BLACK RUSSIANS GOING BLACK

We have some fabulous heritage tomatoes. The Black Russians are looking good, Coeur de Boeuf is spectacular, and the black cherries just eat like sweets.
The only bad bit is picking them- think jungle, it's sticky, dirty, there are spiders everywhere, and I think the crop will run to 5 tons this year- an alarming amount of picking for us "girls"!

BLACK RUSSIANS...

Black Russian tomatoes are a right b*****d to grow! First, they make a crazy shape, with flowers that look more like dandelions than tomatoes, splitting the plant so they can't be trained.
Next they just have to split the minute they are anywhere near ripe-
And lastly, they are irresistible to blackbirds! Just one plant that has mistakenly got muddled in with another variety, the varmints will get in, and head unerringly to the ripening Russian, taking juicy big pecks out- and making them completely unsellable!
What makes these Black Russians so appealing- followed by the pink Coeur de Boeuf that we grow? How do the blackbirds know where they are and track them down even when surrounded by other varieties.
It's a mystery!
In a bid to beat them at their own game, I have been through and picked all the lower trusses while bright green- we'll see who wins this round!
Look for them on our markets www.edenfarms.co.uk/farmers_market.php, or order from our delivery service! ww.edenfarms.co.uk/products.php

ON PICKING TOMATOES.....

We are finally harvesting the fruits of our labour- this must be the dirtiest job on the farm! A special outfit, stiff with tomato grease, plus woolly hat, are needed to pick even in tropical conditions!Otherwise the grower gets covered in a scaly resin from the plants that turns the bathwater yellow and only comes off when soaked and scrubbed. Lovely!
However, aren't the results worth it! This week we have just started on our favourite plums, the strange Coeur de Boeuf, and a jewelled assortment of black, red and yellow cherry tomatoes; if you don't here from me again, assume I am trapped in Jungle Bolingbroke and send out the search party!
(anybody read Stephen King's Duma Key- it's a bit like that!)

ON GROWING TOMATOES...

There's a really long gap between buying tomato seeds in early February ( mine cost 50p each!), raising small plants, working up polytunnels, laying out trickle irrigation and black plastic to supress the weeds, planting out the tomato plants with strings in late April- we grow about 7 varieties, over 3500 plants,and then- we wiat for them to start growing.
At this point, they have cost several £K in plants and labour, but that's only the start of it!
Tomatoes are really only successful if grown with 1 main stem up the support, but what they prefer to do is throw out dozens of vigorous shoots all competeing for water and light- so someone has to go round and pull off all the sideshoots. Then, they can't support themselves- so they have to be wound on.
This is a pretty full time job- and this year, we don't have a tomato girl! Usually I find someone to come in part time and help out- this year there are only males, and, sorry guys, you just aren't very good at this! So the tomato plants look like triffids, botanical anarchy- and I've just seen the first ripening yellow cherry plum! Help!

SUMMERTIME!

I am lucky to live out in a beautiful part of the world- the Lincolnshire Wolds! At times in the winter very isolated, now the countryside is especially gorgeous after the recent rain- at last! Wild flowers are everywhere, sometimes not where they were planned!
I especially enjoy the stunning crimson fields of poppies that appear in the middle of grain fields! These actually represent a failure of herbicide spray programme, but as I am an organic farmer, I can just enjoy the sight with only a small smug satisfaction that nature outwits even the bad guys!Poppy red cheeks for that farmer!
Farming is one of the most public occupations you can undertake: in a factory, you hide behind walls; an artist or musician has to be chosen to be viewed. But anyone can drive past your farm and see both the cock-ups and the successes. Mile upon mile of fields in Lincolnshire with few hedges creates plenty to look at!

BUNCH CARROTS AND FRESH GARLIC

At last a day of rain has finally fallen and moved our crops from near-death into growth. The reluctant carrots and garlic, for which no spare irrigation was available, have finally swelled, and will make their first appearance this weekend on markets. www.edenfarms.co.uk/farmers_market.php
We have had a heavy week trimming and tie-ing(sp??) tomato plants; we have about 10 different varieties, including some great heritage ones, but they have some way to go! We are also inundated with hares and pigeons, who prefer organic veg to anything else currently available- ba****ds! We have 2 gas guns going, driving the neighbours mad, plus several "terror kites", the livestock just don't give a damn!

BEST NEW POTATOES IN 4 YEARS!!

Lincolnshire grows the best potatoes in the world, and we're all connoisseurs, like wine tasters in Bordeaux! Therefore it's specially gratifying to get comments like this about our crop of Premiere, being hand dug this week: " best potatoes I have had in 4 years" " best new potatoes this season" "absolutely amazing"
I had a plate of steamed baby new potatoes with mint, olive oil, salt and black pepper for lunch. It was.....well, absolutely amazing!

