Winter 2006 - 2007!

A seamless transition from one season to another...
As the sugars retract to the roots of the trees, so do the farmers to the greenhouse. In the protected haven, work continues. The environment provides a lush green ecosystem of vegetables and roots. Those who choose to explore this season may be pleasantly surprised at the richness and beauty of an eternal spring. Lettuce, mustards, spinach, beet, chard, mâche, carrot, turnip, fennel, parsley and escarole sprawl across the dark earth to create a patchwork of color otherwise void beyond the greenhouse walls. The perpetual nature of this garden provides inspiration for the coming seasons and just as the cold sets in, it is a sign to begin again. The annual propagation of next year's garden begins as quickly as it ended. A seamless transition from one season to another provides no end.

Embrace your inner root vegetable!
This winter, experiment with soups and stews! On those cold days, nothing warms a house up like the aroma of a slow-cooking lamb stew on the stove or a velvety squash soup simmering ever so slightly. Taste a turnip in January and experience the sweetness cold weather creates! And if you need a little inspiration - or just a reminder that even in the deep winter, something's doing at the farm - stop into the greenhouse and breather in the great scent of all those leafy greens growing all season long. Four-season farming means just that at Stone Barns. We're here every season, every day - stop in and see us!

Sheepskin jackets!
While we focus on raising the sheep for their lambs, they continue centuries of wool production by growing up to 12lbs of it on their backs! We'll shear them once again this April, but they'll enjoy their "coats" this winter. All that wool keeps them naturally comfy during the colder months. We'll just need to provide them with good hay and protection from the wind, cold winter rains and hungry predators. Otherwise, they'll enjoy the season under their wooly coats. We'll use the wool for blankets and even when we harvest the lambs, we can utilize the benefits of their wool in a sheepskin. The wool combined with the tanned skin, provides an exceptional product. When the sheep is harvested, the skin and the attached wool are peeled away from the carcass. The slaughterhouse will then freeze the skin right away so that when we pick it up, we can thaw it back to is "fresh" state. We'll then trim the hide of any excess fat and heavily salt it to draw out the remaining moisture that can lead to spoilage. We then ship it off to the tannery and await the final product.