As we approach the first official day of spring, I thought I would wrap up our winter season with a few shots of what’s been happening lately at the farm. It’s been an odd one, perhaps a sign of times to come, where we’ve had more rain than I can ever remember, warm days with nights that sometimes didn’t drop below freezing, we have found ticks every month of the year and we seem to have already entered mud season!
As always, there are a multitude of things to be thankful for. I’m thrilled we got some snow this season, everything in the winter is enhanced by snow, I believe. Our guineas, however, were not fans and could be found scattered throughout the farm in various trees and on the fences!
Bryce and I celebrated Valentine’s Day, just the two of us. Honestly, I was sad not to have the children at home, we’ve always celebrated these little holidays together, and I missed them! However, we had a lovely dinner together and I made little cream puffs for us to enjoy for dessert. I also made homemade cinnamon heart cookies to send to Harris at school. They are a riff on those little red cinnamon hearts and tasted remarkably like them! I used red pepper flakes that we had dried from the garden this summer and it gave the cookies quite the kick!
Right around Valentine’s Day, I also harvested our first crop of willow. This particular variety blooms pink/red and couldn’t be more perfect for this holiday! Combined with red twig dogwood, they are a beautiful combination. Next year, we will have bundles to sell so that’s something to look forward too!
We’ve also completed another successful sugaring season! We love making syrup, it’s such a satisfying endeavor. I tease Bryce because for the three weeks that we make syrup, the sugar shake becomes his office and a venue to entertain! With the leftover syrup (that doesn’t fit into a bottle), I once again made maple sugar. The process is so very simple and also nothing short of magic! I often us maple sugar in my coffee and baked goods!
In addition to the willow, we’ve started to see other bits of flowering beauty. The snowdrops made an appearance!
I also went foraging in our woods for juniper berries. I dried them and will use them in cooking (specifically, in brines!).
Finally, the hellebores have started to bloom and are looking so lovely!
