There really isn't a whole lot to write about on a vegetable farm when there is a foot of snow on the ground with more to come. Our garlic has a nice blanket of snow over it and other parts of the farm are collecting snow in the form of drifts. Otherwise, the ground is frozen solid.

Not the best time to be thinking about farming? Think again. This week between Christmas and New Year's Day is perfect for thinking about farming. There isn't a whole lot going on so it's the opportune time to be looking at the catalogs and ordering seeds for the spring of 2009.

We've received numerous catalogs in the mail, some that we look at carefully and many that we don't even bother opening. To be perfectly honest, I use the catalogs any longer. My interest comes from the Web sites of Johnny's Selected Seeds, High Mowing Organic, Seeds of Change, Veseys, Abundant Life, Seed Savers Exchange and some others.

One thing I will say, because we have ordered peanuts in past years, we received a catalog from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. Of course immediately opened it to the peanut section and found a nice surprise. This season Southern Exposure is offering Jumbo Virginia peanuts in certified organic. 

I'll be ordering some of those because Jumbo Virginia (non-organic) has done very well here. The seeds are rather expensive, but I need to have organic seed and I want this peanut variety.

As far as the catalogs, I think they are going to be given to someone older who might not have a computer or use Internet. I actually sent an email to High Mowing and told them not to send catalogs any longer since I use Internet for all my ordering. But, I get the catalog anyway.

So, if there is anyone out there who could use an organic catalog, I want to spread the word about the benefit of using organic products. Ilene and I have been using as many organic products as we can since 2004 and we'll never go back to the "conventional" products, especially produce and grains.

That reminds me of a very interesting Christmas present I received from our daughter's boyfriend. It was a bottle of organic vodka. Ed Phillips and Sons in Minnesota is marketing this product, certified organic by Quality Assurance.... I was quite surprised. I knew there was organic beer, but didn't realize vodka, made from organic grain grown in Minnesota, is now available.