The Quickening of Spring
Feb 16, 2024
Pruning Time
The Quickening* of Spring.It is my self appointed duty to be the first person in your life to talk about the coming Spring.
Today, February 2nd, marks the halfway point between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox. This is the "Quickening of Spring."
It is no coincidence that a sly groundhog in a top hat has co-opted this ancient holiday. This day marks the shift in the cosmically old solar cycle, the shift toward early Spring. And if you look closely enough, you'll see its slow steady progress.
The days are already getting noticeably longer and the sun palpably stronger. In early February the hardiest of the winter greens in the high tunnels begin putting on tender new growth. You might even notice your house plants perking up. Soon, you can kick back the snow and see the tiny shoots of hardy spring plants poking their heads above ground, checking for their shadows.
And we can feel it on the farm. It puts a quickening in our step. An extra beat to our pulse. We know that Spring sleeps, then it creeps, then it leaps. By April and May we are in the midst of an explosion of life and growth, so it's time to get moving and finish the winter tasks. Out to the orchard for thousands of pruning cuts, into the woodshop to build new animal feeders, and into the barn to roll out the welcome mat for the baby chicks and piglets that will be here before we know it.
So mark the day! We're in the thick of winter, but Spring is quietly making it's move. Celebrate with your traditions new and old. Make a hearty stew, clink together your glasses of cider, order some seeds, prune some apple trees, and pull out those frozen strawberries from the freezer.
There are still months of ice and mud ahead. But Spring is beginning its slow song. The world outside our windows is speaking to us.
Listening and watching it unfold,
Garrett and the Cider House Crew
*(I'm a total word nerd, and the use of the word "quickening" in reference to Spring is just..... *chef's kiss*)
