News from the Farm March 2015

It feels like we’ve moved very quickly from winter to spring in just a couple of weeks. I have to say I’m just about ready for it. It’s been a bit of slog this winter with harvesting taking much longer than normal due to the excessive carrot root fly damage to crops in that family.

Now new crops are emerging and we’re into a time of rapid change. We’ve given the first of the purple sprouting broccoli and spring greens. The cauliflower surely must be just around the corner – they were supposed to come anytime from late Feb but these spring ones come when they come. It’s all down to their own biological clock switched on by the seasonal change - much like bulbs and trees coming into leaf – so we’ll just have to be patient.

The landscape on the farm is changing. Most of last years crops have finished and much of the land has been ploughed. This year spread manure before rather than after ploughing so we’re a little bit ahead. Soon the contractors will be back to ‘power harrow’ the ploughed land which will

prepare a nice seed bed then planting can start. First garlic and onions, then potatoes and early crops such as broccoli, beetroot spring, greens, and lettuces.

I like this time of year. It’s a busy dynamic time always trying to keep a little bit ahead and ready for what’s to come. You never know what’s round the corner – especially when it comes to the weather so it’s good to feel on top of things or ideally a little ahead of the game.

There will be plenty to do on the farm from now right though until the Autumn so do come along to some of our work days if you can make it.

News from the Farm Feb 2015

New volunteer oppotunites.

An important part of what we do is educating and involving people in growing food. We have several opportunity to spread this to a wider audience: home educated kids, young offenders and people with learning difficulties and mental health issues. Some groups would integrate with our weekly Wednesday work morning and some would need their own slot. The only firm plan at moment is to host a monthly session for home educated children but we’ll keep you posted on the developments of any further developments.

Funding Bid.

We are in the early stages of applying for Unltd’s ‘Build It’ fund which provides living expenses

for social entrepreneurs who want to scale up their enterprise. We must demonstrate a positive ‘social impact’ which we do by providing enjoyable, therapeutic and educational volunteering opportunities.

Applying for grants is a competitive business but we do tick the boxes so we’re going to give it a go.

Work Placements.

Marina from the Apricot Centre is applying to the DWP to run a joint scheme in conjunction with Bennison Farm and Essex Wildlife Trust which would provide work placements and training for 10-12 people. We would be paid for our time in addition to the extra help. We hope this succeeds as it is a great opportunity for all involved.

News from the Farm

A very happy new year to you all. It was great to take a break over Christmas. It’s the one time of year we can give everybody two week’s veg and pretty much shut up shop. We stayed in Wivenhoe for Christmas, saw family and friends and had plenty of time to relax.

Back to business now though. January will entail lots of office work. The necessary evils like accounts, cashflow forecasting and business planning along side the more pleasurable task of planning the next growing season.

This week I am doing a stocktake of our seeds to see what we need to order for this year. We have our tried and tested varieties but each year we’ll make a few changes or try something new. We are going to grow more ‘Butternut’ squash as they performed well and are very popular. We’re choosing a mildew resistant variety of onion this year as our crop suffered from that last year. We’ll grow more ‘Quadro’ tomatoes as they had such good disease resistance and gave a steady crop with out too big a ‘glut’. We may also try a few peppers outdoor and hope for a hot summer!

We’ve already ordered our potatoes. I spent a fair few hours researching to choose varieties with good disease resistance – notably scab and blight – as well as a degree of drought tolerance and of course good eating qualities.

We decided on Maris Bard for waxy first earlies and the popular Charlotte for a great tasting second early salad type. We chose three maincrop varieties all with very good resistance to scab and blight. Orla which will also serve as an early, Cara – especially good in dry conditions and Setanta which I have not grown before but is very highly spoken of for it’s eating qualities. We’re also growing a few of a purple skinned heritage variety called ‘Arran Victory’ reputedly one of the best for roasting.

It’s an enjoyable process planning what, how much and where to plant. It’s a real balancing act trying to grow enough of each crop whilst leaving room for everything else but satisfying when it all comes together. I love choosing varieties and finding what works well for us and it’s always exciting to open the parcel of little seed packets with such big potential in the field.

