We swear!

Don’t  be fooled by this weather, and don’t let it get you down. We’re chugging along over here, pretending we don’t see mounds of snow in the field and changing shirts and socks when it gets too damp.

Also, I’ve been spending a lot of time indoors. Planning, and hanging out with the newest Crooked Row additions – Team Chick, but I do have to say that I have also been sleeping with my triangle pillow a lot.

The day after the Mid-March snowstorm I drove out to the middle of the state and picked up 200-some Austrolorp chicks. These little tykes have completely derailed my days, softened my soul and have given me immeasurable joy in the last month.

They’re hilarious, curious, exhausting at moments, and such…mighty…brats.

It’ll be months before these peeps are big enough to lay eggs, but I’m amazed by how quickly they are growing and changing shape. With each day they get braver, hungrier, and more motivated to prove to me that my brooder room is not, despite my constant efforts, chick-proofed.

So, yeah. This is where I’ve been spending a fair amount of my mornings and evenings. But don’t worry – our original gals (who celebrated their one-year anniversary at our place this month!), are still getting regular TLC as well, and are still laying magnificent and delicious eggs.

This April has been a bit different than those previous. Along with the seeding and the planning and the certification renewals and supply ordering, there’s been planning, inventory estimating, design and redesign.

Instead of our wide-reaching CSA as in previous years, I’ve scaled things back to a Stand Share option, with Market Dollars or a CSA-style bag as you choose (and ignore the deadline in this link- we’re taking sign-ups through April). We’ve partnered with the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Center again this year for a season of healthy initiatives, but otherwise I’m hoping you’ll be able to make it to the stand for the food you love. Otherwise, give me a holler and I’ll point you in the direction of a CSA grower near you. They’re there, and they’re amazing.

My main focus is our stand. If you know me, you know I have a tendency to overextend, and I’ve done a lot to mentally and logistically reign that in this year. The Crooked Row Farm Market is an incredible opportunity for us, and it also gives great exposure to our neighbors and friends who grow and produce such amazing food in our region. I want to be able to do this more effectively and successfully this year.

First up – We’ve got an Official Website now, huzzah! It’s beautiful. Enter.Net worked some serious magic on my mish-mashed life, and now it shines.

Next up – Making friends: Liebe Media has taken on this year’s Crooked Row adventures with a camera, and I cannot wait to see what becomes of our collaboration. Kimber spent an afternoon hanging out with the chicks and loved it, and we discovered that we have aligned missions and passions that make us wildly compatible as pals, too.

I mean, look at these photos of our girls. Swoon.

Programming – You responded, and we listened. I’m excited to have a physical space from everything from Yoga in the Field with our dear friends at Tribe Yoga (and our other beloveds!) to Healthy Gardening workshops with Green Heron Tools, to picnic days and more, I look forward to spending time with you at the stand throughout the season as we explore local food and local life together.

Keeping Up – I love this farmerliz blog, since it’s been my way of sharing with everyone since the get-go, but soon I’ll be putting out a newsletter twice a month throughout the season to more specifically highlight local specials, events, recipes, and share the CR love with those who aren’t as hyped on the blogosphere. If you’d like to be added to the newsletter, add your name and e-mail to the comments here. More on this once I sit down and build it. 🙂

THE STAND! – We’ll be opening APRIL 14TH, and I’m so excited. Obviously the veggies will be slim pickings this early in the year, but we’ll have early greens and herbs – and, of course, THE BEST EGGS YOU WILL EVER EAT – as well as all the other local eats you’ve come to expect and love. With the Wayfare Baker gone we are excited to introduce The Daily Loaf from Hamburg, and her delicious, amazing breads. Taste of Country will be back with her incredible canned goods – including some featuring our own fruits and veggies this year! Stay tuned on that. Valley Milkhouse, Klein’s and BAD Farm will stock our dairy fridge, Wholesome Beef and Wild Fox are slated for our freezer, mushrooms from Primordia and Hudulfolk Homestead will grace the cooler with LV Kombucha, and Red Cat grains will once again showcase the diversity of the Lehigh Valley food scene and, perhaps, some pizza crusts? Like I said, stay tuned.

At the outset, we’ll be set up partly as a garden center. Everyone’s favorite Teena Bailey of Red Cat is growing hundreds of organically-raised vegetables starts for those of you looking for your own garden spaces this year. I’ve got a tote of organic Vermont Compost potting mix on the way for that same purpose. If you’re more inclined to be a seed-starter, we’ll have nearly a hundred varieties of organic and open pollinated seeds from High Mowing and Strictly Medicinals. Let’s get growing!

Because spring has sprung, my friends. And we can’t wait.

Yours in Peeps and Seasonal Treats,

Liz