Another cold and snowy week—a week sloggin’ through snow drifts, feeding out hay and keeping water running. We’ve been really fortunate this year, with such bitterly cold temperatures, to have no water problems (knock on wood) yet. The animals have been great, the fully insulated and heated bank barn has been a toasty dream and the veggie storage has been happily above freezing with no portable heaters, electric cords and constant checking to make sure it isn’t too warm or too cold.

Seed Order

I am in the very last stages of turning in our seed order, much later than it should be this year, but in time for starting onion and celery root seeds next month. Before long we’ll be digging the greenhouse out of the snow, getting the heaters running and the soil thawed. If there is some variety of vegetable that you love, now is the time to let me know. I’m always happy to hear of something great you have tasted at a farmer’s market or restaurant, or something we have grown in the past that you miss.

Eggs

We have been really tight on eggs the last few weeks, just eeking by. With such cold, windy weather the chickens have been on strike. Luckily, we’re at the low point now, the days are already noticeably longer and before long the temperatures will be trending upward. Hopefully we will manage to keep the eggs coming consistently each week.

Summer Membership Sign Ups Soon

We will have summer membership forms ready at next pick up. Start dreaming of tomatoes and sweet corn!

In the Farm Shares

In the veggie share: blue hubbard winter squash, shallots, leeks, white, blue and fingerling potatoes, radish, kohlrabi, turnips, celeriac, garlic, red and white onions, green, red and savoy cabbage, carrots, beets, wheat berries, whole wheat regular and pastry flour, corn meal and Hutterite soup beans. I’m pulling belgian endive out of the walk-in friday, we’ll start to force the roots to send up new greens for some good winter eating. Also to come, sunflower shoots.

In the meat share: Pork, beef, broilers and stew birds in the freezer. Stock and organ meats from beef and chickens, lard and leaf lard.

Sara Kurak
Full and By Farm

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