We are beginning to catch glimpses of fall around the farm now, a little more with each passing day. Cooler mornings, earlier sunsets, and one of our favorite shifts — the softening of the landscape into the faded gold of late summer.
Fall is a favorite season at 4R Farm. The hard push of summer is beginning to ease, but the harvest is still going strong. Lemon balm sends out curling tendrils, bright new leaves dot the sage, the chamomile is beginning to fade, but the yarrow is still holding on.
We harvested the last of our garlic a few weeks ago and have been testing fall and winter herb salt blends from the season’s harvest. Garlic will, naturally, play a bold role in one of our hunting-season blends. Sage paired with a bright touch of lemon verbena captures this early stretch of fall beautifully, while calendula and gentle chamomile are shaping a more delicate floral blend — a quiet way to carry a little of summer forward.
In the week or so ahead, we will begin fall broadcast seeding for next year’s herbs. We are fortunate to responsibly forage many botanicals from the farm, while cultivating others specifically for use in our balms and provisions. Lemon balm, yarrow, and chamomile will be seeded this fall, settling in through winter before waking again in spring.
Because we live in Montana, we are already watching the evening temperatures closely for our more tender herbs and will begin moving some indoors soon. The chickens and bees are making their own seasonal transitions as well, with molting currently the talk of the coop. Once the worst of that has passed, our new hens will arrive, giving everyone time to settle before the snow comes in earnest.
There is something peaceful about this part of the year — wrapping up, reorganizing, clearing out, gathering in, and making ready.
The work now is quieter, but it matters. Careful preparation carries the farm through winter and quietly lays the groundwork for spring.
For now, we are simply enjoying another golden Montana fall.
0 comments