The return of the light never fails us. Spring arrives not with a date on the calendar but when we notice our mornings starting earlier, and sunsets arriving later.
This lightening of our mood, our food and eventually our clothes (!) are welcome steps in the seasonal cycle that shapes our lives.
This is true whether you live in the city, or here in the heart of Devon, where we are blessed to live, and work.
Noticing the world around you transformed on a daily walk, or that first outside lunch; sprucing up your home and taking in those first magnolia blooms. Rituals and happenings that occur as light and dark find balance at the Spring equinox.
Just as a restless night becomes easier as dawn breaks, so it is as spring emerges from winter.
For us here on the farm we’re seeing those first signs of Spring in the nature we are so beautifully surrounded by; new butterflies from peacocks to small whites, and the emergence of beetles, ladybirds and those all important bumblebees as the month moves into April. Silver birch and alder, blackthorn and crab apples all launch into life this month and we have stunning hazelnut catkins gracing our trees.
Embracing the momentum of March, planting in the kitchen garden has begun in earnest, and vineyard pruning has been underway for a while. We’re easing gently into full-time supply from our kitchen garden to our cafe tables, bringing you garden to table seasonal eating at its very best.
In our vineyard as winemakers, spring marks the shift from winter dormancy to reawakening. The groundwork for harvest is laid and important transitions occur, from de-acclimation, bud break and flowering, to cover crop, vine replanting and more.
Our vineyard tours start the season again on April 1st and we are looking forward to meeting so many of you to share with you insight into the grapes we grow, and the challenges and benefits of growing grapes in this part of the world.
Spring isn’t without its hazards, nor immune to the changing climate. Nevertheless, “spring is made of solid, 14-karat gratitude, the reward for the long wait,” as author Barbara Kingsolver wrote in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life.
With positive steps towards a season of celebration and warmth, the Spring equinox is beautiful time of growth for the vines, and for humanity and life! Come and celebrate with us here at Heron Farm!
