Merry Lea

As we drove east under gray skies this morning, I had no inkling we would find ourselves hiking under pretty blue skies with white puffy clouds. It was overcast all of yesterday, and today was forecasted to be the same at least until noon. 

We went to Merry Lea an environmental educational center run by Goshen College. The trails are sometimes on dirt but often on dew-drenched grass. Eventually the damp seeped thru to my socks. I hope the natural tan color returns when the boots dry.

This land north of Columbia City near Wolf Lake was given to the college for its biology and environmental studies programs, but the public is welcome to hike the trails. It was quiet except for bird chatter and honking geese; usually there are school children during the week, but the educators were at a conference. We were surprised to learn that sorghum syrup was going to be made on the north side of the acreage. The lady at the learning center building invited us to visit that program and gave us driving directions.

We ate our trail mix overlooking Cub Lake; the sun made it impossible to photograph this lily padded body of water from the bench where we sat by water's edge. There are many small lakes/ponds on the property. Click on the link above to see a map.

How would you like to live in a dorm in such a pretty place?

One of the instructors told us students live here for a semester as part of the curriculum.

Part of the mission is preservation and conservation of the natural ecology, but they also do some sustainable farming.

The mobile chicken coop (on wheels) is moved around even into some of the dying garden so the chickens can grub around for bugs. I guess the students collect the eggs as part of their food. 

The garden plots were fenced. While hiking we saw a deer flick its white tail and speed away from us. I would guess rabbits are also to be defended against. 

We arrived at Rieth Village a few minutes before 10 a.m. The fires had been stoked under some pans of sorghum juice, but the plants awaiting pressing had not been touched. The juice is a nasty bile green, not a bit appetizing. It boils down into an amber syrup.

You can see the color better in this smaller pot that was to be cooked down on a turkey cooker.

Since the pressing activity hadn't started, we hiked around a wetland pond to the farmstead. Most of that was closed up since as I mentioned before the environmentalists were away for the day.

I guess the school children have interaction with farm animals usually.

We continued to walk the circular trail by the wetland pond until we came to a west cutoff leading back to Rieth Village.
Now a belt driven by a tractor turned the pressing wheel. We saw the pressing of the stalks. I was surprised how bulky the wastage was and how little the trickle of juice was that emptied out of the funnel. A lot of work for not a great quantity of syrup I would say.

As we headed for our car, a lady from Old Loon Farm which had supplied the tractor equipment and buckets invited us to try some cookies she had baked from sorghum. They were yummy, sort of like a molasses spice cookie. She also had what she called "sorghum butter" she poured over a biscuit for us to try. I didn't like it as well as maple syrup or honey, but it was OK. 
We spent so much time on the southern and eastern half of the acreage, we didn't make it to the western lakes and forests. It was time for lunch. We'll have to return sometime. It was an enjoyable outing.