On Cairncest Farm in Plainfield, two brothers, Edmund and Garth Brown, have resolved to eat only what they raise/grow/forage/hunt themselves for an entire year. Edible Finger Lakes is carrying biweekly updates from the Brown brothers as they embark on this food journey.
Food for a Year: April 1-16
I’m sure this winter has felt long to everyone in the northeast, but I have never been so acutely aware of the (lack of) changes in the weather. It’s finally getting warmer here, and I’ve been starting beets and rutabagas to take the place of those stored in the root cellar. I look forward to having fresh baby beets and turnips rather than the lunkers I’ve been subsisting on for the past few months, but more than anything I am looking forward to fresh greens.
I ran out of frozen kale a week ago, and I’m sick of frozen green beans. But even if it takes a while for the garden to get going, there should be some wild options available any day now. The ramps are just starting to poke up through the leaves, and dandelions can’t be far behind. A few kale plants appear to have survived the winter, so they should provide some edible leaves before they bolt.
As I watch the cows eating their hay, forlornly looking out across the dormant pasture, I feel I can relate to them a bit better than in previous years. Luckily for everyone on the farm, it can’t be long before spring begins in earnest. –Garth
Brothers Edmund and Garth Brown are owner-operators of Cairncrest Farm in Plainfield, New York. They produce and sell grass-fed beef and pastured pork. They blog about their 2015 homegrown challenge here.
Read the last Food for a Year post here. Photo by Garth Brown
