|
Dear Farm Friends,
Happy New Year everyone, and welcome back. This will be year 29 for Mountain Bounty! I’m feeling optimistic for 2025. If I think too hard about it, my optimism may not be warranted, but it's my habit and I’m grateful for that. And, unreasonable optimism is probably a requirement for spending time with farming and its uncertainties.
We’ll begin the farming year by seeding and tending multitudes of baby plants in the greenhouse, fixing and maintaining tools and equipment, and gathering the many supplies needed for the year. The crew will be working part-time til sometime in late February, or early March, depending on how the weather evolves. When we do get a drier and warmer window during that time, we will suddenly shift into crazy spring mode. Until then, we savor the slower pace of winter.
So far, we are happy with the wet November/December and now hoping the solid rains continue, and return with colder temps to help suppress pests and adequately chill our fruit trees. We also enjoy and need snow. The mountain snowpack had a phenomenal start and is now down to average, due to the unusual warmth of recent storms that brought high elevation rain. 2024 was another record breaking warm year. I’m trying to look those facts in the face, while simultaneously not falling into worry. The dance of farming (and our lives?) is all about creatively adapting to what we get. Here we go!
--John
| 
