all tied up with a bow

The year is just about done. It has been a good year for us at Sunnyside Farm. This year we end in not quite as deep a financial hole as in years past. This running a farm as a business thing we do? It can be tiring and can not earn quite enough to be here full time.

So we continue to adjust and tweak at what we do. We can pay for the farm. But we sure can't get something like a new truck, and the current one has 209,878 miles on it. So we change up what we do to allow for that expense in the next year.

Vegetables have been a true joy to grow. We love harvesting year round, or pulling from cool storage our own squash or spuds or dried beans and cooking them up. We have things frozen and canned too, so we have farm food most meals. Eggs have continued in production this winter, with plenty for is and folks that want them. Turkey production was beautiful this year: the right quantity at the right weights at the right times. Beef is due for delivery soon, and we can't wait. The pork is looking good too. Flowers are planted and seeds are sprouting in many spots.

Lace socks completed. And they fit! Other projects are well underway. We are in good health, and have had plenty of time for visits with loved ones this year.

Glad to have another new year to celebrate. Lucky to be living a life with manageable pressures. And lovely rewards. Astonished at who has passed from our lives this year, and so glad for those still here with us. 

If you need us, you know where we will be.

the thing about winter

It gets cold around here in the winter. Not as cold as our friends who visited from South Dakota. Tammy and Dallis, when Homer said "it gets to 20* here" the response was "20* below?". Um no, not that cold! Cold enough that that folks think they can't get local food in the wintertime.

And yet, we do. This week at our regular pickup times and locations we have plenty of just laid eggs from our hens who are still out on pasture. And lots of spinach from our hoophouse. And some other vegetables on the way too.

There are lots of other growers who have local grown. In January we will deliver our beef. Plenty of other farmers in the mid-atlantic grow all sorts of winter hardy vegetables in hoophouses. And have potatoes, carrots, apples of many varieties. Squash lasts perfectly well until spring, just waiting to be roasted and mixed with other good stuff...like cheese! Cows and goats and even some sheep still make milk in cold months, and farmers have cheese just ripening that was formed during spring and aged in cool spots.

Lots of local farms preserve things too. From applesauce to pickles, chutney, jam, maple syrup, krauts made from a variety of vegetables...chicken, pork, turkeys all might still be in a freezer at your local farm.

We have been very lucky to have support from so many. We had a productive growing season, and are thankful for so many who get so much from our farm.

This week we will add wreaths from our place to our offerings. Mixed greens mostly, until we get a better idea of what is attractive to most. And eggs and spinach!

Even in the cold and low light of winter your farmers still have what sustains you. Look us up! Check us out. We are all still growing.