A Farming Year - A Big Thank You From Farmer Tim

This is the third Christmas since we restarted the farm in late 2008. There were many reasons to start farming again here, not least our own abhorrence of the food on offer in the supermarkets - from chemically castrated pork to adding water to meat. We set out to create a farm to produce food directly for people who felt the same. This year we have produced over 100 varieties of vegetables and every type of meat from traditional breeds of animals kept as we feel they should be. We had a bumper wild cherry harvest, superb strawberries and this year we can look forward to raspberries, gooseberries and blueberries. The first honey was produced by Euan the beekeeper and we now distribute over 100 farm boxes every week.

As well as producing real food, it is important to us to farm in a way that enhances the beauty of the countryside and the conservation of wildlife. Just this afternoon I spotted two snipe, it's only the second time I have seen them here. In the spring a group of ornithologists spotted over 30 different species in a morning. For five years in a row now the grey partridges have successfully bred and the local wildfowl population is booming. The mallard did especially well this year.

The idea of an ecological approach to farming is to have intimate diversity of all species. This starts with a healthy soil and vibrant insect population. A positive sign of this in the summer was the number of butterflies and moths spotted. Also we hosted two bat walks this year, the farm is alive with bats at night. All of this is down to not using insecticides; hedges, beetle banks, new woodlands, wildflower mixes, pollen and wild bird seed strips, but most of all, its actually down to you dear reader. You make the difference when you buy food from farms that do these things. The truth is that everyone farms every time they eat. It's our customers who make the difference to the birds and us. Thank you.

We were on Radio 4's Farming today programme earlier in the year. Adam Henson the CountryFile presenter came out and I shared some of the nightmares of starting a farm like this during a major recession and taking on trying to do so much at once. There continue to be challenges every day. Some of the hardest things this year have been: Two major break-ins. Theft of a rotivator, pressure washer, meat, tools and scrap metal Buying butchery equipment from someone who turned out not to even own it. The worst winter for 30 years last year, and an even worse one so far this year!

It has been seriously hard work, especially for my partner Emma without whom none of this would be possible and who has worked tirelessly with hardly a day off all year. Our thanks go to William and Grace who have had very busy parents and who will be helping feed and water the animals on Christmas Day. One day I hope they understand why dad sold the Mercedes to buy cows!

Its a very difficult life from a business point of view, but it is very healthy and enjoyable work. There is much less of me, partly I think due to eating food we grow, partly from physical work on the farm and no doubt stressing over the overdraft too! Despite the nightmares, for me what is happening here and the farm coming together is thirty years of dreaming coming to life.

Rural Care, run brilliantly by Ann, was recognised with an invitation to Highgrove and lunch with other care farmers and Prince Charles in May. We are a registered education centre and provide care and learning experiences for adults with learning difficulties. Here is what some of them say:

“I work here! I like coming here. We cleaned out the chickens and they looked so happy with their new straw” - June

“Weeding - I love weeding!” - Janice

“The orphaned lamb sits on my lap and I have to feed it milk with a bottle. The lamb thinks I am his dad” - Ronald

Ann and Dan were also the first people to be married in "Squitmore" in September, a brilliant day and I hope we can host many anniversary parties.

Group visitors to the farm have included the local wildlife trust, transition groups as well as rotary, local builders Willmott Dixon and East Herts Council. We are lucky to have a very talented events team led by Faye. She has fixed it for Glaxo to build beehives, organised small conferences, WI talks, Welly Wanging, Mad Hatters Childrens Parties and Campfire events with music under the stars.

Rozelle has brought a new professionalism to our Farm Store and Adrian has chef'd over 20,000 meals. Becky, Agata and Sam have grown and developed the weekly farm box service.... and now I am beginning to worry about mentioning everyone (thanks dad for looking after the pigs!) So if you are reading this and have / are helping out - from butchery to Kate, Richard and the growing team, to tree planters and volunteers as well as our seasonal interns, from the youngest Charity to the young for their age or not (mother-in-law if we were married!) oops, now am tongue twisted.... thank you.

Thank you for your part in recreating Church Farm as a place for wildlife, beauty, diversity, community and people.

Happy Christmas and all the best for 2011.

Tim

“Harmony” & Cream Tea: A talk by Tony Juniper

Join us for afternoon tea & scones followed by a talk and book signing by Tony Juniper - co-author with Prince Charles of “Harmony: A new way of looking at our world” on Saturday 4th December from 4pm – 6pm.

Harmony tells the story of how our disconnection from Nature has contributed to the greatest crisis in the history of mankind and how seeking balance in our actions will return us to a more considered, secure, comfortable and cleaner world. The authors draw on many examples including Church Farm.

Tony Juniper is a campaigner, writer, sustainability adviser and a well-known British environmentalist. For more than 25 years he has worked for change toward a more sustainable society at local, national and international levels.

Price: £9.50 (£6.00 for Ardeley residents and groups of 10+)
Pre-booking is essential – Limited Availability!

To book please contact Faye Maher
Telephone: 01438 861 447 ext 208

Not Your Average Turkeys

If you’ve visited the farm recently, not only will you know that our turkeys are high-welfare, you also won’t have failed to have noticed that they’re high-class too. Our birds, including the heritage Norfolk Blacks, have been listening to classical radio and have even been known to enjoy a bit of The Archers.

Such a spectacle often leaves visitors slightly bemused, or at least a little curious. But don’t worry, we haven’t completely lost it! The radio is in fact to ward off cunning foxes and (touch wood!) so far it’s been working.

You see, we don’t think it’s the fox’s fault that millions of years of evolution have primed it to have a taste for our poultry. However, that doesn’t mean we’d be too happy if one managed to outwit us. The responsibility therefore lies with the farmer to outwit the fox and protect their birds. And in this age of the internet and jumbo jets, putting up a tall fence, surrounding the bottom with an electric fence and throwing in a radio really wasn’t beyond us.

The only dilemma this now leaves us with is…...What are we going to do when the radio starts playing Christmas music?

Help Spread the Word

Being the local venture that it is, the farm relies on people who like us to spread the word. Here's a few ideas of how you can help:

1. Tell your friends and family. To start this off, why not tell the one friend you think would be most interested.

2. Follow us on Facebook and suggest our page to friends. Use the ‘Suggest to Friends’ function below our profile picture to do this.

3. LIKE our regular Facebook updates. When you do this it will go through to your friends’ news feeds and will hopefully catch their attention. The more you do this, the more likely they are to notice.

4. Follow us on Twitter.

5. Come visit the farm and bring a friend (or two). Visitors can walk the farms footpaths, relax on an Autumn afternoon in the cafe or even feed the piglets.

6. Buy someone special one of our farm boxes. Present buying isn’t easy, especially when you don’t want to buy junk that will be forgotten about by the end of the week. Our farm boxes are a great idea for a gift (everybody's got to eat) And the difference between telling someone about the farm and involving them in the farm is massive.

Keep an eye out for more of this sort of thing to come and if you have any ideas on how we can spread the word or any suggestions in general, please do get in touch.

Rural Care co-farmers have been carefully incubating duck eggs over the past month and this week they've hatched.

Down in the chick brooding shed today

Welwyn Meeting Monday 4th October

One of our challenges as a small farm is connecting direct with the
customer. Neighbourhood groups make it easier for small farms to
deliver the freshest produce by agreeing to collect them from a single drop off point. It also helps to reduce food miles, support local business and is an opportunity for the group to meet up.

