living seasonally: march

In March, winter is holding back and spring is pulling forward. Something holds and something pulls inside of us too.
Jean Hersey

March has become one of the busiest months at Funky Farms. Grant and I have extra energy and motivation for ALL OF THE THINGS after doing lots of sitting by the fire, reading books, and, honestly, binging Poldark during January and February. We didn’t do any low tunnels this year, so we really completely took off the months of January and February, other than lots of studying and learning, especially Grant who spent eight days in February obtaining his permaculture certification (go Grant!). Here are some of the patterns and habits that typically dictate our Marches…

Around the farm/house

• Seed shopping starting (old posts here if you want to read more). We are also moving our tomato plot this year, so we started this method last fall and we have been adding shredded leaves all fall and winter long. It isn’t too late to start your own lazy garden bed/plot.
• We are trying to reforest some of the edges of our property, so we ordered a few hundred trees from the Arbor Foundation and Indiana DNR. Stay tuned for a future post with details.
• We call our local tree company and ask if they could deliver a few truckloads of wood chips. We have worked with them for some time, so they know that we prefer chippings from healthy trees, with no black walnut (which can kill vegetable plants). We use the wood chips for tons of things: to freshen up the pathways in our gardens, to create a border around all of those tree saplings so that the grass/weeds don’t overtake them, to mulch our berry patch and parts of the orchard, to mulch existing landscape beds around the house, and more. We probably, conservatively, spread around 25 yards of mulch around our property every March. My hamstrings ache just thinking about what’s ahead.
• Spring cleaning. After lots of time inside by the fire during the winter months, we’re all in the mood to refresh and declutter once those first gorgeous days of spring arrive. I like to force all of us to fill at least one trash bag of clothes and/or toys to donate. We always clean out the garage in March because it seems to become a collecting ground of junk after the winter. Grant usually power washes the barn. Spring feels like a fresh start, so it is a good idea to capitalize on that energy.
• Grant has been splitting wood to prep for next season because, over the winter, several trees fell down around the property. This was our first winter with a wood burning stove. It was amazing and extra cozy, but we also used way more wood than we thought we would. We can now understand why, if wood is your only source of heat, you’re pretty much always thinking about it. Fortunately, we still have our heat pump/furnace, so we don’t have to be as diligent as some.

Eating seasonally

• Traditionally, March and April are low food times. Think back to Little House on the Prairie days: by March, the larder would be running low, but it’s still too cold for the garden to start producing. I have a tendency to hoard all of the stuff that I canned and put up last season until March when I’m thinking about the next season’s garden. So we try to have a freezer challenge every March, forcing ourselves to eat anything left that I canned, froze, or dehydrated last season to make room for the season ahead (and to save some grocery money in the process).
• In terms of other food, we’re still eating lots of soups this time of the year and, and we eat lots of greens via MarketWagon.com (use code “SARABYTHESEASON” for $15 off your first order of $30 or more), and we typically order a pastured pig in March because our freezer stash begins to run low from last year.

Ayurveda
I am fascinated by the wisdom of Ayurveda, a 5000 year-old mind-body health system with its roots in ancient India. It recommends various practices and foods based on the season of the year (you can see why I am fascinated!) and your individual constitution, so it is tailored to meet your body’s specific needs. 

• March is a kapha season according to Ayurveda, which is a heavy, cold and oily season. To stay balanced, focus on foods and activities that are light, dry and warm. Ayurveda recommends lighter, spicy, and bitter foods, such as steamed veggies, brothy soups, and brown rice, and recommends avoiding foods that are oily and heavy, like dairy and fried foods.
• Spring is traditionally a time for an Ayurvedic cleanse as well. Here is some additional information if you’re interested in learning more, or here is a shorter version.

We’re already half way through March, so how is nature dictating your habits this month/season?