Apples

Over the Seasons...

Hello my dear friends!

Our farm follows the seasons and each season brings its work and its pleasures. Many of our customers

want to learn the skills of our ancestors and be as self-sufficient as possible. Our goal is to have more people who

think like us and thus have a flourishing community where we can exchange knowledges. So to help you

in your approach, here are some ideas to support you throughout the seasons.

JANUARY

Winter is a good time to question yourself. Look at the year that has just passed and think

what you want to change and allow yourself to dream of future projects.

• We organize ourselves for the year. Schedule for arrival of animals and slaughter.
• You can also plan when you will plant your seedlings, plant in the garden (Clyde's Garden Planner) and estimate harvests. Find out about the biodynamic calendar!
• Canning meat to empty freezers.
• Stock the pantry with ready-to-eat grub for the upcoming busy seasons. Example making mixes for cookies or brownies in mason jars.
• Start your spring cleaning! You can choose one room per week to clean and declutter. It's much easier a little at a time. Plus, when the weather is nice you'll prefer to be outside rather than inside ;)
• Make homemade cleaning products or change to more natural products.
• Inventory seeds (preferably heirloom and/or organic seeds).
• Order bees, chickens, chicks, pigs, ducks, turkeys, etc.

HEALTH TIP: Time to make good resolutions! Change the oils, sugars and flours used. Eat better!!

FEBRUARY

• Buy your heirloom and organic seed for sale at our shop Le Tournesol.
• Sewing; repair what is damaged and finish or make projects (apron, short point, etc.)
• Homemade garden projects (arch, trellis, etc.)
• Make your firewood for next winter.
• Prune your trees, especially your fruit trees.
• Eat your crops from last year. After working hard, we don't want to have any losses. Start with what goes to waste most quickly; squash, potatoes, onions, garlic. Transform if necessary. Use your dried herbs in herbal tea.
• Also use what you have frozen (fruits, vegetables, meats, etc.). We leave room for new crops in the freezer.
• Canne! It's time to use your pressure cooker to pot broth, meat and meals (beans, chili, soups)
• Make your garden plans!
• Take time for yourself, to recharge your batteries.

HEALTH TIPS: Nourish your adrenal glands to prevent seasonal depression and take vitamin D because the sun is rarer in winter!!

MARCH

Finally spring! It's hard not to get too excited. It's time to start all our projects that we dreamed up during the winter.

• Sugar time!! Tap your trees, collect the maple sap and heat it up.
• Sharpen your knives and garden tools.
• Buy what you need to start your seedlings; earth, light, heating pad, containers.
• Start your seedlings (peppers, herbs, tomatoes, etc.). Watch the biodynamic calendar for best results.
• Maintain your machines; clean, oil, repair.
• Buy your gear if you want to do raised beds this summer.
• Finish trimming your trees if you haven't finished yet.
• Clean the trunk and large branches of your fruit trees.
• Brush the trunks of your trees.
• Feed your bees.
• You can make soaps, ointments and creams.
• If you have dairy animals, it is often the season for plenty of milk. You can practice making yogurt, cheese, butter, kefir...
• Take out your potato seeds so that they start to germinate.
• Do your spring cleaning in the house and in the barn.

HEALTH TIPS: Spring is the time for spring cleaning. Make a cure to cleanse your body!

APRIL

Let's take advantage of the sun to go outside and fill up on vitamin D.

• Put dormant oil on fruit trees (must be followed by 3 days of sun and no frost).
• Install pest traps for fruit trees.
• Feed the bees.
• Prepare for the arrival of animals (chicks, pigs, etc.); buildings, food, fence.
• Put the eggs in the incubator.
• Prepare cuttings for sweet potatoes.
• Transplant your seedlings (look at the biodynamic calendar for best results).
• The abundance of eggs begins again. Take the opportunity to keep the excess in a mixture of lime and water.
• Time for baby animals on the farm!
• If you have dairy animals, this is often the season for plenty of milk. You can practice making yogurt, cheese, butter, kefir...
• Plant cold-resistant seedlings (kale, spinach, etc.)

HEALTH TIPS: Spring is the time for spring cleaning. Do a cure to cleanse your body!

