Dear CSA Members,
It is a few days before Christmas, clouds blanket the sky here and the farm is wet. A weather forecast is a powerful thing for a farmer. Despite all our modern technological advances, farmers must still surrender to the forces of nature. On a farm with over 50 employees, all with varying but congruent goals, one must plan out how and when a task can be accomplished, as farming here at Frog Hollow is an intensely social endeavor. The rain has put a hold on much of our outdoor work.
Many people ask, “What does a farmer do during the winter?” Anticipating the much-needed rain, we planned on staying dry indoors this week, planning for a summer drenched in sunlight and tomatoes. Last Friday, just before the rain began, we finished planting the rest of our kale and cauliflower seedlings. The garden is now full of brassicas, lettuces, dill, garlic and other cool-season herbs and vegetables. These winter showers are just the thing to get these small yet hardy veggies off on the right foot in the midst of the shortest days of the year.
The Winter Solstice (which is December 22nd this year) is the shortest day of the year, which means it’s the day of the year with the least amount of sunlight hours (at least for us in the Northern Hemisphere). This lack of sunlight, combined with the cold weather we’ve been receiving, means that all of our vegetables are growing very slowly. Our flock of heritage layer hens is also slowing down. Eggs are now few and far between.
For me, colorful vegetables, eggs and the bright bounty of summer are most precious and longed-for in these winter months (especially when looking through the pictures in seed catalogs!). Now is the time of year where not only does the weather take on dark undertones, but also the food we tend to eat. Part of eating seasonally means we must rely on our larder stocked with what we were able to preserve from summer: canned tomatoes, stored onions and carrots, and dried fruit.
These hearty, warm and familiar ingredients are part of what makes this season so enjoyable. Stay warm, plant your garlic, and enjoy the winter harvest!
Happy Holidays,
– Will
