11th March - 17th March
Welcome back to Field Notes. Each week we will be bringing you news from FarmED: from what’s happening in the fields and hedgerows, to updates from the farm to fork Café and the conference barn: a space where people from all walks of life meet to find out more about regenerative agriculture. Come with us on a one-of-a-kind journey as we ride the natural highs and lows of farming life.
Field Record: What's been happening on the 107 acres of Honeydale Farm?
The team were blessed by blue skies while pruning
If you caught up with last week’s blog, you’ll know that we’ve recently been tending to our heritage orchard, getting it prepped in time for spring. Last Friday saw another sunny day here on the farm, the perfect weather for Ian, Celene and Steve to get stuck into some tree planting. They spent a glorious afternoon replacing a small handful of trees which didn’t quite make it through the winter. Three of these trees were in the children’s corner of the orchard, where the trees are growing on small root stock to allow tiny hands to reach the fruit, come harvest time. We were also lucky enough to hear the first ChiffChaff of the year whilst planting, above the cheerful chorus of skylarks. All in all, it made for a noisy (but delightful) afternoon filled with the sweet sounds of birdsong.
Our heritage orchard is something we’re very proud of here at FarmED, home to 250 species of fruit trees including apples, cherries, apricots, damsons, mulberries and quinces. We’ve partnered with Andy Howard from The Heritage Fruit Tree Company to create a sanctuary for Oxfordshire’s forgotten apple varieties, preserving them for generations to come. A lot of the trees in the orchard are rare varieties which are no longer grown commercially, so keeping them alive is a very important job. Some of these varieties date back centuries, including the historic Old Fred, Red Army and Blenheim Orange found at Woodstock in about 1740, and the Belle de Boskoop which originated in the Netherlands in 1856.
Come autumn, we'll be reaping the fruits of our labour, (quite literally) and sharing our harvest with our local community through our community supported agriculture (CSA) scheme. We’re even planning on producing our own cider, so watch this space!
Cafe Catch-Up: What's new in the cafe?
A delicious array on the counter this week!
This week our talented bakers, Aga and Phoebe, have been working their magic in the kitchen and conjuring up a whole host of new delights for the Cafe counter. From a vegan pumpkin marble cake to a pistachio and almond bundt - keep your eyes (and taste buds) peeled for what’s next!
Events Recape: What’s on at FarmED?
Soil Sampling Volunteering Days
Look at the layers!
Fitting with the theme of getting our hands dirty, Danielle led a small group of volunteers in two days of soil sampling. Tests are conducted on the farm every two years to track any changes in the soil, with the ultimate aim to see whether the regenerative farming practices we’re implementing are increasing the health of the soil. Healthier soil means we can sequester more carbon, and encourage wildlife to thrive. Each volunteer session covered two fields on the farm, and the days were filled with inspiring conversations, joyful laughter and plenty of good old-fashioned elbow grease.
At lunchtime, the volunteers were rewarded for all their hard work with a bowl of warming soup from the Cafe and fresh bread.
Sheep for Beginners Course
Jade giving the lowdown on what you need to keep sheep!
Tuesday marked the grande finale of Jade’s internship with a course on all things sheep. She’s been working hard on this project for several months, and it’s safe to say it all paid off! The course was attended by a whole range of people at different stages on their sheep journeys, whether they were seasoned shepherds looking to expand their knowledge or newcomers eager to learn the basics.
Jade started by giving everyone a brief introduction to sheep: dispelling common myths, defining key terminology and talking through some fun facts. She then delved into the details, leading the group through everything from what basic equipment they’d need to get started to just what goes into sheep care. A highlight of the session was a guest talk by local sheep farmer Carl Franklin, who imparted wisdom gained from his personal journey into sheep farming.
After a nourishing lunch in the FarmED Cafe, the group were then taken on a field trip to a local sheep farm, where they got a hands-on demonstration of everything they’d learnt throughout the day.
One woman commented: “A big thank you to Jade. For her first course she was very knowledgeable and presented very well.”
Lunchtime Talk - Let's Talk about Honeybees
Tony had a full house for his Lunchtime Talk!
Our resident beekeeper, Tony Yarrow, led a Lunchtime Talk in the library last Thursday on the mesmerising world of honeybees. He shared how our bees have survived the winter and what they’re now doing to prepare for the spring, before opening up the conversation to the audience. The library was buzzing with chatter, with questions ranging from why wasps don’t bother us until July, to whether there’s such a thing as ‘too many’ honeybee colonies.
The talk was followed by a delicious lunch from the FarmED Cafe and a blind taste test, where attendees were asked to try both Tony’s honey and a typical bottle of squeezy honey from the supermarket shelves. It was amazing to see the difference between the rich flavourful tones of Tony’s to that of the tester. His secret? Our farm is species-rich in nectar plants, with upwards of 30 different varieties. This means that Tony’s honey has a unique flavour and no two samples are ever the same. The more plants means the more flavourful the honey, from clover and to hawthorn and brassicas from the market garden.
Missed out on this talk? Tony is leading a Sustainable Beekeeping Course next month where he’ll delve even deeper into the world of honeybees. Wherever you are on your beekeeping journey, learn how to keep bees whilst working in harmony with nature and sign up to the course here.
Garden Treasures: What’s been happening down in the Kitchen Garden?
This week, cauliflowers have come into their own in the garden after enjoying the weekend sunshine, and the team have been busy harvesting for the FarmED kitchen. They've also finished planting the last of the broad beans and replaced any lettuces that fell victim to pesky cut-worms in our polytunnels.
On Friday, we had a mega harvest of salad for our community shares, with an impressive haul of 45 kilos! The sound of the rain on the polytunnels provided a relaxing soundtrack to the morning.
Ethan and Eddie also spent some time with Danielle throughout the week, learning how to look after our compost tumblers. Once the compost has gotten a head start and turned into a lovely rich consistency in the tumbler, it’s then transferred to our compost crate. Here, it undergoes a maturation process until ready to be used as fertiliser on our vegetables! It’s brilliant to see the whole process pan out and we’re excited to ‘close the gap’ on our food waste.