December Days, Short & Sweet

Last week we put our groove on to undertake a massive cleaning effort inside our 117-year-old barn that has been accumulating both good and bad junk for too long. Three levels of this dry, gorgeous structure have been home to cherished family heirlooms, a gazillion farm implements, burlap sacks, teepees and oh-so-much more. Since the weather was sunny and warm, we pulled it all out over the course of three days, and sorting through it was very satisfying. Spring cleaning is overrated. December is where it’s at for farmers—that window of opportunity when fields are fallow and bodies are tired, you can accomplish cleaning in ways never known before. The sun being the key ingredient here, our PNW days are almost to their shortest, and we have been starting at 8 and ending close to 4:30. Yesterday we only harvested parsley and celery, along with removal of some blackberry canes before calling it a day; it feels very decadent and leisurely.

We received our first 2021 seed catalogs just after Thanksgiving and have had our eyes peeled to new varieties for the coming season. This feels a bit premature but given the state of the world in a pandemic, we are looking for anything bright and cheery.

The owlets have returned to the barn at nights with the colder temperatures, and we welcome their presence, even though they are full-grown and considered adults now. We are happy they are doing well in our trees, roosting at night and hunting the fields by day. As we are in the midst of clearing blackberries, the owls seem to take a fancy to hunting in this exposed understory and then bringing their meal into the barn for consumption. Heading further into December, we will also be re-routing some of our roads that got washed away last January with heavy flooding. It was such a game changer, and we are still trying to move and clean all of the displaced gravel. If only we had known then what troubled waters were headed our way. We will continue navigating through the days and hope our veggies bring some small peace to your week.

Stay safe and well.

Make sure to find us on Instagram @fullcirclefarms.