Blue Skies Above Us

There's something distinct about the twittering call of a bird in March. I couldn't give it a word if you asked me for it, but you must know what I mean...something fresh that seems to echo off the blue skies and melting snow, something sweet that mirrors the smell in the air, something that silences the curmudgeon in each of us and dares us to deny the spring in our step. That, at least, is what the songs of our avian neighbors suggest to me.

Here at D Acres Farm, I've been rising earlier and earlier as the sun insists on waking the world just a little sooner each day. But I can't complain, for it is the singular call of birds from the cedar tree outside my southern window that are suddenly my daily alarm clock. And these tiny creatures with their maestro vocal cords are just one symptom of spring's apparent arrival.

The sweetest, arguably, being the arrival of sugarin' season. I put our 76 taps in barely a week ago, but my how quickly the sap is flowing! We have 160 gallons stored in drums and buckets around our sugar shack, and more collecting as I write this. Our first boil will be tomorrow...There's more sap than I can evaporate in a single day by far. Still, I'll be going early (hopefully before both the sun and the birds). Who'd have thought that evaporation could entertain one for so many hours?

Swing by the shack if you're in the area, check out the process, taste some of our homegrown sweetness. Company is always welcome to pass the hours.

But that's not all. There's lots getting going here at D Acres this spring, so consider the following as well: Want to get a jump on your edible landscaping and mushroom cultivation? March 20 we're offering an all-day mushroom log inoculation workshop with Dave Wichland - check out the website or give us a call for details. Please pre-register!! Or, perhaps, you're looking for a chance to gather with neighbors, share some grub and good tunes - join us at the Enfield Community Lutheran Church this comming Saturday March 13 for a dinner and concert benefitting Bill Loyens, a local neighbor who recently lost his house to a fire. A good time guarenteed!

We're all a little itchy for spring, yes...but put aside that spring cleaning for a day and join us when you can! Be it for a workshop, event, or just to drop by, we hope to see you at the farm.

All the best to all -
Beth