ON THE FARM

Our farm at Stickney, Lincolnshire , has to be the driest spot in the UK right now! Crouched below the Lincolnshire Wolds, in a dry season we can watch the rain clouds blow straight over the top of our area, and douse the farms 10 miles south and west instead. Grrrr!!
However, rain on Monday- the first since February! gave welcome relief to both plants and to Luke, who, in addition to his very busy schedule, has had to irrigate at night, to conserve water, and take advantage of the windless conditions- during the day there's been a high gritty wind, even causing damage to polytunnels!
On with the planting, more leeks, brussel sprouts and cabbages- we are already planting for winter, perish the thought!
Meanwhile, a welcome touch of summer in the early courgettes and basil- plus a lovely sunny day almost too hot to work!

NEW POTATOES WE LOVE....

Yay! Our first hand-dug new potatoes from the glasshouse are now available on our farmers markets this weekend, they look and taste fabulous!Lincolnshire is known for the tastiest potatoes in the uk, and if, like me, you can't resist the odd few imports at the start of the season, it's an absolute joy to be able to eat the real thing.
We have noticed that quite a few of the so-called new potatoes that come in from Europe are varieties that aren't classified as early but maincrop- or even late mains! No wonder they taste disappointingly floury - they are picked because true earlies can bruise and discolour rapidly when they travel-another good reason to think about food miles when it comes to enjoying quality produce!
Meanwhile, in our 13th week with no rain- unprecedented in our 30 years of farming- our reservoir has suppied over 1000000 gallons of water so far- that's over half, and it's not even summer!We hesitate to pray for rain as, being England, it may never stop- but we really need some now! Judicious amounts request only please!

LEEKS 12 MONTHS OF THE YEAR!

While my customers are still eating leeks in their veg boxes we are already planting next February's crop! Today 5 very sore men and women staggered off the planter known as "back-breaker" after setting about 80000 leek plants in our latest field, just out of conversion to organic this spring! Bad nes is that there are still another 80000 to go! Farming is all about numbers- the sheer quantity of seeds and plants even a small farm such as ourselves needs is incredible!
Meanwhile, we have leafy celery, swiss chard, and some gorgeous glossy red gems to add to our farmers markets produce this week- see where your nearest market is!

THE HEAT IS ON!

Busy busy on the farm, as dry weather continues to hamper the planting season- we are watering the soil before preparing for planting, as its all too lumpy to plant!
Meanwhile the lettuce are now in full swing with 6 different types that we sell on special offer on all our farmers markets- a colourful and festive salad for everyone, lucky we filled the irrigation pit up- but it's going down!

FENNEL AND KOHLRABI

Fennel and kohlrabi are the front-runners of the spring veg- we have them on our markets and in our veg boxes! Look on our recipe page for what to do- or visit us on a market for a free taster!

WHERE ARE THE APRIL SHOWERS?

We are having a gorgeous spring, crops are growing at a frantic rate, check on our products page to see what's in season this week - amazing asparagus, green batavia lettuce, pak choi, spring greens- all that healthy stuff to clean out the pipes after a winter of roast roots and cabbage.
But a small amount of rain wouldn't go amiss! It is now 3 weeks since any rain fell on the farm, and small plants are extremely vulnearble to drying out in the fierce wind and sun. So Luke is not only doing land work, muck spreading, planting, weed control- he has had to stop to water everything already planted- a lot of it under fleece, which has to be rolled back, steerage hoed, watered, then re-covered- quite a job.
Thank goodness we filled our pit this spring!
Meanwhile,we are proud of our early lettuce this year- here is Morgan(youngest son, unwillingly drafted into cabbage planting in his uni holiday!) You may meet him on one of our markets- he will talk you into buying anything!!

Asparagus and Purple Sprouting!

Yes! A really warm, dry Spring has moved our asparagus forward by an amazing 2 weeks! This has to be the earliest for us ever.
And the beleaguered purple and white sprouting broccolli has really flourished- although some timely gentle April showers wouldn't do any harm. However, as always with the British weather, be careful what you wish for!
Farm work has been crazy busy- instead of moaning because we can't get on due to the rain, we haven't had a minute off, with planting and cutting! Our lettuce have been so excellent that we've managed to send pallet-loads down to London- never known in April, and if I do sound a bit smug, well ahead of the game this year!
Anyhow, these and much more can be found on our markets and website . Visit us soon!

SNOW CAN'T STOP US!

The only way out!



Eden Farms has been under a deep blanket of frozen snow for over 2 weeks, and we want out! It's like living in a black -and- white photo, my eyes long for some relief from the white fog and whiter fields!
Staff have been brilliant, not a day missed and every round and market attended.
-14* temperatures may have wreaked havoc, but we don't know yet- the farm is still covered in a white blanket. Bring back summer!!!

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!