In what seems to be the slowest spring warm up of all time, I somehow have been caught off guard with the sudden brilliant flush of green. I swear, just last week everything was yellow. And wasn’t there snow still on the ground a few weeks ago? It’s been a rainy mess the past few days, and I’m grumpier than ever on account of it, but it’s hard to stay too mad at Mother Nature when she gives us this.
I hosted the USDA’s NRCS office up at the swamp yesterday to determine the best location for a high tunnel. If high tunnel means nothing to you it should – to me it means fresh, organic greens when everything else is covered in a white blanket of snow! And an earlier arrival of summer (ie Potter Hill tomatoes). Think a large greenhouse, but you grow directly in the ground in order to extend your seasonal offerings. Despite the mucky fields, the NRCS agents were very impressed with the richness of our soils and thought the farm would be a great fit for a high tunnel. Except for the slope of the fields. Oh, and the wind. And then there’s the issue of getting water to the site. But we’re going to make it work, somehow!
We’ve had a flush of activity up here coinciding with the flush of green. 5 little piggies joined our farm family on Friday and boy are they cute. Bees arrive today, chickens next week. The greenhouse is packed to the gills – if the fields would dry out a bit, we’d be out in the fields planting onions, lettuce, leeks, bok choi, kale, and cabbage from sunrise to sunset. As it stands now, I don’t see the first plant in the ground until the second week of May at the earliest!
Monday is the first Monday in May, and that means sausage, cheese, and sweets! Jeff will be down again with the fanciest meats you’ve ever heard of. Check out what he has for sale and go ahead and try something new – you won’t be disappointed. Couet Farm has a new experimental cheese that we can be the first to try out…it looks incredible. Sarah also will be joining us with chocolates, including some new ones: kitchen sink, almond butter, and ginger. PLUS, she may have her homemade marshmallows and rice krispy treats available (check back Saturday afternoon). Email Jeff directly with orders, cheese and sweets you can order directly from our website. Please note, I have the veggies listed just to show any newcomers what organic deliciousness you could expect from throughout the season. Until that high tunnel gets built, there will be no veggie in April!!