New Roots

First day of spring and a perfect time to visit my nearby farmer friends at New Roots Farm.

What better way to welcome this change of season....




then to step into their greenhouse and feel the warmth that is already nurturing small tomato seedlings,

and see the crocus blooming, warmed by the spring sun (our crocus are still under snowbanks, and we live only a mile away).






And to visit the garlic field, some that I helped plant last October, to see the new shoots poking through. This is a pretty sight. We are running dangerously low on our supply from last year's harvest. We'll run out before the 2009 garlic harvest, but the garlic scapes may help us make it through the shortage, and Farmer Renee pulled out a secret stash from last year. Thank you!
And I visited the hens, that are now providing the farm (and us) a regular supply of fresh eggs. Oh so special.

The New Roots Farm hens have been, well, cooped up for the winter, and they are ready to hit the fields that until now were covered in snow. I think they'll be out scratching around the barnyard this weekend.

During the past two growing seasons, Renee and Jeff have given me the chance to help out on the farm in exchange for the most wonderful food. What a pleasure to help them on their farm -- planting, weeding, watering, harvesting -- and then come home with a weekly bounty of healthy, fresh, organic produce all summer long. Priceless.

Here are a few photos of past bounties brought home from New Roots. I am longing for this freshness - it's been a long winter of food from storage and the store. This year I'll be helping Renee plant seeds in the greenhouse - I can't wait to dig in the dirt!