Winter on the Farm 2022 - Quarterly Update
For the year of 2021 you could log into Home in the Hollow for monthly farm updates. This year we decided to do things a bit differently. We opted to do seasonal updates which will be published every quarter. We hope these posts will give you a glimpse into our life on the farm each season.
Winter is a harsh season on a farm. Cold temperatures and decreased sunlight prevent much from growing. The chickens are only laying a few eggs each day. Water turns to ice that needs to be chipped out of water bowls. Fresh straw needs to be added to the pig pen and chicken coop. Unfortunately, we lost one of our older hens. Although it's sad, it is always a good reminder that life and death are part of the world as we know it. It helps to keep the brevity and beauty of life in perspective.
Despite its harshness, winter is a time of rest. A time to focus inward and to work in the home. Caleb and I added shelves to our closets (it only took us 5 years...) and reorganized our junk. We've enjoyed more time for reading and hobbies. Caleb is carving a pinewood derby car that is incredibly detailed. It looks fantastic, if I do say so myself. I've been trying new recipes and working on developing my photography skills.
Winter has its fun elements. We haven't had a whole lot of snow for sledding or riding snowmobiles. But we have had cold temperatures. We were so excited when the pond froze enough for us to ice skate. It hadn't been cold enough to skate for the past several years. We really enjoyed spending time on the ice with friends and a few lively hockey games.
This winter has also given us the opportunity to try our hand at tapping maple trees. We tapped a few trees near our house and are collecting the sap that flows into containers we attached to each tree. We're excited to see if we can gather enough sap to make some homemade maple syrup. Fingers crossed!
Tucker and the cats are doing just fine. They have their shiny winter coats. The cats spend most of their days napping in the straw. Mishka had her first snow and wasn't a fan. Tucker on the other hand is hoping for a blizzard. He loves the snow and is happy to shove his face right into it!
The pigs weigh about 125 lbs. They enjoy eating any and all scraps we give them. They also love to root and roll in the straw. We scheduled a market date for them. It's a bittersweet moment realizing that in a few months we won't have pigs on the farm anymore. But here's to homegrown bacon! With the supply chain issues and empty grocery store shelves it makes me thankful to be able to raise our own meat.
In the greenhouse our little lettuces are braving the cold temperatures. The greenhouse is unheated. I attempted to add a black plastic barrel to the middle of the greenhouse with hopes that it would soak up the sun during the day and radiate heath throughout the night. It was not a success. But it was fun to try and I learned a lot. I am also starting broccoli mix and mung bean sprouts in my windowsill. Something about growing fresh food in winter makes my heart happy.
I hope you are enjoying the winter! Leave a comment and let us know what you've been up to this season.
Thanks for reading,
Abby
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