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Registering & Ordering the Organic Veg Boxes
First Weekly Organic Veg Box Collection: Friday 24th October
I am setting up a local Collection Point for Shillingford Organic Veg Boxes: once ordered, weekly boxes will be delivered as a batch for collection adjacent to Liverton Village Hall (Old Liverton). Since this is on the main route up to Ilsington and Haytor Vale, I hope it will be attractive to those who live ‘further up the track’. Boxes will be delivered each Friday (time to be confirmed) and left in a sheltered location – they will be named to avoid confusion (there is the possibility to specify likes and dislikes).
For details of how to register with Shillingford Organics to take advantage of this service, click here.
For more details about the Veg Boxes as displayed at the last Community Market, click here.
The viability of this arrangement will depend on how much it is used – if you are keen to see this arrangement thrive, then register and place an order at your earliest convenience – and spread the word!
Shetland Sheep for Sale
I have a small number of Shetland Sheep (very fine wool) for sale as I continue to downsize my flock. Ewes can be tupped if required. Wethers may also be available. Unregistered, but from pedigree stock. Very good price possible, especially if not destined to go straight to the abattoir! Held and advice (or training) can be supplied if you are new to smallholding/sheep-keeping.
DIY Fruit Tree Grafting
This is the first post for a long time, but I just have to share this! Faced with having to bridge-graft some almost wholly ring-barked young-ish apple-trees (thanks sheep! – though it was my fault for not keeping on top of fencing!), I was on the verge of splashing out on some grafting tape when I though I would investigate DIY grafting. Internet search revealed a great youtube video. If you are faced with having to carry out a graft (maybe an emergency one!) and think you don’t have all the kit to hand – think again:
Just about says it all …
I have been rather slack at blog-posting of late – due to spending time on a forthcoming launch of a directory of local organic food (and much more!). I have, however, just read an article that sums up so neatly, in a relatively short space, what is so wrong with much modern processed ‘food’ (i.e., the poison-laced material that is so readily purchased and consumed). Do please take a look – in fact, read and digest: Kriss: the Croissant and our Fatally-Flawed Food Chain
International Transition Conference 2015 – Seale Hayne
I will be attending the 2015 International Transition Conference at Seale Hayne near Newton Abbot this weekend. It promises to be a very interesting weekend, in particular with lots of interesting food-related projects and initiatives being discussed. I have a couple of my own exciting local-food projects due to launch in the very near future … watch this space!
Dexter Beef Time-Limited Special Offer: 15% Discount on Purchases over £30
Up until 26th June 2015 I am offering a 15% discount on purchases of Dexter Beef over £30. This is so that I can make some freezer space available for Shetland Hogget later this Summer. A range of cuts are available – see the homepage for details.
Watching the Weather: Beyond the BBC/MET Office
Working outside daily and in a ‘calling’ that is ever-dependent on what the weather (and climate) is doing, I have developed a range of sources for keeping up to date with short- and long-term forecasts of events and trends. Sure, I often watch the latest local BBC weather bulletin online, and also check out the MET Office forecast for Haytor Vale. If I want a little more local detail then Continue Reading →
Slow Farming, Slow Food & Sh*t
One of the many permaculture principles from the literature is: Use Small & Slow Solutions. I was asked to write a small Permaculture Explained back-page article on this for the Permaculture Association members’ newsletter a little while back. The article was not included, which I think is a pity, since most PA members are sufficiently well-versed in sh*t (the topic of the article which was published instead – well, sh*t and compost toilets); you don’t have to wait too long to hear about compost toilets in the permaculture world, whereas practical permaculture approaches to smallholding with livestock are, in my experience and as far as I can see, overlooked in the vast majority of permaculture courses. Not even the substantial, and otherwise comprehensive, Sustainable Land Use course I attended addressed pasture management and ruminants – despite being held on a ‘demonstration permaculture farm’ with acre upon acre of pasture; with all cooking on the course vegetarian/vegan, it’s perhaps understandable that discussion of meat production was tactfully omitted! Since I took the time to write the piece, though, I might as well publish it – see below. Continue Reading →
Organic Vegetables Anyone?
Organic Vegetables/Salad in Ilsington & Liverton?
I would dearly like to be able to grow enough organic vegetables/salad at Arcady to be able to offer them for sale to local people, but efforts to involve others in setting up a small-scale market-garden/veg box scheme have proven unsuccessful – I am not an experienced/trained grower and cannot commit the time to setting up such a project by myself. I am, however, looking into the practicalities of having organic vegetables made available locally.
Continue Reading →
Resilience-Building Cycle for Smallholders (& Other Land-Based Projects)
I gave a couple of talks at the Green Gathering this past weekend, focusing on what I am calling ‘Pastoral Permaculture’ (to follow in another blog post) and ‘Resilient Smallholding’. It’s the latter of these that I’d like to focus upon in this post.
Continue Reading →