Tuesday 29 March 2011

Real Farm Festival - the summer festival with a heart, art and animals!


Real Farm Festival is a people-powered hands-on farming weekend. Come on down and meet the farmers, discover the secret life of vegetables, herbs, fruit, pigs, chickens, sheep and cows, and unwind in the music and food hubs back at farm camp.

Set in the gorgeous green fields and woodland of Church Farm,

Sunday 20 March 2011

From Crouch End to Church Farm


Church Farm offers weekly/fortnightly Farm Boxes to the local area and drop off points further afield. Because we are more than just a box scheme, one of the benefits of being a customer of ours is Farm Membership. This entitles you to free events at the farm and Experience Days when you get to see first hand where the food you receieve in your box comes from. One of our drop of points is at the Haberdashery Cafe in London every Thursday evening linking Transition Crouch End and Church Farm.

Our official Experience Day was held this last Saturday gone but a small number of very enthusiastic young Crouch Enders couldn't make it then so we were delighted to see them up on the farm the weekend before.

The day, lead by Richard Grimshaw, started off with a walk round the farm ending up at the pigs. The kiddies enjoyed seeing them so much that they even wanted to feed them. Then it was off to the Farm Cafe to indulge in some farm produce meals.

Sufficiently fed and watered we walked over to the rare breed Lincolnshire Red wintering pens to see a newborn calf. Then it was time for some real work. We made our way to the Kitchen Garden where all Church Farm Vegetables are grown. As its coming up to Spring, all the beds need planting for the coming year's crops. We were faced with a very long, very straight bed and 2000 broad bean plants to put out. Could we do it?

Well 2 hours later, alot of earth stained hands and clothes, alot of smiling faces, alot of dibbing, alot of compost and we had! Great teamwork by all those involved and many who left telling us they'd be back soon to see how their plants were growing. But of course they don't have to come back to see them, they should be in your boxes in May.

Tuesday 15 March 2011

Half Term at Church Farm


We had a busy half term at the end of February with many visitors taking part in our creative workshops.

For our 'Clay Day' workshops we visited the ancient clay pits of Church farm. Residents have been using clay from these pits for that last 400 years to make tiles and bricks for local buildings. We then visited some modern sculptures made by artist Valentin Manz situated next to the clay pits. His creations used wet bricks made with the local clay, moulded together to form hollow structures resembling termite mounds that are big enough to crawl inside!

We used this same clay to make small sculptures that young artists took home. First we had to warm the clay up by squishing it in our hands. Once warm it also became more compact and supple. Using the clay straight from the ground means it is not as refined as what you might find in an art shop, so we had to keep an eye out for small stones in the clay! The material was used to make a huge variety of pieces, including sheep, hedgehogs, elephants and funny faces. Materials collected from around the farm like twigs, berries, leaves and pebbles were used to decorate the creations. These sculptures were then covered in cress seeds which were watered to grow and become living sculptures!

We also had a fun day making new homes for all the spring nesting birds that are appearing at the moment. Bird boxes were made and recycled from old Church Farm veg and meat boxes! We flattened the boxes and made a template to cut around. This was then refolded and assembled as a closed and cosy box. We then cut different shaped holes in to each box, depending on which type of bird we wanted to attract! Boxes were then given a luxury makeover for 5 star bird accommodation, using twigs and leaves from the farm, crafty bits and a healthy splash of paint. The birds are in for a treat this spring!

Thanks to everyone that took part.... more creative fun coming up over the Easter Holidays!


Written by Lucy Ball who ran the half term workshops.

Sunday 6 March 2011

Diary of a Working Farm Girl: Week 1- Welcome to Church Farm


I moved into my caravan with only a tiny fraction of my belongings yet somehow I had filled the cubbyholes within half hour of unpacking. Tuesday was my first working day and I eat a hearty Scrambled Eggs and Bacon Breakfast with the other Interns. There are 15 of us ranging with interests in horticulture, Butchery to all round farm activities and Business experience.