We miss you all! Now that it is really winter, we are not picking vegetables. As we are getting snowed in for what is likely a few days, we aren’t baking bread for tomorrow. Our activities and our business changes with the weather, and we miss seeing you all here weekly for CSA pick up. We miss getting out and interacting with our farmers’ market customers. However, things have been all but quiet around here. Here’s a mid-winter update and save-the-date.
What does it look like around Broadfork these days? Most vegetable residue is returning to the earth, continuing to feed the soil that will feed us all in 2016. It is amazing how strongly the cabbage plot gives off the wonderful aroma of cabbage! We wish we could share with you so many details of farm living. Before today’s snowfall, we brought in some of what remain of our field collards and carrots. It was easy to think they were done a couple of weeks ago, but they still have sustenance to offer. We’re hunkering down through this storm with some of our stored and preserved vegetables, sweet potatoes that we got from a friend, beans soaking on the stove, and a rack of firewood to feed our wood burning oven.
Kale and spinach are growing beautifully in the high tunnels. Tonight and tomorrow’s weather require that we “bump” the snow off of the plastic of our greenhouse and high tunnel so that they don’t collapse. (Snows like this are so rare that we didn’t invest in beefier structures that would withstand this snow load.) During a storm like this, the tunnels require more difficult attention than a newborn. We’ll keep tending them so that we can harvest those greens in a few weeks.
We have been giving full-time attention to building our new oven in our bread kitchen. This makes the dormant farmstand a construction zone while the oven comes to life. When we open the farmstand back up this spring, we are so excited to be able to offer warm loaves from this oven for our community. Spread the word…and stay tuned for a spring Oven Warming party!
On the horizon:
:: Save the date! Our Spring Plant Sale // Farm Tour // Open House will be
Saturday, April 30 10:00 – 4:00. Guided Tour at 3:00.
Turn to us for Certified Naturally Grown vegetable and herb plants for your garden, plus tour the farm with us to learn how and why we grow the most delicious and nutritious vegetables for you and your household.
:: We will have vegetables and bread at the St. Stephen’s market as soon as we are able. We’ll keep you posted here.
:: We continue to offer our bread through Fall Line Farms & Local Roots Co-op (the online farmers’ markets). We will offer our vegetables there as well as soon as they are ready.
:: CSA Sign up is available here! We harvest first and foremost for our Community Supported Agriculture members (shareholders) and these members are the lifeblood of our farm. We are so glad to be able to have the capacity this year for even more CSA members. When you sign up, please also tell a food-loving friend or neighbor about us!
We’re going to settle in with some Chamomile-Ginger-Turmeric Tea and Sweet Potato-Collard-Bean Soup. Stay safe and warm in this snow storm, and enjoy the chance to sign up for 2016 vegetables (and bread!) while the snow falls. We are looking forward to seeing you all again as soon as we can!
All the best,
Janet, Dan, and the whole Broadfork crew
(Want to follow along throughout the week? Visit us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.)
