"Spring"ing Into Production

Happy May! Spring is here and we couldn't be more relieved and excited! The trees are finally green way up here on the mountaintops, the grass is growing faster than ever, and the warm sun rays are already making a big impression on our white winter skin. Spring is one of the best times of year here on the farm. After going through a hard, cold winter (although we only caught the last of it since we were in Florida), there isn't much that is more beautiful than green grass, blooming trees, and Spring flowers. One of my (Rachel's) favorite things to do in the Spring and Summer is gather fresh wild flowers for the table. My first picking was the other day from a gorgeous Dogwood. We also picked flowers from a Red Bud tree and ate them in a salad...it was delicious! Spring is also the time to kick things into high gear as farmers. One of the amazing things about farming and living off the land is that you are constantly in tune with the seasons. Typically, Winter is the time to relax, enjoy family and friends, sit by the fire and read or write, and reminisce over a (hopefully) successful year. There are still chores to be done and a few animals to keep alive, but that's the general pattern for Winter. As soon as Spring starts to peak it's head around the corner, it's time to start moving! Animals come in, grass needs grazing, shelters need building or fixing, vegetables need planting, and the warm weather and sunshine make for a big appetite and deep sleep at night! Thankfully we decided to start small, especially since this is our first year of farming on our own, so we haven't been overwhelmed by too much of a work load.

And So It Begins...!

As we sit here in our temporary home (aka camper...), the snow and sleet horrendously beating against the door in the 20-something degree weather on March 16th...we reminisce on the past few months. We have now been on the farm for just over a week. Our time traveling around to see family and staying in Florida for two months was absolutely amazing and we are so blessed to have been able to do that. Matt was able to work for his old boss at Heishman Lawn & Gardening doing landscaping pretty much full time for several weeks in Florida, a non-expected though much appreciated source of income. The day we left Florida it was 88 degrees exactly...and we were welcomed to Virginia by a nice warm front that lasted a few days.

Rachel working on the Egg Mobile

We arrived on the farm last Saturday and our first few days here were lovely! It actually got up to 70 degrees one day this week which resulted in a nice long work day accompanied by much welcomed sunburns! Of course, only to be followed by a 30 degree windy day with snow showers. Nonetheless we were grateful for the sunshine and warmth while it lasted. Our first order of business was to start preparing for our first batch of Freedom Ranger chicks which are arriving this Thursday. We were planning on building a brooder from scratch, but when we got to the farm we realized that we could use the current structure that Josh kept his 100 laying hens in for the winter due to the fact that the weather has been so bad (our original idea was to do an outdoor brooder...maybe for the next batch!). It is a simple hoop house structure that he made with pallets, cattle panels, and tarps. It actually kept the hens very warm through the bitter cold winter they had here. But

Family, Friends and Rest

Happy New Year to all of our friends and family! We hope you all enjoyed your Christmas and time with loved ones. We are hanging out down here in good ole' sunny Florida. After several weeks in ice and snow covered Virginia and Pennsylvania, this 70--80 degree weather is quite lovely :) We have yet to make it to the beach, but it is in our plans for the very near future (probably the next few days). We have been longing to be outside and get our hands dirty, so we decided to help Rachel's parents out by doing some yard work. We cut back about 5-10 feet of brush and trees from their neighboring empty lot because it was growing over too much and shading out their garden. It was hard work (we did it all with a hand saw and hedge clippers...no power tools!) but enjoyable nonetheless. We were just glad to be working outdoors again in this beautiful weather. We are just looking for any opportunity to be outside! We miss the farm but are enjoying our time of rest. Now that the holidays are over we will be doing lots of business planning and getting our website up and running so be on the lookout for that!