Just as the snow will melt, the mud will dry and the grass will grow and if yesterday’s warm temps weren’t enough the next couple of days should mostly do the trick. We are keeping our eyes peeled for the year’s first snow drops and daffodils while rumors of dandelion sightings fill the air. When you really think about it in a business like ours it can be a challenge to not feel behind. Combine that with behind trapped in an icy prison like Superman’s fortress of solitude for a few months and the pressure is palatable. The feeling that the switch is going to be flicked any moment and we will be hurled head long into the thick of the season is looming and there’s not too much more to say about it besides we are going to be as ready as we can for it. So this week we will be diving right into the mud and meeting the season where it matters most.
Last week on the farm we received two well anticipated deliveries both equally important. Arriving safely, it was a long journey from Hawaii to our doorstep for this year’s ginger and turmeric. However, the journey for our Hawaiian friends is only beginning. Tucked away safely in one of the germ chambers these rhizomes will sit warm and safe for around a month until they begin to sprout. After that it’s another month or so on the nursery table, then the big planting in May followed by late summer harvest. The other delivery though needed turned out to be a little bit of a let down. We did in fact receive a new igniter for our nursery furnace however sans an essential bracket which allows the newer style igniter to attach to the heater. A detail sadly we did not have. So while we wait for the part the game of heaters borrowing parts from each other continues. The good news is that the main nursery is now up and running and nearly filled, suspiciously though with a lot more flowers than vegetables, for now.
Said Nursery will be quite the hot bed of activity tomorrow and not just because the high is in the 70’s. Tomorrow we welcome the first round of new SLG crew members for a little orientation and get your hands dirty day. We are looking at it as a chance to knock off some administrative necessities, while getting to know us, the farm and the work a little better. We are still a few weeks off from the full season crew officially starting but there is no denying that one way to handle the over whelming feeling of a season starting is to fill the farm with a bunch of eager new farmers. With Spring officially starting next week we are also bringing back Open Farm Shop hours Friday from 3-6. That’s right returning 3/20 and running through the remainder of the season in addition to Friday and Saturday preorder you can swing by the farm in Middlefield Friday from 3-6 and see what is available. Hope to see you there.
Have a Great Week