Weekend Fun

Hi everyone! I'm painfully aware that I have been a bad girl and not updated as I have been promising. The trouble is, I'm just having too much fun and so when I get some free time I don't want to be sitting tapping away at the laptop! I am making lots of notes as to what I've been doing, and I have loads of posts all written up to do, so they are there, waiting for me. But right now I'm focusing on being in the here and now, and so there's nothing to update as yet. I'm also taking loads of photos and they are something I can upload quickly and painlessly! So, keep checking the Picasa albums for new stuff. I'll try and comment on each photo as well to give you some info. 

A quick update though: the weather here is COLD but no snow! I did go to Dartmoor this weekend and it was beautiful!! I'll put the photos up for you to see. There were loads of families sledging and walkers walking! I did think the moors were rather similar to the Yorkshire moors.....but obviously with the added bonus of ponies!

So, I'm leaving Shillingford on Wednesday, (so soon!) and am, weather permitting, moving onto Wales. Yes, that place with all the snow at the moment! I shall try keep you updated and I will be going back over posts and updating them and adding more!

Enjoy the snow, if you have any!

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!

Hello from Shillingford!

Hi everyone, just a quick update tonight. Life here at Shillingford is great and I'm having a whale of a time. I still haven't found time to sit down and tap away at the laptop yet but I have planned to put aside most of Saturday to get everything written up and posted on here!

For now, you can look at the photos I've taken so far here. Some mornings have been truly beautiful and breathtaking. Exeter is a great place to be as it's near the coast, near the M5, access to most places and here at Shillingford, it's far away from the city enough to walk at night by the light of the moon alone. And the stars.....I've already seen a few shooting stars! It's really too hard to put into words just how amazing it is here, and I'm not going to try now because I won't do it justice!

In the last few days, I've been getting some email updates that I think might interest you. First of all, are you ready to join the Fish Fight with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall?

 HALF OF ALL FISH CAUGHT 

IN THE NORTH SEA ARE THROWN BACK OVERBOARD DEAD.

 TO HELP US STOP THIS INSANE WASTE SIGN UP

Join up on Facebook here, and read the Independent article here.

You can find out all about his experience, and how it has changed the way he thinks about fish, in the Channel 4 series, Hugh’s Fish Fight, to be broadcast in January 2011.The first element of the campaign – and the first area where we are looking for public support – is the issue of discards at sea. I would recommend signing up straight away and also to check out the website, as it is an issue that is rightly getting some attention.

The second email was to do with Nocton Dairies. Today, Nocton Dairies Ltd resubmitted a planning application for Western Europe’s first US-style ‘mega-dairy’. The new plans for this giant farm in Lincolnshire have yet to be officially released – but information Compassion in World Farming have obtained so far indicates that:

• Thousands of cows will still be kept in giant sheds, pushed to produce milk yields far beyond natural limits, and with little or no chance to graze on pasture.
• The farm’s backers have been keen to publicise a reduction in the number of cows to 3,700. But this is only half the story. Nocton Dairies still intends to build the farm up to over 8,000 cows. In effect, there has been no change in the ambitions for the scale of this intensive dairy since the original proposal was withdrawn in April.

Here is the website, Compassion in World Farming, who are a registered charity. This how they describe themselves:

"Compassion in World Farming was founded over 40 years ago in 1967 by a British farmer who became horrified by the development of modern, intensive factory farming.

Today we campaign peacefully to end all cruel factory farming practices. We believe that the biggest cause of cruelty on the planet deserves a focused, specialised approach – so we only work on farm animal welfare."

Again, follow the link above to see the website as there are a number of campaigns that all need your support. The customer is always right, and if enough people make a stand, change really is possible.

On a more positive note, my attention was directed to this article today, (with thanks to Mary!) Many of you will know of Lush, (usually because it smells so good as you walk by!) but some of you might not. This article is a pretty balanced one, (from what I can tell). It doesn't paint Lush as perfect, (they do use some preservatives in their products, though Constantine,  the founder, argues that this is far better than using a plastic bottle, which uses petroleum, more energy, byproducts, landfill) but is does show how a large and successful company doesn't have to be a bad one. Let's face it, Lush tries. And it tries hard. 

What was scary was this fact: "Not all green business are fortunate enough to control their own affairs. Among the many that have fallen prey to larger corporations, Bodyshop was bought for £652 million by French cosmetics giant L’Oreal in 2006, itself a third-owned by the world’s largest food group Nestlé."

Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that Nestlé was a bit of a baddie. I know that at Edinburgh University, Nestlé products are not stocked. (A quick google search shows up some interesting things that company have done, baby milk formula anyone?) So, does this make shopping at Bodyshop still ok? I mean, it's not like the Bodyshop have changed what they believe in, but it's a scary thought that someone else now has power over them. 

This leads me back to one of my usual opinions: LOCAL IS GOOD. In anything: food, produce, education, community. If there's someone who makes gorgeous soaps nearby, then buy that. Yes, this might mean you have less stuff, (gasp! can you cope?!) but satisfaction levels will increase. And trust me, money can't buy that. However much you try.

Right, before I start to go off on one, I'm going to sign off. I hope that you follow some of the links here, and learn something new today! :)