04/26/2026
Locust Blossom Special
For a time in late April, this farm is the best place to be in the world. I cannot convey this convincingly to everyone, but that does not mean I harbor any doubt. I have not seen the sunrise in New South Wales, or the mist rising between Alpine peaks, but when the locusts are blooming, I only want to be right here. This year the blooms are spectacular. The locusts that encircle our little hillside clearings and fields are draped in the sweet clustering flowers, tumbling over the branch tips so thickly to cast a filtered sunlight that is perfect. The bees are busy greedily carting off their nectar, and for a time, the thorns are forgotten.
The hope of this time returning, and the memory of past blooms, is what gets me through the long gray slog of winter. Amid the perfumed air, multiflora rose and honeysuckle perform their variations on the theme of Spring, while the tulip poplars stand festooned in an arial beauty that, to my knowledge, was never attempted by any of the Dutch masters.
In the more domesticated parts of the landscape, the potatoes are in the ground, and the brassicas are planted. The first outdoor planting of lettuce is transplanted, and the onion seedlings should get set out this week. The early seeding of beets and carrots is up, but disappointing, as it only received one intense, hard rain directly after seeding, which then dried, crusting the soil and leaving the little carrot seeds struggling under a thin layer of rain-packed earth. It will make a half-crop probably, but it necessitated planting another patch. There is a new litter of curious piglets, and raven-black calves napping on sunny slopes while their mamas graze greening pastures. The first group of broiler chickens is ready to go to the processor soon, and the second group is out of the brooder and on pasture.
If eggs are any indication, the hens enjoy spring, too! There are plenty of them and we hope everyone will stock up for our absence next week! Winter Market will be open 5/3, but we will be taking off that Sunday in preparation for Opening Day on Hyde Park Square 5/10. So be sure to stop by our booth at MadTree today and plan to shop for two weeks. Our offerings include lettuce, kale, green garlic and onions, salad turnips, celery, radishes, asparagus (it goes fast!), yellow onions, sweet potatoes, pork, beef, chicken and turkey. We'll also have a small variety of plant starts for your garden: heirloom tomatoes, chard, okra, and lettuce.
We hope you are enjoying this time of year and are finding something in particular that is special!
Sincerely,
Jerry, Liz, Silas, Ira, and Abe
