The first bumblebee queens of the season are emerging from hibernation to pollinate the manzanita and rosemary blossoms at Heidrun Meadery in Point Reyes Station. This nectar won’t be used to make Heidrun’s sparkling wines; rather, the queens need it to support new nests of worker bees, who will grow up to visit wildflowers and create the honey that will be turned into wine. Heidrun’s wildflower seeds have already sprouted into a lush green carpet.
With longer days, hens are laying more eggs at Tomales Bay Pastures in Marshall. Because their reproductive hormones are triggered by increased daylight hours, “the hens are kicking into gear. That’s springtime to them,” said owner Morgan Giammona. Recent dry spells have made it easier to move the portable coops for his 4,000 hens; usually, January is too muddy.
Rows of calçots, a prized green onion from Spain’s Catalan region, are beginning to send up tender shoots at All Star Organics, a small farm on Nicasio’s LaFranchi Ranch. Growing out of closely planted onions, calçots offer a more subtly sweet and nutty flavor than other green onions. It’s still too cool to plant garlic and fava beans, said grower Marty Jacobson. “Things aren’t happening as fast as I’d like, but that’s always true,” he said, laughing.
More rain would help Stemple Creek Ranch, which relies on year-round pastures for its grass-fed Angus cattle and Dorset and Shropshire sheep. The Tomales ranch has two calving seasons—one in the fall, one in the spring—so their animals vary in age and size. “It’s more in cycle with Mother Nature and the grass seasons,” said co-owner Loren Poncia. To protect the plants’ fragile roots, he is delaying pasture rotations. Soon, 200 calves will be born, and he hopes his spring lambs reach 60 to 80 pounds by Easter, just in time for the holiday market.
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