Hello, January! The Latest News from Farm & Larder and Bella Luna Farms

Happy New Year! As 2021 gets underway, we would first like to convey our heartfelt thanks: We have been delivering our weekly boxes filled with fresh, seasonal fare and housemade provisions for eight years now! We couldn’t do it without you and truly appreciate your enthusiastic feedback and support, especially during this past year as we all adapted to the changing world around us. To our new 2021 subscribers, welcome! We cannot wait to share the best of the farm with you in the year ahead.

As we wind down from the holiday season, now is a time of planning here at the farm. Seed catalogs are beginning to arrive, a most awaited and favorite time to read of new varieties and old favorites, reminding us of the delights of spring with the anticipation of new seedlings soon to be popping up in the greenhouse!

After December rains and a few inches of snow right before Christmas, the year has started with another round of wet days, with few breaks in the forecast. So, with the aid of tall boots and rain gear, the dahlias are now all dug and ready to store for the winter, the planted garlic is mulched and we are ready to start work on another hoop house, an additional storage barn and the design of a covered compost area. It seems as if we are always racing against the setting sun on these short winter days, trying to get other winter chores like pruning the apple and pear trees finished before the daylight wanes. We have just finished digging the last of the carrots and tidied up the hoop houses for winter.

But, when it does set, we head inside to the barns, where our resident farm animals are staying warm and toasty, snuggled up in extra straw to weather the cold nights. Our newest addition, a sweet ewe named Windy, is settling in nicely and getting along famously with the other “girls”. And, after doing an ultrasound, we also just learned from our friends Dr. Hardy and Dr. Miller on their last farm call that Windy is expecting at least twins in April!

In the farm kitchen, we are busy looking through cookbooks new and old for inspiration for seasonal winter fare to share. From hearty soups and rich pasta sauces to luscious risottos and more, we always love making the best of what the Northwest has to offer during the winter months. Our gardening company, Parterre, is busy each day doing and planning for our clients’ gardens as well, with wintertime tasks such as pruning and mulching taking place, as well as creating new planting designs for spring.

We hope your New Year is off to a safe and healthy start—here’s to great growing, connecting and eating in 2021!