Where's Winter?

I remember a year we had no summer, and it seems like this will be the year with no winter. We've had no rain to speak of since late November. It's sunny and really warm: 63 degrees as I type this. A high pressure ridge is predicted to stop any rain for the next few months. We will have to be very water wise this year. Last Thursday, 1-16, it was almost 80 degrees by mid afternoon. It was 74 on Monday 1-20.

The spring flowers are just starting to come out. The paperwhites are just past their prime, with the first narcissus popping up. The big daffs are just budding out. The fruit trees are showing some swelling buds too. We're hoping to put a few bareroot trees in at our house this year, but I need to get out and do some digging first! I've been a bit ill so not much has progressed at the house.

Before I got this cold, I processed more orange peel. I cut the peel in nice strips.

Boiled it three times, then boiled it in the sugar syrup for an hour, and spread it out to dry.

For the perfect finishing touch, I dipped the dried peel in semi-sweet chocolate. They are delicious! This is such a perfect use for the oranges. I also tried candying lemon peel, which is good, and grapefruit peel, which came out surprisingly bitter.

I got one perfect head of broccoli from the backyard. The rest got eaten up by aphids, but this plant was strong and vigorous. The broccoli was insanely good.

With some lettuce mix from the Farmer's Market, we had some fantastic salads.

Back at the farm, Rick unearthed the rest of the trailer bits. Rick C. got it registered, so he should be all set to go.

Rick works on the piece that will be the door to the chicken run.

Loren's dad died recently, so we drove down to Willows to the funeral.

And today, the city put up new street signs. Yes, I'm easily amused.