We are delighted that The White Hart in Welwyn has offered to be a
drop off point where people close by can collect their produce boxes weekly. Simply:

1) Sign up to a regular Farm Box. You can tailor the contents and choose exactly how much veg, fruit, meat, eggs and other essentials you need.

2) Collect your box from the White Hart every Friday. Don’t worry if you miss the delivery van, your box will be available for collection until the following morning.

You’ll also be entitled to a 20% discount on workshops, courses and events at the farm and invited to participation days where you can get involved in the life of the farm and see how it’s run and why.

To find out more about the box scheme, Church Farm, and the produce grown on the farm, we are holding an informal ‘info’ meeting at The White Hart, Welwyn from 7pm-8pm on Monday 4th October. Drinks and samples will be available too! If you wish to attend, please call 01438 861 447 or email georgina.hayes@churchfarmardeley.co.uk

Autumn Almanac

Thursday was the Autumn equinox and despite a sunny Saturday, with the mornings feeling notably chillier the weather is showing little sign of lagging behind. Thursday was also the night of the Harvest Moon, the closest full moon to the equinox, making this year’s Harvest Moon an extra special ‘Super Harvest Moon’.

Traditionally the Harvest Moon is said to have had a special significance for farmers as it is a period when the time of complete darkness between sunset and moonrise is particularly short, helping farmers to work later to bring in their crop.

Attentions on the farm have begun to turn to the festival laden run up to Christmas. We’re busy making plans for events for Halloween, Guy Fawkes Night and of course Advent and Christmas. Keep an eye on the events section of the website over the coming weeks for further details.

Talking of Christmas, down in the woods our Heritage Norfolk Black and British White turkeys are being treated to some new shelters so they can hide away from all this drizzle we’ve been getting. Expect to hear from us soon about how you can order yours for the Christmas table.

Finally and excitingly, Church Farm’s very first stock of honey is now for sale in the farm shop. Euan Brierley, Church Farm’s beekeeper, set up the small apiary of two hives in the orchard two years back. He wanted to use the venture to raise awareness about the importance of bees in keeping our farms and gardens productive. Through beekeeping courses held at the Farm, Euan has been helping inexperienced beekeepers develop the skills needed to take up the hobby and to play their role in protecting our bees. So when you spread some honey onto your toast on a frosty January morning, not only will you get the sweet delights of last years summer sun, you’ll also be playing your part in helping to protect our much needed bees.

Segregating the Chickens

The fences around Church Farm's chicken enclosures serve many purposes. While the chickens themselves are free to roam large sections of the woodland within their bounds, the chicken wire ensures that they never wander too far away and that predators such as foxes can't attack them during the night.

It also helps to segregate the roosters from the hens. However, some of the roosters have developed a knack for jumping the fence and escaping into the adjacent enclosures. This is even more of a problem than it may at first seem – surrounded by potential mates, the overly vigorous roosters actually pose a threat to the hens. Several have been found dead as a result of too much aggressive attention.

In order to contain the them, a new six-foot fence is being erected around one of the enclosures. This is no simple task; these are free range chickens and the perimeter of even the smallest enclosure comes close to 80 yards. Knocking in new fence posts and suspending that much chicken wire is a laborious job that will take two men the best part of a week to complete even for a single plot.

This is a particularly pain at the moment because we have a temporary shortage of labour. Much better to complete it now, however, because the winter brings its own problems. Plus, who wants to be putting up a fence in November? There's something satisfying about building a fence, anyway; you can leave something lasting before moving onto the next task.

A video about Rural Care

Farm News: 23/07/10

Farm
• The new calf born in the last week is doing well. In the first few days, the mothers "park" their calves whilst they go off to graze, usually at the edge of fields or in long grass. It constantly amazes us how both mother and offspring know
exactly what to do.
• This week saw the arrival of more turkey chicks as well as guinea fowl chicks which are now in the chick shed and stable near the car park.
• For weeks, our Rural Care Co-farmers have been looking after and turning the Church Farm duck eggs in our chick shed. Over the last couple of days, we’ve seen 14 successful hatchlings. Come and have a look when you visit us next!



Store, Café and Veg & Meat Boxes
• Get your sustainable charcoal from the store or order a BBQ box with the butcher.
• Have you seen our new selection of dips?
• A boneless leg of pork is now £5.98/kg instead of £6.18/kg
• Look out for filo pastry with cream cheese and plums in the café.

Events, Workshops and Courses
• Have you booked to come to our Campfire, Music and Sleep Under the Stars Weekend on 24th July?
• Our new summer programme is now online: http://www.churchfarmardeley.co.uk/pdfs/SummerCoursesEvents2.pdf

Rural Care• On Monday, Ann, Emma and Brian from the Rural Care team visited Butterfly Lodge (another Care Farm in Colchester) to share ideas and experiences. Butterfly Lodge
make and sell their own ice cream - made from goat’s milk. It definitely got the thumbs up from Brian! We’re now looking into selling the same ice cream in our store for all to taste and enjoy.

"Meat" the Butcher

Did you know that we’d opened our own Farm Butchery offering you the finest standard Church Farm meats and expert advice? With the aim of providing food for people rather than commodities for market, our butchery team will be bringing back that personal touch by cutting and preparing meat to your needs and dietary requirements –all at prices comparable to supermarkets. What’s more, we’ll organise weekly “Taste of the Farm” sessions (where you can try before you buy), offer sausage-making courses, take customised orders for BBQs, dinner parties or Sunday lunches, and share all of our useful hints, tips and recipe ideas with you. The Farm Butchery is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 9.30am-6pm.

Recipe of the Week: Belly Pork Strips in BBQ sauce

Ingredients
3 lb (1.35 kg) belly pork, trimmed and cut into
8 thick strips (trimmed weight 2 lb 8 oz/1.15 kg)
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion chopped small
freshly milled black pepper
For the sauce:
5 tablespoons dry cider or wine
5 tablespoons Japanese soy sauce
1 heaped tablespoon tomato puree
1 heaped teaspoon ground ginger
1 fat garlic clove, crushed
1 tablespoon light soft brown sugar

Method
1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6, 400°F (200°C).
2. First of all, make sure the strips of belly pork are absolutely dry by patting them with kitchen paper. Then rub each one all over with olive oil and season with freshly milled pepper (but no salt because of the sauce).
3. Now pop them into the roasting tin, tucking the chopped onion in among them and sprinkling them with a few more drops of oil. Place the tin on the highest shelf in the oven and let them cook for 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, make up the barbecue sauce simply by whisking all the sauce ingredients together until blended thoroughly.
5. When the pork has been cooking for 30 minutes, pour off any excess oil from the roasting tin, then pour the barbecue sauce over the pork and cook for a further 25 minutes, basting frequently.

Chef Jamie Oliver says: "The lovely thick layer of fat on this particular cut keeps the meat really moist as it roasts, and also gives you an incredible even layer of delicious crackling. Belly is a very underrated cut in the UK, but it is becoming a favourite on gastropub menus, and rightly so. If you're worried about scoring the crackling yourself, ask your butcher to do it for you, that’s what he’s there for."

Ware Raft Race

Siân Duncan and friends borrowed barrels from us over the weekend to take part in Ware Raft Race. Yes, they did capsize but they eventually got going again - coming 7th out of 10! Well done!

