SNOW STRUCK BUT NOT STUCK!

Eden Farms spent the vital week of Christmas with our farm under 8" of snow! Just as those big orders are coming in, and the manic pre-Christmas weekend of multiple markets arrived, all our careful planning vanished under deep snow drifts, to be replaced by a gorgeous winter wonderland, totally unappreciated by staff and customers alike!
My youngest son Morgan and his mates all turned out in their school skiing salopettes, and brushed the snow off savoy cabbage and sprouts so that Christmas dinners could be served.
Meanwhile, staff struggled into work in a barely accessible valley village never visited by gritters or snow ploughs, and our intrepid drivers crawled along almost un-navigable roads to make sure no-one went short over Christmas.
Well done to the team- we are proud of you all!

THE PUMPKIN HARVEST

Picking pumpkins and squash in the UK climate is always a fine line between waiting as long as possible for them to ripen, and avoiding frost and wet damage. This year, our 18 year old son Morgan, who is on his gap year and currently working on the farm, organised some of his mates to help pick the squash.
First they went down the field and picked them into heaps or winrows, then Morgan drove down the rows with a trailer , while one of the lads stood in a one ton bin and caught the squash as they were thrown up to him. Sometimes these squash weigh 4kg or more, so it can be quite a tough job- but we have bins of Baby Bear Pumpkin, Queensland Blue, Uchi Kuri, Butternut, and stripey marrows looking a bit like a congregation of giant cabbage caterpillars, all safely stored under cover.

Is BBC reporting on organic farming unbiased?

Whatever happened to unbiased BBC reporting? Over the last few months there has been a regular avalanche of negative coverage of UK organic farming, with the main conclusion, frequently featuring as a news headline,UK organic farmers on their knees, reverting to conventional, and furthermore, does organic really matter?
Even when positive interviews are recorded- such as Renee Elliot's recent upbeat support for her superb organic store, Planet Organic (31/01/09)- this is snuffed out in the general rush to report the bad news- coupled with an apparent determination to devalue organics at the expense of local food.
Eden Farms is not experiencing a sudden demise in demand- if anything, the complete reverse. Our customers are coming back for more, and we are attracting new interest all the time. It is very important to them that our food is seasonal and local, but it's also vital that it is organic! At a time when over 60% of produce sold is contaminated by an assortment of toxic residues from sprays, when allergies and cancers are increasing in the general population, when wild bird stocks are in danger of extinction, the implication from the BBC - is organics a fad that has lived it's time?- seems singularly inappropriate and inaccurate.
Yes, there are stock farmers who are struggling with the high price of organic feed, and sadly some have given up- but there are also plenty who are carrying on. It does real disservice to organic farmers to hear the message repeated again and again- organic is too expensive for consumers during the credit crunch!
In my previous blog I showed that customers shopping at our local supermarket were actually paying more for some conventional veg than we are charging for organics. Over the last few weeks I have had customers on Farmer's Markets expressing concern that we are going to stop farming organic, thanks to the BBC negative new reportage.
Well, we have already lasted through 2 recessions, and at present our customers seem very loyal and appreciative of what we do.
So come on, BBC, lets have some positive coverage of organic farming, we are providing healthy vegetables that consumers want to eat, and although seasonal and local is very important to our customers, so is the fact that our food is organic. Don't lets confuse the two!

MEET THE SNAKE CHARMER

Eden Farms home farm has received absolutely no chemical sprays for nearly 40 years! We are situated in a narrow valley bisected by a stream, and boast quite a selection of wildlife, including quite a few protected species, including bats, newts, lizards and snakes.
Surrounded by intensive agriculture, we provide a small haven for species sensitive to modern agricultural methods, and- although I'm a bit girly about them- snakes are one of the most interesting.
Over the years we have seen quite a few grass snakes here- usually they are only about 9" long and the diameter of a man's finger. But at the weekend the biggest one I've ever seen appeared coiled up outside our kitchen door. It was easily 11/2" diameter, and uncoiled I would say 18". It didn't seem very well, not helped by the bossy attention of our cat Headmaster. Eventually Luke picked it up(!) and carried into the long grass where it slowly vanished!

Trinny&Susannah seek "Lady Farmers"

Question: Could Trinny & Susannah look like this??




Here's a message for all you farming women who grub about in jeans and parkas looking like beached whales (no, not sexy!) for a good part of the year!
Trinny & Susannah have contacted me at Eden Farms because they are interested in us women farmers!The idea is that they want to come and live in a community of farming women, and get involved in a two-way style trade ; not only do farming women get the usual makeover,but we get the chance to make over our fashion duo too!
For all those women who like a bit of a laugh, whether you love clothes, or are really not bothered, this could be a great opportunity to break a few stereotypes and have some fun along the way. And couldn't we do with some after last year!
So why not contact Jennifer Ducker from the Trinny & Susannah show if you are a woman working in farming who would like a bit of variety from cabbages and chickens.
Here's her details: Jennifer Ducker, 0207 157 4742, Jennifer.Ducker@GranadaMedia.com
Alternately, contact us at info@edenfarms.co.uk to find out more!

