Chutneys and Jams

Hello Everyone,

I have been busy this weekend making jams & chutneys, as a result we now have Tomato & Chilli Chutney and Blueberry Jam on the website. This is something I really enjoy doing and hope to be making even more in the next few weeks - including a caramelised red onion chutney I am currently working on.

Although, here on the farm, the year revolves around the four seasons, I also still consider the school term times. This is not just because of a teacher daughter and grandson number one at school. It is something firmly planted (oops! Pun!) within my body clock. So, happy autumn half term. Fingers crossed for great autumnal weather and time spent outdoors.

I took the above snap on a beautiful day last week. It shows a gorgeous blue sky above rows of our calabrese and purple sprouting broccoli in the Orchard Field. We have been delighted with the crops in this new area. Red cabbage, cauliflowers and leeks are still being harvested. All the winter squash and red onions are from this bed. They are now in storage for use during the winter months. During the summer you were eating our summer squash - courgette, cabbages, kohlrabi and summer caulis. Considering the whole growing area was created and completed in the spring of this year, that is not a bad result!

The ‘No-Dig’ approach we choose to use does seem to work. We are not saying that we do not get weeds…we do, but we get far fewer weeds which can be tackled over a day. Fewer weeds ensures that the plant growing has a much better environment in which to grow. Better growth results in a good vegetable, for you our lovely customers. As time goes by the weeds get less and less and the soil becomes better and better. We are feeding and nurturing the soil by adding compost to enable all our crops to benefit from the nutrients it has to offer. We then offer the fruit and vegetables we grow to you.

The weather has not been all blue sky this week. We have had rain, rain and more rain. Resulting in a river of water down the Lane, huge puddles in the outside growing areas and flooding in tunnel eight. The winds have also been strong, bending trees, blowing equipment around and worst of all lifting the weed suppression fabric up on our new growing area. The fabric is being held down with heavy wooden pallets. We are going to need more pallets to weigh it down - Bob does a tour of various local agricultural outlets each week picking up any unwanted pallets. The fabric was returned to the area we are going to plant our potatoes in during next year. The Paddock is our new area we will be cultivating.

The beans, from the summertime, are now all removed from the tunnels. The ground prepped and new crops planted. The spinach, rocket, Chinese cabbage and assorted oriental leaves have all been planted out. We still have a little more to plant but I am sure Lovely Lucy will be sooo happy that we are nearing the end of the planting…till next year that is.

We hope you are enjoying your seasonal boxes. We want to ensure that the boxes are full of standard goodies…potatoes, onions, tomatoes, carrots, brassicas…but also the more unusual Freshness Local Organic Produce such as jerusalem artichokes, scorzonera, tomatillos, mesclun, garlic. Plus, the varieties we will offer are not necessarily to be seen in food stores., our lettuce, for instance, will certainly not be in the shops as the shelves would not be able to cope with the size of our lettuce. We hope to be different.

Yes, we are still juicing, so I am off to do more juicing.

All take care,

Ann👩‍🌾