What goals are we setting for the farm this year? Read to find out!

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posted on

February 3, 2022

How are you doing with these cold, gray winter days? Over the last three snowy weekends, I've been thinking about a poem, "The Shepherd's Calendar" by John Clare, that I wrote about in my dissertation. The first poem, "January", opens with the following scene:

"Withering and keen the Winter comes,

While Comfort flies to close-shut rooms,

And sees the snow in feathers pass

Winnowing by the the window-glass;

While unfelt tempests howl and beat

Above his head in chimney-seat."

Who is this "he", watching the snow flying in such tempest around him? It's the farmer,

"Whose Almanac's thumb'd pages swarm

With frost and snow, and many a storm."

I'll spare you the dissertation-level critique of these lines, but beyond loving the word choices (withering! winnowing!), I was immediately captivated by the image of the farmer, reading over well-worn pages while planning for next year, all while the storm rages outside.

In fact, I've come to learn, it's how we get through these long, gray days - by planning, and hoping, and looking forward to the spring. We may not have a well-worn Almanac to thumb through yet, but we have been working hard to set goals for this year - all based on your feedback from our survey in January.

So, what goals are we working toward this year? I'm excited to share a few of these with you!

More turkey, more of the year! This year, we'll be running two batches of turkeys: a spring batch, ready by the summer; and our traditional summer/fall batch for Thanksgiving. This is to provide you with options for ground turkey, turkey parts, and whole turkey that you requested - throughout the year! Our first turkeys will be ready in late summer, and we hope to maintain our freezer inventory through the winter!
Recipes! You asked for recipes, and we have them! We now have a dedicated recipe page on the website, which I'll add to each week. Feel free to make requests or suggestions for what you'd like to see there!
Specific newsletter content: Two of the most requested categories include more stories from the farm and more education on regenerative practices and nutritional information. I'll be working to provide both, and adding more resources, books, and other outlets where you can find even more information.
A farm store! We've been working with our friends at Heirloom Builders on a farm store for a few months now. I'll be sharing the upcoming progress with you over the next few months, as well as plans to host on-farm events there, as many of you have said you'd like to visit!
Shipping! We're working hard behind the scenes to get shipping off the ground. If you like our products - or know someone who might - but don't live in the Triangle area, stay tuned!