Promises for the Future

While we in the North inch ever daily towards the darkness of winter, where sometimes the brightest light is the Moon or Stars shining upon a crisp snowpack, I work diligently on the task of counting my small blessings, my seeds!
While the wind blows the snow in crashing swirls upon my cabin's windows, I sit inside surrounded by seeds as I work to thresh, count, and package them. 
Saving seeds is not something you do on a whim, for they are promises for the future forged in the past. In their tiny shells and bodies, they gather up all the sunshine, wind, and rain from last season, memories of microbes, animals, and insects, and hopefully, memories of me, first planting them into the soil, then brimming with joy as I watch them grow, walking past them to see what they need, and finally harvesting them in fall so that they may find new homes this winter and maybe be planted by your hands this spring.
If you too want to help them grow, check out my online farm store for available varieties and you can gift yourself or someone you love a few little promises for the future while we sit in the cold darkness of winter.

The returned Winter Weekly Pop-Up for picking up Microgreens, Seeds, and other farm delights will be Thursday from 12-1pm at the Libby Chamber of Commerce. This gives me a chance to get out of the cold and you a chance to see what else there is to do in winter.
I won't have a everything on display but I'll bring all available items along so check the website for what's available even if you just wanna email me your order and pay when you pick up.
Seeds are available to ship as well!

The 1906 cabin and it's twinkly lights sharing the dark night with the light of the Moon

The cats ask to go outside constantly but haven't grasped the idea yet that it's not the same temperature outside as it is inside. :) So they go out. Then they come back in. Where they warm themselves by the fire. Then, they ask to go out again.

The microgreens are getting comfortable in their winter grow room (which is the converted walk-in-cooler) where they will soon be joined by plant starts for next season. There'll be a short reminder email next week after they're harvested!

The old hens have been staying warm and cozy in their winter run. Spring chickens may not be bothered by the cold, but these 5 year old hens and their Guinea friend appreciate a little extra warmth (and a lot of extra treats!) when the temps dip below freezing.

These are Plantain seeds. Some of the chaff is still present after doing the bulk of the threshing. The most common way to separate the rest is the real messy bit! It involves using a fan to create a gentle breeze as you let the material (chaff, seeds, and all) fall through the breeze. The heavier seed falls down onto your tarp or blanket and the chaff blows away. I've been waiting for all the seeds to be at this stage so I can clean up only one mess instead of many :)

All the seed packets are written, designed, printed, and filled by me!

And even if views like this are only a distant dream right now, another promise for the future to look forward to is a spring and summer filled with ways to learn on the farm and in the woods. I'll be teaching a series of foraging and plant id classes on the farm as well as in Troy so that you too can wander the wilds with confidence and recognize a few new plant friends! More details will be available closer to spring but you can check out my website by clicking the 'Find Out More' button way down below to, well, find out a bit more until then.

Even if it's cold, dark, and windy outside remember to bundle up and get a little bit of daylight (even if you can't see the Sun, it's up there!) Because, we northerners know that cabin fever is real and it's even worse when you and your seeds are itching for spring to come so we can sow out little promises for the future together.

What's available this week?

• Seeds!

Where to find it all?

The Microgreens will return next Thursday for local pickup in Libby from 12-1pm at the Chamber of Commerce.

Order online for local pickup or ship of Seeds, Crafts, & Botanicals!