Summer is a great time to get those home organizing projects checked off your list.
If you're thinking about redoing an area in your home or want to tidy up a disorganized space, I encourage you to consider California Closets to help. If you follow this blog regularly, you may have seen the projects I've done with California Closets here at my Bedford, New York farm. I transformed a spare bedroom into a large walk-in closet. I converted an under-used dining room in my guest house into a cookbook library. And last year, I used The Everyday System™ from California Closets - the high-quality modular components I designed with the company - to create a beautiful home office in the apartment above my Carriage House. Using California Closets is a fantastic way to create a functional and elegant modular space for any room. Plus, once a configuration is selected, California Closets schedules a professional installation - it's that easy.
The closet spaces and dressers were custom designed for my wardrobe needs, and ample lighting was incorporated into every hanging space and cubby.
This room was an under-used dining space in my guest house. I also decided it needed a transformation. This room is near my new studio kitchen, so it was the perfect space to store all my cookbooks. Over the years, my collection of cookbooks has grown tremendously – I have hundreds and hundreds from all over the world. Read this story from our October 2019 “Living” issue.
A long window seat with underneath storage was also built to maximize every inch of space.
Every wall was outfitted with sturdy bookshelves. Here is one side completely done. When building a home library, consider the room’s size, and environment. It should have no more than about 35-percent relative humidity. Also, be sure the room is not in direct sunlight. This room will also have proper shades to protect the books.
Here is the new cookbook library after all the books were organized on the shelves by cuisine and then alphabetically by author.
My room transformations have even inspired others. A colleague wanted to install shelves in the living room of her new home. She enlisted the help of California Closets to do the job. The team at California Closets helped design a plan that fit perfectly with the space.
The installation takes several hours to complete. All the necessary pieces are brought into the space and neatly piled. Any adjustments are made right in the room, so everything fits perfectly.
Shelving and cabinets are always measured and remeasured.
And then every surface is checked for level and plumb. The team works quickly and efficiently throughout the entire process.
Holes are made to hide any wiring.
And here are the finished units. The pieces focus on open shelving and closed cabinetry below, so it looks clean and has an easily-accessible design for visibility as well as function.
This transformation was in my Carriage House using “The Everyday System” I designed with California Closets. Considering the symmetrical lines of the wall and the measurements of the space, the design team and I came up with this great arrangement using their special CAD technology. California Closets offers virtual design consultations to design just the right configuration. One can also shop their pre-configured systems online. There are so many variations.
And look at how it turned out. It is just perfect for this room. I selected the “Perry St. White Woodgrain with White Metal” finishes combination.
These components can change, and improve everyday living. They feature a modern palette of wood and metal finishes that can fit in every home. The shelves are also outfitted with supplies from my Office Collection at Staples. I love “The Everyday System” – it’s modern, modular, and moveable.
Other examples of “The Everyday System” include this closet configuration. It is my signature “Bedford Gray Woodgrain with Graphite Metal” finishes. (Photo by Douglas Friedman)
Durable hanging rods allow for several heavy suits. And premium hangers organize all the sports coats while protecting their shape and quality. (Photo by Douglas Friedman)
Plus, one can also choose from a variety of shelf placements. (Photo by Douglas Friedman)
This closet is the “Perry St. White Woodgrain with Gold Metal” finishes modular set. This sophisticated system doubles the storage without compromising style. There’s more than 11-feet of hanging space for all those dresses, blouses, and work outfits. (Photo by Douglas Friedman)
And look at all the room for shoes on these slanted open shoe shelves – every pair is visible and easy to access. (Photo by Douglas Friedman)
Sturdy hangers organize a full wardrobe while protecting the shape and quality of the clothing. Special hanger indents keep those delicates from falling to the floor. (Photo by Douglas Friedman)
This clean and easily-accessible design caters to visibility and function for kitchen pantry storage. Each 14-inch or 20-inch shelf can fit various appliances including food processors and microwaves. (Photo by Douglas Friedman)
And mesh basket drawers on gliders provide a practical solution for vegetables or kitchen towels. (Photo by Douglas Friedman)
And here I am with this modular media center also in my “Bedford Grey Woodgrain with Graphite Metal” finishes. This unit’s well-designed cabinets and shelves keep everything accessible, but out of sight if needed. California Closets has so many units to fit your needs. Visit their web site to see “The Everyday System” and all their other great pieces. (Photo by Douglas Friedman)
Our big hay baling project continues at my Bedford, New York farm.
