I have returned from Germany and you left me some winter to come back to. I started the seedlings a week later on intuition that it would be a late spring. They are up and doing well and I am thinking of seeding the greenhouse with lettuce and chard today. We can not heat the greenhouse, because the chimney got pushed off by the snow again. We had added two braces after last year's chimney crash. I hop it still works. We will have to construct a gable in front of the chimney, so the snow and ice slide alongside it.
Germany was great. I got to visit with my family and friends, saw a convention on organic food and had the reunion with the 30 year baking house high school students. We had a wonderful time. I was quite exhausted when I got back. My family took turns in visiting from 9am till 2am and I got to visit non stop. I would not have wanted to miss a minute of it! There was no more TV at my sisters house and Kira had to adjust a bit. But she got to watch the Olympics at my aunt Puddel's house.
Carol was so happy to see Kira and me and we brushed her for a long time. She is getting big and we can see the calf kick. She is due April 14th. We will keep you posted. We will have a lot of manure for the gardens this year. We can only put it on crops harvested in the fall to give it 120 days to compost in the field before harvest. Our cow partner Jeff, who owns land down the road and I are thinking of planting a two acre field on his land to give our land a bit of a break. I am in the process to certify it organic. It has been meadow for the past 40 years. Carol grasses over there in the summer month.
I have a lot of people asking to work for the farm this year. Lauren is coming from New Mexico and should arrive in May. Ian and Sal have asked to return after last years season. And I accepted two other friends of the farm. This is good news. I did not have anyone when I left for Germany. And more people are applying. The workers are ready! Where are the gardens? Under snow and ice!
The sad news of the day are that the last two duckies got eaten by a predator this weekend. We had fed them all through the winter and I was just getting ready for spring eggs. They were ancient and someone was very hungry. It ate every bit of them. Kira and I are planning to get some babies this spring and she wants them to be tame, so she can pick them up.
I miss the quackers for now. We still have 12 chickens who lay one egg/ day. Get with it girls! (They are ancient too).
I hope you made through the winter o.k.. Attached is the new application for the 2014 season. There are a few bonus bucks left with Gardenshare for those with low income. Please spread the word, we are looking for more CSA members. Let me know if you don't plan to be with us and don't want to receive the newsletters. I am looking forward to a bountiful season with you.
peace, Dulli