Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Winter 2010

It looks and feels as winter is here.  Everything is harder in the winter - frozen water, frozen doors and frozen faces and fingers.  The rewards of winter are worth it - relaxing by the toasty wood stove, baking lots of stews, soups and fresh bread.
A few weeks ago, we processed our meat birds, all 15 of them.   What a chore that was, but now our freezer is filled with happy, healthy, free-range organic birds.  Lettuce, cabbage, napa cabbage, kale, mustard greens, endive and broccoli are growing happy under the low tunnels.  I hope they survive the low 20 degree weather on it's way.  The goats and sheep have been venturing up to the house when I let them free range, and have finished off the lettuce and Chinese cabbage in the kitchen garden.  They enjoyed my winter cover crops of oats and winter peas in the main garden.  If I could keep them out of the road I would let them out everyday.
Several of the spring seed catalogs came in the mail last week - soon it will be time to start the onions!
I am late to go and do the chores this morning as everything is covered in a blanket of frosty snow and the wind is blowing fiercely.  The eggs might just freeze today if I don't go get them!

Pepper and Eggplant Harvest