Saturday, April 2, 2016

Farm Update

Happy April! This kid is certainly happy that it's April! I thought I missed the shot as I had waited and waited for him to take the leap off the livestock waterer. Just as I had given up, he did it. I've been slowly working my way through The Desire Map and in the workbook section, one of the questions was something like "What animal makes you think of joy?" Immediately I thought about how baby goats seem so joyful!

Now that the weather is nicer and the days are longer, we've been able to take long walks after dinner. Soon, though, we'll have to abandon part of the area we walk in as the ticks are numerous - and I refuse to use deet (and am afraid to try the natural products for fear they won't work). We'll have to be content with walking the more civilized parts of the farm and our country road.

Our new asparagus crowns arrived this week and Bill planted them on Thursday, greatly expanding out asparagus/perennial garden. Due to the nature of these plants, we really won't be able to harvest them for three years! The first year you just let the plants grow, the second year the spears can be harvested for two weeks, then after that we harvest throughout the season. We're already getting yummy spears off our older plants - not enough to sell but enough for us to enjoy. Last night I made an asparagus pizza for dinner.

We finished out the winter farmers' market. The regular market opens in May so we have a little bit of a break. While it wasn't ideal to do a market every Saturday in the winter, it did increase our sales over our usual deliveries and I managed to sell a number of my aprons, something don't typically sell at the market. We'll continue our deliveries of pre-orders until the market re-opens. We have lots of greens coming in and the hens have cranked up egg production.

Today will likely be my last post on this blog. While I've enjoyed blogging about a wide variety of things, it seems my focus here has turned to farming and food. Now that I've taken on an additional role outside the house, I feel that it's time to move on. I'll now be blogging at Simple.Beautiful.Life. I had been contemplating this for some time and now I feel even more drawn to a new kind of blog. This blog will be more fun, feminine, and sometimes frivolous, though sometimes will touch on serious thoughts. I want to focus on a more simple...beautiful...life and decided that calls for a new blog. Thanks to all who have been reading Renaissance Garden. I know some of you will follow me to my new blog while others will say goodbye at this point. 

Have a great spring!

2 comments:

David said...

Cherie, yes, April is here much faster that I would have liked. Plants are growing and gardening is in full swing for cold weather plants. I planted my early tomatoes in buckets again this year. I move them in and out of the weather depending on what it's like. Warm sunny days they get to stay outside but come in during the cool lower 40 degree nights. Last year I got my first tomato on July 5th.

I guess even though I dislike them very much I would have to say the animal that represents joy the most for me is the squirrel. They are rascals of the neighborhood and will destroy anything that they touch but I have to say watching them play carefree in the trees brings a smile to my face. I still don't like them but I can enjoy their antics.

My neighbor's asparagus at Terra Nova Gardens is a little slow coming this year. I sure hope they didn't winter kill as this would be year three, the harvest year. I would have thought that there would have been some signs of life by now so both my neighbor and I are hoping that they are just slow in showing them selves.

Onions, Cabbage, and potatoes are being planted this week. It's sure great to be back out digging in the dirt. Terra Nova Gardens is still fence building but what strawberries survived the deer munching from last year are looking great.

Awe, I'm really sorry to see you leave this bog behind but I totally understand and it doesn't surprise me that other responsibilities have taken up the time for this blog. God bless you in your new blog endeavors.

Have a great day on the White Flint farm.

Cherie said...

Dave - thanks for the well wishes. Glad to hear your garden is doing well. We've been doing the same with some of our tender seedlings - moving them in and out since winter hasn't quite left us yet. Squirrels are joyful animals too - I guess I didn't think of them because I haven't known one personally. ;) I did meet a woman who kept pet a pet squirrel - Stinky - and she shared hilarious stories about his antics. Have a good week!