End of the Season Update: Farewell, Friends

It seems the time has come when the tempurature drops, leaves fall, wind starts and the dark comes.  Its FALL IN BERGEN.

As fall and winter approach, we must prepare the farm.  We had planned on butchering our animals in the fall, as we do not yet have facilities for winter.  Anyone who visited the farm knows that our animals are very special.  Ducks that wake us up better than the rooster and are best friends with the rabbits.  The hens hiked up the mountain every day and returned on their own at night.  The chickens could recognize their names and follow commands.  All the animals were friends and while we are a farm and we love fresh meat, we decided this was not what we wanted.

Instead, we found a wonderful family with a young boy and girl who wanted to take all of our animals, together.  They were so excited about the possibility of having the animals, they were squealing on the phone.  So, our animals have been moved to Lindås to a new home.  They joined other chickens, rabbits and ponies and will be comfortable and warm all winter.

The new caretakers of the BB Animals

Farewell, Solvor

Saying goodbye

Safe travels!

Off they go!

It was a strange feeling to wake up this morning to silence. It was an even stranger sight to see our empty chicken coop, and hen-less mountainside.  We loved having these animals and will miss them dearly.  We are so happy they are all staying together and with such a great, happy family!

BB Cafe and Store is also getting ready to close it's doors for the winter.  We took advantage of all the nice days we could and now it is time to update our schedule.  We will continue to post special opening days when we can, so stay tuned on Facebook for these announcements.  We are expecting to have special holiday opening hours and possibly some small events if possible.

Cake and bagel orders are welcome (see price list below).  Cakes are available to order by phone (97621574) or email (bbfarmsbergen@gmail.com).  We have our regular flavors but can customize cakes as you would like.  Just ask!!

Cakes

- Carrot cake (600 kr)

- Cheesecake (650 kr)

- Chocolate Cake (550 kr)

Bagels made fresh to order

8 bagels for 120 kr

- Plain
- Seseme seed
- Poppyseed
- Jalepeno-cheddar
- Rosemary and Sea Salt
- Garlic
- Sundried tomato
- Cinnamon-raisin
- Chocolate chip



We are shutting down for the winter, but we are already excited about next year.  We plan to have our baby animals in the spring and the cafe open again.  There is a lot to look forward to and we hope you will all be there to join us!!

Lastly, we all want to send a big thank you to our many customers, friends and followers.  We are very happy with our first year open and can only thank you for this!

BB Farms

June Farm Update

Hello everyone!!

It is time for a BB Farms update!! The ducks and chicks have grown, new little additions have made their way to the farm, a lot of fun things have been happening and there is so much more to look forward to!

The ducks and chicks are now full grown and loving the farm life!! It has been wonderful watching them grow so fast!! We love having them here and I think they feel the same.

Our 6 full grown Peking ducks, waiting (not so patiently) for food!!

Our chickens, always wanting to be part of the action and always finding a place to avoid Bergen rain.

Our NEW BB Farms friends include 5 rabbits and 20 new hens.  We now get about 35 eggs daily from our 39 chickens.  We have 2 white belgium giants and 3 pet rabbits.  Everyone has heard the story from their parents about their favorite pet "going to live on a farm where they can run around and be so happy".  Well, that place exists and it is called BB Farms.

Farm fresh eggs...nothing is more delicious!! We have fresh eggs packaged daily so come on up to pick up your dozen!!

One of our 2 white belgium giants.  This one is about 2kg now and will grow to approximately 7!!

A pet bunny named Perla, loving the new home!!

Nap time

Look closely and you will see the second belgium giant.  This one prefers to hang out with the hens in their coop.

The farm cafe and shop "BB Farms Mountain Cafe and Gårdsbutikk" is the next big happening.  We have been working away and plan to have the shop and cafe open in the coming weeks.  So far, we are planning to have berries, fruits, vegetables and of course EGGS from nearby farms in Bergen and Hardanger.  

Also coming soon: 

We have discovered some new friends at BB Farms.  Gnomes, trolls and fairies!!! We weren't surprised to learn that this mountain is the perfect place for these fairytale creatures.  We will have an adventure fairytale hunt for the kids in the near future, where it may be possible to spot a gnome making candy, or even the tooth fairy!!!  

