Its definitely Autumn......

Hello everyone,

Bob and I hope you are all well and keeping warm.

It has suddenly turned quite chilly. As I probably told you last year, I really enjoy the autumn season with the fresh weather, leaves turning red and golden, chunky jumpers and scarves and the fire is on. I like some rain but not lots and certainly not incessant rain. Lots of rain means we may have to trudge through mud, which can become very boring if we are trudging during the next five months! Seasonal changes are wonderful and finding ourselves living in this area of the world we are lucky to have distinct seasons. Even accounting for the climate changes and the rise in the earth’s temperature, we still see the four definite seasons. We need to continue seeing and feeling the difference. The amount of light, from the sun, which reaches our part of the world dictates the season we are in. When we have lots of light we are in the hottest and most animal and plant productive part of the year - spring and summer. When we have less heat and light we are in the autumn and winter seasons. Animals may hibernate or migrate and our plants may become dormant or at least slow to grow. 

We are about to enter the slow growing seasons of autumn and winter. To guarantee some growth all plants should be planted out by the end of October. This we have nearly completed. We just have onions, garlic, leaves, mustards and some brassicas to plant. Over the last few weeks brassicas, leeks, leaves, lettuce, orientals etc have all been planted. Our tunnels are "chockablock" full and the outside area will also be full before the end of this month. So, the whole of our growing areas will be full of crops that we can harvest and lots that we are ‘overwintering’. All this for you our lovely customers.

Not only are we caring for our own growing space but we have also linked up with the children of a year one class in a school. We are going to help the thirty children care for raised beds of overwintering organic Chinese Cabbage and Spinach. We decided on these two vegetables as they grow quite quickly and are easy to care for. We wanted the little ones to notice some growth and to be able to taste the leaves without loosing patience with the plants. The environment and where food comes from is playing a big part in the curriculum. We are very happy to help. Start them young. 

Our new chicken run is now complete. It is a very large space! We are going to make some outside perches and provide some ‘toys’ for the chickens to enjoy. They do have plenty of tree canopy which will help to provide some protection from excess rain and wind and shade from the sun. The ducks may miss the chickens but then again I do think they are enjoying being spoilt and having the freedom of the field and pond. 

Two more pigs have gone to market this week and two more will go next week. This will ensure we will have plenty of pork, bacon and gammons for the coming months…think Christmas and those festive feasts. Our joints and gammons are normally about a kilo in weight. If you would like a larger sized joint please can you email me NOW before we send our order to the butcher. We can do this for a limited number of customers only, so please place your request this week.

Talking of the festive season…only ten or so weeks to go…some of you are asking are we delivering and when are we delivering. The answer is yes we are delivering during the run up to Christmas week. The dates are to be confirmed during December. We will not be delivering on Christmas Eve (Friday). This will be a logistic issue to be solved in December and when we have an idea of customer numbers. Hope this helps you plan. Please don’t panic…we have sprouts, carrots and roasting joints...... 

Well, as the fire is on, I am now going to sit in front of it and watch Strictly…a very good way to enjoy this season. 

Take care and still stay safe,

 Ann