Church FarmYour Weekly Newsletter

Friday 13th April 2012

A Note from the Grower

April already and it’s time to sow those summer lovin’ crops such as climbing French beans, sweetcorn and winter squash. These three are usually grown separately in the garden, especially if a standard crop rotation system is in place. However, they can also be grown in a remarkable companionship called the “Three Sisters”. This technique derives from the wisdom of various Native American tribes, for whom the three crops were all staple foods. These people had strong beliefs about the importance of these crops and their relationship with each other, the land and the people, but there are many purely practical aspects of their success as a companionship, not least the fact that up to 20% increased aggregate yields can be achieved from similar areas of land growing the crops separately, with lower expense of water and fertilizer. The association involves planting the three crops together in such a way that they each play a beneficial role to the others within the system. The corn provides a structure for the beans to climb on, removing the need for assemblage of poles or strings. The beans, coming as they do from the legume family of plants, fix atmospheric nitrogen to the soil and thereby help to provide essential fertility for all three sisters. In their turn, the squashes sprawl over the ground, spreading their large leaves to shade the soil, suppressing weeds and conserving soil moisture. As foods as well as growing plants, the three sisters complement each other perfectly, between them providing a balanced range of nutrients important for human health. Oh, and by the way, it looks wonderful too. At Church Farm we won’t quite be following this technique on the scale we work on; our beans on their own currently form an important part of our conventional crop rotation. However we do intend to intercrop sweetcorn and winter squash. For the sake of a little inconvenience regarding harvesting of the corn, the benefits in terms of yield per acre of land and aesthetic enjoyment should be great. RikImage: http://www.motherearthnews.com/blogs/blog.aspx?blogid=1502&category=Pest%20Controls.jpg

You may have seen one of the articles that have been published recently about supermarkets (particularly Waitrose and Sainsburys) selling Monsanto broccoli under branding that disguises the fact that it is a strain created by the mulitnational seed supplier who are famous for their other GM stocks. If you’d like to find out more about Monsanto, there’s a very interesting article on the links page of our website which details their poor treatment of farmers in America.

Monsanto Broccoli in Supermarkets

Purple sprouting broccoli should be stored in an airtight bag at the bottom of your fridge. This veg is one of the first leafy greens to appear for a few months and it’s a sign of the exciting colourful treats to come. It cooks in a similar way to whole head broccoli but will take a little less time. You can boil, stir fry or steam some with butter or oil to taste, and it will add some beautiful colour to your plate. The leaves are really tasty and a great texture contrast to the heads so don’t throw them away. You can also eat it raw - add it to a salad, or enjoy it with a dip for a fresh crunchy snack. Interesting fact: Purple sprouting broccoli was first cultivated by the Romans. Broccoli has been grown in the UK since the early 18th century, although the purple sprouting variety has only risen to prominence in the last 30 years.

Getting the Best from your Box

Rhubarb and Apple ChutneyIf you’re not a big rhubarb fan, or you only think of crumble when you’re wondering how to cook it, don’t worry, there are lots of ways to enjoy this fantastic early season fruit. Here’s a savoury option, to be eaten with cheese, oily fish or pork.Makes 3 x 500ml jarsIngredients300ml cider vinegar400g brown sugar300g raisins2 inch piece ginger, grated1 orange, juicedlarge pinch allspice800g rhubarb, washed and chopped2 Bramley apples, peeled and chopped

MethodPut all the ingredients except the apple and rhubarb in a large pan with 1 tsp salt. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved then boil for 10 minutes. Add the apple and rhubarb then cook gently for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Decant into sterilised jars (wash in hot soapy water and dry in a warm oven) and store in the fridge until required. The longer it’s left the better it will taste.

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/reci-pes/1013637/rhubarb-and-apple-chutney

Church Farm, Ardeley, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG2 7AH, T: 01438 861 447E: info@churchfarmardeley.co.uk www.churchfarmardeley.co.uk

What’s in my box next week?

