Farming in a winter wonderland

Usually by this time of year, Mike is snug inside the house and planning for spring.  But with the popularity of winter farmer's markets growing, he planned out his plantings so that we would have some winter hardy plants to harvest.  One of those plantings was Brussels sprouts.  If this was last winter, the plants would be done by now, but this winter has been unusually mild and so the plants keep on going.  Unfortunately the timing of the January 14th market coincided perfectly with a lake effect snow event.  And on Friday the 13th, Mike was out in the garden harvesting Brussels sprouts by hand in the wind driven snow.  We actually have some good looking kale too, but after picking the Brussels sprouts, Mike had had enough of the cold and snow.  I don't blame him one bit.  After dinner and with the snow flying, he loaded up the SUV for the drive to market the following day.  This time of year we also sell eggs, flour, sprouts (broccoli, clover and bean mix this week) and also take along Covered Bridge Gardens popcorn and corn meal.  It fills the back of the Escape nearly to the roof.

Saturday morning the snow was coming down steady but not too bad as Mike headed out the door.  At 6am, I was just getting up to get ready for work at the clinic when Mike was leaving.  I leave the house for work a little after 8am and as I was getting my shoes on, Mike walked in the door.  Our county roads were not too bad, but when he crossed the county line, all heck broke loose.  The snow was coming down heavy and the construction zone on the interstate had drifted over.  Traffic was down to one lane and going about 10mph.  Mike drove through this for about 10 miles and had enough.  He turned around and headed home.  At the rate he was going, he might have made the market before it ended.  Maybe.

Such are the adventures of winter in northeast Ohio.  I don't mind winter so much, but the weather does complicate barn chores from time to time.  The chores I can finish in 20 minutes in the summer, take twice as long in the winter.  The water gets shut off in the barn with the cold weather and so I carry water from the house to the barn for the chickens.  Every night I bring the waterers inside to thaw them out and start over the next morning.

We ended up with about a foot of snow on Saturday.  By midnight on Saturday, the storm had passed and the skies cleared.  Sunday morning I woke up to the first below zero temps of the season with the low reaching 6 degrees F below zero.  With no wind, it was quite bearable and my walk to the barns to take care of the chickens was accompanied by a beautiful sunrise.  There was a pretty pinkish blue glow all around.

I often get asked how the chickens do in the cold temperatures.  They actually do very well.  The barn keeps them dry and out of the wind.  As I hauled fresh water to the barn Sunday morning and opened the barn doors, the laying hens all started cooing and gathering at the pen door when they saw me.  They know I bring them a treat of cracked corn every morning and they always act happy to see me.  By the time I got out to the barn, about a half dozen eggs had already been laid.  I do have to collect eggs more frequently in the cold weather because they will freeze and break open.  But the hens, they don't seem to mind the cold at all.  In fact really hot weather seems to stress them way more than cold does.

And so the weird weather continues.  No sooner do we have a foot of snow then everything turns around.  It is in the upper 30's and raining right now.  Tomorrow the high is forecast to be near 50.  Then it gets cold again.  And so it goes.