The farm year is underway, hurray!!!

To get to the gorgeous bounty of summer ...

with its sun-warmed tomatoes, 

and the promise of warm comforting meals to come...

...I need to start with some  rather humdrum and certainly less colorful tasks! 
​First, the  bleaching and airing of the seeding trays  --  which, because I was taken by surprise by the early freeze last fall, happened in the laundry room this year.  

While the snow was still piled up outside, I dug up the weeds that had taken root in the beds, swept the debris off the floor, and cut down all of last year's support strings.

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Then, on a frigid early spring day, I put the (completely frozen!) seed starter I'd purchased onto my heat mats to thaw, and shortly thereafter began planting hundreds of seeds.

They went straight into the germinator, where it's always a lovely humid 80 degrees ( as long as I don't forget to fill the water pan, which I have been known to do!)  and within days, sprouts were popping up! It's always amazing!  
​The miracle of seeds!!!   Wow!

If all goes according to plan,  it won't be too long before these little seedlings turn into tall and prolific vines...

... and then the fun really begins!  I can't wait to take you along with me as the farm year progresses.  I want to show you all the tricks I've learned to preserve  healthy, fresh, organically-grown food, and even more importantly,  the techniques I've developed  to cook with frozen, dried or canned produce  so that it's still  bright, flavorful and delicious!  It's cheaper, it's faster, it's lower impact on the planet, it lasts so much longer than fresh, and it's better for you than a fresh veggie that's traveled halfway round the world!    All good, right?   So stay tuned!
Now, back to the garden!  See you next time!