Which is the Fairest in New York State? (Syracuse Post Standard April 11, 2007): Onions? Sweet Corn?

Location of Barn Photos: 1) US Rte 11, Pulaski (opposite High School); 2) Tubbs Road, Mexico; 3) Hurlbut Rd, Mexico; 4) Oswego River Rd, Town of Schroepel; 5) North St., Mexico; 6) Kenyon Rd, Mexico; 7) Pople Ridge Rd, Mexico; 8) Pople Ridge Rd, Mexico; 9) Valley Rd, Mexico; 10) Hanson Rd, Mexico;  11) Hurlbut & Green Rd, Town of New Haven; 12) Biddlecum Rd, Town of Schroeppel; 13) Bradshaw Rd, Palermo.


Hope you enjoyed your visit to our Countryside! 
Feel free to drop me a note . . .

40 comments:

  1. Loved this ...Old barns have a lot of charm !

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    1. Thanks Jaime! Yes they do! It was fun to drive around the countryside looking for old barns to photograph. And it didn't take to long either with all the old barns around here. Thanks for your comments.

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  2. Love,love,love this post.I learn so much from your posts about the state I grew up in.Love the old barn photos,too!

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    1. Thank you Chris. I'm so glad you liked it. I never know whether or not I'm including too much information or not enough in here. But it's fun and I'm learning a lot myself about the State! And I owe you a big THANK YOU for encouraging me to take a step out of my comfort zone and write this blog!

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  3. And I loved it! I have many pictures of NNY barns, but could identify only one of your collection. Thanks for bringing them all 'into focus".

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    1. You're very welcome! I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for commenting.

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  4. Sue it is great that you highlighted so many wonderful things in and grown in Oswego Co. Love those stories.

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    1. Thanks you Donna. We have so many wonderful things in our entire State to be thankful for. It is so rich with natural resources and beauty.

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  5. so glad you are doing this Sue - was always impressed with all you knew about plants and nature etc and glad you are sharing your wealth of information...great posts - Norm follows you faithfully but doesn't know how to respond...:)

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    1. Thanks so much Carol! I really appreciate your comments. It really means a lot to me. It is a little confusing sometimes when you want to respond. I have a hard time too sometimes because I'll select the "Comment" box instead of the "reply" box, and then I've also "signed out" instead of selecting the "Publish" button. Hope Norm is on the mend- thinking of him.

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  6. Just love the blog and all of the photos.....I'm so a wanna-be farm girl (with a multi-acre garden!) Great job, Sue!

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    1. Thanks again, Ann (I forgot to write my response to you in a reply- I answered it below), but I'm glad you liked it and thanks for commenting on it. It was such a popular post that I think I'll probably do another post on barns in a few weeks. We had fun riding around the countryside taking pictures.

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  7. Thank you Ann! There are so many beautiful farm buildings and land around here. Sometimes I feel I don't take enough time to appreciate them myself.

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  8. I loved my visit to the countryside! This is such a wonderful post and I enjoyed learning about the old barns and their history. Thanks so much for sharing this with us! Have a great day!

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    1. Thank you Lee. I'm glad you liked it, and thanks for commenting.

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  9. Outstanding! love the pictures! Thanks

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  10. Love your blog. Barns are my favorite thing to paint. Thanks for sharing my barn
    Liz

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    1. Thanks Liz. I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for commenting.

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  11. . Recognized "The Sap House" right away. Enjoyed the whole article. Each one is a gem!!! Thanks.

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    1. Oh wait, it wasn't t"The Sap House" that I recognized it was the the barn on the corner of Green and Hurllbut Rd that I recognized where maple syrup was made. Did it belong to Clarks or Hurlbuts? have bought Syrup from both of them (maple sugar candy too)

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    2. Thank you, Linda. I'm not sure who it belonged to either. I can try to find out for you and get back to you.

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    3. I'm pretty sure it was Clark's.

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  12. I enjoyed your images and stories. So much is grown and raised in your area. Quite a bit is here too in WNY, but I seem to just take it for granted having grown up in Pennsylvania farm and horse country.

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    1. Thank you, Donna. We have a lot of natural resources to be thankful for in our County, and like you, sometimes we just take it for granted. Thanks for your comments.

