...and now it's finally Official!

(this was written on Sunday, March 21, 2010, but I was bad.  It was too hard to sit down and write for long with birdsong and sunshine calling!)

March 21, 2010, the first day of Spring.   Yesterday the sheep were shorn.  Now we have a bunch of naked sheep boinking around.  Poor little Rocky didn't recognize his own mom.  With the weight of all that fleece gone, they seem to be lighter on their feet, when they keep them on the ground that is!    Now the hard work of skirting, sorting and pricing the fleece begins.   Please check our website for pictures and pricing.

After shearing and a 'dip', they were turned out onto new grass pasture.  They were like kids in a candy shop!  On the other hand, Piper wasn't so happy and he didn't hesitate to let us know, complaining well into the night.  Yup, he was banished to the Ram's Head Inn (bachelor digs) until autumn.  Rocky will join him at weaning.

The early daffodils are in full bloom, giving us fragrant. sunny yellow bouquets.   Peach blossoms have started opening in our two year old orchard.   Maybe this will be the first year we get fruit!

With the sheep moved out onto spring pasture, we've proceeded with tilling in the winter cover crops.  Planting of cool season seeds has begun.   Lettuce is already going like gangbusters.  Fragrant Sweet Peas and garden peas will follow over the next few weeks.  Likewise the seed potatoes are going in the ground for staggered harvest.  Soon we should have our first taste of Cranberry Red (red skin, pink flesh), Caribe (purple skin, white flesh) and Russian Banana Fingerlings.   Those last potatos are soooo yummy roasted whole and tossed with a drizzling of extra virgin olive oil, a little melted butter and chopped parsley!

Tomato and eggplant seedlings are progressing nicely.  I find it so hard to wait for that first tomato sandwich!  OMG - I'm getting so hungry!

This week we started the Italian broccoli, amaranth, Asian greens, radishes, beets and carrots.  And at the beginning of April - corn!  I can almost taste summer.   Hard to believe it's only six weeks until the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival and the opening of the Goochland Farmers Market.

Hope we see some of you there!

~ Tru