Spring has Sprung

Woodapple Farms; April 9, 2018

Spring has Sprung

Welcome to our new Woodapple Farms blog!  It’s spring on our small farm and ranch, though being in West Central Florida, spring tends to come early.  This year was no exception. After one of the coldest Januarys we can remember, February turned unseasonably warm.  Thankfully, March acted more like February should have and we regained the beautiful late winter – early spring weather that draws snowbirds to our state.  We are now into April and the weather is warming, birds are nesting, and all plants (almost) are bursting with vibrant growth and color.

I say “almost” as there are always a few fashionably late arrivals to the spring party.  On our farm, this includes the pignut hickory and the paw paw.  While the sap is rising and the buds swelling, new leaves have yet to push out.  Only recently did the muscadine grapes burst into leaf.  In the meantime, the mulberry trees are not only in full leaf, but bearing copious amounts of plump black berries.  What we cannot manage to eat, mostly falls to the ground.  Each evening when the goats return to the night paddock, they make a beeline to the biggest mulberry and collect the daily offering.  During the day, the local mockingbird pair will enjoy the treats, and to our dismay, more than once has a marauding flock of cedar waxwing birds cleaned out the lion’s share of the day’s ripe fruit.

In subsequent blogs we will unveil the cast of farm characters (and we have some indeed!) and bring you along in this journey prone with frequent trials, and many small, yet gratifying experiences.  Thankfully, no day is the same, nothing is routine for long, and unexpected surprises always pop-up.  We count it an honor to have you along for the ride!

John and Criss