The first snows have fallen, and the barns and pastures lie coated in a dreamy white blanket. It’s a far cry from the green robes of summer, when the sunflowers and zinnias bloomed in the Pick-Your-Own flower garden, and the pigs rooted and cooled off in the shrubs and shade of the treelines.
Winter is a quieter season at Codman. The animals are all home at the main Codman Farm: the cows are back together as one herd in their winter pasture, the hens are living in and around the greenhouse, and the pigs are nestled behind Barn D, getting warm and cozy. Our rhythm has changed from traveling all around town moving water and feed, checking on animals, and cutting and baling hay, to making our daily rounds of the farmyard here at 58 Codman Road. We’re still collecting hundreds of eggs a day, but the chickens are only a short walk or 4-wheeler ride from the cooler and the egg-washing room. Our last meat birds were harvested well over a month ago, and the turkeys are all long-gone as well.
Having all the animals back home makes it easier to tend to projects around the farm that we can’t otherwise get to during the busy season. Repairs, equipment maintenance, research and planning for the next year are all on the agenda for the coming weeks. Our farmers will evaluate what worked well this year, what can be improved or changed, and what new opportunities we might want to try out. We’re also using this time to plan new events, workshops and opportunities to connect with the farm in 2020. Keep an eye out on our blog and our email list, as we’ll be asking for your input to help us create meaningful opportunities for community connection with local food and land.
New, white oak shelters arriving, with curious cows onlooking
While things are quieter, there is still activity on the farm! New cow shelters arrived the other day, to all of our excitement. Our Red Devons are a hearty, cold-faring cattle breed, the same kind the pilgrims brought with them to America for that very reason. They spend the winter outdoors, but these shelters will provide them with a sturdy windbreak for those especially cold days. The old shelters had been around for thirtyish years, and their time had finally come to be torn down and recycled. Hopefully these beautiful oak structures will last us just as long!
On November 17th, we gathered one last time in the barn at the annual Volunteer Appreciation Brunch. On this frosty-yet-cheery day we shared good food and good company and we celebrated our dedicated volunteers who lend a hand to help out the farm during the year with a myriad of tasks. We enjoyed connecting with everyone, and even though we will be here working, and the Farm Store will be open all winter, it felt to me like the end of summer camp - both a celebration and an ending of sorts.
A farm ebbs and flows with the seasons, reminding us of our essential ties to nature - physically, emotionally and culturally. While things here may seem quieter, more muted like the snowy landscape, our Farm Store is still open, and we have a steady supply of fresh Codman eggs, meat and other local goods to warm you up through the winter days. Like a seed, there’s a core of life that carries on at Codman through the winter - perhaps a little quieter, tucked away a little more out of sight, but waiting, ready to spring forth when the warmth returns and conditions are right.