It's been a long time since I've made a blog entry and after hearing a number of CSA shareholders, farmers' market customers, friends and neighbors ask why I haven't written one in a while, I decided that I would pick it up again in March.

To be perfectly honest, I didn't think anyone was reading my blog. I didn't get any emails and so I thought I was just putting this information into cyberspace. So, when Ilene and I got really busy late last summer, the blog kind of fell out of favor. 

But then over the winter when I saw the people previously described and they told me they had been looking forward to my weekly blog, I was suprised, but flattered. 

Thus this year, I'll make that difficult promise and write a blog entry every week no matter how busy Ilene and I get on the farm. I've heard you loud and clear that this is a service to you and I will make sure that happens. But please, keep giving me feeback on what you might want to read or learn about. I will do my best to get it on the blogosphere.

This week I will bring up spring and yes, it is right around the corner, but we can feel it here in North Dakota. It's been fogging and humid, days have been mild and that deep snow is beginning to melt. 

Because we didn't finish our passive solar greenhouse before winter set in, the grounds were buried in snow. Today I took the snowbolower and cleared all the snow away so it dries out, which will allow to begin working again soon. 

Next weekend I have Guard drill and since I've been selected as the new first sergeant, will be busy with that, but in two weeks, I intend to be out there kicking it up a notch all weekend because I want to get this thing up and running so we can start our research for the Enterpreneurial Center for Horticulture.

And that reminds me, last weekend Ilene and I attended the MOSES (Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service) conference in LaCrosse, Wis. That was an awesome experience and if any of you reading this are organic, or are thinking about transitioning to organic, you need to go to this conference. 

It was well attended, the food was fabulous and for two full days you were among those who have the same interests as you do, growing organic vegetables, grain or livestock. We are definitely going again next year. 

When we got home we ordered seed. I know that is grossly late but because we are expanding our CSA, we didn't yet have property leased so we were kind of in limbo. As soon as that was secured, the seeds were ordered. (More on that next week).

And finally, I just want to say that I believe our garlic crop has an excellent blanket on it at this time. When I got down to the greenhouse today, I noticed across the way that some of the garlic has 5 feet of snow on it. Not only has that been great winter insulation, it's fantastic moisture for this spring and summer.