Findings from The Museum Store

The events of 2020 have put much of normal life on pause. In fact, time seems to have slowed in general. Life in a pandemic has also pushed all of the staff at Hildene to delve headlong into creative thinking, problem solving, and brainstorming in truly amazing ways. Things that we’ve always wanted to try but never had the time to explore are suddenly at the top of our to-do lists. On a normal Tuesday, I would be greeting guests and members in person. Instead, I find myself writing to them, and to you. I have been challenged to find new opportunities to use my skills. For example, I've delved into the concept of slow knitting and how it integrates into Hildene's mission and signature products. 

Slow knitting evolved from the greater Slow Living movement that encompasses the concepts of slow food, slow fashion, and even farm-to-table cooking - a basic desire to participate in environmentally conscious and sustainable consumerism. When one knows the origin of the raw materials in the production chain of everyday needs, such as food and clothing, one can be confident that one is responsibly consuming. The fewer links in that chain, the more eco-conscious the final product is. Author and knitter Hannah Thiessen has outlined the tenets of slow knitting in two volumes: Slow Knitting, and a new release, Seasonal Slow Knitting. She outlines the fiber journey from start to end, interspersed with beautiful projects and helpful advice for more mindful creating. Thiessen's outlook falls echoes many of the initiatives that Hildene employs in our own farm-to-fiber-to-product program.

At Dene Farm, we are in a unique position to help educate guests about slow fiber practices. Our beautiful Corriedale sheep, alpaca, and angora rabbits, Sage and Beatrix, are year-round residents of the property's lower acreage. Shearing happens onsite which eliminates the use of fuel and emissions to transport animals as well as avoids travel stress that can be harmful to them. The fleeces are skirted and then sent to a local spinnery for cleaning, carding, and spinning. The spinnery, Battenkill Fibers, is conscious of its own practices as they relate to environmental sustainability. The exquisite yarns sold to our guests from The Museum Store have followed a process that puts our mission into action.

Last year’s production resulted in Hildene’s latest signature yarn collection. Aptly christened Farmscape, the five natural, undyed colors are inspired by the dene landscape: White Clover, Stone Wall, Cattail, Barn Board, and Terrain.

Not only has the addition of fiber animals helped to diversify the landscape of Hildene, it has also led to the expansion of our community. Some of our yarn is handed off to a growing group of volunteers (we've begun to call them “The Needlers”!) to be knitted into Railsplitter Caps, a custom pattern that highlights the overlap of the Lincoln legacy with Hildene’s mission. The cap was made  from Hildene's first yarn: Hildene Farm Twist. By utilizing volunteers to help produce a hand-knitted hat, the farm-to-product loop is complete. We couldn’t do it without our wonderful volunteers' enthusiasm and talent. Extra special for our newsletter fans only: we're testing interest in a kit to make the Railsplitter Cap at home. For advanced-beginner to intermediate knitters, we'll ship (curbside pick-up available) a kit with the Railsplitter Cap Pattern, yarn necessary, and a "Homemade from Hildene" button accent. There's no better time to pick up those knitting needles!

The shortening of days and the waning foliage of late autumn is always my annual reminder to begin on my winter crafting projects. It is also normally the time of year when Hildene’s annual fiber starts to make its way back from the spinnery and into the store. This year our fiber is going beyond yarn production and we can’t wait to unveil our newest fiber collaboration...stay tuned. Of course, in addition to our farm yarns, The Museum Store also has wool felting kits for non-knitters who still want to try their hand at crafting with wool.

Show us your projects! Have you made something with one of our signature yarns? Post your photos on Facebook or Instagram and tag them with #hildeneknits.

Visit The Museum Store or email themuseumstore@hildene.org for details.

This past week, we welcomed autumn back to Vermont in all of its colorful splendor. Guests to the area begin the all-encompassing search for the perfect fall leaf while local residents try to soak up every last warm day, knowing what will soon follow. The memory of heat from waning sunshine will serve us well in the bitter cold February to come.

I always took for granted that the change of seasons is a universal experience, having grown up in New England. It was not until I began working at Hildene that I truly understood just how many people flock to Vermont to get a glimpse of the changing leaves.

Hildene has long been centered around the concept of experience. Guests get to immerse themselves in the lives of the Lincoln family and the beauty that drew them to this piece of property so tucked away from the world. As The Museum Store manager, I spend my time searching for products that allow our guests to take that experience home with them. This process can be all-consuming and I sometimes need a reminder to get out into the beauty that is Hildene.

This week my daughter needed to complete a science project:  collect ten leaf specimens and identify them using both their common and scientific names. We immediately went to Hildene and set to work. We began at the Friends Walk where we examined the stately hawthorn trees that line the stone path engraved with the names of familiar friends. We hiked the Two Bridges trail and got distracted by a small frog in the brook that runs underneath the second wooden bridge, but then found birch, beech, and pine trees. We continued on the search and ended up in the Apple Tree Allée, where we sat under the branches heavy with small, tart fruit speckled with wasps feeding on the split-open windfalls. This was the first walk I’ve made time for at Hildene since a quick visit to the gardens to see the fading peonies in June -- and the next time I make it out there, it will probably be covered in snow. It was good to reconnect with the property that all of the Hildene staff work so diligently to preserve. It refreshed my perspective.

For others who are missing out on Hildene this year, I wanted to curate some product collections that capture some of the experiences that are universal to our guests. Harvest decor will be appearing in the Lincoln’s home in the coming weeks, so I have included items to bring life to your own fall tables: the yellow glow of a late-blooming sunflower in the pollinator garden, the crisp tartness of an heirloom apple, or the heft of a special pie plate usually reserved for holiday baking. For those embracing life as an armchair traveler in this year of staying in, staying home, and staying safe, books are a welcome refuge.

