Happy Holidays

Well that was a lot of food! We had a very bountiful Thanksgiving and I am still digesting as I wait for the cable installer on this very special Saturday. Yes, we are finally getting high speed internet here at the farm. We can attest that internet inequality is a real thing and I just cannot imagine how people in our town and others like them have teleworked and home schooled their children. In this country, 15% of the population is without broadband, dialup or cell coverage. It is with much gratitude that I sit here at 1:30 waiting for the technician to arrive for a 10am appointment.

They’re here! We finally got broadband at the farm.

How lucky are we?

It was a year ago that we fell in love with this farm and JP and Marian believed that we could succeed. That was several months before Covid arrived in this country. The pandemic was in full swing when we assumed ownership and there were many conversations among the three of us if this was a wise change to make as businesses of all kinds were shutting down. We know many people among the three of us who have suffered during this pandemic – friends who have gotten sick; friends who have lost loved ones; friends whose business has closed; and friends whose lives have changed forever. We count ourselves as lucky. The fairs didn’t happen and the markets were different, but we are still here selling maple, and we are safe. We care deeply about sustainable agriculture, good food that is good for you, and food security. Thank you Great Barrington Farmer’s Market for doubling SNAP benefits so that more people have access to good food. I am hopeful that we will see changes that make it easier for farmers to move out of conventional agriculture and into more sustainable practices that are good for our health, the planet’s health, the animals’ well-being, and often are more profitable. But that is a newsletter for another time.

We put our giant wreath on the barn today. Seasons Greetings!

The Most Delicious Gift

So, it is with full stomachs and wicked fast internet that we are officially ushering in the holiday season on the farm. Kim has been in the kitchen all week making nuts, cocoa, and pancake mix. I am pretty sure she makes granola every day too. Next week we will all take to the kitchen to bottle syrup and make maple cream. Thank you all for continuing to support the farm. I have thought a lot about all things maple for about a year now, and I can honestly say that I think maple makes a great gift. It’s delicious, it’s pure, it’s sustainable, and it supports small, local farmers. We just introduced a digital gift card that makes the gift of maple super easy.

However you celebrate this season, with maple or without, we wish you a safe and happy holiday.