August 2011 in Pictures

August is a quiet month in terms of harvesting and packing, as many of our customers go on holiday, but then so do many of our staff, so it doesn't feel that quiet. A bit of a lull though before the main harvest of onions and potatoes gets going in September.


Onions, drying in the field, looks like a good crop this year.

 


The squash still have a lot of work to do after being planted so late, let's hope for a sunny September!




A patchwork of kales, Russian Red, Cavelo Nero, Red and Green Curly and Hungry Gap




Straw bought from a local farmer, in readiness to protect the carrots and beetroot over winter.
 Kings Wood in the background.




The last of the leeks in the Nursery Bed that are still to be transplanted.
The module grown ones are almost ready to harvest.




Looking in to the Victorian Walled Garden. Sadly, some of the old wooden glasshouses are beyond repair.




Newly sown chard inside the walled garden.





We have sold a few organic figs at Stoke Newington market during August, this is where they came from, one of the remaining fig trees growing outside the walled garden.

 


A trial planting of Thai Basil for markets.




Phacelia strip next to our early leeks, food for bees.




A pear tree left over from the days when these fields were full of fruit. The pears are only good for cooking and do make a tasty jam, combined with summer and autumn berries. If you look hard you can see Wye Church in the background.




The 'Lazy Bed Weeder' - although after an afternoon on this you don't feel as if you've had a lazy afternoon at all! We all get to take turns driving the tractor.



A sign of Spring - Wild Garlic / Ramsons

For some years now we have harvested wild garlic from some woodland on an organic farm belonging to friends of ours in Egerton. In return we provide them with waste vegetables for their pigs.

We want to continue harvesting the wild garlic for years to come so we only pick the leaves and flowers, and the area it grows on there is big enough that we can rotate which bits we harvest from each year.

 You may find the leaves in your stir-fry bags, salad bags or bagged on their own, just rub the leaf between your fingers and smell, no mistaking them then! As the season progresses you will also find some of the beautiful white flowerheads in with the leaves, which are the prettiest salad ingredient and give a strong garlic hit too!

A couple of leaves in a sandwich really gives it a taste of spring, or add to green leaf salad, or to an omelette. Cut up finely and add to a bowl of soup just before serving or tear up some leaves and add to a winter stew for the last 5 minutes of cooking. I've even used a few leaves as a substitute for cloves of garlic in hummus (makes the hummus green, of course!). I plan on trying wild garlic pesto this year, let us know how you eat yours....