Winter’s Final Days at Restoration Farm

The rutted dirt road that leads down to the fields is still clogged with snow.   My right foot slides through some crusty ice into a chasm of cold, muddy water.   The waterproof shoes were a smart choice.  Winter seems reluctant to depart from Restoration Farm.

I reach the clearing that opens into the fields, and the scene changes.  

Hawks dance in the sky, a shockingly red cardinal shoots across the field, and a flock of robins – the very first robins I’ve seen in months – delight in their role as harbingers of spring.

Restoration Farm is brimming with wildlife. Donna Sinetar's chickens are having a lively conversation.

Far from the chickens, I spot a large red fox in the field adjacent to Apple Trace. He is too swift and wily for my camera to capture, but I see his large, plush tail bounding away towards the Manetto Hill Church on the other side of the field.

There is human activity as well. George and Zsofi are mulching, preparing the field for the inevitable transfer of young vegetable plants from the greenhouse.

Head grower Dan Holmes has revved up the tractor.

At Apple Trace, the row of eight heritage apple trees dedicated to my late father, it is pruning time.  

Late winter is considered the perfect time for pruning, to promote a strong limb structure.  The limbs are covered with buds.  

The trees are now two years old, and given the severity of the winter, they look quite healthy.   I prune carefully to shape each tree, and encourage that latent energy to flow into the outer limbs.  I carry away a bundle of twigs that are a tangible reminder of this living memorial.

Some man-made structures have sprung up as well. Perhaps less evocative, but no less important, a new storage and distribution center has been erected over the winter.  Dubbed “The Tin House” it will be a focal point of weekly vegetable distributions and the new Restoration Farm education and arts program. 

I leave you with a old and venerable proverb that seems to sum up winter’s waning days at Restoration Farm.  

“No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow.” 

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