Ooooarrrr!
This week down at Longfield Jude Alfie has been getting in some tractor driving practice – allowing his Pop some time to update the website. We’ve made the best of the dry spell to turn-in a lot of the old crops left over from the summer; leaf beets, beans & peas and a few brassicas along the way. We’ve since ridged-up nearly an acre of this ground with Samson and the Kassine and have sown a mixture of white clover and yellow trefoil as nitrogen fixing cover crop for winter. Proper.
As you can see from the picture on the left, Longfield is looking resplendent at the moment. And rather than keeping it to to ourselves we’re holding an Open Day of vegetable-themed family fun on Saturday 30th July from 1pm until late. Come along and enjoy a picnic in the orchard, a bimble along the headlands or a mosey around our new field. There will be activities for children, a nature trail, working horse demonstration and tours of the garden. Tea and cake will be on sale from 1pm onwards and from 7pm we’re having a Bar-B-Que, fire and music. Please bring along something to share for the Bar-B-Que and any local ale, cider or tipple you fancy. Please spread the word and tell your family, friends, neighbours and anyone who likes their fun rural, rustic and free-range.
As you can see from the picture below we’ve been lifting garlic and onions this week and storing them in our conveniently empty potting tunnel. Believe us the smell in PT3 at the moment is intense! Luckily – the racks we made for potting have been ideal for drying the alliums meaning we will be able to spread the supply further through the season. This week we also harvested our very first tomatoes – 10kg in all from PT1! Along with the fresh Basil which went in the boxes this week we hope our Members are exploring some tangy Mediterranean recipes!
Today Chagfood made our first full veg-box deliveries of the new season- surprising even ourselves with the bountiful harvest that was ready to be picked! Yep it was back to a good old 7.30am start on the field to get the salad leaves picked while still crispy fresh before the sun gets too hot, Spinach and Chard is usually next around 9am with the root crops plucked out of the ground just before a well earned cup of tea at 11.00. The flowers are the last to be picked just before the boxes are packed and Samson was harnessed-up and rearing to go for just after one’o’clock.
As you can see from the picture Longfield is well in the swing of the season. The leeks and brassicas will all be transplanted out to their final homes by the end of the week, and the broad beans, turnips and onions will all be making an appearance in the boxes soon. The courgettes are a little slower than we hoped but are audibly growing after every rain shower, the runner beans and peas have also been held back by the dry weather but are now making up for it.
Today also marks the official unveiling of our all-brand-spanking-new Chagfood logo, designed by a
local artist – we hope you like it as much as the veg in your boxes. This week you’ll especially be wanting to try our fresh out of the ground waxy-new-potatoes – lightly boiled with a knob of butter and a fresh salad they are divine.
If there are any teething problems with the new drop off points, or anything else, please feel free to give us a tinkle and we’ll get it sorted. We’d also like to warmly invite you all along to our first open day of the season on Saturday 30th July from 11.00 til late. It will be a family day of vegetable-themed fun and a chance for you all to see the field at its best and see how your vegetables are getting along. We’ll also be having a bar-b-que and a fire in the evening for Members to get to know each other. The day and the evening are open to everyone so feel free to bring friends along. We’ll be sending out an e-mail with more details soon but pop it in the diary now eh!
Here’s to a veritable feast of a season!
Longfield April 2011
A drop of rain this week has finally allowed us to tear ourselves away from the end of a hosepipe and pick up the camera to take a shot of the field (below).It makes quite a contrast from the picture on the right, taken less than six-weeks ago at the end of April! Those of you who haven’t visited the field for a while will notice that the top hedge has now been laid, letting a lot more light onto your vegetables. Compared to last year Longfield gets a full 3-hours more direct sunlight between about 6am – 9am in the morning.
As you can see from the more recent picture below the perrenial and annual flowers are well away with themselves, the leek and brassica seedbeds are nearby (under the first row of mesh) so we can keep an eye on them and keep them well watered. Next in line the squashes, pumpkins and courgettes went out last week and have made a determined start despite the dry conditions and you can probably just make out the sweetcorn, broad beans & peas in the middle of the field.
The second row of mesh is keeping the early carrots and parsnips safe from the cheeky carrot root fly and you may just be able to make out the onions and garlic struggling away at the far end of the field trying to hold on to what little water comes their way. However, things are looking up! The weekend is forecast to be wet and we have a low pressure for most of next week giving us some hope at least of a little more rain!
....and in the middle of June!
Chagfood is now taking on new Members for the 2011-2012 season. Chagfood is a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) scheme which was launched in March 2010 and has since been providing 25 local households with a weekly supply of ecologically-produced, seasonal vegetables.
This year we are expanding and have a limited number of large shares available. Large shares are suitable for those who love a good supply of fresh seasonal veg, either a couple or a family,and are priced at £600 per year, or £150 quarterly. All shares are based on an estimate of 40-weeks supply throughout the growing season, beginning in June and ending in February.
