As I write this, it is 70 degrees outside on December 22. I wish we had a magic eight ball to know that the fall season and first day of winter would be this warm. For those who planted a fall vegetable garden, I am sure you are enjoying a bountiful harvest. I hope flower lovers started their hardy perennials, which I am sure got an abundant head start for their spring bloom. It is not too late to plant hardy perennial flowers such as carnations, black-eyed Susans, calendulas, and many other flowers that will set their roots now and bring you gorgeous blooms in the spring. Of course, this is prime time for starting your onions, shallots, garlic, and other allium crops. Remember to plant your onions as close as you like—they can be thinned and replanted or simply pulled in a month or so for green onions.
At Moonstruck Farms, we definitely did not get everything done outside that we thought we would, thanks to a tremendous holiday season for us—and thanks to our wonderful customers! Jams, mustards, and jellies were flying off the shelves almost as fast as I put them there, and hundreds of our mulled wine/cider kits were made. Tulip bulb orders were shipped and sold at market, and we are just now sitting down to write this and thinking, “Wow!” We still have tulip bulbs available, and they have received their full chill requirements. We are going to enjoy Christmas with our one remaining daughter in California and then enjoy getting our hands in the dirt again!
The markets are returning in 2025, starting on January 3, 2025, for the Wrightwood Farmers Market, located in the Wrightwood Community Center from 3 to 6 p.m. The Phelan Farmers Market returns on January 6, 2025, with winter hours of 2 to 5 p.m. inside and outside the Phelan Community Center. Both markets accept EBT, and the Phelan Farmers Market has the Market Match grant, which gifts up to $15 in free farm-fresh produce when you use your EBT card at the market. Simply see the market manager inside the Phelan Community Center if you have questions.
