I have to weigh in on the early time change….my opinion would be : IT’S ABOUT TIME someone thought of this. Seriously. I know that for people who lead urban lives, it’s annoying to have to awaken in the dark for work again. But for we who are trying to farm on top of full time jobs, this is shangri-la. Every year I wait for the time change so that I can have time after work for farming; it’s the start of having something like 14 extra hours a week for work at home. And this year, it came early. I’ll be able to get seeds planted, weed, irrigate, and all those other things I do before I drop dead for the evening.

Which reminds me, I have certain libations for the evening. Lately my favorite is the "lemon drop". 1.5 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice, 1.5 oz limoncello liquer (get the good stuff from Italy, no cheapo imitations), 1.5 oz vodka ( we use Gray Goose), and a 2 oz. good sweet and sour mix. Mix in a shaker with ice, and pour into a martini glass rimmed with table sugar. We use farm lemons, and are proud to point out that one of our own lemon trees is the special Sorrento lemon out of which limoncello is made. Guaranteed to make you a happy farmer, we promise.

This weekend…still at in on the greenhouse. We didn’t get as much accomplished as we wanted because we had a late start "doing" another four roosters. I have made a mental note that if I raise meat chickens, they are going to be some gigantic breed because it is a pain to try to dress a bird in which one’s hand can barely fit. Our new knives got an A+, I am so glad we purchased them. I have also decided that I have to come up with a better method for the killing part. I don’t on principle like the use of cones, but after the deed is done I am finding that I am absolutely sprayed in a fine mist of…..you can guess. The birds never know what happened. I tie a little scarf on the rooster so it can’t see what’s happening. I realize that likely, the bird doesn’t understand what a hatchet is, but I believe that just in case, Mr. Rooster doesn’t need to see. Just like, I don’t think animals should see other animals being killed. It takes so little effort to arrange matters thus, and in the event there are more rooster brain cells than we humans know about, it’s better that way.

I FINALLY planted seeds for the big herb garden at Drew’s house. Or should I say, the Kitchen Garden, since arguably a lot of Drew’s real estate is already an herb garden. It’s hard to compete with the hundreds of thyme and rosemary plants already installed for the bees to feed on. So we have borage, sorrel, salad burnet, lavender bergamot, dill, a golden purslane, and a few other items. Next are some fennels, and then soon will be another seed order to accomodate some more medicinal herbs we’ve been asked to grow.

Bags and bags of citrus are ready to head to the market in Ashland, Oregon. We are really enjoying being able to supply some of our really excellent oranges and lemons to an area that can’t produce home-grown citrus on account of the climate. It’s not "local" by some definitions, but I suppose that’s a relative term.

Well, tonight’s job is to plant another block of mache greens, off to work!