Good Farm Help Comes in Many Sizes
Much to my dismay, the farmkids’ CRUD was contagious…. It settled into my head and lungs just as the kids regained energy and lung capacity. Before my own energy waned, we all took advantage of a warm, spring-like weekend and enjoyed lots of fresh air. The farmkids excitedly helped us clean up the polebarn. Farmboy, new on his feet since last season, is a master of the broom in the house and discovered similar pleasure and skill in raking outside. Farmgirl assisted with filling the trailer with wheelbarrow loads of spent hay and straw. Practical and thoughtful as she is, Farmgirl updated her birthday/Christmas list with a request for a ‘real wheelbarrow.’ According to her, the small, plastic kid ones give her backaches!
Spring fever, not solely a human affliction, strikes animals too! With each passing day, unseasonably warm for early March, the snow melted away, and the chickens ‘flew the coop’ with unrestrained exuberance. The girls exercised their legs and filled their lungs with fresh air as they expanded their foraging range across the farmyard in search of bugs, grubs and other delectable treats. They scavenged through the fallen apples in the orchard and scratched in the field behind the house. Relative calmness and contentment emanated from the coop as the girls resettled on their roosts each night.
The does and bucks enjoyed the sunshine and fresh air as they lounged in their permanent winter pens. Just as we tire of eating winter stored foods from last season, so too are the goats tiring of dry winter hay. They anxiously await the emergence of fresh green on the pasture. The broad green leaves of spring surely cannot come soon enough!
Our indoor seedlings are ‘growing like weeds!’ A veritable jungle of leek and onion stems overflows the trays in brilliant summer green. The herbs and celery daintily reach for the light and soak in the humid warmth. As our plans for the garden grow, so too did our need for more seedling starting space. With the help of a good friend, we constructed another sturdy plant stand, fitted it with new growing lights and situated it in the far corner of our mudroom. The increased capacity to start and grow more plants from seed falls in line with our goal of producing high quality food for our family and the local community.
As winter is drawing to an end, so too is our supply of farm raised food. We still pull what we can from the deep freeze (largely frozen peppers, corn and meat) and our root cellar (potatoes and garlic). The taste of spring and summer are just around the corner!
Nacho night is a bit of a splurge, though we use homemade salsa and homeground burger.
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