April!

 

March!

 

Barberry Hill Farm CSA 2022 Enrollment Open

This is the time of year...

...for farmers (and the rest of us) to think about seeds.

"Winter in the garden is the season of speculation, a time when the snow on the ground is an empty canvas that invites the idle planting and replanting of countless hypothetical gardens between now and spring thaw.  A season of speculation in the Wall Street sense too, for now is when large wagers of gardening time and space are made on the basis of mere scraps of information." - Michael Pollan, Second Nature. 

"The future of the human race will depend on combining the cleverness of science with the wisdom of nature." - Charles Linbergh 

"Seventeen thousand different varieties of wheat have been produced, many of them the result of centuries of cultivation in a specific ecosystem with the best seeds saved each year and planted the next   The variation in plant varieties is related to the variation in cultures from one bioregion to another." Bill Duesing, Living on the Earth

The darkest month of the winter is over.  A window of sun starts us thinking about warmer days.  And in many farmhouses right now, people are planning the acquisition of seeds.

We live in a world that now has the unparalleled capacity to produce vast amounts of mediocre products.  Food production has already been that way for the last thirty years or so.

But small farms provide alternative.  Many would rather pay more for real food than pay more for doctors (or restaurants).

Those who write their checks for their summer CSA/Farm Share this time of year understand that they literally are providing seed money.  And when farmers have a bit more resources earlier, they can buy a better selection for the season to come.

Heirloom and Local Seeds Need Less and Give More

Painfully separating the seeds from a flower which is almost impossible to buy in the quantity required for a farm.

First Snow

November

During the heat of July and August, I trick myself into thinking September will bring about change.  In September, I look forward to October.  But November is the real thing.  Clear skies.  Cool nights.  Dappled days.  It is homecoming.  Worth the wait, and worth enjoying every moment.