Making Plans for Organic Growers School This Weekend

This weekend is the Organic Growers School and I can't get over how excited I am about it.  I helped start this annual event 17 years ago and I feel like a proud mama every spring.  It has grown and blossomed into an amazing educational conference.  There will be over 60 classes on farming, gardening, cooking, policy making, and sustainable living.  We expect over 1000 people to participate over two days.  I particularly love the tradeshow, the seed swap, and the chance to network with all kinds of amazing people.

Last weekend, my husband made a list of all the seeds we have on hand for this year's garden.  Then we made a list of what we still need and some new things we want to try.  I expect to come home from the Organic Growers School with enough seeds to plant four gardens!  But that's the fun of it, isn't it?  If you want to join us, check out http://organicgrowersschool.org/.

Is This Winter's Last "Hurrah"?

A couple of days ago we could smell spring in the air.  Daffodils and ramps were pushing their way toward the sunshine, the buds on the trees were swollen, and my husband swears he heard a spring peeper.  But, now a few days later the ground is once again covered with snow.  This has been one of the snowiest winters on record for where we live in the southern mountains of western North Carolina.  What is most unusual, however, is that we have not been snow-free since mid-December.  In other words, it's been cold and I have the oil and firewood bills to prove it!  Needless to say, we are all ready for spring. Well, the forecast is for much warmer temperatures later this week and by the weekend it is supposed to be almost 60 degrees.  Perfect weather for the Organic Growers School which will be held in Asheville, NC this year (http://organicgrowersschool.org/).  Since I'm a board member, track leader, and exhibitor, I will be "working" a great deal, but I've scheduled time to attend presentations on small-scale poultry production, grass fed beef, and pasture management.