Chagfood is not simply a veg-box scheme, its a new approach to buying fresh food which involves consumers in the risks and rewards of farming. Members are buying a “share” of what is ready to harvest on the field each week and and take an active interest in where their food is grown and how it is produced. As a result you will quickly become aware of what is in season in each particular week, how the weather affects your crops and what it is like to taste truly local, fresh produce. Chagfood hosts an open day on the field on the last Saturday of each month where Members are encouraged to come along and meet each other, see how their vegetables are growing and help out with seasonal tasks, this is also an opportunity to share in the rewards of the farm.
As well as the rewards that come from being part of a local food scheme members are also sharing in the risks of the farming year. If it is a good season for a particular crop, you can enjoy a bumper harvest, if however crops are lost due to pests or we are unable to harvest due to the weather, members share this loss between them.
Although CSA is a new approach to buying fresh produce for most people, existing Members have found the first year of the scheme surprisingly rewarding. Here are some of their comments:
– “Chagfood has completely refreshed my understanding of what local food is about” –
– “Its so much more than just going to the supermarket” –
– “We have extended our cooking repertoire though being shareholders” –
– “People of all ages can have fun and find useful things to do on open days – even oldies like us!” –
– “Throughout the season it has been incredibly good value for money” –
Chagfood shares are still available but are selling fast. If you would like to subscribe, or find out more about the scheme, please drop us an email; chagfood@gmail.com or give us a call on 07858 381539, or 07908 683401.
Wee-Willie-Workers!
First of all – a very happy New Year to all of our Members, we hope the festive season was full of cheer for you all. Following the particularly hard weather before Christmas we were only too happy to get onto the field this week and back into the swing of the season. The new year brings a new start and we spent yesterday putting together the cropping plan and seed order for next year’s harvest. We ended up getting very excited about learning from our experience over the past year and all the new vegetable varieties we can try out. We’re just putting the finishing touches to the cropping plan so please let us know if you’d like to have any input – suggest any varieties we could try out or simply have a look so you can plan what to grow in your own veg-plots this year.
This week’s box is particularly seasonal, in that there ain’t much growing down on Longfield at the moment. Unfortunately the prolonged frost took an inevitable toll on your vegetables and although the carrots and parsnips have survived pretty well, both the leeks and the cabbages suffered varying degrees of frost damage. On top of that we have finally been discovered by the local deer who made an extended visit to the field on Boxing Day. From the evidence of their hoof-prints we could tell that they had a very hearty feast on the remaining Brussel Sprout tops, kale and purple-sprouting broccoli before settling down to sleep it off under the big old Oak tree. Although we knew it would happen sooner or later we now have an added incentive to finally get the deer-fencing up – or possibly to offer venison as an added extra in next week’s box!
The picture above shows some very willing volunteers enjoying a well-earned tea break at November’s work-day. Some members have asked us to give a bit more notice of upcoming workdays so they can book them in well in advance – so here we go; January’s will take place on Saturday 29th, February’s on Saturday 26th, and March’s also on Saturday 26th. Workday’s usually run from 10.00am to 4.00pm and as well as a bit of work always involve tea & cake. The next one will most likely involve a bit of hedge-laying as we try to open up a bit more light onto the field in preparation for next year’s growing season.
It was all Jack Frost - the cheeky little bugger!
On the night of Saturday 4th December, the mischevious Jack Frost paid an extended visit to Longfield and left us with a record low of -13°C. The previous week’s boxes had been postponed due to the snow, but with such a severe frost it was hard to imagine us pulling anything out of the bag, let alone the soil, last week either!
Our apologies to Chagfood members who have now forfeited two weeks’ vegetable shares on account of the particularly seasonal weather. Members we have caught-up with this week have however been extremely understanding and accepted that this is an example of how the “risks” must be carried along with the “rewards” of a CSA scheme. The forecast suggests that we can expect a couple of days of warmer weather in the middle of this week, before another bout of winter weather is on its way. If this is the case we will obviously do our uptmost to get your carrots, parsnips, leeks and turnips out of the ground as soon as possible. We can also confirm, weather permiting, that we will be doing a veg-box delivery on Thursday 23rd December to ensure that your Chagfood veg plays a starring role in your Christmas dinner!
In the meantime we have been occupying ourselves down on Longfield with all the jobs we’ve been too busy to get around to before now; sorting out our propagation tunnel, PT3, so its ready for springtime, contructing our compost bins out of locally sourced Chestnt, and even finally installing a wood-burner in the office – toasty!
On a sad note we have unfortunately lost all our remaining squashes to the frost. Without an insulated store room there was simply no way we could keep them from becoming frost damaged so unfortunately there are no more squashes for this season. We are however hoping to remedy the situation for next year as John has kindly offered us some storage space in the cow shed which we can insulate with straw. On the bright side – pretty much everyting else is holding up remarkably well in the arctic conditions and we are confident you will recieve a bountiful share of the harvest, as and when the soil lets go of it all!
