Seed Catalogs

If you buy seeds from seed catalogs, December is generally the time that they start arriving in your mailbox.  With the winter solstice behind us we can start to think about spring and start planning our vegetables - what goes where, and how much we think we'll need. Looking into the catalogs is a great way to make your mind feel the warmth of summer, at least until you look away from the catalogs.  Not that we mind the winter months either. It's been cold but we only have about 6 inches of snow on the ground, so chores are not a burden and it feels like winter should be. But for a real taste of spring in the winter I have been going into the high tunnel on sunny days.  I can't help but going out and marveling at the temperature. When the sun is shining the temperature stays in the upper 50's, and seeing the green carpet of rye along with the warmth and humidity, it's just amazing. We love showing it off, so if you feel like taking a step into spring in the deepest part of the winter, take a sunny day and stop out for a visit.

The Flavor of Local

We are really into the concept of eating what is grown close to home. For us the closer the better.  Local chicken, beef, vegetables and fruit are such a treat for us that some nights when we are sitting down to dinner, we can't help but give thanks for how blessed we are to have our meal come from our farm and local growers. I think that's why we're also such fans of eating wild game. When we take ducks, geese, pheasant, doves, deer, rabbit and squirrel, we think that it's such a blessing to be able to eat something that carries the flavor of its local habitat so strongly. If you live down South and take a deer that lives in the woods, they call it an acorn-deer, not just because of what it eats, but also because of the distinctive flavor of the deer from what it eats. Here we have the luxury of animals that are flavored by alfalfa hay, corn, soybeans and some small grains.  What a blessing it is. I hope that you get to enjoy some too.