Wintering on the Farm

Warm greetings, school family! Winter has arrived in earnest all around, bringing frigid temperatures and drastic lows with wind chills to match. Perhaps you winter in other ways too, as many do during the harsher months of the year; may the stark beauty of nature help sustain you, as it does for us on the farm. Many hardy crops are holding their own in the grip of cold, including garlic, collards, kale, arugula, spinach, and herbs of all kinds. The greenhouse at EC has been fortified and deep cleaned ahead of the first seeds of spring, sown last week by students in the new years related arts rotation. And our hale flock at the MC coop remains plucky and sassy and continues to offer eggs, albeit more infrequently. Special shout-out to the middle schoolers that take such gentle care of our chickens.

Please make plans to join us on the MC farm Saturday, Feb. 8, between 9-11 am for a community workday. We’ll be engaged in the care of our orchard and perennial beds, including pruning and mulching, and would appreciate help in the work of rebuilding the trellis for our old-growth muscadines. If you have special skills to share in these areas, please come! If not, please come anyway and work and learn alongside us. We’ll have warming beverages and snacks, and all the tools you’ll need; please dress in warm layers and bring a full water bottle.

Our work on land and in community are a few of the many ways we support and care for each other. The farm crew is grateful for the continued opportunity to tend these spaces with our beloved students, teachers, and families.