The Prince's Countryside Fund

The Prince of Wales has, for many years, done what he can to make a difference for the better in rural communities. Now, in a continuation of his work to support
Britain’s rural areas, The Prince of Wales has created The Prince’s Countryside Fund.
The Fund places improving the sustainability of British farming and rural communities; reconnecting consumers with countryside issues; and supporting farming crisis charities through a dedicated emergency funding system as its biggest priorities. The charity comes at a time when the farming industry desperately needs an economic boost. Research by the National Farmers’ Union found that in 2008 the average annual farmer’s income was £18,185 for a seven day working week, dropping to just £6,000 for those in upland areas. Beneficiaries of the charity will include The Farmer Network, which will use its grant to train eight people in hill farming skills, and Upper Teesdale Agricultural Support Service, which will give IT training to 24 farmers to help them manage their businesses more efficiently, as well as providing advice to 450 hill farming businesses.

Moths and Butterfies

During our morning Butterfly Walk with Andrew Wood from the Butterfly Conservation
Hertfordshire and Middlesex Branch recently, we managed to spot 12 species of butterfly around the farm. These included: Small/Essex Skipper, Large Skipper, Small White, Green-veined White, Large White, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma, Red Admiral, Marbled White, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper and Ringlet.

Moth Night with Colin Plant
If you would like to learn more about moths, join author of “The Moths of Hertfordshire” - Colin Plant – at 10pm on Saturday 31st July for a walk and talk at Church Farm. The session will include moth trapping and the identification of different moth species. A wild experience for all the family. Adults £6.50, Children £3.50. Pre-booking is essential!

Farm News: 16/07/10

Farm• We’ve had two new litters of pigs this week. One very difficult farrowing on a hot summer’s day ended in a complication. Unfortunately, 8 piglets were born dead after 8were born alive. This is always upsetting, but working on the land teaches you that death is all part of life.
• It is possible that the biggest step forward in human health was the provision of clean drinking water to the population. We are, therefore, applying the same thinking to the animals and constantly cleaning troughs. Do let us know if you see one that needs cleaning! We add a small amount of apple cider vinegar to the water to deter algae formation followed by some garlic powder to help ward off flies. The water itself is distributed around the farm from our borehole. This gives us spring quality water from a lake 60 meters below us! So all the animals here, as well as humans, are drinking Ardeley spring water.

Store, Café and Veg & Meat Boxes• The butchery will finally be opening this weekend!
Come in for your fresh cuts of meat and to see Pete, our butcher, in action. He will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
• The café now has a new chiller which means that we can provide more fresh chilled puddings.
• Last week’s delicious wild cherry roasted duck breast sold out in two days!

Events, Workshops and Courses
• Look out for our new summer events programme this weekend. New workshops include: Grow your own food, peg-loom weaving, moth night, wildflower walk, sausage-making, elderberry, and preserving.
• Come along to our Campfire, Music and Sleep Under the Stars Weekend on 24th July. Adults £10, Under 16s £8, Under 2s £2. Free for musicians and volunteers. Prebooking is essential.

Veg of the Week: Patty Pan

Scallop or Pattypan Squash is a Summer Squash that's delicious raw, steamed, sautéed, grilled, roasted, fried, or baked. It's fun shape (almost a flying saucer with scalloped edges) makes it irresistible for kids to try. Some varieties come in a bright, beautiful, yellow colour too. Pattypan squash mixes well with tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, cheese, and many fresh herbs (marjoram, rosemary, dill, thyme, parsley,... to name a few).

Rural Care News: 16/0710

• This week we’ve had some help from Groundwork Hertfordshire’s Green Team - a scheme which provides real life work experience for young people in landscaping and environmental work. The team of 5 continued making a bark chip path through the new woodlands, which Rural Care has been working on too. They also collected kindling from the wood ready for winter fires/heating.
• The co-farmers made a cake for Ross’ birthday this week. This was also shared with intern, Ben, who will be leaving next week. Ben has helped us out for 2 days a week since January, and will sorely be missed by all the co-farmers.

The Vintage Shed

Opening at Church Farm, Ardeley, on Sunday 18th July, The Vintage Shed will be specialising in a whole range of vintage items from 20th century days gone by - clothes for guys and gals, nearly new kids clothes, bric-a-brac, homestuff, collectables, music and books - all with their very own history. 10.30am – 4.30pm every Sunday.

Find out more: facebook.com/thevintagesheduk

Quote of the Week

"I think what you've created there is absolutely wonderful. I came away feeling so good about the world. I suspect that's everyone's experience who visits the place. So well done, Tim, and all your team.“ Graham Harvey following his recent visit to Church Farm.

Back Sustainable Livestock Bill

Factory farming of meat and dairy is wiping out rainforests and wildlife and helping push the planet to the brink of runaway climate change. Forests are being cleared and communities forced from their homes in South America so that big business can grow animal feed for the UK on huge plantations. Much of this animal feed is GM. The Friends of the Earth Food Chain campaign is calling on Government to revolutionise the way we produce meat and dairy. We need real action to halt the environmental destruction in South America and support thriving, planet-friendly farming in the UK. The good news is there's now a real chance for our Government to fix the food chain. Graham Harvey, inspiring author of Carbon Fields and Killing of the Countryside – also a friend of Church Farm - is helping Friends of the Earth launch their Early Day Motion (EDM) at the Houses of Parliament next week in support of the Sustainable Livestock Bill which was introduced to Parliament on 30th June. This new Bill will commit the Government to take action to make the changes we need a reality. By showing their support for the Bill, your MP can make a big difference to its chances of becoming law!

http://www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/biodiversity/press_for_change/back_sustainable_livestock_bill_24522.html

Farm News: 09/07/10

Farm
• The turkeys have moved to their woodland home and their voices are telling us that they are happy exploring the undergrowth. Unfortunately, we lost one to a stoat this
week. They’re now 6 weeks old so we hope not to lose anymore between now and Christmas!
• So far, we have 230 bales of silage and will need at least 600 and the same of straw ready for next winter.
• The ragwort, thistle and dock battle has commenced...

Store, Café and Veg & Meat Boxes
• Freshly picked Church Farm broad beans, French beans, flat beans, mange tout, cucumber, courgette and wild cherries can be bought in store.
• The new butchery will be ready soon – tiling has already been completed.
• All organic and natural toiletries for men, women and children have been reduced.

Events, Workshops and Courses
• Butterfly Walk and Talk: Identify the species of butterflies that can be found during high summer with butterfly expert Andrew Wood at 10.30am on 10th July. Adults £6.50, Children £3.50.
• Knitting Workshop: Have you ever wanted to learn how to knit, but never known how to begin? If so, come and join our two-hour knitting workshop at 10am on 10th July. £10.
• Beekeeping Course: Join beekeeper, Euan Brierley, at 2pm to 5pm on 17th July to find out more about why bees are kept in hives, the life cycle of the bee, essential beekeeping equipment and the risks involved. As long as the weather is fine, you’ll also be able to open up our hives. £30.

Rural Care
• Three children from Jubilee House Care Trust came along for an afterschool session at the farm this week. This Welwyn based organisation help to organise activities for people with learning disabilities, especially in the evenings. The children collected eggs, boxed them up and fed the pigs and sheep. They finished their visit with a scrumptious dinner at the Café.
• We also run regular days for Greenside School, a school in Stevenage specifically
for people with learning difficulties. They do a bit of work around farm on Mondays(as you can see in the photos (left)) and will be attending every week when next year’s term starts.

