Autumn is Here

Hello Everyone,

Welcome to the season of Autumn.

This is the season of golden colours, of darker nights and when we make full use of the previous season's produce. The cosy season, when we spend a little more time in the kitchen preparing more hearty and comforting meals, preserving produce and finding space to store the fruits of our Summer toil.

The weather certainly has ‘turned’ with much fresher starts and ends to the days. During the day, if the sun shines it can still be quite warm. We have had quite a bit of rain which does mean the task of watering outside is not so important.

The wind has been blowing with quite a force. We now have lots of apples, pears and plums under the fruit trees instead of on them! One big task will be to collect the good wind dropped fruit and keep them to one side for later…the juicing weekends will be at the end of this month and the beginning of next. This year has seen a bumper amount of fruit in the Orchard. We are expecting lots of juice and many, many apples and pears stored (we just do not know where they will be stored, yet).

We have been very lucky to have had two little helpers this last week. Our Grandsons did not begin the new school year till Thursday, while their Mum was back at school on Monday. They all stayed for a camping weekend and once the parents left on the Sunday we made use of the boys who helped (helped being a loose term) harvest for the Gardener’s Boxes.

It was lovely having the boys to stay but Bob and I do have a good weekly rhythm. I have to say the boys were brilliant (mostly). The boys have grown up knowing the farm and, obviously, it is "their farm". It has been a wholesome experience for them. They know where food comes from, they know the growing process and how to harvest. They certainly do know exactly how to eat everything we grow. I think it is great that they just pick and eat as they wander the tunnels and outside growing areas. All the creatures the boys meet, both little and larger brings great excitement. They are lucky boys.

Next week we will have another little helper when our Granddaughter visits for the week. I am not sure much work will be done as she is much younger than the boys, just three years old. But again, a wholesome week for another little one. It is important for us all to understand where food comes from with children getting the knowledge a priority.

Allowing children to get mucky in the compost, letting them harvest and then eat the harvest encourages soooo much. Children can gain a great appreciation of the world around them and the seasons, of being a caring grower and growing using ‘dangerous’ equipment, subconsciously learning maths, science and nature and a huge appreciation of the food we eat and the healthy options we can make.

Generally though, the little ones just get dirty from playing and running amok. The favourite task of the boys last week was harvesting the potatoes with Grandad. They become rabbits burrowing the ground away to hunt for the potatoes. The competition was hot. Who got the biggest potato was very important to them. Well you our lovely customers got all the potatoes they harvested.

Monday sees our first group on our half day course. Bob will be passing on his knowledge about the growing year. There is another day, September 14th, when he will be repeating this course. We do have two places left on that course. The full day course on the September 20th is, once again over subscribed.  We have received very positive responses from, what seems to be popular days. We will be putting more full and half day courses on the website in the future months.

As I am being Grandma next week I will crack on with my tasks and duties as fast as I can, while I can. It’s going to be another busy week.

Take care,

Grandma Ann