News from the farm

The beginning April saw a bit of mad scramble to get everything done. With the ground dried out and prepared for planting suddenly there were potatoes, onions, garlic, broccoli, cabbage, spinach, lettuce etc etc . . . to plant at once. Now most of that is done and whilst we are always busy at this time of year the pressure has eased a little over the last couple of weeks. Of course it won't last long and once we are into May then we'll be sowing and planting pretty constantly though til mid july (and obviously keeping on top of the weeds too!)

This week we're getting ready for the contractors to do the next round of ploughing etc. There is straw to move off the winter carrot patch (to be used for mulching trees), piles of compost and wood chip to shift and the chickens now need to be moved to new ground too. In a couple of weeks the scene on the farm will be very different with all the over wintered crops gone bar the last few cauliflowers and the field slowly starting to fill up with the new seasons planting.

In the veg shares there's plenty of fresh produce coming in now with lovely tender spinach and salads from the polytunnels and plenty more pak choi, cauliflowers and spring greens to come. Just round the corner are sugar snap peas and cucumbers and a little further off are new season carrots and french beans. We're loving the greens of the spring but also very much looking forward to the fruits of the summer.

~ Danny

Waiting to Spring into action

So we are still waiting for the contractors to come and plough and prepare the land for planting. They came last week and mowed down the weeds and old crops but wanted to leave it a few more days to let the land dry out. Apparently land in the locality is still really wet and people have been getting stuck trying to prepare the soil, which is not surprising considering how much rain we had in the winter. It can be very hard to tell how wet underlying ground is so there is a chance that even though it seems pretty dry underfoot the big tractors may hit a wet patch and get stuck. So we'll be keeping our fingers cross that it all goes smoothly and I hope that when I next write we will have ground ready for planting.

The first few plants were delivered last week - lettuce, beetroot and pak choi for the polytunnels. These were planted straight away alongside the carrots and peas I have already sowed. I will also sow rocket, mizuna, radish and spinach - beans too when the soil is warm enough. At this time of year I'm always looking for anything that will grow quickly and give a crop in the 'hungry gap' which falls around late April to early June in between winter and summer crops. If all goes to plan then things shouldn't be too hungry really. Last year bags were lighter but full of leaves such rocket, spinach, lettuce and spring greens which are particularly lush in the spring. To help us through the hungry gap this year, Marina at the Apricot centre in Lawford is kindly letting us use her cold store to keep the last of the winter roots through the spring. We'll also have plenty of cauliflowers, spring onions, green onions and spring greens which have overwintered so there's plenty to look forward too as we await the fruits of summer.

Whoa! The blog is back!

...... Okay it is entirely my fault that this blog has been inactive for nearly a year but this is par for the course when you have a baby!

Here is the small beast that I have been on maternity leave with and also Danny who is looking very clean cut in this picture.

However I am now back if a little sleep deprived and very excited to take up the threads of this blog.
This blog isn't just about the CSA but the whole experience of starting the project from scratch.

While I've been away the scheme has grown hugely, thanks to many people but in particular to Danny, Claire and Rosie who have been covering my maternity leave.
We now have a planted up social area and about to be certified organic. This means that anything that goes into the ground after certification will be classed a organic, anything growing already will still be classed as in conversion to organic.

We have the Spring social coming up on the 12th of April with a work day from 10am - 1pm and social from 1pm - 4pm. If you're local and would like to become a member of the CSA please email me at info@bennisonfarm.co.uk for directions.

Polytunnel prettyness

Much has been happening on the farm but one area we are particually pleased with is the progress inside our Polytunnels.

 Squirt of film showing the cover going over the second polytunnel frame a few months ago.

 The new poly planted up, the black lines are the irrigation piping.

 Pretty Beetroot growing

 Newly planted Cucumbers

 The tunnel a few weeks later (last week)

 Rocket eye view

Cucumber flower

A whole year, a new season and a thankyou

Almost exactly a year ago they were ploughing in the barley - which was on the field when we acquired it - in preparation for the first plants to go in the ground. It's strange to think that a year ago we had just a bare field, a few plants and seeds and a list of people interested in our idea.

