We survived the Winter Storm Grayson that set off phenomenon called the Bomb Cyclone. We got through the snow, the blustery wind and the unforgiving, frigid cold weather.

The good news is the temperatures will start rising beginning tomorrow, and we are back at it for our delivery/pickup service this week.

Though it’s hard to believe anything can survive in these frozen temperatures, Chesapeake Organic does have cold-hardy produce, such as kale, and collards, and the Pure Harvest greenhouses have nice hydroponic lettuce and greens.

Be sure to take a look at our update on Tuesday to see what else we may have added for produce. Chesapeake Organic will not have a complete list of produce available this week until they can assess the situation on Monday when the “balmy” temperature sets in. Nevertheless, at this time, we are offering the items we are reasonably certain will be available.

This also includes meat from Bohemia Lea, flash-frozen fish from AlaskaWild, delicious sweet potatoes (and garlic) from Colchester, cheese from Chapel’s, as well as mushrooms, honey, eggs, jellies, jams, and an assortment of prepared gourmet foods that continue to grace our tables all through the winter. We are truly eating well and hope you do too.

And don’t forget the herbal remedies from Plant Wisdom! Some of these items may come in handy right about now.

What’s Ahead in the New Year

What is it about a new year? A fresh start, a clean slate, the anticipation of pursuing new goals and having new plans for the future. As farmers, new seasons are always exciting and joyfully anticipated! If you garden, you know what we feel. The garden becomes a fresh canvas, and we become the artists, ready to create in concert with mother nature. We get to create anew, reinvent, plan for stupendous outcomes and simply get down to the business of growing. Here is a quick look ahead on what we are doing and what you can expect over the coming months.

1. Plant CSA — Signup will begin in a few weeks. This program allows you to purchase an amount of credit toward Hattie’s Garden quality vegetable transplants, herbs and bedding plants ahead of time in exchange for a 10% discount. You also have the option to request and reserve your favorite varieties.
2. Vegetable and Flower Gardening Classes — We plan to hold these in the March – April time frame. Each class consists of two 3-hour sessions held about a week apart. Class size is intentionally kept small at 6 to 8 participants which gives time for plenty of hands-on teaching. The goal is to give you knowledge and ideas for direct application to your gardening situation and desires, while at the same time exploring organic gardening principles. You will come away from the class with specific actions and plans for your own garden.
3. New at Hattie’s Garden — Here at Hattie’s Garden, we are planning for the new growing season with new varieties and fresh ideas. We will trial some turmeric this year after good reception with our ginger this past season and several requests to provide turmeric. We plan to try our hand at growing leeks and want to extend our cut flower season with more varieties and a longer season. We also hope to bring you a longer season of heirloom tomatoes. And we think a summer green such as amaranth might also be a popular item since summer greens are a difficult item to provide.

In the meantime, as we begin to place seed orders, we will continue our delivery/pickup service with plenty of great items, including wonderful winter produce, meats, fish, eggs, mushrooms, prepared foods and herbal remedies. We hope you enjoy the service as much as we enjoy doing it.

Yours in the garden throughout the winter,