Do We Take Winter Off? What do Farmers and Winemakers do In Winter?

Shorter days, colder temps, snow. Tree’s are asleep, vines are asleep, the soil is resting. Yes, winter is much different on The Farm, we do get more time to rest, but there’s still lots to keep us busy.

by Jeana Steiner

Do We Take Winter Off?

Winter in Lake Chelan we have snow on the ground from around Christmas through mid-March. Our hours are reduced to Friday-Sunday 12-5 yet there is still plenty of planning and tasks to do daily. I truly believe God made 4 seasons with intention and purpose. Winter is the time of “rest” and “reset” for the farm season ahead. It is time that we enjoy quiet family time and read our stack of books that accumulate during the growing months. Juggling personal and work balance continues to be a shuffle but the flexibility and integration of both is a way of life we have come to truly enjoy.

The Balance of Working “On” or “In” the Business

The concept of Working “In” the business and Working “On” the business is something we shuffle constantly. Most people, including myself default to working in the business – whereas working “on” the business is what is going to steer the ship. Chad is our strategist, our visionary, and really prioritizes working “on” the business from budgeting, attending industry events, head marketing strategist. I truly appreciate this as I would rather be digging in the dirt, working on winemaking, flower beautification, planning events and taking care of our guests.   

Winemaking

Preparation for bottling starts in December. From actual winemaking – tasting, sampling, doing tests, listening to barrels as the second fermentation takes place in the red wines to topping the barrels. Our production space is small – but we have a lot happening in that small area. Guests enjoy going over to taste from the barrels and see what is yet to come. From getting everything ordered like labels, cork, glass and all the supplies for bottling this is a big job. Spring Bottling is scheduled for March 14^th. Come check things out if you are in the area.

Animals – Twice a Day Rhythm

70 chickens, 18 ducks, 8 ewes, 8 lambs, 2 goats, 3 dogs, 3 cats and 7 bee hives.  Whew – that’s a mouthful.  The past few weeks have been single digit temps and with new babies the farm animals have been tended to twice a day. Making sure they are warm, have food and water and the mommas and babies are all doing well. The bee’s are all snug balled up inside the hive. We actually really enjoy caring for all the creatures in the cold winter months.

Crops

The Tulips were planted in the fall and are sleeping under straw. Veggies and flower seeds are on their way. Pumpkin and Sunflower planting and planning is underway. And next up is apple and grape pruning.

Expanding the Vegetable Garden

Over the past 2 years, we’ve been prepping our garden and building a Bunk House for the boys. This space will be their place for creativity and growth on the farm. This year the boys have selected 5 different vegetables they each want to grow and we’re planning to grow a nice garden to be a source of local organic vegetables (in a small scale at this point) for our community. Good things take time. We’ve fully realized this running a farm and winery – the journey takes time and as one of our Board of Advisors said at our December meeting  “Nothing replaces time, all good things take time and you are on your way” A friend sent me a book last year called “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle – A year of Food Life”, by Barbara Kingsolver. It’s a great read about a family that moved from Tucson, AZ to a family farm in Virginia. They decided to spend a year only eating locally produced food and create a sustainable farm of their own.

Personal Life on The Farm

With snow on the ground for several months, we do spend more time inside. If you ask the boys what their favorite season is, they most likely say Winter. From reading, sledding, watching family movies, board games, baking bread and blueberry muffins, and skiing we all absolutely love this wintertime together. The kids are involved in basketball which helps burn energy and keep them fit. Carston and I have been reading “Super Powered” by Dr. Shefali Tsabary which I highly recommend for young teenagers. It has been something grounding that we can talk about and encourage each other to build courage, confidence and resilience in this ever-changing environment. Personal fitness and wellness is important to our family. Not only for the strength we need heading into the farming season, but also for our mental health and sanity. At The Barn a local gym – Chad’s been rocking it at 5:30 am classes MWF (I’ll be heading back in the next week after dropping the kids at school- my shoulder isn’t 100% yet- but it is time I need to get back to it.) The hardest part is just going. If you’re looking for a partner or an accountability partner let me know- I’m happy to help.

We hope this has been insightful into what life looks like on the farm during the winter months. We’re reminded, all good things take time, and we hope you enjoy this winter season. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Cheers,