Customer Quote of the Week

‘....Although it may seem expensive at first I am saving money as I don’t go in to the supermarket now if I can help it, I’m one of those people who goes in for a pint of milk and comes out with 10 other items I didn’t really need! ‘ Kristine Bean (Veg box customer)

Recipe of the Week: Quinoa and coriander chicken with grilled courgette

Ingredients
275g (9 3/4oz) organic quinoa
230g (8oz) organic mini chicken fillets
1tsp freshly crushed coriander seeds
2 long courgettes, thinly sliced
4tbsp pure rice bran oil
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
4 cloves garlic finely chopped
2cm (3/4in) fresh ginger, peeled and sliced thinly, then chopped
1 large bunch spring onions, thinly sliced
Herbs or mini leaves to scatter over, to serve

Method
1. Soak the quinoa in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes, strain through a fine
sieve and rinse.
2. Put in a pan with 850ml (1½pt) of salted boiling water, and simmer without
the lid for 10 minutes, until the seeds just begin to pop to show a little of the
germ. Place the lid on the pan, turn off the heat and leave until any remaining
water has been absorbed. Tip onto a plate and leave to cool.
3. Cut the chicken into 2cm (3/4in) lengths and toss with the coriander seeds
and a little sea salt and pepper. Set the grill to high and line a baking tray with
tinfoil.
4. Toss the courgettes with 1 tablespoon of the oil and grind over some
pepper. Grill 15cm (6in) from the heat for 8 minutes, until lightly charred
golden, and turn over and cook for another three minutes.
5. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok. Add the chicken and fry on all sides for
5 minutes, transfer to a bowl and wipe out the wok. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil
and add the chilli, garlic and ginger.
Stir-fry for a few minutes, then add the spring onions and the quinoa. Stir to
mix, add the chicken and fold through with the grilled courgettes. Scatter
over a mixture of herbs or mini leaves of your choice.

Reference: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/food/article-1291178/Recipe-Quinoa-coriander-chicken-grilled-courgette.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Dear Veg Box customers

Dear Box customers…
We hope you are enjoying the glorious summer weather! We understand that you cannot always be home to receive your box. However, we want you to be able to enjoy the high quality of our produce. We would therefore, like to remind you that the Farm and Meat Boxes contain items that must be refrigerated or frozen. If you are not home to receive your box and if you haven’t done so already, please let the box scheme team know where to place your box. You could arrange a drop off with your neighbour, leave a cool box out or have your box returned to the Farm Shop to collect the next day. Please advise us of your preferred option as we are unable to accept responsibility for your box once it has been

EU votes against compulsory GM food labelling

Campaigners angry at EU's decision to keep consumers 'in the dark' over food from
animals given genetically modified (GM) feed. Consumers will continue to be none the
wiser about whether they are eating food from animals raised on genetically-modified
feed after MEPs voted against introducing a compulsory label rule. There is currently
no requirement on the food industry to label meat or dairy products produced using
GM animal feed, usually made from GM soya or maize. However, campaigners have
argued that consumers should be given a choice about whether or not to buy such
produce. A recent poll commissioned by Friends of the Earth found that less than 40
per cent of the public was aware that GM was creeping onto their plates via imported
GM cereals and protein crops fed to livestock in the UK. Almost 90 per cent of those
surveyed wanted these products to be clearly labelled. Genewatch director Dr Helen
Wallace said consumers should be 'given a choice' and blamed the vote against labelling on lobbying from the food industry. 'They want consumer decisions to focus on the end product you see on the shelf and not the wider issues,' she said. The vote against feed labelling comes as the EU commission prepares to approve the import of six new GM maize varieties after lobbying by biotech firms Syngenta and Monsanto.

Have you tasted Church Farm wild cherries?

Over the last 50 years, we have lost 90% of our cherry orchards and now import
around 95% of the cherries we eat. British Cherry Day on 17 July aims to raise
awareness about how the British public can save the British cherry. Don’t forget to
try some Church Farm wild cherries in the Store or Café.

Farm News: 02/07/10

Farm- Turkey pen restoration is going on in the woods. The poults are growing fast and will be ready to move to their woodland home at six weeks old - next week!
• Phillip Franklin has been busy cutting haylage on our behalf - about 130 bales are now back here. We need around 500 for this coming winter.
• Peas are growing fantastically well in Lowany field. Chicory is growing strong despite the drought and is providing good forage.
• We have selected 13 pedigree Lops for potential breeding. We also have a home-reared Lop boar which will be visiting the "girls" in the next few weeks! More due to farrow next week - two Berkshires due 8th July.
• Just as the mange tout has run out, the climbing french beans have come to fruition. That’s the sign of a good veg grower!

Store, Café and Veg & Meat Boxes
• A welcome return to the lemon tart in the Café.
• Salad bag contains mixed lettuce, nasturtium petals and beet thinnings. (As beetroot typically grows from ‘seed clusters’ rather than single seeds, you always have to remove some of the seedlings from the rows so that the remaining ones will have enough space in the soil to produce large roots.)
• Get a taste of the farm: Pick up a ready-made Farm box in store (weekends only)

Events, Workshops and Courses
• Are you interested in astronomy, photography or even both? If so, astronomical photographer, Nik Szymanek, will be coming to give a talk on the latest techniques used to photograph galaxies, the moon and sun at 7pm on Saturday 3rd July. Adults £6.50, Children £3.50.
• Come along to our Campfire, Music and Sleep Under the Stars Weekend on 24th July. There will be jamming, campfires and camaraderie. No electric : No impact : Compost Loos : No litter. Just bring everything you need for your comfort and survival. Adults £10, Under 16s £8, Under 2s £2. Free for musicians and volunteers. Prebooking
is essential.

Rural Care
• One of our college students, who only came to Church Farm as part of his course, has received an award for outstanding achievement from North Hertfordshire College. Well done!
• Saffron, a work experience student from Buntingford Freeman College, joined the Rural Care team this week. She found the work interesting and turned duck eggs in the incubator with Susanne.
• Pumpkins have been planted by Teasha and Susannne in the Forest Garden.
• The herb area is looking its best again after a thorough weeding session this week!
• The beans for the veg box scheme have been harvested by Rural Care.

Help Save the Bees

For the past 10 years, colonies of bees have decreased at an alarming rate. A phenomenon called colony collapse disorder has been killing them off en masse, and beekeepers have been quick to alert the public about their high hive mortality. The bees are threatened by new and intensive farming practices(heavy usage of technologies such as pesticides and chemical fertilisers, plant growth regulators, and methods such as mono-cropping and organised irrigation), climate change and the arrival of the Asian hornet. In recent years, the mortality rate of bees has quadrupled. The disappearance of bees endangers the beekeeping profession and threatens agriculture and the food supply (according to French scientists from INRA and the CNRS, 35% of world production of fruits, vegetables and oilseeds depends on the activities of the pollinators).

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jun/23/cancities-save-bees

You can help!!!
Join Euan Brierley on 17th July (2pm-5pm) or 7th August (2pm-5pm) to find out more about why bees are kept in hives, the life cycle of the bee, essential beekeeping equipment and the risks involved. You’ll also have the opportunity to open up Church Farm hives providing that the weather is fine. If you can’t wait to keep bees and/or want to help save them, then this is the course for you! £30.

