Spring Weather and Seeding

Wow !

What a way to begin the day! Mild morning temps with hardly a breath of wind, I step out the door this morning and am greeted by 10 little lambs, grazing all around our back steps and side yard. They have discovered an opening in the fence just big enough for them to slip through, and the siren call of green grass and a bit of independence from their moms it too great to ignore…although, if their moms call they zip right back to their side…… never let an opportunity for a quick drink of mom’s milk slip away.. they are very close to being weaned but still listen to mom when they call…another indication that I have still more fence work to do.

I have covered the rhubarb with compost and remay to help with early spring germination and the asparagus will be burned over to remove the winter debris today or tomorrow, then covered with the same heavy layer of compost. The compost will get these early spring crops off to a super healthy quick start.

We are seeding and transplanting in the greenhouse, I have so many plans on order this year! Ambitious plans are always in order for this time of year…… we are also in the process of erecting another 40 by 100 foot high tunnel, always so satisfying to see those structures go up, it will be a god year before I am able to plant in there, the soil will need to be strongly amended with a summer and winter cover crop sown on it to add to the captured nitrogen .

So a few items will disappear from this weeks’ list but the variety is still good . Please let me know if you are searching for something special not on the list , I am more than glad to find it for you!

As always, I appreciate your ongoing support of local foods and our amazing small Maine farms…..

Delivery will be Friday, and happy spring!

Kath

Florida Bound!

Great glorious morning all!

Siting here at my desk for a moment to get this weeks product list out before dashing outside to get some yard and fencing work completed before the ground gets too soft and smushy… my big puppy boys will be along to help ,of course, their help consists of happy mayhem: tugging at my sweatshirt sleeves, begging for big belly rubs, grabbing the fencing pliers and wire and digging great glorious holes looking for mice ,voles or possibly “China”. But, the only china they will find are the broken fragments from farms of 100 years ago or so.. those I will add to my bucket of bits and pieces and someday will make an awesome mosaic !

Delivery will be Friday this week, and probably about Friday midnight I will hop into my loaded up car and head to the Florida panhandle for a week to 10 days.

Visiting friends, local farmer friends, farmers markets and the panhandle beaches

(Have you ever been there? Glorious!), I will deliver a car load of civil war re-enactment clothing to a friend of mine who is wintering their ”jones” about for a few days before heading back to our emergent spring weather….

So there will be no deliveries the week of March 18, but Linda will be at the shop keeping it fully stocked up and ready for you to take a journey out to see her.

Stop by, we appreciate your ongoing support of local foods and our excellent small Maine farms!

happy almost spring,

Kathy Shaw

Farm Additions and Growth

Good sunny day to ALL!

Yay for temps over 30 ! Longer days, brighter sunshine and more baby lambs, spring is on the way! And speaking of on the way…….. this little bummer( not my name for her ,that’s what they are called by the large flock breeders) baby lamb that we have in the house bottle feeding is on her way OUT of the house today! What havoc and mess she creates, just as cute as a button, but a pest on four legs! She is into everything and what she isn’t into she pulls apart ,so out she goes with the rest of the group. She will protest and holler, I still will give her 3 or 4 bottles of formula a day , and eventually she will discover that it is ok to be a lamb and will follow the flock.

I am finishing up another big project today….. putting the final touches on a large federal grant that is due by the end of the week to (hopefully) receive funding to build a poultry processing facility here at the farm and larger walk-in cooler along with a commercial kitchen. This is all part of my long range farm plan and if successful will add a great component to making our farm better equipped to offer more services and products using our locally grown birds and valued added farm raised foods. Keeping my fingers crossed, cross a few of yours for us too please?

And off I go, thankyou for your continued support of fresh local foods and our excellent small Maine farms. All of the boxes and bags you return come in handy and help to keep our out of pocket costs down. The canning jars are easily reused and also greatly appreciate!

Hope to hear from you soon, and with grateful thanks out I go (baby lamb in tow)!

Kath