MEAT (small boxes)

Farm VarietySausages, leg of pork, chicken thighs, minced beef, back bacon

Lean Cuts (NEW FOR 2012)Skinny sausages, skinless chicken fillets, extra lean minced beef, extra lean pork strips

Old English CutsChicken liver, whole chicken, diced beef, stock pot bag

Premium SelectionSausages, pork loin joints, minced beef

VEGETABLESExtra Small (6 varieties)Potato (valor), carrot, onion, cauliflower, tomato, spring onion

Small (8 varieties)Leek, baby beetroot, red cabbage

Medium (10 varieties)Salad bag, turnip

Large (12 varieties)Spinach/chard, mushroom

Extra Large (15 varieties)Calabrese, courgette, fennel

FRUITPear (red bartlett), grapefruit, orange, apple (braeburn), mango, banana, red grape

Please note that these are standard items and are subject to change. If you have asked not to be supplied with a particular item, a substitute will be provided in your box.

Real Ales: Real Food : Warm Welcome at the

Jolly Waggoner

Book a table today to avoid disappointment!

Call 01438 861 350

www.thejollywaggoner.co.uk

Rural Care have been dutifully watching eggs in the incubators for the past 28 days, and last week saw the first of them hatch. We welcomed Howard the duck into our chick brooding shed on Friday morning, shortly followed by Harry on Friday afternoon. Sam, Daisy (the wild duck which you can see in the pictures) and Sonic hatched on Monday, and Thor and Hercules arrived in the past couple of days. It’s an amazing experience for the co-farmers - finding eggs, putting them in an incubator, turning them for 3 weeks and then waiting for them to hatch (this can take over 24 hours from the first break of the shell). The sheer joy of watching the ducklings slowly break their way out of the eggs and into the world is a truly magical experience for us all. Elsewhere on the farm our co-farmers have been sowing seeds, planting potatoes, planting cherry trees into an existing hedgerow, cutting hazel poles for use in the vegetable fields and bagging up feed for the visiting public to give to our animals.

Rural Care Raise Ducklings

Onion & Bacon FougasseA traditional flat, leaf-shaped, French bread - similar to the Italian focaccia.

Makes 3 loavesIngredients400g strong white flour7g sachet fast-action yeast1 tsp salt300ml water4 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for brushing1 onion, finely chopped and fried2 rashers back bacon, finely chopped and friedsea salt, for sprinkling (optional)

Method1. Mix 200g of the flour with all the yeast and approx 150ml water in a bowl, and beat together into a thick batter for 3 mins. Leave to rise and then fall, this should happen in 3-4 hrs. Then add the rest of the flour, salt, water and oil, and mix well. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead to a smooth dough. Put back in the bowl to rise for a further 1 hour until doubled in size.2. Line 3 baking sheets with baking parchment. Knock back the dough, then knead to incorporate the onion and bacon. Divide the dough into 3 pieces, about 225g each. Use a rolling pin to flatten out each piece to about 2.5cm high, then shape roughly into a circle. Put on the baking sheets. Using a sharp knife cut three diagonal slashes right through the dough down each side and two down the middle to form the shape of a leaf. Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt, if you like, and leave for a further hour to prove until doubled in size.3. Heat oven to 230C/fan 210C/gas 8 and bake the loaves for 15 mins until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Serve cut into wedges.

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2062/onion-bacon-fougasse

Full Moon WalkSunday 6th May. Join Stephen Mason for a guided walk around the Farm in the moonlight with a cup of fair-trade hot chocolate. 6pm - 8pm. Adults £5, children £3.50. Pre-booking only.

May Clay DayMonday 7th May. Come on an adventure down to the Church Farm Clay Pits. Then get crafty with the clay and make your very own clay sculpture. 11am and 2pm. Children £6.50 (free for supervising adults). Pre-booking only.

Photography WorkshopThursday 17th May. Learn how to get the best from your camera with Ian Scott, a local professional photographer. By the end of this one-day course, you will have taken a wide range of photos to be proud of. 10am-4.30pm. £95 per person. Pre-booking only.

Upcoming Activities