Supermarkets selling meat from animals fed GM crops

Supermarkets across Britain are routinely selling food from animals reared on genetically modified crops without having to declare it on labelling, it can be disclosed. They have acknowledged that meat, fish, eggs and dairy products on their shelves could contain “indirect” GM ingredients. Last night supermarkets including Iceland, Aldi and Lidl said they could provide no guarantee that meat, farmed fish, eggs or dairy products on sale did not come from animals given GM feed. Asda said “all livestock” could potentially have been fed GM products. Sainsbury’s and Tesco said poultry and animals for certain high value lines were fed a non-GM diet. But they could not guarantee animal products from most of the rest of the range. M&S and Waitrose, which promote a tougher stance against factory-farmed foods, sell processed food such as chicken sandwiches and ice cream produced from animals fed a GM diet. Pete Riley, of the campaign group GM Freeze, said: “No supermarket can claim to be non-GM, they might have aspired to be at one point, but effectively they have been pulling the wool over people’s eyes.” The disclosures have reignited the debate about the use of genetic technology in food production following health and environmental concerns.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/7852762/Supermarkets-selling-meat-from-animals-fed-GM-crops.html

Scouting trips at Church Farm

Chells Beavers visited Church Farm at the beginning of July. They had a tour of the farm, fed the animals, collected eggs, played in the woodland, and planted their own patch of vegetables as part of one of their badges. They even had the chance to meet Mr Bee and each received a certificate of thanks for helping on the farm. Walkern Cubs and Buntingford Rib Beavers also visited the farm this week. They all had a great time!

Going back in time...

Julian Even-hart a local historical researcher, metal detectorist, archaeologist and published author, is hopefully going to be able to tell us more about the history of the farm through a series of metal detection surveys. He’s already carried out a small survey of where the village dump used to be. “It was most interesting..I found fragments of Victorian glassware some from Wrights Lemonade who used to be at Walkern, a Ginger Beer bottle, a whetsone for sharpening shears and sickle blades, two corroded sickle blades, what is probably a Donkey shoe and then a 0.50 callibre bullet, a broken 0.50 shell case and then another complete case. This is fascinating as these bullets have two possibilities either from the 1943 crash at Bennington of a P47 Thunderbolt or from the 1944 B17 bomber that crashed down at Walkern.”

Farm News 25-06-10

Farm
• Wild Cherries are nearly ready. You can pick and try a few by wandering the new Woodland Walks and Picnic/Play area.
• Unfortunately, a 6-day old calf died this week. As well as the sadness of losing such a young one, we have to wait another year until Mum has another.
• Thistle wars are about to start, guided by the maxim - "Cut them in May and they will grow away, cut them in June and they will come again soon, cut them in July and they will die”
• Inspirational author Graham Harvey visited the farm this week.
• 10 Berkshire and 12 British lop piglets have been born in the Great Field.

Store, Café and Veg & Meat Boxes
• Have you heard about our weekly Farm boxes? Get your meat, veg, milk, eggs and bread all at once!
• Taste the Farm – try our meat tasters at the Store this weekend.
• It’s perfect BBQ weather - get your fresh BBQ cuts from the butcher in store.
• We’re now producing enough duck eggs to sell by the half dozen.
• This week’s salad will contain mixed lettuce leaves (including xanadu and roxy varities), pea tops, ruby chard, bean tops, and nasturtium petals.

Events, Workshops and Courses
• Are you interested in astronomy, photography or even both? If so, astronomical photographer, Nik Szymanek, will be coming to give a talk on the latest techniques used to photograph galaxies, the moon and sun at 7pm on Saturday 3rd July. Adults £6.50, Children £3.50.
• Due to popular demand, we will be running another herbal remedies course on Saturday 7th August. 10am-4pm. £20.
• Come along to our Campfire, Music and Sleep Under the Stars Weekend on 24th July. There will be jamming, campfires and camaraderie. No electric : No impact : Compost Loos : No litter. Just bring everything you need for your comfort and survival. Adults £10, Under 16s £8, Under 2s £2. Free for musicians and volunteers. Prebooking is essential.
• Our new summer events calendar will be out very soon. Look out for new workshops and courses on topics such as sausage-making, grow your own food and elderberry, as well as Church Farm favourites, such as beekeeping and spinning.
• As with all our events, pre-booking is essential.

Rural Care
• Rural Care has helped to collect goose and duck eggs and put them into incubators. The co-farmers are also helping in the incubating process so they should see them
hatching.
• They’ve been helping feed the chicks in the chick shed and have collected chicken eggs on a daily basis.
• In addition, the co-farmers have been sowing seeds for herbs to sell in store and building extra composting space to process all green/café waste.

Mother Goose Pre-School Visit

Sixty parents and children from Mother Goose Pre-School came on a school trip to Church Farm on 21st June. They went on tractor and trailer rides with the farmer, fed the animals and explored our new woodland walk/play area. They all had a smashing day!

“Can I say first of all how much we enjoyed our visit. What a wonderful day out! I found the tour around the farm really interesting. I think I was expecting some kind of tame, prettied-up tourist farm, but what you provided was so much better and more interesting than that. I would like to bring the rest of my family back soon.”

20,000 leeks!!!

The horticulture team have finally finished planting 20,000 leeks in our kitchen garden. Well done and a big thank you to everyone who helped out!!!

To be harvested next week…

The horticulture team will be harvesting courgettes, chard, beetroot, turnips, garlic, mange tout/climbing french beans, and broad beans.

Overconsumption is costing us the earth and human happiness

Have you seen the Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard on YouTube? A frank and cleverly animated short film telling the story of the American love affair with stuff and how it is quite literally trashing the planet. Three years on and it's a viral online phenomenon; seen by 10 million people in homes and classrooms all over the world. Now she has followed up the video with a book of the same name. Leonard has surprised many, though, by not actually being against stuff. She isn't even anti consumption. In fact, she feels lots of people should be consuming more. Just not most of us in the western world who often over-consume. Consumption can be good, she says. "I don't want to be callous to the people who really do need more stuff". But consumerism is always bad, adding little to our wellbeing as well as being disastrous for the planet. "[It's] a particular strand of overconsumption, where we purchase things, not to fulfil our basic needs, but to fill some voids about our lives and make social statements about ourselves," she explains. "It turns out our stuff isn't making us any happier," she argues. Our obsessive relationship with material things is actually jeopardising our relationships, as well as our communities. "Which are proven over and over to be the biggest determining factor in our happiness [once our basic needs are met].“

Find out: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/21/overconsumption-environment-relationships-annie-leonard

Farm News: 18-06-10

Farm
• Despite being knocked back somewhat by a break-in and the theft of batteries and meat the night before, Open Farm Sunday was a great success and we had over a hundred visitors to the farm.
• There is now a woodland walk and play area where people can picnic and children can explore.
• We’re trying to figure out how we can treat the 3000 posts on the farm over the summer!
• Sheep shearing was completed in amazing time. We now have plenty of fleeces in the shed and the ewes are looking trim.
• We’ve been topping thistles and chain harrowing pastures this past week.
• Two calves have been born. Both are doing well. Two pigs are also due to farrow anytime.