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  13. Sue, this is so wonderful, so talented, thank you for the adventure

    Teresa Teifke

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    1. Thank you so much Teresa. I really appreciate it.

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  14. Old barns, silos, bridges and architecture have always been an interest of mine too but more from an artist's point of view. It can be funny how inexperienced in life some young people can be. Even my own kids, when teens, surprised me from time to time by the little things they did not know, that I just took for granted.

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    1. I love the old barns and buildings, too. They have so much character even when they are in a state of disrepair. Around here they are exposed to such a heavy volume of snow that the older barns cave in from the weight of it.
      I agree with you about things we take for granted what we think other people should know or be exposed to. I think it has a lot to do with the culture in which you grow up in and are exposed to. Thanks for your comments.

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  15. I grew up next door to the first barn and now live in little Colosse...known for it's cheese factory...so I see most of these barns everyday! They are so beautiful and the history of Oswego County is wonderfully extensive! Thank you for these blogs and pictures!

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    1. The first barn is so beautiful. I took a few pictures of it and they were all so beautiful that I couldn't decide which one to place in here. Colosse is a nice little cross-roads too. I remember the Liberty Bell Restaurant that used to be on the corner there. That was a great location. Thanks for commenting.

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  16. The first barn is our barn and we love it! Also, as a B&B, our customers love to see it! It is a GREAT way to share it with others.... They don't make barns like this anymore... Hate to see when they fall down...

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    1. Before I took the picture of your barn we were driving into the Village of Pulaski (on the east) and there was too much traffic to stop and photograph it. On the way home there was no one behind us so I was able to snap a few pictures. We always admire your place and how well it is cared for. So glad you liked the picture and thanks for commenting.

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  17. Shirley DeBuck VanPettyNovember 8, 2014 at 5:32 PM

    Susan, I discovered your blog via the MACS blog. I graduated from MACS many many years ago. I just took a tour of the school with my husband prior to my 50th class reunion (I told you it was many many). Great to see the school. My husband was really blown away by the marble, the stair case, the murals and so much more. I loved your perspective and facts about the school.

    Then I discovered your blog on barns. I love barns and old buildings in general. I sort of retired and decided I was going to buy a "good" camera, take lessons for my camera and set off to take pictures of Monroe County and branch out to Wayne, etc. With a different twist than you did with your beautiful pictures. I want to know the story about the barn. For example, how old, original owner, current owner, what was it used for, yada, yada, yada. My plan was to talk to current owners and go from there. I really have considered seeing if could be published or I do a self publish.

    Now I am wondering, if I could start a blog and do something similar. Long story to ask you your opinion. For example, I probably could get information on how to start a blog with a google. How do you get readers? Or how to figure out the structure? Do you have a following who have an expectation of when your next blog will happen? Does this following give you ideas? Have you ever run out of ideas?

    My apologies if this is too long or too many questions.

    Bottom line, loved your blogs.
    Shirley

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    1. Shirley, Thank you so much for your comments, and you don't have to apologize for your questions. I'll be more than happy to help you out if I can. I think you have some great ideas there about the barns and history of them. I found that with the two blog posts I did on the barns that they were very popular with many people. Feel free to email me at slink66175@msn.com and I can help you with your questions, etc. I'm also on Facebook listed as Susan Sirgey Link so feel free to send me a friend request as well.

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  18. Such a lovely post! I found your blog because someone posted your MACS post on facebook; I enjoy your writing and photos and it was fun to recognize the majority of these barns from my childhood still standing! Thank you for sharing your writing; it is lovely to see a local writer from the area who is well-informed and respectful of diversity as well as a small-town feel.

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    1. Thank you. We have so much to offer in our area that I try to write articles that inform readers of the wonderful resources in our County and State. So often we take the things we see everyday for granted. I just try to highlight some things that maybe we need to be reminded of from time to time.

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  19. Howdy! Would you mind if I share your blog with my facebook
    group? There's a lot of folks that I think would really enjoy your content.
    Please let me know. Many thanks

    My page; homepage - ,

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    1. You are more than welcome to share any of my posts and I very much appreciate it. Feel free to share any of them. Thank you for asking.

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