Winter gathers everything close. The cold presses in, the work slows to a hum, and the days ask for a different kind of attention. Even so, I can feel the light returning. Once the wheel tips into February, the shift is unmistakable, subtle, but sure. The seedlings seem to notice it too. They stretch a little taller, as if stretching to soak it all up.
We had one warm day this week, with more coming, the kind that softens the ground and leaves everything soggy underfoot. It was good to stand in the mild air for a moment, to feel the sun. Winter isn’t finished with us, but these brief thaws help us inch ahead before spring truly arrives.
As the light grows, so do the lists. It’s easy to feel the overwhelm creeping in. Around here, we manage by tending what’s directly in front of us. A morning walkabout to greet the plants. Watering, feeding, sometimes speaking to them, reminding them we’re counting on their good work.
Planting herb seeds for teas and cooking. Transplanting the latest round of brassicas. The mix shifts with the season, but never all at once. The work changes the way the light changes: gradually, almost imperceptibly, until one day you realize everything is different.
The indoor dill has been a small delight, already ready for harvest, finding its way into meals, drying for what we’ll offer this year. We’ll have a bit of fresh and dried dill for Opening Day on March 6. We hope you’ll stop by and see us if you’re in the area or just looking for a drive to the area. Drop us a note and let us know you’re coming!
Jo has been working on crocheted bags: sturdy, beautiful things that will make fine market totes. She’s knitted them in the past, but this crochet pattern moves faster and has a rhythm all its own. Crochet is an old craft, older than most people realize – some say its roots reach back thousands of years. Irish immigrants carried it to America in the 1800s, where it took on new forms and flourished. If you’re curious, Littlejohn’s Yarn has a good piece on its history. Who Invented Crochet? The Interesting History Of Crochet – Littlejohn’s Yarn.
I often want the plants to grow faster than they do. But every time I try to push, nature pushes back. Grow too quickly and the leaves thin, the stems weaken, the whole plant becomes vulnerable. Nature knows its pace. Our job is to observe, to learn the patterns, to work with them rather than against them.
We’re taking the same approach to Opening Day, and to all the openings that will follow this year. We want to offer things that nourish, things that help people feel a little more rooted, a little more well. But we can’t rush it. Good things grow at the speed they’re meant to grow.