There are plenty of small, hidden gnome houses and workshops scattered around the farm.  Walk quietly while you search and you may just spot one of the gnomes working away.

Keep on following the adventure and we hope to see you soon!!

  

Welcome Chicks and Ducks!

A farm is not a true farm without the baby animals, right?  Well, we are thrilled to welcome the newest residents of BB Farms.  Six ducklings (Peking Ducks) and four chicks (Skonsk Blomer).  The ducks are lively and happy and the chicks are quiet and relaxed.  They are all happy to be home!!

The arrival of these cute friends is not the only exciting news we have this week.  We will also be picking up our full grown Chickens (pictures to come)!!

This Sunday, April 28th is Family Hiking Day (Familie tur) at Baugetveit.  We will have fresh eggs for sale and our new residents will be happy to meet visitors!!

Heading to their new home!

We're here!!

The chickens weren't so sure of their new home.

While the ducklings settled in quickly

Bedtime at BB Farms

Interesting facts about ducklings:

• Ducklings will double in size every week!
• Ducks don't walk, but waddle because of their webbed feet.
• They have very waterproof, wax feathers which keep the feathers underneath completely dry.
• They love to cuddle and bond with their caretakers.  Many times, ducklings follow around their care taker and like to be held.
• They do not like to be alone.

Interesting facts about Chicks/Chickens

• Baby chicks can breathe before they hatch.
• You can hypnotize a chicken by holding it and drawing a line in the dirt over and over. It will stay still while you do this.
• The average hen lays 265 eggs each year.
• Chickens know who is boss and establish a "pecking order" at a very young age.
• Chickens experience Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, which means they dream just like humans do.

Upcoming events and dates to remember

Hello everyone!!

As with anything new and exciting, it will take some time before BB Farms is up and running at full capacity.  We want to keep you up to date on important dates in the future.  Please keep in mind that depending on weather, soil and other factors out of our control, the dates may change slightly.

BB Farm Activities and Important Dates

April 2013: Garden plots available for rent.  Contact us for information and to place your name on the list for a plot.

May 2013: Baby farm animals arrive!! We hope to have piglets, sheep, and chickens.

June 2013: Farm shop opens.  As this is our first season, most produce and products will be from other local farms.

Picking: As most berries have a two year growth cycle, we will not have berries available for u-pick until 2014.  We may have some vegetables, so stay tuned!!


BB Farm Events

TBA (April/May): BB Farm opening party!!  We will have an official celebration when the farm opens for business and we want everyone to celebrate with us!!

May 17th: Independence Day Celebration!! Join us for an authentic Norwegian celebration in the afternoon.  Food and drinks will be available for sale and we will have music, yard games and lots of fun for the entire family!

July 4th: American 4th of July Celebration!  Come celebrate America's Independence day with a BBQ, lawn games, music and fun.  Don't forget to wear your red, white and blue!

July 29th: Jonsok Dag or "Mid-summer day"!! Celebrate a traditional Norwegian party with a bonfire, tug of war, games for children and of course, dancing and singing!!

TBA (July/August): Pig roast Party!! Come for our roasted pig feast and enjoy music, dancing and a full night of entertainment at the farm!!

And many more to come so keep following us!!!

Introducing BB Farms

Thank you for visiting BB Farms blog!  We are very excited to introduce BB Farms to Bergen and would love to share our story with you from the beginning.  Over the next year, we are excited to prepare the farm and plan to open for picking the Summer of 2014.  Follow us on our journey as we plant, build, and create BB Farms.

To start, let me introduce you to B and B, Tor Hakon Berge and Elizabeth Bogetveit. We are two cousins who have a shared dream of rejuvenating our family farm and creating an amazing place where families can visit for fresh fruits and vegetables, great company and lots of family fun!

From the beginning, it is important to understand that BB Farms is more than just Bogetveit and Berge.  We have a large family, in Norway and in the states.  Everyone has been extremely supportive and will continue to be an integral part of BB Farms.  Please allow us to thank and acknowledge our wonderful family!!

BB Farms would not be here without these wonderful people and we look forward to having you as well.  So keep following us, come visit the farm and join our BB Farms family!

With Love,

B and B