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This diary will be written about twice monthly
during the summer by either Charlie or Clare to keep you updated with what is happening with the crops, people and wildlife
on the farm and anything else we feel maybe of interest.
August 2009
We are very busy now with all product lines
being harvested except for Wallflowers which are not ready until the Autumn. The Sunflowers have sold particularly well probably
due to the "unbarbeque summer" we are having, they seem such a happy flower and bring a smile to your face
and bees love the nectar.
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| Sunflowers in the field |
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| Bee eating nectar from a sunflower |
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| Sweet corn |
We started picking sweet corn in the 3rd week of July
which is quite early for us and the quality is excellent. The cobs should be picked just as the niblets turn pale yellow,
bright yellow and the sugar will have turned starchy. The sooner after picking they are eaten the better the taste serve with
lots of butter and black pepper.
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| Adonis or Chalkhill Blue |
On the wildlife front there is still a lot happening
and I have paid particular attention to butterflies and bees who are both having a terrible summer!! As soon as the sun comes
out they are off to feed and then a couple of minutes later the rain comes down and they have to find shelter. The weather
has for the second year in a row really not been very kind to them. On a more exciting note I have acquired a new camera that
seems to be able to take exceptional pictures with not much input from me!! They may not be professional but the pictures
are a big help in trying to identify the different bees and butterflies but even then some types have such subtle differences
in markings and colourings. An example of this is the difference between male Adonis and Chalkhill Blue
butterflies, the Adonis has dark veins in the white borders of its wings. I still am not sure which male and female butterflies
these are but very pleased with the pictures.
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| Female Adonis or Chalkhill Blue |
July 2009
The farm is now full of crops and we have started
harvesting Mint and Fennel with Sweet Corn ready in a couple of weeks. The last Ringed Plover nest produced 4 chicks on
14th July and this year we have had 14 Ringed Plover and 11 Lapwing chicks. Due to the recent very hot spell, two
weeds that need hot soil to germinate are Fat Hen and Deadly Nightshade and this has resulted in a lot of hand
weeding and removal from the field. The white half tyres in the photo are used to protect our irrigation taps from
getting run over.
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| Fennel ready for harvest |
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| weeds left on roadway |
So many people ask me about Kohlrabi at the farmer's
market, I always have some peeled and chopped up to be tasted raw and usually get a very positive response with "its
radishy and cucumber like, with the texture of an apple". The kohlrabi is harvested on a tractor mounted field rig which
has 5 people cutting, one packing into boxes and another washing the Kohlrabi.
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| Harvesting Kohlrabi on the rig |
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| Box of Kohlrabi |
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| Packing Kohlrabi |
I am still trying to identify bees, butterflies and
moths we have on the farm. One of the butterflies in large numbers at the moment is the Large White which is not good news
for us as they like to lay their eggs around the base of Kohlrabi so when the larvae hatch they have an instant source of
food!!
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| Young Sweet Corn plants |
June 2009
Plot 18 Spinach was started on the 17th June and finished
on the 19th June with a harvest of 2384 boxes by 12 bunches which is 28608 bunches all picked by hand!! The following pictures
tell the story from the field to the local shop.
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| Harvesting plot 18 on 17th June |
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| Plot 18 Spinach nearly ready for harvest |
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