These collections are just a small representation of this season’s offerings and The Museum Store staff are also available to assist with personalized shopping. In addition, we offer curbside pick-up or shipping for those unable to visit in person this year. Admission is not required to browse The Museum Store. We are open Thursday - Monday from 10am-4pm (closed Tues/Wed). Masks are required. For assistance, please call 802.367.7968 or shop online.

Thank you for supporting Hildene, and The Museum Store. Happy Fall!

Meghan
Welcome Center & The Museum Store Manager

While the inside of The Museum Store may feel a little quieter with the currently reduced capacity (max. 5 guests at a time), the pace of seasonal planning remains busy and vibrant. While I am busy placing orders for merchandise related to the colder seasons to come, our current displays are full of summer color.

Some of the most popular items of the season can be found outside our front door for easy browsing. Our horticultural staff has been keeping our outdoor display of assorted live plants fully stocked; Pollinator Perennials are $4.95 and Potted Peony Divisions are $24.95. Raised in our teaching greenhouse, these hardy plants are neonicotinoid and pesticide-free - as well as non-invasive options - for a pollinator-friendly habitat garden for years to come.

Preserve some of those lovely summer blooms, like the Lincoln daughters might have done, with a wooden flower press, available in two sizes. Pollinators are a lasting favorite among all our guests and staff alike. Get inspired by Gardening for Butterflies or bring them indoors with organic, washed, cotton linen Monarch Butterfly napkins and Pollinator Garden towels from designer june & december.

Not comfortable shopping in person? Our knowledgeable staff are very happy to provide personal shopping services for you by phone or email, and curbside pick-up is available during our regular hours Thursday – Monday, 10am-4pm. Curbside pick-up is also now available when you shop online! Just select the pick-up option during the checkout process and you will receive an email when your order is ready.
email themuseumstore@hildene.org for details

Top:  large & small flower press (L); The Xerces Society's Gardening for Butterflies (R); Bottom:  june + december's organic cotton linen Pollinator Garden towels (L); set of four, june + december organic cotton linen Monarch Butterfly napkins (R).

Hildene has one of the most commanding views of New England’s most iconic event: the burning hues of autumn foliage featuring the humble maple tree. Stunning foliage is not the only trick of Acer saccharum. It saves its most cunning feature for the gentle warmth of early spring. Known in the region as sugaring season, the warming days and cold nights prompt nature’s sugar maples to wake from their winter dormancy and send sweet maple sap flowing beneath their rough bark.
 
It is hard to say who tapped the first maple on Hildene property, but it was a favorite pastime of Mary Lincoln Beckwith, fondly known as Peggy. Robert’s first grandchild was an avid outdoorswoman by the time she became mistress of Hildene, and was the only year-round inhabitant of the estate. As a young woman, she had completed an agricultural course through the extension offices of Cornell University to support the war effort, and that interest in land stewardship remained with her throughout her life. Peggy tapped trees and boiled sap outdoors to produce her own maple syrup as an annual part of life at Hildene.
 
The Friends of Hildene has continued on with Peggy’s legacy, albeit with a few more modern conveniences. Today, an unassuming stand of sugar maples winds down the sloped path, aptly christened the Maple Trail, from the goat dairy to the dene. Along the way guests can see a vast network of plastic tubing that zigzags across and down the approx. 300 ft descent. Overseeing this project is local sugarmaker Bob Bushee and his son Kyle who have partnered with Hildene for almost 20 years. While Hildene has a large staff, as a non-profit it is important to recognize when to tackle something oneself and when to rely on a professional.

Bob maintains the 1800+ tree taps and lines, and processes the sap in his nearby sugar house. The number of active taps varies from season to season based on the condition of the trees, but each is responsible for between 1 quart to ⅓ gallon of finished syrup. Hildene’s sugarbush churns out about 18,000 gallons of raw sap a year, resulting in 450 gallons of pure Vermont maple syrup. The sap flows down through the tubing to a large metal collection vat before being transported to the nearby sugar house for boiling. Gone are the days of cast iron kettles and tripods over a wood fire. The Bushees employ a high tech evaporator that uses oil heat and reverse osmosis to reduce the sap as quickly as possible. Sugar maple sap has a starting sugar content of just 2%. By the time it is boiling, it already has been condensed to a sugar content of about 15%. The Bushees rely on hydrometer readings to know when the process is complete. Using the Brix scale, maple syrup will finish with a sugar content of about 66%. Once evaporated into its rich amber color, the syrup is bottled and delivered by Bob and his crew to The Museum Store at Hildene, where it is available for purchase along with other estate-made items.
 
For each 40 gallons of tree sap, the final product is one gallon of syrup. At an average of $30-$40 per gallon, this sweet not-just-for-breakfast drizzle can easily cost 16 times more than a gallon of fuel at your local petrol station. The price as well as the limited season have contributed to a steady black market business: The Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist of 2011 saw the theft of 3,000 tons of this liquid gold. Despite the high price, many devotees insist on the real thing. Vermonters and New Englanders alike have been known to travel with a spare bottle in case it isn’t on offer on regional menus, and add it to favorite recipes from apple pies and milkshakes to pork chops and salad dressings.
 
At just eight weeks, sugaring off-season is one of the many unsung occurrences at Hildene, often overshadowed by the unfurling blooms of early spring and the arrival of baby goats at the dairy. The unseen re-awakening of the trees is a much quieter influence, but dependable and steady, just like the values of the family that Hildene works so hard to emulate and preserve.