I feel a great relief to have made it through our first season with a full membership having supplied weekly veg bags throughout. A great many thanks to you all for supporting us through our first trial year - and it was a bit of a trial at times. Whilst it was not the easiest season to start growing in a some crops did suffer in the cool damp weather, on balance we think the trial has been a success and we look forward to taking on more members in July as we double our harvests. It would be great to hear feedback from you all about our first year, positive or negative. We will shortly send out a short questionnaire to give you the opportunity to give us your thoughts.

We are now in the hungry gap eating the last few leeks and enjoying the new offerings of spring. Whilst the next few weeks may lack the weight of a winter veg bag or the variety of a summer one we will have no shortage of lush leafy greens and salad leaves and just round the corner are cucumbers, beans, peas and courgettes. Never a dull moment as we race into the new season.

News from the farm

Lots of things are coming to an end now as it warms up and plants start the process of flowering. This week sees the last of the spinach and purple sprouting broccoli which we have enjoyed very much. There are still some more cauliflowers to come and the leeks are hanging on in there. Next week we will be giving spring cabbage and spring onions which have overwintered in the tunnel.

The land from last season's crops will soon be ploughed up and prepared for this season's planting - carrots, beetroot, squash sweet corn to name a few along with more, leeks, purple sprouting and cauliflower. We rotate our vegetables on a ten year cycle to avoid pest and disease build up and to make sure we draw evenly on the soil's nutrients around the farm. So everything will be in a different place from last year.

This weeks share
Onions, leeks, mixed salad, spinach, Purple Sprouting Broccoli and radish.

Round up of news!

Golly! Where did the last two months go?
It had begun to feel spring was never going to turn up when bang!, it was here and the season kangerooed into life.

We have been planting the first phase of the new orchard, putting in some hard standing for machinery that also doubles as somewhere for vehicles to park, putting up and covering the second polytunnel, designing with members an area of the farm dedicated to social/educational activities and getting ready to expand the scheme in July.

(Amongst all this have been the plans for me to take some maternity leave as of June before the fruition of a very special project, ie ~ our baby)

So, lets start with the orchard.

In November we contacted members asking if they would be interested in sponsoring a tree for the new orchard. The new orchard project is called 'Tree's for Tomorrow' and there is more detailed info on this blog from last year. The trees are a mix of  Plum, Apple and Pear with a variety of varieties!

It has been a new venture for both Danny and I as neither of us knew a huge amount about planting an orchard before we started this one.
Many thanks to all the members who have got involved and we all look forward to the first crop.

 First tree goes in

 Me, selflessly taking on the real hard work :)

 Checking the list

 Happy tree planter

 Marvelous digging

 Hand eye co-ordination exercises

 Child labor

 More child labor

 Hand eye co-ordination exercises and child labor

 More great digging, look how fun hard work in the cold can be!!

Then we move onto the second polytunnel frame. This tunnel has been a bit of pain to put up as the ground has been frozen and then the land was too wet to get help on to cover it but it all turned out in the end. And see, on the day when the frame went up the sun was shining, surely a beneficent sign.

 Members working hard, Danny must have been behind the camera an equally exhaustive task.

And then Whoop, whoop we get to cover the blasted thing! This was one of those jobs where you need many hands and thankfully or rather thank the members, we had a really good turn out. The morning started with sunshine but the wind was also keen to get involved, which as you can possibly imagine, wind is not always helpful when trying to cover a 22 x 90 ft structure with a giant plastic sheet.

 Big plastic sheet awaiting to be fitted

 Unrolling plastic cover

Action shot!

