A Season of SNOW ❄️
We are in full swing of winter… it’s been several years since we’ve had a season of so much snow and while I’m enjoying it (for the most part) it’s come with its challenges.
Our first big snow hit in early January… and though we never leave the farm, wouldn’t you know the few days we left for a mini vacation we received a massive amount of snow! Unfortunately, we didn’t make it back in time for the big hit and lost two of our high tunnels. However, we (Jeremiah and a neighbor) have worked hard this past week to get both structures back up and though they’re not 100% complete, they are well enough to start working in so I’m not too far behind with the garden.
We do plan to amp up produce this year. When I first started this farming endeavor almost 8 years ago, I started out with produce being the main focus. That plan took some twists and turns to where we shifted our focus to pastured meats - chicken, turkey, grass-finished beef, and eventually pork. But now that we have a good rhythm, this year we intend to circle back around and lean into vegetable production. Last year I planned heavily to make the market garden my focus but quickly found out it’s not something I could manage and maintain on my own. We’ve come a long way in 8 years and most of my time is now tied up with planning, budgeting, scheduling, accounting … more of the back-end business things of running a farm while Jeremiah is now working full-time on the farm keeping production moving, and to juggle both, the market garden and business administration side of things became more than I could juggle. Over these last few months, however, I’ve put some systems in place and planned for some seasonal help that I think we can make a successful go back into vegetables.
Back to snow and weather though… the drastic temperature shifts have made for a great sap run so far. We have maple syrup bottled and you can pick up some any Saturday at the Lex Farmer’s Market. We made it through the calving season with only one loss (stillborn, not weather-related), and the pigs and chickens are faring just fine… though the chickens are not a fan! We’re enjoying our first full winter season in the new house on the farm (yay for no more commutes!!) and I’m so thankful I opted in last minute during our construction by putting in our gas logs - the pups certainly enjoy it!
Hope everyone has a safe and warm winter and we hope to see you …. if you’re not in the know - the Lexington Farmer’s Market has moved INDOORS for the winter at Greyline Station (Loudon Ave), we’re there every Saturday 9am-1pm. So come shop and support local farmers indoors where it’s warm and dry!
