A year in review and a look ahead :)

(Big Panzer, Ben & Sadie January 1st, 2014)
Well, we certainly won't forget 2013. A year full of the most amazing happy moments with the birth of our awesome Sadie Bug, to moments of sheer sadness with the death of Ben's mom Sophie. The farm is definitely not the same anymore. Sophie is gone so that extra pair of strong hands to seed and greenhouse grow, hoeing, grading, smiling, laughing, complaining....has gone silent. Her minivan no longer creeps about the farm to see what she can help out with next. The Mexican guys lost their ride to town. The one thing we didn't lose were her recipes and her advice. I made a lot of her food for Christmas and while Ben ate, he smiled. And we'll never forget her smiles and her points of view. We've got the time invested and all those awesome memories. And Sadie is the newest rockin' soul around here. Now crawling everywhere and pulling herself to a stand, any day now she'll be walking! It all happened so fast! She's my big baby girl now with the sweetest smile and most infectious laugh. Her twitter handle is #MarketBaby and from time to time she'll be featured on our Instagram! And you are always sure to meet her at market! 

2013 was not a spectacular growing season. The cold summer that freakishly stopped the tomatoes from ripening and wreaked havoc on other growing crops (I blame this cold snap in summer to our failed Brussel sprout crop) to basically make me shrug and say it was a 'meh' year. Yet, we always seem to have gorgeous tables of produce! No one sees the failed crops at home thou and I'm a proud farmer and dislike talking failure. I will be more realistic this season with a bit more negative so there is more understanding.  A few pictures of awesome produce doesn't show the whole farm story :) I just like to stick to the positive people!!

Looking ahead I am optimistic and excited about 2014. As we run around chasing a little girl and working the heck out of those greenhouses and field crops, Ben and I'll be planting yet more strawberry plants, different fingerling potatoes, keep trying with a cauliflower crop, a possible connection with the amazing folks at Chocosol (stay tuned!), dare I say it: less markets and more stores,... dreams of early this and late that....well, it all truly depends on the weather now doesn't it?!  And 2014 marks our 10 year anniversary of being certified organic. Truly proud!  A lot of you market folk have told me to 'blog more' and 'share those farm stories' so I shall! Onward to a killer 2014!!! 

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