Store and Veg & Meat Boxes
• The butchery area in the store will be ready in less than a month. We’re counting down the days…
• Please note that any changes to box deliveries need to be emailed to meatandvegboxes@churchfarmardeley.co.uk before 4pm on a Tuesday for Friday’s delivery

Café
• Our new trial home-made ice cream flavour for this week is banana and chocolate.
• New on the menu is our savoury summer pudding.
• Coming soon: American-style breakfast pancakes. Yum!

Events, Workshops and Courses
• For June and July only – while the sheep are being shorn – we will only be charging £35 for a day of spinning tuition (including tea/coffee) and £5 for materials.
• Our three hour beekeeping courses, which cover why bees are kept in hives, the life cycle of the bee, essential beekeeping equipment, the risks involved and include the hands-on experience of opening up our bee hives will be taking place on 25th June (6pm-9pm), 17th July (2pm-5pm) and 7th August (2pm-5pm). £30.
• An additional knitting workshop has now been arranged for 10th July (10am-12pm). £10.
• Chicken keeping course dates have been extended to August and September. They will be running from 10.30am-3pm on 18th June, 30th July, 17th August and 11th September.
• Remember you can still help the farmer collect eggs everyday at 11am and 3pm. £4.95per child (free for accompanying adult). You’ll get to feed the chickens and take half a dozen eggs home with you!

A very merry 'unbirthday' to you

Florence celebrated her 6th birthday in style on Sunday by having a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party with all of her friends and family at Church Farm. There were lots of fun games including pin the grin on the Cheshire cat and an Alice in Wonderland photo mission in the woods. They even had a chance to feed the piggies! ☺ If you’d like more information about our birthday parties or group functions, please contact Faye on 01438 861 447 or faye@churchfarmardeley.co.uk.

Tesco is no champion to the poor

Sir Terry Leahy is retiring as head of Tesco after 14 years, "to spend more time with his private investments.“ He got the sort of press that'll make a nice decorative feature in his downstairs loo. He is one of the "10 people who have most helped the poor in recent decades," said the Tory blogger Tim Montgomerie in a Times piece, straplined 'champion of the poor'. "Every little he did helped us," said The Sun. "The outstanding businessman of the decade," said the Mail. Do these people get out at all? They could visit one of the towns in Britain, such as Inverness, where three in every £4 is spent in a Tesco store; take a walk down the high streets reduced to a pathetic straggle of charity shops and tanning parlours. Then Leahy's fans might begin to see why another part of the population - among them farmers, small business people and independent shop owners - don't think Sir Terry helped at all.

Full article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2010/jun/10/tesco-terry-leahy-supermarkets

A treat of a day for your Dad

Celebrate Father’s Day at Church Farm this Sunday. Dads can hop onto the tractor and trailer ride for FREE or walk the footpaths and feed the animals with all the family. Purchase BBQ or traditional cuts of meat from the store for your Father’s Day lunch or dinner. And, if you’re still looking for that perfect present, why not buy some of our unique Father’s Day sausages or Church Farm vouchers. Alternatively, take advantage of the special introductory price on our sausage-making taster sessions. The workshops – taking place in August and September - will involve a butchery demonstration by Pete, our new butcher, followed by a lesson in making your very own sausages. You’ll even get the chance to take home half a dozen. £50.

Mange tout, bacon and poached egg salad

Ingredients
A small handful of mange tout (topped and tailed)
A handful of salad leaves
2/3 rashers of smoked bacon
1 egg (hen or duck)
Tablespoon of Malt Vinegar
Salt and Pepper
Salad dressing (Optional)

Method
1. Put a pan of water (minimum of 4 inches deep) on to boil with salt and a tablespoon of malt vinegar. Bring to the boil. Turn the heat down so that it’s still boiling but bubbles are just breaking the surface (rolling boil).
2. Meanwhile, put a frying pan on heat and pick your leaves to required size. Fry the bacon in no oil and poach the egg for 3 – 3.5 minutes until soft.
4. Arrange the mixed leaves around the outer edge of the plate. Put the picked and washed mange tout in the middle of the plate. Remove your poached egg from the pan and dry off on a paper towel. Place the bacon on top of the mange tout and the egg on top of the bacon.
5. Optional: Dress the salad but not the mange tout. Add a slight sprinkling of cracked pepper and salt just prior to serving.

New ways to work conference

• Rural Care co-farmers and joint degree student nurse/social worker, Emma Lesurf, ran a stall at the ‘New ways to work conference’ on 11th June in Hatfield. The conference focussed on progression routes into employment for young people aged between 16 and 25 with learning disabilities. Katy, one of the co-farmers said: ’We had a great day and sold eggs we had collected earlier that week’.
• Three of our co-farmers finished their college course for the year this week and were awarded with certificates and presents while having a picnic in the woods.

Hyssop and Herbal Remedies Course

Hyssop has been noted for centuries in herbal medicine. The ancient use of this plant was an insecticide, insect repellent and pediculicide. The plant has been used in herbal medicine for the treatment of sore throats, colds, hoarseness and as an expectorant. Some herbalists also believe that hyssop has beneficial effects for asthma, urinary tract inflammation and appetite stimulation. Its effectiveness in relieving gas and colic are also listed under its medicinal uses. What’s more, recent studies suggest that hyssop may be useful in healing AIDS patients.
http://www.drugs.com/npp/hyssop.html

It’s Herbal Remedies Week from 19th – 26th June. So, if you’d like to learn how to make a range of simple herbal remedies and beauty products using plants from the local environment, sign up to our herbal remedies workshop on 7th August from 10am – 2pm. The 4 hour session will cover choosing plants, harvesting and drying herbs, infusions, decoctions, tinctures and syrups, hot and cold infused oils and how to make creams, ointment and body butters. £20

Farm News: 11-06-10

Farm
• Another Red Poll calf was born this week. The chicks have been moved to growers’ wood and the cattle are rotating pastures.
• It seems our climate is more extreme these days. In the past few years, there have been alternating droughts and floods. Did you know that statistically we get more rain in the summer than in the winter?
• We have been battling red mite in a few chicken sheds this week – the solution is diatomaceous earth. This consists of fossilized remains of diatoms, a type of hard shelled algae. The chickens are dusted with this, and it’s put in the sheds to act as a mechanical insecticide. Harmless to people and chickens, the abrasive fossil cuts the insect cuticle, thereby killing them.
• Please leave gates as you find them. We spent a stressful 4 hours chasing cattle around the farm on Wednesday because someone had left one of the gates open! Store and Veg & Meat Boxes
• Church Farm mange tout and strawberries are selling well in the store.
• The butcher is now able to take meat orders and answer any questions on the preparation or cooking of different cuts of meat.

Store and Veg & Meat Boxes
• Church Farm mange tout and strawberries are selling well in the store.
• The butcher is now able to take meat orders and answer any questions on the preparation or cooking of different cuts of meat.

Café
• Try out our new home-made ice cream flavours: apricot and almond, banana, blackberry and kiwi.
• All of the flowers in our salads are edible!
• Tip: To stop asparagus going limp, cut half a centimetre off the base and place in cold water in the fridge.

Events, Workshops and Courses
• Our Campfire, Music and Sleep Under the Stars Weekend went down a storm! Why don’t you book into one of our other weekends in July or September?
• A big thanks to volunteers from DuPont who came to help us transplant 4,000 leeks last Friday!
• Did you make it to Open Farm Sunday???

