EQUINOX
Tomorrow (March 20th) is the spring equinox; the day where the day and night are 12 hours in length (At the equator that is. We got there a couple days ago). Days are also lengthening at the most rapid rate (the next day daylight length will be 2 minutes and 33 seconds longer than the previous day). We are very happy about more daylight hours because the farm is solar powered. All the greens, roots and fruits we eat are from plants that make sugar from sunshine! More sun, means more food for all of us! We can see the effects of spring all around us. The garlic are all up, the cover crops are greening up, the trees are budding and we've started planting the first outdoor crops of spring.
WHATCHA Got under the blankets?
We've also uncovered some overwintered crops that we've protected from the cold out in the fields using heavy frost blankets. We always hold our breath to see what's under there after the dark cold days. Good and bad news. The pesky voles (burrowing vegetarian mice) have done a number on the overwintered carrots and the overwintered leeks. I'll have to post some pictures of the overwhelming damage they've done. They burrow right along the row eating the carrots from the bottom leaving a nice groove where all the carrots used to be. We don't mind sharing some of the food with wildlife, but this year's rodent damage was excessive. The biggest disadvantage of permanent no-till beds is that underground rodent populations can grow rapidly because no heavy tillage destroys their underground homes. When we cover the crops for winter the voles are even safer from above ground predators. We did have a pack of coyotes tear through the frost covers to dig up the carrot-munching voles, which was good, I guess except they ruined the frost cover. In summer we rely on a prodigious population of snakes to go in those burrows and take care of business, but in winter, our friendly neighborhood snakes are brumating (reptilian version of hibernation). So in winter, the voles do what voles do best: eat our veggies and make baby voles. Now that the fields are uncovered, we hope the hawks and coyotes can thin the population before the snakes awaken from their slumber.
These situations remind us that we're working with nature, rather than against it. The voles do serve some good purpose. Their burrows allow for soil aeration and water retention and serve to feed the predator population in the area. So we lost a lot of tasty carrots and leeks which is disappointing, but we take the good with the bad.
Spinach BONANZA
The good news is, the overwintered spinach that we uncovered is amazing! Although it sustained some cosmetic imperfections due to the intense cold, the flavor is the best of the year also due to the cold. Lots of spinach this week. So don't be shy about grabbing some extra bags. We hope to get a couple cuttings from these patches before the warmer weather causes them to bolt (go to seed). Don't worry, we just planted new spinach seed and carrots a couple days ago to hopefully keep the goodness coming.
Bread and Cheese
Bread: Farm to Market Italian Artisan Loaf
Cheese: Hemme Brothers "Brother's Keeper" block, 6oz.
Happy first day of SPRING!
Dave and Sheri