PURPLE LOVE WEEK!

Valentine’s Day used to be a huge emotional challenge; arriving at school to the competitive chorus of “ how many did you get, then?”, I regret to say the answer was always the same- none. Just not the type of girl that guys send valentines to, I suppose….

Nothing’s really changed all these years later, but in case anyone is suffering the same fate, don’t worry, Eden Farms is providing your Valentines Day surprise in the form of our Purple Passion Pack!
Over the next week, we are celebrating “Purple Love Week”, a nationwide foodie event to remind everyone out there about the small independent food supplier- that’s us!!
No franchises, nationwide distribution services or wall to wall marketing campaigns, Eden Farms has made it to 25 years thanks to all you people , who seem to like what we do, and are genuinely interested in us! Thankyou!
Without being too cringe-makingly American about this, we love you too!!


PURPLE PASSION PACK
Eden Farms answer to bouquets of red roses, this box of purple vegetables contains Desiree potatoes(of course!), red onions, beetroot, sweet potatoes, red kale, red cabbage, purple sprouting broccoli (maybe- weather permitting), purple top swede, and Elstar apples.
And just in case you are wondering, beetroot and kale are reputed to have aphrodisiac qualities, and even appear on the walls of the brothel in Pompeii! (This could be worrying if your children are mad for them, but in the general run of things, that seems unlikely.)

Purple Passion is more likely to be unleashed if the partner who doesn’t usually cook volunteers to do so!
So here’s a sophisticated little number, grown-ups only, to impress the beloved:
Kale Pesto with Roast Root Veg: surprisingly delicious!
Peel the beetroot,sweet potato,carrot, swede and red onion, cut into finger-sized batons, and toss in a bowl with 4tbs olive oil, a nugget of chopped fresh ginger 1-2 tbs of maple syrup, and a good pinch of salt .
Stir around to coat the veg in this mixture, spread out on an earthenware roasting dish, and place in a medium oven for 45 mins -1 hour; stir occasionally to stop the edges getting tough and burned.
Meanwhile, wash your bunch of kale, remove the tough stems, and pop into a large pot of boiling water for just a couple of minutes until wilted. Tip into a sieve, and immediately hold under the cold tap, turning the kale until it has cooled right down.
Squeeze out the excess water, and put in a food processor with 1-2 medium cloves crushed garlic, 3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts, 4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar Puree slowly, while pouring in 1/2 cup olive oil. Continue puréeing, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary, until all oil is incorporated and mixture is smooth, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper..
Serve your roasted veg accompanied by the dip- and make sure you both eat the garlicky pesto!
Red wine to match!

Now all we need is some brave users to tell us what a difference a beetroot made to their Valentine's Day!

THE GRAND PLAN!

January is the month for forward planning on the farm. It's the time when we review what we grew last year, and how successful it was (difficult when the farm spent most of the summer under water...), should we be trying new crops, were there big "hungry gaps" in our programme?
We'd really appreciate feedback from our customers on this, both from farmer's markets and the delivery rounds. Are there certain crops that you would like to see more-or less!- of,would you welcome new varieties, do you really wish there was something we grow that we don't?
As organic farmers, we have to make sure that plants in the same botanical family are rotated around the farm, to avoid disease build up. For example, cabbages and swedes are closely related, and are attacked by the same pests, so each year they must be grown on a different part of the farm, taking about 5 years before they come back to their original spot.
Coupled with that, we have to provide an interesting range of vegetables 12 months of the year. These are planted starting in February right through to October, and many crops, such as lettuce and broccoli, are planted every week to provide a continuous supply right through the season.
On top of all that, we have to use organic seeds and plants, so to ensure that they are available, we must order well in advance. So for a week or two, my desk resmbles a bomb site, with seed catalogues and scribbled notes, emails to plant raisers and seed companies, and a huge reminder chart hung on my wall. Needless to say, with over 60 different crops growing, nothing ever goes quite to plan!
So you can look at the seasonality chart for Eden Farms veg, I've tried various ways to persuade blogger to let me load this. No luck!! So I'm pasting the link to my carefully crafted google document below, see if you can look at it; and if anyone knows how to make this display as its supposed to, let me know!!
When you are looking at the chart, I have tried to show when some of our common veg are not available from the farm, and have to be imported- for example, although we supply tomatoes 12 months of the year, we only grow them on the farm for 5 months.
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=ppfBX0ksfpJ0-6VmixK94ZQ
In response to last season's atrocious weather, we have put up half an acre of polytunnels. This is an exciting new project, and we are looking forward to extending the range and season of some of the crops we currently grow, plus I have one or two new ideas that I'm experimenting with: more news on that later in the year.
Meanwhile, the seeds are arriving, the potatoes are set in trays to chit (grow) before planting, and theres a sort of simmering excitement as the days start to draw out. I realise it's all a bit premature, we no doubt have weeks of rain and frost ahead, but at least there's the hope of spring up ahead!
Remember, you can respond to this blog online and have your opinions published too!