Hay is a harvested plant that’s dried and cured after being cut in the field. In most cases, hay is cut during the late bud or early bloom stage to maximize its nutritional value. This week, my outdoor grounds crew foreman, Chhiring, along with crew member, Domi, worked hard to cut, toss, rake and then bale the hay in my fields. Chhiring's son, MingMar, took photos with a drone to capture the arduous process. We're all so excited about this first cut. The first cut of the season is higher in fiber content and lower in protein and fat - my horses will love it.
Enjoy these photos.
Earlier this week, I shared a blog explaining how my hay was cut and tedded. A tedder spreads and fluffs the hay in a uniform swath after the mower-conditioner has made the windrows.
Here is a drone shot showing some of the windrows ready for baling. Thankfully, this was another beautiful dry day at the farm.
A baler is a piece of farm machinery used to compress a cut and raked crop into compact bales that are easy to handle, transport, and store.
Here is the motor that helps to move and propel the bales into the wagon.
Chhiring hitches the baler to my tractor. I am so glad I have all the necessary equipment here at the farm. Having the “right tool for the right job” is very important.
Large rolls of twine are positioned and tied to each other, so they can feed into the baler and secure the hay just before it shoots out into the trailer.
Here is a closer look at a row of hay ready to bale. I have three separate areas for growing hay. They are all planted with a mixture of timothy, orchard grass, Kentucky bluegrass, ryegrass, and clovers – all great for producing good quality hay.
Chhiring starts this process midday when there is the least amount of moisture.
The tractor rides to one side of the windrow while the baler passes directly over it to collect the hay.
The hay is lifted by tines in the baler’s reel and then propelled into the wagon by a mechanical arm called a thrower or a kicker. The bales are manageable for one person to handle, about 45 to 60 pounds each.
Behind the baler is the hay trailer or wagon, which is used to catch the bales once they are formed and tied. It’s covered to protect the bales from any unexpected rain and to offer shade to Domi who is stacking the bales as they are thrown.
Here is Domi ready to catch each bale as it shoots out of the machine.
All the hay is dry and passing through the machine smoothly. If the hay is properly dried, the baler will work continuously down each row. Hay that is too damp tends to clog up the baler.
A baled “square” is seen traveling through the shoot. A measuring device—normally a spiked wheel that is turned by the emerging bales—measures the amount of material that is being compressed and then knotters wrap the twine around the bale and tie it off.
This bale accidentally fell out of the trailer and will be picked up on a later pass. Each bale is about 15 by 18 by 40 inches large. The number of flakes in the bale is determined by a setting in the baler. Many balers are set for 10 to 12 flakes per bale.
Chhiring goes evenly and slowly over every row of cut, tedded hay.
The hay trailer has high walls on the left, right, and back sides, and a short wall on the front side to contain the bales which are stacked neatly from front to back.
The trailer fills up pretty quickly. Luckily, I have two hay trailers. Each one can hold about 150-bales. Chhiring drives up and down the windrows of all the hayfields which takes about two hours. This hay will be more palatable for the horses. Feeding early-cut hay greatly reduces the amount of grain a horse needs. In all, we collected 400 bales of hay!
Chhiring, MingMar, and the drone stopped for a quick photo. Once the trailer is full, it is brought to the stable, where the hay is unloaded and stored. I am so excited to see all these bales of hay made right here at my farm. Below is a short video of the bales shooting into the trailer.
