Colour & shape apace!

A few weeks ago I took a walk around the farm with my trusty camera.
We have been so lucky here, many other growers are really up against the weather with crop failures, water logged soils and an uncertain harvest.
We have friends who farm in the West Midlands who have lost a major part of their squash, Sweetcorn, courgettes as well as other vegetables not as happy as previous seasons. It is times like these that Community Supported Agriculture comes into it's own. It litterally supports that grower/farmer and helps them suvive years like these so that they can grow again next year.

Our veg is doing really well, it may be that where as parts of the UK who normally have average to high rainfall have had far too much, here in the dryest part of Essex we have had nearer their normal level. It's like living in Devon but Essex.

We started planting here late in the season due to the heavy rain in April/May and the fact that we only moved here in Febuary, but this hasn't spoiled our crops. If anything they are looking quite perky.

Do you remember these plants?

They now look like this!

There follows some pretty photos of veg...

Here is a pretty courgette and flower. 

Tasty, young spinach...

..growing in a row

Lettuce beds

One of my favourite things ~ Fennel. Tastes good in about anything says I.

Lovely Sweetcorn, great shade of green. A crop that has been hard to grow in other areas this year so we feel very lucky with ours.

Beautiful Broad Beans

Flowery shot. 

We have been lucky with our second lot of broad beans not to run into trouble with black fly. And only one aphid can be seen.

Beetroot, always photographs well. It has such a good shape with strong, vivid colours. 

I would also like to thank my cousins Jane & David Thorn for donating this shed to the project. We've painted it white & I went for a pootle in the local reclamation yard and found this winner of a stained glass window.

The window doesn't open, but the shed is nice and ventilated already so that shouldn't be an issue. The loo is a compost one with a rather fetching lime green seat! We took it down without noting how it went back together so it was abit of a puzzle

It looks like it was only Danny doing the work but I was helping inbetween holding the camera :)

Membership and Veg boxes.

Bennison Farm CSA is now ready to take members for the scheme!
The yearly cost is £24 per household with a concessionary rate of £12 per household.
This means you are invited to all CSA social events and work days that take place on the farm and you will receive a regular newsletter keeping you up to date with the farms progress.
If you wish to take up a Veg box these will be available from late July early August (exact date to be finalized). In order to take a Veg box you need to be a member of the scheme.

Sadly Blogger won't let me post the info pack and membership form here but if you would like to join the scheme or just more information please email Meg at info@bennisonfarm.co.uk.

23rd June ~ First Workday!

On 23rd of June ( time is moving so fast ) we had our first work day on the farm.
We had been predicted rain for the two days preceding the workday but the ground stayed firm enough to allow cars on and off the site so the day went ahead. We even had sunshine in the morning!

The task was planting Brassicas including January King, Savoy and red and white Cabbage, Curly, Red Russian and Cavolo Nero Kale.

All ages mucked in...,

 

 ..and a good time seemed to be had by all.

 

 We had a bring and share tea break where much cake was eaten. Sadly I was too busy stuffing my face with the glorious cake to take any photos of this but it did happen I promise!

The children ( both mine and visiting work day ones) had a great time making dens and paths in the remaining barley. The ages varied hugely and yet all got on extremely well.

If the next one is half to pleasant it will be wonderful.