The really exciting news this week is that we have had our bore-hole drilled and struck water. We felt like oil barons as the seam of water burst up as high as the hedge, but much wealthier. It is fascinating to think of the world of water beneath our feet, what a scarce resource it is and what lengths we need to go to reach it. The amount of fresh accessible water is minute compared to the land mass and even in ancient times ingenious engineers located water at hidden depths over 100ft beneath them to build their civilisations upon.
Our empire is, perhaps more prosaic, but never-the-less just as important as we desperately need access to water in order to grow food. The drought we experienced this season might not be an annual occurrence but to be unable to counter the lack of water and nurture crops when needed is devastating. In sharing in the risks and rewards of growing local and ecologically produced food we are dependent on the seasons and the availability of natural resources, light, heat, water and the good earth. Walking around the cold field it is hard to remember the fecundity of July but that any later crops survived the hot, dry summer to end up on our plates is a miracle. We lost hundreds of seedlings while the sun beat down and we were armed only with a watering can and an unreliable water source. So, we are very thankful to the drilling bods who came and brought us water.
Other exciting news is that our 3rd polytunnel is almost up and running for next years propagation. Ed has been singing loudly and sawing several hundred identical lengths of wood to make staging that is probably the best darn staging there is. Finally, we are ready for the season, just as it draws to a cold close. The nights are very cold and dark and December is suddenly just a few days away. There is a tangle of wrens that flit amongst the brassicas and shout at me every time I go near a cabbage. Hopefully they are finding enough bugs to sustain them and we’ve bought a bird feeder for the seed feeders as the tits and goldfinches have finally finished the sunflower seeds. Finally, another reminder to come to the next Chagfood work-day on Saturday the 27th November from about 10am to 3pm. We will hopefully be able to prepare the soft fruit area and really do need the help! Bring warm clothes, waterproofs, a thermos of hot drink and we will provide lunch.
This week has been a very cold one. We had -3ºC followed by -4ºC on Tuesday morning and the frost didn’t melt away ‘til luncheon. The only thing steaming was the compost heap. So, here’s a picture from sunnier times to excite you about next year.
We have been planning for next season, signing the contract on the small parcel of land we will cultivate in the spring. This will enable us to upscale production and open the scheme up to more people. We are sending out an email to update everyone on how we are to incorporate, the price of a share next year and how to sign up. Hopefully it will be fully comprehensive but do contact us if you have any queries.
We have managed to get our garlic crop planted despite torrential rain and darkening afternoons. We got the last ones in under moon-light last week, and so far the worms haven’t pushed them out.
In the box this week, and lucky survivors of the frost, is Chinese Cabbage. Sadly not quite everyone gets one as the slugs took out a fair few, so count yourself lucky if you do. They are delicious steamed or stir-fried and equally good finely slice in salads. Non Chinese Cabbage shares will get something exciting cabbage related as a substitute and the cauliflowers are still growing so everyone will have had one by the end.
The squash this week is called Black Futsu. The first thing you will notice is that it is not black, but I have sliced one open and they are deliciously sweet and orange inside so all is in order. If your squash are mounting up then just store them somewhere cool and dry and they will keep for weeks, if not months. A few people will have a Blue Ballet, just to confuse things!
Finally, another reminder to come to the next Chagfood work-day on Saturday the 27th November from about 10am to 3pm. We will hopefully be able to prepare the soft fruit area and really do need the help! Bring warm clothes, waterproofs, a thermos of hot drink and we will provide lunch.
First of all a big Thank You to all of you who came along to our Halloween feast on the field. From the feedback we’ve had it seems that the evening was thoroughly enjoyed by all, despite the rain, the highlight being the wholesome array of sweet and savory dishes provided by those who came along! Some of you may have been lucky enough to try out the brand-spanking-new compost loo at the far end of the field which Ed finally finished last week. We’re hoping our rustic – but charming – services will encourage a few more of you to come along to the next workday taking place in a couple of weeks time on Saturday 27th November.
This week we’ve been planting out the second large polytunnel (PT2) with an exciting mix of oriental salad leaves, purslane, rocket & mustard to add a splash of colour and a shot of flavour into your winter salad bags over the coming months. Today (Thursday) we are planting out garlic bulbs for next year’s shares. The variety we have chosen is called Christowe and is a large bulbed, high-yielding variety which we certainly hope will perform better than this year’s alliums. Speaking of which – all of you will find your first leeks of the season in this week’s box – hoorah! As we’ve mentioned a couple of times, both the onions and the leeks struggled this year due to the unusually dry spring. As a result the leeks are later than the should be and not as plump as we would have liked, still we hope you’ll all agree that what they are lacking in size they more than make up for with their concentrated taste – try them lightly steamed to get the best of their flavour. The lucky few who get a cauliflower this week will, we are sure, be impressed with their appearance as well as their taste, we are particularly proud of them. For those of you who didn’t, your cauli’s will be along directly.
Lastly we’d like to let you know that we have a glut of super-sized pumpkins which didn’t get carved in time for Halloween. They may not have the richest flavour but will still make a fine seasonal soup. We have dropped several at Bellacouche for Members to pick up, however please let us know if they are too big to carry & we’ll arrange to get one to you.