Unexpected it was to have a third lamb from old ewe Arlene. "Patience" is catching up fast to her siblings. And  due to unexpected expenses two of our cows will soon become beef, beef to barter with and beef to sell. The animals are our investments and they have lead a very good life. Does justification make this easier? Maybe. On a more up beat note so unexpected are the colors and textures and flavors harvested for salad in the greenhouses. There is such satisfaction to know we are providing for you despite the teenager roller coaster weather. Must admit to eating salad near every day here too. Now if we could just get those tomato plants to bear sooner we would be in paradise! To go along with the harvest of greens is the unexpected bounty  - harvest of eggs from our 400 layers. The food cupboard is content to get the fresh boxes of muli- colored eggs these last few weeks. Speaking of layers we have 250 new layer chicks in our brooder barn. Unexpectedly they came on the coldest day of winter. Fifty came dead on arrival. The hatchery gave us a break on some replacements. That Saturday was hard in too many ways. the weather has us also , unexpectedly, delaying our spring outdoor plantings. Usually we seed down greens and roots outdoors by now. My beloved grandfather always gave the advice, " Don't have a profession that depends on the weather  Sorry granddad!( He was in the ski industry himself) And in closing we have had unexpected visitors coming to help, new neighbors that have saved us of many calamities, and share holders who have trusted us again with their prepayments. On those bad unexpected  days  we have those unexpected delightful notes in our mailboxes, those visitors that just want a task to help with and the fridge empty of the dozens of eggs we s before put within.

We will have greens starting second week of March !These harvests will be at the self serve store at 3 Farm. We keep experimenting with micro greens and pea shoots. So far we have spent close to $1000 on propane for the greens greenhouse. W e have to make that back in micros in order to say it was worth starting the greenhouse a month earlier. We do supplement the gas with wood but the stove is frightfully inefficient. ( Its like heating your kitchen with a toaster oven!). After this spring we should be able to decide whether an interior wood boiler would pay for itself in what we harvest in  early spring and into late fall. Why go to all this trouble? We are determined to feed you all as much as possible as well as add to our meager income..

Surprised we use the word "meager" to describe our income? Actually most farmers in Vermont have outside incomes to float their  farms.At Someady we  are trying to make a sole living on  farming. You  would think  that an 8 days/week   schedule  would produce the funds to keep us in the black. We keep readjusting greenhouse production crops, number of birds, market avenues. Perhaps its just how it is with farming.As Mara learned in her visits to various farms throughout Europe outside farm incomes are just part of small scale agriculture. There is just something more to farming than making a profit. We feed ourselves, feed you,  and are leaving our tended lands healthier than when we first set foot in our furrowed fields. 

Gotta get back to the greenhouse tho. Bet that toaster oven woodstove needs stoking. Wonder if i can snip off a few pea shoot tendrils in the dark....mighty tasty any time of the night or day!

​Scout from Someday 

We are proud to grow diverse forages for our turkeys and pheasants. Turkeys, like pheasants, need the diet of a wild game bird, therefore we grow millet and sorghum and organic corn and rape and pumpkins and we make 'em harvest their own meals for themselves. Eben manages them so they can graze actively and are protected from other wildlife. Hence the flavor and quality of our holiday birds are far superior to what you might find in a grocery store. Please call the farm at (802) 362-2290 to order as soon as possible before we sell out!