signs of spring

We know its spring when the ducks start producing eggs. Its really spring when those eggs start hatching!

Today the first two eggs hatched.
And Jasmine, who is a true duckling lover, volunteered  to take care of the little cuties.

It was like we could hear her saying "pick me, pick me" with a smile we should not trust!

Baby ducklings and daffodils. It is most assuredly spring time now!

As the ducklings hatch, they will be moved to the brooder, where food, water and a short sided container with rocks in it allows them to splash about.

How do we know when they are ready to leave the brooder? They outgrow it, and need more room to move! Only takes a couple of weeks with ducks.

Jasmine

We looked at this dog today, and commented that she looks thinner than usual.

And Claire does not sneeze when Jasmine is around. All winter this dog caused that but no more.

Oh! She has shed her winter coat!

And using an empty chicken pen for shade.

Keeping cool, no worries.

a day off

Today the farmers took a day off. After morning chores, and returning to the farm before dark to collect eggs, water everything, and make certain doors, lids and covers were opened or closed. In between the care giving on farm, we made a 30 minute drive to HersheyPark.

We studied the map.

Rode the Comet first. It is one first roller coaster I have a memory of riding. Clickity clack wood roller coaster, nice dips, falls, curls and climbs. We told the boys sitting in front of us it was good to yell while riding a coaster, and yell they did!!

We rode the Wild Mouse. I'm not certain why. It has a way of making you feel like you are flying off the edge of the earth, from on high until it suddenly turns a different direction. Is whiplash a possibility?

Fear of heights?! Not your best choice!

Then to a ride I don't remember being on before, and it had lightening in the name and many warnings of dire consequences for anything not attached to you. We waited a good while in this line. There were no small children. And slowly I realized, as the line progressed, that there was not another woman my age in the line. Or on any of the cars that screamed past us. But there were kids, and even when Homer and Claire gave me an out ("just keep walking right through the car") I got on. It was fun! My eyes were closed for 97% of the ride, and I *might have used a few words I would not use in a professional setting, but it was fun!

Then we went to kiddie rides.

7 years ago we went on Easter for the first time. The water park is not open, and there are no shows going, and some of the rides take a number of tries to line up in the correct spot for loading. Homer has been getting a senior citizen discount for a few years but this is the first year for me. What?!

I know I was just in the line for the Comet with my dad and my brother. No, that was 40+ years ago!

Tickled I can be in the park, enjoying a beautiful spring day with my husband and daughter.

And when we hit 70, the double senior citizen discount takes place, and I'm hoping to use it!

Easter marks the real beginning of our growing season. We are planting and weeding daily (not today) and will be full on busy until after Thanksgiving.

And a 30 minute return trip to the farm makes it all possible. 

Its spring, so happy to be able to get out and enjoy!

hand work

In the winter, this happens:

That's knitting in the round on needles in size 1. Trust me. Its small.

So that means my hands are ready for spring, and growing.

And what needs to happen before harvest can happen: weeding. We harvest pounds and pounds at a time. No one wants to find something they didn't purchase in with what they requested. So beds are cleared before harvest.

This week, its all about the spinach. It will be for a few weeks, when asparagus will be added to the mix. 

And my hands? Feel great. My back? A little sunburned actually, just the strip above the waistband, a different sort of farmers tan is underway.

Sign up for our weekly vegetable email on our website, www.sunnysidefarmpa.com

If you see things available that you would like to order, you go back to the same website to place an order. 

Its still in early phases, so let us know if we need to change anything to make it easier to use. If you are in a hurry, you can order and pay in advance, then pickup and run. If you prefer you can order and select a pay at pickup option. We can focus on growing and you can get exactly what you need each week, go on vacation and not worry about pickup, and order in bulk for canning, freezing, drying, or fermenting. 

We grow heirloom varieties and use compost as our fertilizer. No herbicide, insecticide, fungicide, pesticides. And we never will.