TOMATOES

Today it is cold and snowy around here. I'll be transplanting onions and leeks this morning after I feed the chickens. Most folks are getting a bit tired of winter. I don't mind too much, but it has been great to have a respite from shoveling this week. (By the way, Thank You! to the town road crew for clearing out the end of my driveway for me. That was a big help and a pleasant surprise.) There's plenty to do inside to get ready for spring. For instance, I am determined to send out an email about the CSA to all my lovely farm members of the past four years! Plus it's a great time to get a bit ahead on the organizing and planning parts of the farm, and the rest of my life!?

Here are some pictures of some of the tomatoes I am growing this year! Beautiful and yummy. I can hardly wait.



Amazon Chocolate









Everetts Rusty Oxheart











Pearl's Yellow Pink











Black Zebra













Sunkist










Rose D'Berne











Sorrento












Pruden's Purple












Paul Robeson










Mortgage Lifter

Seeds and Seedlings

The most recent shipment of seeds, from Gourmet Seeds



Baby parsley plants



Young Copra onions, freshly trimmed to encourage root growth

Winter

It's been one snow storm after another around here. Lots of shoveling and staying home. There's always so much to do at home, (and I love being home), so it's not a problem for me. Instead it's a peaceful, quiet time. And there is time for more home projects which today meant ordering seeds! I haven't got the knack of ordering seeds quickly. So it always feels like it takes far too long and by the time I am done I feel pretty bleary. Today I finished!

I enjoy reading the catalogs and thinking about what the harvest will look and taste like if I purchase a particular combination of varieties. I like growing many kinds of vegetables and many varieties of them. It's one reason that having a CSA suits me. More on seeds and garden planning later.

For now, here are a few pictures I took the other morning when I went out to feed the chickens. It was in between storms, a cold, icy morning. I don't recall ever seeing ice crystals like these:









And some turkeys that have been coming around of late: