The 2026 List
Making the to-do list.
Welcome to 2026.
I told you that the new year started a month or so ago, planning for the upcoming spring and summer. That being said, multiple things say the new year starts now, the winter solstice and Christmas were just a week ago. It is the time for rebirth. The days are starting to get longer; I know it is hard to tell but they are. Around here if you can get outside and wander around, you can see that the buds on the trees and bushes are starting to swell. Beside the solstice and Christmas, the calendar says it is a New Year.
We don’t really make New Year’s resolutions, we make lists. Our lists tend to be things we want or need to do. We also list what will be happening over the course of the upcoming year. Here’s a quick look at the upcoming year here at Township Road Farm.
January/February - early spring. We start with pruning and thinning our floricane raspberry plants, they need to be thinned every year to get beautiful large plants and fruit in the summer. We will also finish up researching, ordering and collecting the necessary parts to install automatic irrigation valves in the orchard.
March/April - spring. This is the time to start pruning trees, bushes and grapes. We tend to prune in late March, but this year we are going to try to get an earlier start. A lot of our recent plantings will need to be pruned this year. This will more than double the amount of pruning required. We have to work around the weather as it is usually a wet time of year. And most years this is when we get behind.
April/May - late spring. We finish up whatever we failed to finish earlier. Last fall we started prepping the soil. Now we will finish, rototilling the new beds and the rows we plant in the garden. While we rototill, we will add leaves, manure, and bedding from the chicken coop.
May/June - early summer. The list of things to do starts to get long now. As always, we will need to finish the projects from earlier, sometimes much earlier. Most years the weather does not cooperate and we are rushing to finish dirt work. We also need to get plants and seeds in the ground. The plants we ordered way back in November start arriving. This year most of the ordered plants will be for sale, we want to share the joy of home grown fruit.
July to September - summer. From now till it frosts we are very busy, every day there is something to harvest, usually several things. Harvesting is more than just picking. As we harvest, we try to sort and clean the fruit. Then as soon as possible, we get it into the shop to cool and package. The fruit is then ready to put out in our little store or take into the Southside Gardeners’ Market. This is one of the best times of the year even though there is not enough time in the day. It is still our favorite with long hot days and beautifully growing plants.
September/October - fall. If the weather has cooperated, we continue to harvest, while at the same time trying to get the plants ready for the winter. Starting early September, we start to decrease the amount of water applied. This reduction of water tells the plants to start shutting down for the winter. We also try to start prepping the soil for the next year.
November/December - winter. It is both the end of the year and the beginning of the year. The end because the days are getting shorter and all the plants have quit growing for the year. It is the beginning because we are planning and prepping for the next growing season.
I told in the beginning that we don’t do resolutions, I lied. We do have one, it is to enjoy 2026 as much or more than 2025.
We wish you all an enjoyable 2026.
Township road farm
Larry, Christie and Junior
Short bread bars
This is a favorite of mine. Easy to make and enjoyed by most. I usually make this when I want to take treats somewhere. This recipe is easily changed up. The fruit filling can be changed, the topping can be short bread or crumble or what ever you would like. The bottom can be prebaked before you add the fruit giving the bars a drier more cookie texture or the fruit can be put on the dough and baked together giving the base a moist texture. Below is a generic short bread recipe for a 9x9 or 8x8 baking pan. This basic recipe can be easily modified adding different spices and or extracts. In the past I always just used a basic recipe, but after meeting with the Food Testing Lab at Montana State University, where the extortionary staff added cardamom and orange extract giving these bars a wonderful depth of flavor, this has become my go to way to make these bars.
Recipe:
One cup of unsated butter cut into cubes (I usually use salted butter as that is what I have and I don’t add salt to the recipe later)
One half cup of granulated sugar
One teaspoon of vanilla extract, this is when I add other flavors. I do not set measurement here as every one has a flavor profile that they like, I usually add one to two teaspoons of cardamon and a half teaspoon of orange extract.
Two cups of all-purpose flour
Three quarters of jam. You can use any jam you want. I some times just use fruit that I have thickened making a lower sugar version
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper on all sides.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cold, cubed butter, sugar, vanilla extract (if using), flour, and salt. Beat on medium speed until the dough starts to come together, about 2 minutes. The dough will be crumbly.
Press about two-thirds of the dough into the prepared pan in an even layer. Spread the jam evenly over the dough, leaving a small gap around the edges.
Crumble the remaining dough over the jam, leaving some spots of jam visible.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
Allow the bars to cool completely before slicing into squares. Serve and enjoy!