MAY

Finally garden time :)

• Plant the gardens; prepare gardens, add compost, adapt seedlings before transplanting to the garden.
• Receives chicks.
• Receives bees.
• Make an appointment for animal slaughter; meat hens, pigs, beef.
• Flowerbed and planters; plant flowers, divide, add shavings.
• Collecting medicinal plants and processing.
• Cleaning freezers; use less popular cuts of meat, thaw freezer if needed.
• Open swimming pool, cottage, trailer tent.
• Clean summer kitchen, place of transformation, garage, shed.
• Wash windows.
• Picking of wild garlic and fiddleheads.
• Repair the fences.

HEALTH TIP: Take a supplement to give you energy, don't use all your reserves.

JUNE

Hay season...

• You can trim your blueberry trees
• Plant the gourds
• Weed the garden
• Raise the earth on the side of your potatoes and corn.
• Make the hay (make sure mower, scraper and baler are in good condition, and that you have enough rope)
• Collecting medicinal plants and processing.
• Pick up berries; honeyberry, field and garden strawberries.
• Add boxes to bee hives as needed
• Buy or make sure you have the necessary for the transformation of your crops. Canning: glass container and lid, pomona pectin, pressure cooker (for meat). Fermentation: salt (without iodine) and a dehydrator with reusable non-stick sheets if you want to do fruit leathers.
• Cut the garlic scapes.

HEALTH TIP: Refuel by eating lots of fresh; fruits, vegetables, herbs, medicinal plants. Take the opportunity to absorb vitamin D from the sun.

JULY

Summer!

• Time for raspberries, cherries, currants, etc.
• Lots of vegetables in season; peas, beans, etc.
• Collect and Process your crops.
• Make sure you don't let the weeds go to seed.
• The hay.
• Try to control insect pests.
• Garlic harvest.
• Sow fall gardens.
• Bees.
• Animals. After slaughter, clean everything well so that it will be easier next year: feeder, waterer, shelter.

HEALTH TIP: Take advantage of the summer to restore your health.

AUGUST

•  Have enough vinegar, sugar, pot and cutlery for the transformations.
• Finish the hay
• Collect and process herbs for the winter, especially those for flu and cold season.
• Vegetable season is in full swing; cucumbers, corn, onions, etc.
• Preparation of our reserves for the winter; lacto fermentation, canning, dehydration, freezing.
• Apples and pears begin.
• We're getting ready for our apple juice; clean, pots, etc. clean up the farm
• Repair fences, electricity
• Prepare for September; school, apple season and a big month of processing.

SEPTEMBER

•  Bring in firewood
• Extract honey and feed bees.
• Arrange garlic and prepare seeds
• Apple and pear season
• Make apple juice :)
• Often the month of the first frost. So enter what is sensitive to freezing; plants, squash, basil, etc.
• Processing of peppers and tomatoes.
• Bring in the potatoes.
• Bring in the winter squash and put them in a warm place for 2semianes.
• Bring in the root vegetables, clean and store well.
• Harvesting medicinal herbs.
• Month of transformation!!

HEALTH TIP: Buy your products for cold and flu season.

OCTOBER

• Plant garlic
• Finish bringing in the vegetables and fruit
• Weed gardens and add compost. Keep ground covered.
• Remove manure from the chicken coop and animal house.
• Make compost
• Finish apple juice, wash and tighten equipment.
• Wash, repair and oil machine before winter.
• Remove decorations outside and in the garden.
• Bring in the plants and flower boxes.
• Send animals to the slaughterhouse.
• Turn off the water outside and empty the pipes

HEALTH TIPS: Take vitamin D and good probiotics incorporated with prebiotics to prevent cold and flu.

NOVEMBRE

• Make garden plans for next year.
• Mulch the garlic that is already planted.
• We look at our year to analyze what worked or what didn't work.
• Autumn cleaning.
• Buying Christmas gifts.
• Purchase of biodynamic calendars for next year.
• Start the Christmas food.
• Add covers to the beds and straw for the animals.
• Cook in batches to put in the freezer.

DECEMBER

• Making food for the winter holidays.
• Buy or make homemade gifts. Good time to make beeswax candles, soap and cream made from tallow.
• Sewing and repair projects.
• Winter decorations.
• Make frozen or canned meals.

HEALTH TIP: Have some quality time with your family and prepare some good homemade food.