Amity Highland Ranch

Well-meaning friends may express hope that we are enjoying the "nice" weather, meaning it's not horribly cold nor really snowy.  They don't understand that the alternative to deep cold in a winter like this one is mud.  Since it rained for almost 12 straight weeks last fall, and since there's not been enough frost to firm up the ground, every step in the pastures whether ours or the cows' creates a flow of mud.  We are watching the remaining grasses trying to hold on, awaiting some cold to help their little roots survive.  Driving across the corner field where we are feeding our clean hay creates tracks that ooze and squish from day to day under the tires.  It's just too wet and not cold enough.

Is there a solution to this problem?  A friend who constructed a large concrete pad to feed her cows on is facing a similar dilemma.  She may have a solid surface on which to feed hay, however the cows still have to travel to it from elsewhere on the farm and are still creating lots of manure which now has to be moved elsewhere.  So, not a complete solution. 

If the warmth persists, we'll have cows calving in the mud, too.  It is so much preferable to have a cow drop her calf into nice clean snow than onto a pile of mud!   Most of our cows can be coaxed into the barn and confined for freshening (giving birth) but we don't always catch them in the act.  Instead, we find wet, shivering babies who now must make their way to the udder with their brand new, wobbly legs on a squishy, shifting, unreliable surface instead of on firm ground.  The challenge is magnified tenfold.

All of us winter-weary home gardeners and small-scale producers are anxiously awaiting the return of warmer temps, but I found that the tat soi, cilantro, parsley and lettuce that overwintered in the little A-frame "high tunnel" that my husband built me late in 2009 weren't idle - all were busy regrowing and getting ready for a new season.  The tat soi is sugar-sweet and the parsley is concentrating flavor in the new leaves.  Part of this concentration is due to its being a biennial and it's therefore preparing to put up seeds stalks - however, for late winter soup-making you can't beat these new leaves for hefty flavor!  Along with the last of the root-cellared parsnips and turnips, and a few chunks of beef from one of our own animals, we're making some hard-to-beat suppers while enjoying the lengthening days.

I'll be starting tomato transplants, herb plants especially numerous basil varieties, and other plants soon from orders received over the winter, so don't delay in Emailing me your requests.  Don't forget:  if you want a particular type of tomato, and I don't already have the seeds, I'll need time to buy the seeds, so the last date for Email or phone order will be around March 18.  If you have seeds but no way to get them started yourself, mail them to me with your requirements and your contact information and together we'll make a plan!

Happy Spring!

Debbie