I forgot to get a group photo at the start of the day but here is some of our super work party :)

Farm update by Danny

Danny Steele ~ The grower

It’s been a funny season and the damp weather throughout last year took its toll on certain things. Many of the savoy cabbages which are normal in their prime now have rotted in the ground and the January King cabbage, in season now as their name suggests have suffered from mildew growing inside their hearts as have the Brussels sprouts. We’ve picked the best of the remaining cabbages for the share this week before they all pass their best. The January King cabbages are particularly sweet and tasty at the moment. They are the ones with dark green and purple outer leaves and a creamy pale green heart. I enjoyed them raw sliced fresh into my packed lunch at the farm.
The new growing season is rapidly approach with the days noticeably longer. With the weather slightly milder I tentatively sowed the first hardy salad leaves of the year – rocket, mizuna, tatsoi etc. The next polytunnel will arrive soon so it’s time prepare the site to put that up. I’ve ordered the first early plants to come in March so no time to loose.

Danny Steele

Veg share recipes plus extras!

Copied form this weeks veg share leaflet that goes out to all CSA veg share members 16/01/2013

Carrots

Lovely bright, sometimes knobbly, carotene rich wonders!

I love Carrots, especially raw. The centre of their core is just so sweet and juicy when eaten fresh it always feels to me like they’ve cleaned my teeth, strengthened my jaws and given me a drink all in one.

As some of you may have noticed the farms Carrots have done exceptionally well. It is possibly that the soil is ideal for them whilst they have managed to survive what has in many ways been a very challenging growing season nationally.

Potatoes for example have taken a bashing on a national scale with the Coop near where I live selling French Potatoes at what should be the height of British potato season.

So although a kilo of Carrots for the Medium shares seem alot I am always glad that we have them in such good numbers.

But I thought that maybe it was time to do a recipe sheet that celebrated them and made them the star of the show while giving some inspiration as to what to do with them all.

Carmelised Carrots with gremolata

According to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall “The contrast of sweet, caramelised carrots and Zesty gremolata is brilliant - and it looks great too.”

Roasting carrots is a great way to boil all the sweetness down, they are really good then added to a stew or soup for a sweeter carroty taste.

SERVES 4

1 Tablespoon of oil

30g of butter

300g of carrots, larger carrots cut in half lengthways

Sea salt and black pepper

FOR THE GREMOLATA

Garlic cloves to taste

A bunch of flat leaf parsley

finely grated zest of one lemon

Preheat the oven to 180oc/ gas mark 4. Put the oil and butter in a large roasting dish and place in the oven until the butter melts.

Add the carrots, season generously with salt and pepper and toss well. Cover with foil and roast in the oven for 30 - 40 minutes, until the carrots are tender.

Take the dish out of the oven, remove the foil and give the carrots a stir. Roast, uncovered, for 20 - 30 minutes, until they start brown and caramelise.

While the carrots are in the oven, make the gremolata. Roughly chop the garlic on a large board, then add the parsley and lemon zest. Use a large, sharpe knife to chop and mix the three ingredients together until fine and well mixed.

As soon as carrots are ready, toss them the gremolata and serve straight away.

Carrot and Mushroom Soymilk Soup

Borrowed from The enlightened kitchen by Mari Fujii.

Now I haven’t personally tried this soup but thought it might be a winner so any feedback welcome!

SERVES 4

3.5 Ounces (300g) of peeled carrots cut into 1cm pieces

400ml of Soymilk

8 button mushrooms or fresh shiitake mushroom caps, thinly sliced

400ml of Konbu stock

2 teaspoons of salt

2 tablespoons of Sake

Parsley to garnish

Boil the carrots in salted water for 15 mins until soft.

Blend the carrots and soymilk with a soup maker or food processor until smooth.

In a saucepan combine the mushrooms, stock, salt and sake. Cook on a medium heat for 4-5 mins.

Add carrot and soymilk to saucepan, bring to boil, remove from heat, serve with blanched, finely chopped carrot leaves in available.

For a recipe how to make your own Konbu stock please visit our blog bennisonfarm.blogspot.co.uk

Sake’ is a wine made from rice. For more information about Sake’ please visit our blog.

Top Veg prep Tip

Carrots wash best if rinsed while still fresh out of the ground, so if washing carrots with hard soil on is a drag wash yours as soon as you can as they were harvested today!

Amaze your friends and colleagues with these Carrot facts!