Church Farm Broccoli and Stilton Quiche

Ingredients
250g short pastry
6 eggs
200ml cream
1 onion
1 head of broccoli (cut into small florets)
100g stilton
Salt and pepper

Method
1. Roll out the pastry. Line in a 7inch pastry ring. Prick the base
and blind bake using baking beans or a suitable alternative e.g.
dried peas. Blind bake for 12mins at 220°C. Remove baking
beans and then bake for a further 3mins. Remove from the oven.
2. Blanch florets until al dente. Cool and place in a bowl.
3. Sauté the onion on a low heat until translucent and add to the
broccoli.
4. Whisk the eggs, cream and seasoning together, then sieve.
Combine with the broccoli and onion and add to pastry base.
5. Roughly crumble the stilton on top of the quiche.
6. Bake at 150°C for 40-50mins until firm to touch.

Vinvolved

Vinvolved North Herts brought 9 young people to the farm this week to learn more about our volunteering opportunities. As well as a tour of the farm, they collected eggs from the orchard, boxed eggs for the shop and helped feed the pigs. The youngsters were completing a five week programme, organised by Vinvolved, for young people with moderate learning difficulties and disabilities. This course aims to help increase their self confidence and self esteem, and prepare them for volunteering and the world of work.

What happens to the wool?

At Church Farm, we believe that it is important to preserve and promote traditional crafts such as spinning and weaving, so as long as the weather proves fine on Open Farm Sunday, we will be shearing our sheep and providing a demonstration on how to spin using Church Farm fleece.

*SPINNING PROMOTION*
Remember you can also sign up to one of our Spin in a Day courses. For June and July only – while the sheep are being shorn – we will only be charging £35 for a day of tuition (including tea/coffee) and £5 for materials. Give us a ring to find out more. Susan Dye and Brian Bond from the Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers also visited the farm last weekend to run a workshop on peg-loom weaving. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience for everyone involved. Look out for more peg-loom weaving workshops in the near future.

Sheep shearing and wool production

Sheep shearing and wool production has been an important part of the UK's sheep industry over the last six thousand years. The earliest sheep had pigmented coats and moulted allowing farmers to collect the fallen wool but as time went on breeds developed with improved wool characteristics. By the middle ages wool was the UK's most important output, being exported throughout Europe. Later, as exports declined, production was used domestically in the fast growing cloth industries where technological advance fuelled the industrial revolution and the move from an agrarian to urban society. Today the UK remains an important producer (7th largest in the world) exporting around one third of the annual 60,000 tonne clip. However, with wool prices at about 50 pence per kilogram the value of the raw wool that is exported is little more than £10 million and for most farmers the value of the wool does not cover the cost of shearing.

“A traditional method known as blanching…”

Waitrose has become the first UK retailer to begin selling Lasting Leaf - a new brand of bagged lettuce which is guaranteed to stay fresh for two days longer than standard bags of salad once opened. The new product has been designed to help reduce food waste and has come after several year’s research by supplier Natures Way Food (NWF). The secret behind Lasting Leaf’s extended shelf life is a traditional method known as ‘blanching’ which is used by chefs around the world to wash and refresh iceberg lettuce and other hardy leaves. According to NWF, washing hardy leaves in warm and then cold water immediately after being cut helps delay the pinking process that occurs when oxygen comes into contact with the cut surfaces of pre-packed leaves ( i.e. as soon as a bag of lettuce is opened), thus enabling the leaves to stay fresher for longer.

Farm News: 4 June 2010

Farm
• Two new bull calves and a heifer calf were born within hours of each other on Tuesday.
• Two bumper litters of 12 piglets have been born in the Great Field. All of the pigs have settled into their new field and are enjoying the new rooting and grazing.
• 350 Norfolk Black and 50 "roly poly" day-old chicks arrived on Wednesday and are viewable in the stable. The 100 guinea fowl are also doing well in the chick shed and we’ve moved some ducklings into the orchard in the middle of the village.
• Perfect weather for grass growing this week – it was sorely needed!

Store and Veg & Meat Boxes
• We have a new butcher in store – watch this space!!!
• Browse our selection of BBQ meat, marinades, ice creams and lollies.
• Buy sustainable charcoal ready for your summer BBQs.

Café
• Look out for our refreshing summer dishes including salads, Church Farm strawberries and cream, and homemade ice creams.
• Our mange tout salads with bacon and soft poached egg have definitely gone down a treat this week!
• Did you know that child portions were now available?

Events, Workshops and Courses
• Help the farmer collect eggs everyday at 11am and 3pm. Children £4.50 (must be accompanied by an adult). You’ll get to take home half a dozen of your own freshly collected free range eggs – how great does that sound!!!
• Come along to our Campfire, Music and Sleep Under the Stars Weekend on Saturday and Sunday (5th and 6th June). Relax in Handy Corner, camp or sleep under the stars. There will be jamming, campfires and camaraderie. No electric : No impact : Compost Loos : No litter. Adults £10, Under 16s £8, Under 2s £2.
• Remember, you can camp in the wild or hire one of our log cabins at anytime. Pre booking is essential.
• Did you know that we provide the perfect place for birthday parties, weddings, educational visits, Corporate sustainability events and meetings and much more?

Recipe of the Week: Church Farm Scones

Now you know our secret ingredients!

Ingredients
700g self raising flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
160g butter
6 dessert spoons caster sugar
Pinch of salt
350ml milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional: 80g sultanas

Method
1. Sift flour and baking powder together. Add salt.
2. Rub in the butter until it looks like bread crumbs.
3. Warm the milk and vanilla extract.
4. Add sugar to the flour mix and combine. Optional: Add
sultanas.
5. Add the milk and mix with a blunt knife.
6. Pat the dough so that it’s roughly 11/2 inches deep. Then cut
out with a plain cutter. Place on a warm baking tray 2inches
apart.
7. Bake for 9 minutes at 200°C until the base is golden brown.
8. Serve with clotted cream, butter and jam.

Hints and Tips
Before putting the scones in the oven, brush with egg wash or milk for added colour. If you want taller scones, use a plain cutter. A warmer tray and milk also starts the raising process quicker!

Jeremy and Phil having fun in the store and kitchen

A couple of our co-farmers help out in the store on Fridays. They serve customers, price up goods and clean. They absolutely love it. Here’s Jeremy having fun with the
pricing machine.

Phil is also back in the kitchen again and this time he’s helped bake a cake!

Be Prepared for your Big Butterfly Count

Here’s a Speckled Wood Butterfly spotted at Church Farm last week. Did you know that seven out of ten species of British butterfly are declining and half are threatened with extinction? Launching a campaign to save one of Britain's best loved insects, Sir David Attenborough warned that five species of butterfly have become extinct in the last 100 years, while more than 60 species of moth have vanished from the UK. The wildlife presenter called for farmers to tackle the crisis by encouraging more wild flowers and cutting the use of pesticides. And he urged people to take part in Butterfly Conservation's the Big Butterfly Count, which is the largest ever survey of the creatures. From 24 July to 1 August, people will be asked to look for butterflies in gardens and fields and record the species they find on a website.

Be prepared for your Big Butterfly Count
Identify the different species that can be found during high summer on a walk-and-talk with butterfly expert Andrew Wood at 10am on 10th July. Adults £6.50, Children £3.50. Or join moth expert, Colin Plant, to learn about these widely misunderstood nocturnal creatures at 10pm on 30th July. Adults £6.50, Children £3.50.

References:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1283275/Demise-butterfly-DavidAttenboroughleads-
fight-avert-extinction.html#ixzz0pgT8NWkS
http://www.bigbutterflycount.org/

The role of Rural communities and UK agriculture

Rural communities and UK agriculture must play a vital role in achieving a more sustainable society and economy…More than 400 shops went out of business last year alone, and with them not only post offices, newspapers, food and drink, but also social spaces, places to bump into friends and share news with neighbours. Once at the heart of many rural communities, the double-bypass surgery being carried out by the recession and a ubiquity of superstores has seen pulses slow, and eventually stop. 'Local shops are there not just for people to buy things but to be sociable, to say hello to people,' says Kate Westlake of St Germans in Cornwall, chair of a local committee that is in the process of setting up a community-owned shop. 'Without them, places like this would die.’ At Church Farm, we see a current and future opportunity for rural areas to rediscover their identity and purpose, and to tackle long-standing issues. These include: economic decline, social isolation, poor services and facilities, the cost of living, the lack of affordable housing, threatened wildlife, an ageing population and the numerous difficulties facing UK farmers, trying to produce safe sustainable food.

http://www.theecologist.org/how_to_make_a_difference/culture_change/496546/savin
g_and_rebuilding_community_shops.html

Farm News - 28th May 2010

Farm
- We have reseeded the small field in the village where the pigs were. For the time being, they’ve been moved down the lane…
- This week, we’ve planted 15 acres of forage rape, stubble turnips and pea mix. That’s all we need now is a really good soaking of rain!
- All of the cattle were pregnancy tested this week. We have a lady who comes in and scans them – just like a maternity nurse really. On the animal health side, we now have regular weekly vet checks on all our stock. Our aim is prevention rather than cure. This is paying off with low mortality rates on all animals.
- Coming soon will be the biggest crop of wild cherries. Did you know that there were over 200 wild cherry trees on the farm?

Store, Café and Veg & Meat Boxes
- Upgrade to a Weekly Farm Box and enjoy our eggs, fresh bread, Church Farm meat and organic milk.
- We have a new butcher in store – watch this space!!!
- Cupcakes - made with our own eggs and organic ingredients - are in store now.
- Check out our special offers on selected Church Farm free range chicken, lamb and beef this holiday.
- Browse through our selection of marinades, BBQ sauces and mustards - all in store.
- Try our super sweet sugar snap peas, freshly cut herbs, radishes, spring onions and salad leaves.
- And, don’t forget to taste our freshly picked scrummy strawberries with dollops of thick clotted cream.

Events, Workshops and Courses
- Next week is National Family Week! Whatever the weather, there’s plenty of things for everyone to do this holiday. Walk the footpaths for FREE and see how your favourite animals work, live and play or take on the responsibilities of a real farmer by collecting your very own freshly laid eggs from the orchard – everyday at 11am and 3pm.
- We also have walks and talks and courses on family chicken-keeping, acrylic painting, bees and peg-loom weaving. Check out our Bank Holiday and Half Term Specials board for more information.
- Come along to our Campfire, Music and Sleep Under the Stars Weekend on Saturday 5th June. There will be jamming, campfires and camaraderie. No electric : No impact : Compost Loos : No litter. Just bring everything you need for your comfort and survival. Adults £10, Under 16s £8, Under 2s £2. Free for musicians and volunteers. Pre-booking is essential.

Rural Care
- Phil (see photo (left)) attends Rural Care and always works in the café on Thursday mornings. Here he is helping Adrian, the chef, bake some scones. It was his
birthday on Wednesday – Happy Birthday Phil!

Figure of the Week: 1 in 6

Beekeepers lost one in six of their honey bee hives over the winter, according to the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA). The nationwide figure is slightly improved on the 19 per cent losses suffered in 2008 and considerably less than the 30per cent losses from 2007. However, the BBKA said it was still well above the acceptable losses of between 7 and 10 per cent. It blamed disease, bad weather and poor quality of foraging due to habitat loss for the continued rate of honey bee deaths.

http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/491367/

Did you know? - Tufted Vetch

Tufted vetch is a member of the family Leguminosae. Plants in this family often have nodules on their roots containing Rhizobium bacteria which 'fix' nitrogen from the air. Plants and animals need nitrogen to build proteins and other important chemicals in the body. The air is full of nitrogen, however it is in an inert form that very few organisms can use directly. These bacteria perform a very useful task of converting atmospheric nitrogen into fertilizer for the plants, eventually animals eat the plants and so obtain their nitrogen. Some legumes such as peas and beans are grown as crop plants and they often need less nitrogen fertilizer because they produce their own. This is generally good for the environment as the production of nitrogen fertilizer in factories is very energy intensive. At Church Farm we have planted vetch as well as other green manures, such as clovers, to help enrich the soil and fix nitrogen.

BBC Radio 4's On Your Farm Programme: Agrarian Farmer

Britain's farmers are slaves to the supermarkets. That's the view of Tim Waygood, entrepreneur and farmer. In this weeks On Your Farm Adam Henson visits Tim's farm and discovers how in taking back power from the supermarkets, he wants to alter the landscape of Britain. This weeks On Your Farm is recorded at Church Farm near Stevenage, where a philosophy of Agrarian Renaissance aims to reconnect people, land and food, and offers a radical alternative to what it calls 'corporate supermarket consumerism'.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00s8dhx/On_Your_Farm_Agrarian_Farmer/

Broadcast on:BBC Radio 4, 6:35am Sunday 9th May 2010
Duration:22 minutes
Available until:12:00am Thursday 1st January 2099
Categories:Factual, Science & Nature

Farm News: 20th May

Farm
- At least 25 chicks have hatched from our own hens and cockerels this week as well as another 15 ducks.
- 11 Berkshire piglets were born in the field near the car park on Monday.
- The pigs have nearly completed their move to the Great Field where they are now enjoying a salad of chicory. Our cattle and calves are in the same field.
- The subsoiling and cultivation of Lowany field has been taking place since the pigs have moved out. This will then be planted with a mixture of peas, forage rape and stubble turnips for late autumn fodder.
- On a more serious note, cattle with calves will attack and chase dogs. Tim saw them chase off a fox very aggressively the other day. This is how people tend to get
trampled by cattle. Did you know that two people died this way in the UK last year?
- On a cheerier note, thanks to BBC Radio 4’s programme “On your farm”, we will be hosting a steady stream of visiting farmers from all over the UK in the coming months.

Store, Cafe and Veg & Meat Boxes
- A welcome return to our renowned quiches and mixed leaf salad in the Café.
- There’s also a new popular addition to our Café menu: Lamb’s liver and bacon served with mashed potato and gravy.
- Frozen mutton is available in store.

Events, Workshops and Courses
- A welcome return to our renowned quiches and mixed leaf salad in the Café.
- There’s also a new popular addition to our Café menu: Lamb’s liver and bacon served with mashed potato and gravy.
- Frozen mutton is available in store.

Rural Care
- This week, the co-farmers planted spring onions in the vegetable fields, strimmed the grass, removed labels from old veg boxes, and boxed up all of the eggs that went into your veg box. One co-farmer said ‘you now know what I am capable of don’t you?’ - in reference to his excellent strimming and use of a power tool!