My time so far at Shillingford

Hi everyone! Finally have got around to sitting down for more than five minutes in order to write something. I've been making loads of notes, so I'm not forgetting anything!

First, a bit of background information about Shillingford Organics:

"Shillingford Organic Vegetable Boxes began life in 1990 when Tim Deane set up Northwood Boxes, credited as the first box scheme in the country, supplying locally grown organic vegetables to friends and neighbours in the village of Christow. In 2000, Tim joined forces with Martyn, Northwood Barton Boxes was born and the business expanded into Exeter.

In 2004 Tim took on a role as part-time technical advisor for the Soil Association thus had less time for growing. At this point the business rebranded as Shillingford Organics. Tim still supplies many crops to the box scheme and the ethics and ideals behind Shillingford Organics are still based on those developed by Tim more than 15 years ago.

Vegetable Boxes - A vegetable box creates a direct relationship between us as growers and you as customers and encompasses more than just the aspect of trade. It gives us a predictable income, but also allows us to grow and sell our produce in a way that does not compromise organic principles and gives us the satisfaction of a sense of community and knowing that the crops we have cared for are going to good homes.

For you it means good fresh produce of a flavour which has been proved to encourage even children to eat vegetables. It also allows you some sense of connection with the source of your food, and the knowledge that you are not underwriting a wasteful and destructive system of transportation.

Once a week we deliver boxes of organics vegetables to designated collection points points in Exeter and the Teign Valley. Each box contains a selection of fresh vegetables, many picked that same day and which vary according to the season. There are a few staple vegetables that appear on a regular basis throughout the year, like potatoes, carrots and onions, but otherwise we try to offer a range and variety of produce to make cooking and eating a pleasurable experience."

There are many benefits to eating organic, and if you go here you can read Martyn Bragg's philosophy on organics, health, ecology, soil, sustainability, and lots more. 

Shillingford have only had Wwoofers since April this year, but so far they seem pleased with how it is going. Before arriving here, Martyn emailed me pictures of the pod I would be staying in....so so nice!

Here is the view from my pod, (Cedar) from when I arrived on the Monday:

View from my pod

My little wood burner
keeps me cosy on a night!

Isn't it amazing?! There is a compost toilet and shower room just a few metres down from the pods and it's really nice. The shower is very hot and it's great to be outside yet sheltered! The pods inside are beautiful too, and I'm a little in love with my wood burner! Wolfie dropped off a massive crate of old scrap wood near the pods so I have a ready supply! 

The first day I was here I was taken right up to the top field with Martyn Godfrey to get some cauliflowers. It was about 7:30am, it was very frosty, and I was so glad to be there as the views were stunning. (See here for the rest of my Shillingford photos!)

The rest of the day was spent sorting onions and unloading a trailer full of crates of squashes and pumpkins...oh, how my back hurt the next day!

I was then put on the job of grading butternut squashes into mini, small, medium and large. They all came with a weight guideline, though the pros tend to do it purely by sight and feel. Some are too small and some too large, and these get put aside either for composting or the staff! We also are checking all the time for signs of rotting or softening...usually at the top of the squash the stalk will show signs of softness. Sometimes it will be marked as well from where it has been laid on the ground, but it's checking whether that will affect the flesh inside. A lot of judgement goes into grading I tell you!

Tea break is at 10am so we all headed to the staff room for tea and loads of toast and chocolate spread! Everyone was really friendly to me, asking me lots of questions and making me feel very much at home.

Tea break over, I then went up to the other field on the back of the tractor with Godfrey and Wolfie to get some swedes. This meant a sharp knife! Basically, the idea is to work down the rows and put out the ones that look good: lob off the bottom part of the root and then the top stalk. Place it down betwen the rows and when enough have been done, get sacks and each gather a particular size, os, mini, small, medium or large. Then it's back to loading up the tractor and heading back. (This was a muddy job and I was glad of my waterproofs!)

That was my first day as Wwoofers only work til 1pm, but I can tell you, I was pretty tired having been on the go since 7am. It's already really interesting being part of a team and a larger scale operation that has to work to deadlines, yet the atmosphere and pace is great. 

There's already so much more to tell you, but that's all for now!