1 Carrots were first grown as a medicine

2 Carrots were originally purple, red, white, black and yellow

3 Orange carrots were first grown by the Dutch to please the ruling house of Orange.

4 In James I’s time, fashionable court ladies wore Carrot flowers and feathery leaves in their hair as decoration.

Borrowed from “The cooks Companion” Edited by Jo Swinnerton.

Extra goodies.

KONBU STOCK

As mentioned above I thought I'd add on here a recipe for making your own Konbu stock. Again as with the soup recipe it is borrowed from "The Enlightened Kitchen" by Mari Fujii.

Konbu is one of the most common stocks used in Japanise temple cuisine.

Ready made Vegan stock (also known as Vegan dashi) can be found in Asian supermarkets and natural food stores.

Konbu stock

400ml of water

1 piece of dried Konbu, roughly 10cm square.

The white powder on the surface of the dried Konbu adds to the flavor, so don't wash the Konbu before use, simply wipe it with a damp cloth.

Place the water and the Konbu in a saucepan and leave to soak for 2 or 3 hours.

Place the sauce pan over a medium heat. Just before the water boils, remove the Konbu. Use the Konbu-flavored water as stock. 

SAKE'

Sake' is a wine made form rice. Although the buddhist monks avoid alcohol, sake' is often used as seasoning in cooking, or for medicinal purposes. A little sake' is often said to be the "best of all medicines" because it stimulates the circulation, and relieves stress and insomnia.

When cooked rice seems a little too firm, 1 or 2 tablespoons of Sake' will soften it. 

 

Trees for tomorrow

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Hello All,

We have been trying to use the slower wintertime well with lots of planning. One of the new aspects of the farm we are keen to move forward is the planting of fruit trees with the aim of having a fruit share as well as a veg share.

Eventually it would be great to have an orchard area that is devoted to the production of fruity things. Soft fruit too would make the fruit share more rounded and go on longer but this will involve some form of refrigeration so won't be part of the first phase in development.

The first part of this plan is to plant a variety of fruit trees around the farm. This might involve filling in the gaps of the existing line of trees that run through the middle of the field. This row of trees marks the original boundary where the land was once divided and we'd like to see it reinstated. Also or alternatively trees could be planted around the new social area that is in current discussion, this would bring the trees very much into sight for the projects members at social gatherings.

The immediate issue the farm has is that we are starting up on very limited means and the cost of buying in more that a few trees would be prohibitive at this stage. Because of this Bennison Farm and Bennison Farm CSA are looking for people to sponsor a tree for the farm with the understanding that the bulk of the fruit from the tree is destined for the CSA members. Those who sponsor a tree will be able to choose the fruit i.e., Apple, Pear, Plum etc and will be able to come and collect the first kilo of fruit from the first harvest as a thank you. There will also be orchard updates and a special card detailing that a tree has been sponsored.

The working title for the scheme is 'Trees for Tomorrow' as this is a long term project that hopes to replace one of some many orchards in our area that were grubbed up during the 20th century.

In line with the land's conversion to Organic, the trees will be bought from a certified Soil Association Nursery and will be certified organic from April 2014.

If you would like any more information about sponsoring a tree please get in touch with us at info@bennisonfarm.co.uk

Potatoes & Onions

 

Our Potatoes have ended now because we don't have all the machinery required to do large scale Potato production. One or two people thus far have dug all the Potatoes by hand, which is not sustainable when doing the amount needed to feed people during the winter.

We have sourced local Organic Potatoes from Saxmundham in Suffolk which was the closest we could find them. Our long-term aim to grow everything that goes in our Veg share, but having a limited amount of start up money meant we had to eak it out efficiently. Buying expensive large scale Potato harvesting equipment would have been hugely expensive and consequently Bennison Farm took the decision that to buy in for the short term was the decision.

Also this week is the first of the Onions, which hail from Norfolk. We moved here in February of this year and by the time the land was prepared it was too late to plant Onion sets for this year.  This again is not a long term decision but one taken in order to provide the best alternative to our own grown veg for this winter.

The other alternative was to not supplement veg for the share and consequently have a smaller share. As the scheme is in it's very early days this could have had the affect of discouraging people from keeping up their Veg share. The farm discussed the options with the CSA steering group and it has been agreed to supplement for this winter. However if any one has any concerns, questions or suggestions please do get in touch with me at info@bennisonfarm.co.uk and mark it for the Steering group.

