Spring, the season of rebirth and regrowth, is almost upon us. Winter’s last full official day is Sunday, March 19. But Spring is an insistent force, and will be restrained neither by the calendar nor by cold wintry weather. If… Read More ›
Archives
Agriculture: Raising Doodle
Another small March snowfall this morning frustrated my outdoor work but served to remind me of how much I need to do for spring. Each time it snows, the branches and berry canes etched in white loom all the larger,… Read More ›
AgriCulture: Great Eggspectations
By Mark Scherzer I know you are all accustomed to my ruminations on the state of the world taking primary place in this bulletin, and the sales pitch for the farm being distinctly secondary. I’m turning that approach on its… Read More ›
Agriculture: Good Buds
Part of my chore-time ritual, twice a day, is to muck a wheelbarrow full of accumulated waste hay and sheep poop from the barn floor and trundle it out to the compost heap. Even with this effort, the stuff builds… Read More ›
AgriCulture: The Safety Net
Hi All, Mark here. It’s a balmy winter Saturday. The sun is ever higher in the sky. The breeze is mild. About half the pastures and lawns are bare; only a thin layer of slushy, melted, refrozen, and remelted snow… Read More ›
AgriCulture: The Kindness of Neighbors
The “Waste Not Want Not” bulletin of last week, which included news of the death of my elderly sow, Possum, elicited a range of responses, including valuable kitchen composting tips to help me replace my living, breathing consumer of food… Read More ›
AgriCulture: Waste Not, Want Not
In the flurry of big news stories at new year — Ukraine, of course, the deaths of Pope Benedict and Barbara Walters, and more — this was an easy story to miss in the New York Times on New Year’s… Read More ›
Agriculture: Resident or Visitor?
Virtually every morning, when I open the gate to descend to the path around the pond, on my way to feed Possum the sow, I cause a stir of sorts. Possum hears the sound of the latch opening and the… Read More ›
AgriCulture: Plate
Perry, the son of my late partner Peter, arrived to our delight Thanksgiving morning. We hadn’t much warning that he’d be in New York; he flew in to do a job installing whatever it is he installs in buildings. But… Read More ›
AgriCulture: The Fierce Urgency of Now
With temperatures forecast to plunge well below freezing imminently, I realize the days of covering my fall plantings at night to extend my growing season are over. In preparation for the inevitable, I harvested all the daikon radishes of harvestable… Read More ›