Farm & Garden Notes: Hello, December

It must indeed be December: The holiday season is in full swing and we were graced with our first snowfall this past weekend.

The wintery weather provides a beautiful backdrop here at the farm, with ice crystals creating intricate patterns around the edges of the pond, the gardens still quiet under their blanket of fresh powder. Daily chores are doubled during this season as we spend extra time making sure all of the ‘girls’ here, both two- and four-legged, keep warm with extra straw to nestle in and plenty of warm water to drink. We are also hurrying to get the remaining apples off the trees and the rose hips out of the garden, plus setting out extra feeders for the cadre of birds that stop by on their way south.

As quiet as it may be outside, inside the farm kitchen and workshop it is bustling with all things holiday! We are busy creating festive treats and baking cookies, cozying up in the evenings around the fire and creating memories with loved ones. The farm provides a bounty of natural materials for homemade gifts—mistletoe, fragrant boughs and the like—plus the farm-fresh eggs, honey and other provisional goods we pass along to loved ones. This year, we’re sharing these farmstead favorites with your family and friends, too! Visit our Gifts section for an array of holiday gift ideas, from Farm & Larder gift baskets complete with Nonna Pat’s signature tomato sauce and pasta fixins’ to stunning seasonal floral arrangements and greenery-rich kissing balls for your front entry.

From all of us here at Farm & Larder and Bella Luna, we wish you and yours a wonderful holiday season.