Elizabeth's Secret Garden

  Historic grist mills provide us with a look into the past. Grist mills were relied on and became a livelihood for many settlers. They were used by both the British and Americans.  Just to get an idea of the magnitude of their spread lets take a look at the Domesday survey of 1086. It displayed that the quantity of England’s water-powered flour mills were 5,624, which would be about 1 for every 300 inhabitants. It gained momentum and then peaked at about 17,000 in 1300. Today the numbers of historic mills has declined with the use of modern mills that instead rely on electricity or fossil fuels. I did some research into the subject of remaining grist mills. I was surprised to find that 27 states still have historic mills. North Carolina has four which includes Old Mill of Guilford in Oak Ridge (focus of this entry), Yates Mill in Wake County, Mingus Mill in Cherokee, and West Point Mill in Durham. To see if any grist mills are in your area check out this link: http://en.wi...

Chickens are one of the best animals to start with when entering the idea of raising farm animals. They are fairly easy to raise, but are not bland when it comes to all the breeds to choose from. You can also choose different breeds for egg layers, broiler chickens, and dual-purpose chickens. This blog entry will take you on a tour of Little Birdie Chicken Farm and Hatchery. It will show you the process from incubating eggs, to raising chickens, and general care of chickens. My family has recently taken interest in raising chickens. We have been volunteering at the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle Farm and learning much about farm life. To learn more about the topic of chicken raising, we took a trip to visit the Little Birdie Chicken Farm and Hatchery in Wake Forest, NC. It is a family business that is primarily run by Ben and his father. I’m always excited to hear about people in my generation who have a desire to make a difference. Ben Alig is the one who helped to fuel this journey of...

North Carolina has a rich landscape with thick forests, wildlife, and native flora. North Carolina has 34 state parks and conservation is important in the state my family calls home. Hanging Rocks State Park has more than 300 species of mountain flora in the park! The streams and moist forest areas create a wonderful ecosystem for a variety of amphibians and a source of fresh water for many animals such as the white-tailed deer. The moist ecosystem at Hanging Rocks is especially well suited for salamanders. The Wehrle's salamander, is found only in this area of the state. Before Hanging Rocks came about, it had been owned by developers who planned to create a mountain resort on the highest peak. Thankfully, it fell through during the initial construction due to bankruptcy. In 1936, Stokes County Committee for Hanging Rocks and Winston-Salem Foundation donated 3,096 acres to North Carolina for the founding of a state park. In 2009, the total rose to 7,096 after more acres were ad...