Spring is Teasing Us

Snowdrops along the creek

The weather has been spectacular and warm and sunny the past three days. We have recorded a high of 12C during the day but it went down to -1C last night with hard frost this morning. It was even colder up in the open fields. The weather in general has been above normal since late January. The propagation greenhouse is bursting with seedlings but they are afforded the warmth and protection of a more controlled environment. We can close the doors and put covers over the heated propagation tables. It is all too tempting to try and plant something out too soon. Our records show that we have received frosts as late as the final week of May. I have a few videos from the last 3 years alone that show all too clearly how quickly a hail storm can wreak havoc here. We always have plastic covers ready to put over plants just in case. More than once we have been found scrambling to get tender, precious seedlings under cover out of the weather. A good guide is to prune your roses when the forsythia bloom. Forsythia are one of our earliest blooming shrubs with their bright yellow flowers. Branches can be cut and brought indoors for a forced bloom. What this tells you is that this plant will only bloom when the temperature is of a reliable warmth. Some plants are genetically predisposed to bloom at a certain time irregardless of temperature and some can gauge when is the right time. Forsythia is of the latter. Roses can still die if they are pruned back too far too early. So as tempting as it is to get started with clearing and cleaning and planting and pruning be wary of what time of year this still is. It is only mid-February folks.Go out, stroll through your gardens and take a peek at all the lovely plants bursting forth to spur on the coming of spring. Turn the compost, clean up the yard, order seeds, plant seeds indoors. There is lots to do. It feels good !

Aconites

Sweet Violets

Blissing Out On A Glorious Day

Today was a spectacularly glorious day. The first day of this new year that one could see, smell, sense the spring in the air. A fine day to be part of. I sat at the beach across from the farm. The tide was out and Waterloo Creek was burbling it's way to meet the sun sparkling sea. The sounds, the sights, the mood, all was good and felt good. Bliss.

Breaking the blog Fast with Bread

Its been awhile since I last posted. Winter is our down time. There are always things to tend to on a farm but for the most part it is quieter and easier to convince yourself to take a load off and read a book, visit a friend, take a walk, linger over morning coffee. We spend much of our time conversing on the past season and the season coming up. There are the usual seed catalogues to look through and plans to make for the coming year. Already the requests for farm stays and apprentices are being interviewed and booked. This winter has been somewhat different in that we have had a new "toy" to play with and figure out. This past summer we built a french Canadian style bread oven. It was curing until November and in the meantime I was practicing with bread recipes and culturing a good sour dough starter. Our first bake was in late November and we have been baking weekly since then. We have had a few failures but surprisingly few. Even the burnt bread was great inside ! We have made pizzas and cakes and use the residual fire to bake one of our organic chickens slowly in a cast iron pot that roasts and browns the chicken to perfection ! It is a real learning curve figuring out how long the fire has to burn to get the interior hot enough long enough. Then the fire comes out and the oven has to "soak". The timing is everything. Bryne is working the fire and I am working the doughs so that all is ready at the same time. Coordination and being organized is key . There is not much that can top the taste of bread baked on the hearth. The essence and energy of all the elements that come together to form this most ordinary of foods becomes extraordinary !