A few odds and ends!

 The Carrots are doing very well! The soil still needs alot of work however, it's sad to see how conventional farming can take so much out of such a vital medium. Over the coming season our focus will be on improving the health and fertility of our soil.

 

First attempt at a flashy commercial? ......um no, but funny all the same :)

Viva Polytunnel

The Polytunnel is up! Hurrah.

It was a shared effort that took alot of work.

 Here is one of the first post holes dug on a shared work day. It was just after Danny's unexpected trip to hospital and we were feeling over whelmed with how much work there was to get done. The response from members was so welcome and heartening. It was one of those moments that remind you that this is your home.

 Members dig, dig digging in the Barley

 These first 3 photographs were taken by Frank, thanks Frank!

 The trenches! Once the post holes were dug and the concrete poured we needed to dig the trenches around the edge to earth in the polytunnel cover.

 The trenches also doubled as a good wind break, nest, tunnel and den.

 Danny and My Dad ( who is possibly channelling Mr Motivatorr in a towelling sweat band) after the finish putting up the hoops of the polytunnel. Claire B should also be in this photo as she did alot that day!

 Huzzzar!

 Last job before skinning the tunnel, putting up the cross beam that would support the door. Mathew kindly volunteered to lend a hand. But we only had one ladder pictured here. But Mathew is a chap who thinks out of box..

 This is a true multi purpose vehicle. A bit tricky to find ones balance at first...

 But after a bit of practice the focus doubles nicely as a large golden stool.

 Shared work day! The task, covering the tunnel. It was beautiful weather and we had our best turn out yet.

 Up and over the top. I was ill that day but I was told there was a huge collective 'ahhhh' from all once the cover was over.

Finally a view inside the covered tunnel. Things have moved on since then as Danny has been rotovating away to his hearts content.

A starring role for cabbage

I first came across Ribollita at the Chappel beer festival on the wonderful vegetarian food stall run by Leon Lewis.  I was boracic as usual so went for the cheapest thing on the stall, despite the fact that a stew with bread and cabbage didn't sound particularly appetising.  As you might expect from an Italian recipe it was, of course, delicious.  It is a real Italian peasant dish, economical, nutritious and really tasty.

After enjoying this stew three years running at the same festival I eventually begged Leon for the recipe, which is adapted from the Greek stew in his book More Vegetarian Dinner Parties published by Free Range publishing, and I would recommend you get hold of a copy.  Inevitably the recipe below has been fiddled about with over the time I've been making it, so go back to Leon's version in the book for a faithful reproduction of the tasty beer sponge I first enjoyed several years ago.

Half eaten: I waded right in, forgetting I was supposed to take a picture to show you first. 

The amounts indicated below should feed three to four, although we demolished it between the two of us this evening.

About four tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, roughly chopped
200ml white wine or vegetable stock
1 carrot, chopped into about 1cm chunks and lightly cooked (I usually nuke it in the microwave)
200g cabbage, cut into smallish strips
1 tin of tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
A slice or two of stale bread torn into pieces
A tin of cannelini beans
A bunch each of parsley and basil, roughly chopped
A slug of fresh orange juice (it should be bitter orange, but I can't lay my hands on them unless it's January and I've found decent unsweetened stuff is fine)
Pepper and salt

To serve: grated parmesan and a drizzle of tasty olive oil

1. Start by frying the onion slowly in the olive oil until it's soft and translucent; this usually takes ten minutes or so; add the garlic for the last few minutes.  While this is cooking you might want to cook the carrot.
2. Add in the cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, cannelini beans, the wine or stock, and the bread.
3. Allow this to cook for a while then finally add the parsley, basil and the orange juice.
4. Season well and serve in bowls - it's quite sloppy, offering the parmesan and olive oil for people to help themselves.

I first served this at a New Year's eve party and it disappeared gratifyingly quickly - albeit mostly before breakfast on New Year's day, accompanied by Bloody Marys!
Libby