Here in the Northeast, today's weather is expected to be very hot and humid with temperatures in the 90s. Last week, while the temperatures were still warm, but much more pleasant, my outdoor grounds crew worked hard to get all the hay at my Bedford, New York farm cut and baled before the heat wave.
When I moved here, I designated three separate areas as hayfields and planted them with a mixture of timothy, orchard grass, Kentucky bluegrass, ryegrass, and clovers - all great for producing good quality hay. The hay is also treated with agricultural lime, a soil additive made from pulverized limestone or chalk that works to correct the acidity of the soil, eradicate any noxious weeds, and raise the overall health of the land. To make hay, we cut the hayfields, tossed the grass for the crucial drying process, raked it all into tidy windrows for collection, and then baled the hay.
Enjoy these photos.
Time to make hay for my horses! This time every year, we hope for at least a week of good, dry weather, so we can get the first cut of hay from the fields. Timing is everything when cutting the hay crop. The first cutting should be when grass has greened up and reached 12 to 16 inches tall.
Here is a closer look. Next, it’s important to consider the time of day that’s best for mowing. The plants’ sugar content is highest at dusk but because of moisture, it’s not ideal to cut hay at night. The best time is to start as soon as dew is off in the morning, which will maximize drying time.
I am fortunate to have all the necessary equipment here at the farm. This is our mower-conditioner. A hay conditioner crimps and crushes the hay after it is cut to promote faster and more even drying.
When weather conditions are ideal, these machines allow farmers to cut wide and fast – the best formula for quality field productivity. My outdoor grounds crew foreman, Chhiring, goes over all the fields slowly and evenly with the mower-conditioner.
Here, one can see the mounded rows of cut and crimped grass.
Here is another view after the mower-conditioner goes back and forth over the field. On the left – cut hay, and on the right, the hay that is still waiting to be mowed.
Here is a view from above. Chhiring’s son, MingMar, took the next few photos with a drone. The mounded rows are called windrows – rows of cut hay or small grain crops. They are so beautiful and all perfectly straight.
Chhiring follows the shape of the field and works from the outside in – until every bit of hay is cut.
Here is the last section to be done.
This freshly cut hay will need to dry before it is baled. The hay is ready when hay pulled from the bottom of the windrow makes a crunching sound when snapped.
On the next day, Chhiring goes over the fields with the hay tedder. A tedder spreads and fluffs the hay in a uniform swath after the mower-conditioner has made the windrows.
It uses a rotary motion to grab the hay with spinning tines and then cast it out the back of the machine.
Here is a closer look at the tines, or moving forks, which aerate or “wuffle” the hay and speed up the drying process.
Here is Chhiring with the tedder attached to our trusted Kubota M7060HD12 tractor – a vehicle that is used every day here at the farm.
Here is the tedder moving up and down the field taking all the greener hay from the bottom and turning it over to dry.
Here is another view – look how the tedder picks up and fluffs the hay with its forks.
Here is some of the fluffed up hay, which will continue to dry for the next day. On average, it takes about three days per field, depending on the size of the field and the weather, to complete the entire process of mowing, raking, and baling hay.
From above, one can see how the tedder works to turn the hay around and around.
After the hay is tedded, it is then raked. Raking the hay is the fastest part of the process. There are different kinds of rakes – they include wheel rakes, rotary rakes and parallel bar or basket rakes. This is a parallel bar rake. This type uses a gentle raking action with a lower chance of soil contamination than the wheel rake.
The parallel bar rake picks up the cut and drying hay and rakes it into more windrows that can be baled.
And here is a row completely raked and ready for the last stage – baling.
All the rows are perfectly straight. They will continue to dry out until they are made into bales. I am excited to see how many bales of hay we get from this cutting. I’ll share the very interesting process of baling hay in my next blog. Stay tuned.
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