Crisp and sunny up here this morning. Debating weather I should allow myself another coffee. Have cut back to just one in the morning. Enormous mounds of paper to get through and create. Gaahhhh!
Picking out the next flock of layers- looking at  white orpingtons and arucanas. It's odd but green eggs are in high demand.
Day length is almost at 10 hours! That's the number where the greenhouses start to wake up and really get going again. Loads of spinach and salad by March first.
Conferances next week as well as market.

Gotta go. 

So French Onion Soup--It's at Red Hen Bakery and the Hunger Mtn Coop in Montpelier the next few days. It's not quite finished. You need to float a piece of good bread on top with some cheese on it. I highly recommend a mix of fresh mozzerella, good parmesean, and emanthaler. In a pinch sharp cheddah.

I did it! I just deactiviated my worthless Facebook account.

Soup is almost ready for delivery tomorrow. Just gotta cook Laine's ham hocks and try not to eat all of them. They are meant to go into a local 2 bean soup with caramelized onions, carrots and celery root. Bit of chili flake too since I like things that some bit to them.

Egg washing going on this evening, the hens did well during the real cold spell. A bit of frost bite on a few of them that have large combs.

Almost there for the start of serious spinach and salad harvest in the greenhouses. Feb. 4th is the usual date that I start to see noticeable growth again. Full tilt by the end of the month and farming starts in earnest.

Still looking for a restaurant space in Montpelier if anyone has leads or ideas.

Good Morning! Well things continue to be very hectic and busy. Off to meet with the health inspector today and get my permit/license renewed. Have been looking into GAPs certification for the farm and to be honest am not too thrilled with the prospect of that. Good sanitation practice is not really the issue it's all the damn paperwork and record keeping. It's really just too much in my opinion. Especially when you start to look at it being a one size fits all program. It is not scale specific.

Busy trying to hire a crew in for the upcoming season. Very solid candidates so far and things look good. Guess I need to get seeds started soon. New seedling greenhouse has been bought, now to get erected and into use. Should be fun jackhammering through the frost line.

Greenhouses appear to have survived the frost just fine. Greens look a bit wilted but I think a bit of sunshine will take care of things in there. I am to present at the NOFA winter conference on passive solar greenhouse production. Could be fun, surely intimidating.

Soup is up and running at Hunger Mtn Coop. Look for the smiling red tomato in the fresh case. I am making fresh soup twice a week and switching things out on Tues. and Fridays. This week it is a Carrot Ginger with Coconut and a nice spicy Cabbage and Potato. Thinking French Onion and Cream of Tomato for this Friday. Give them a try. I think pricing is very fair and they come in a quart container. Ready to freeze if you don't get to them. Trudging up to the office for a bit to start wading through mounds of paperwork.

Good Morning, Off to make soup this morning. I will have soups available for sale at Hunger Mtn Coop in Montpelier starting tomorrow. They will be fresh made twice a week and in the fresh case by the check out area. Look for the screamin tomato on the label.

The farm is still sleeping this time of year. Things are grwoing int he greenhouses but at thier low point. That all changes in about 3 weeks. There will be plenty of salad and spinach this spring. Trying to get some help hired for the season. Seeds have been mostly bought and a great deal of planning is going on. Bought a new seed starting greenhouse and am reorganizing the farm business plan quite a bit. I will be stopping the CSA this year and shifting that effort and product to the farmer's market. Plenty of local wholesale accounts.

Here is a question but WTF! happenned with the Black Door? I feel for the employees and owner on that one. Gotta go find an apron.

Happy New Year! Currently 42 degrees, sun is trying to come out, going to go water one greenhouse. Harvesting starts tomorrow for my last large delivery of the winter season. Farmer's market on the 8th of Jan. Then conferance season really gets going.