We do have plenty to laugh about on Friday mornings at Camel CSA.

The volunteer picking and packing team got in a bit of a tangle this week while sharing out the radishes for the veg boxes.

We’d already bunched up half of them when we realised there wouldn’t be enough to go round. We needed to redo our sums.

It all got rather complicated as everyone piled in with different mathematical formulae.

After several false starts we got there eventually with the help of a calculator. But you wouldn’t believe what a fuss it caused!

In this week’s veg shares:
*radishes
*mixed salad leaves (mizuna, rocket, mustard)
*chard
cabbage ‘January King’ (Trerair Farm, St Eval)
swede (Trerair)
onions (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)
potatoes ‘Manitou’ (Trerair)

* = grown to organic principles.  Please wash all veg thoroughly  
Produce grown by Camel CSA, unless otherwise indicated

Aren’t they doing well? The first of this year’s spring onions are in this week’s veg shares alongside last season’s Crown Prince squashes.

The spring onions are thriving in the polytunnels beside the overwintered mixed oriental leaves, rocket and lettuce which have put on a growth spurt.

We store the autumn squashes on slatted shelves in our frost and predator-proof cool store. They’ve done remarkably well to last till the beginning of March.

The recent spring sunshine has also enabled our growers and volunteers to press ahead with weeding the no-dig beds, spreading compost and preparing them for planting on our site at Treraven Farm, Wadebridge.

And not forgetting to finish replanting the Jerusalem artichoke bed!

If you’d like to take part in our veg growing activities, please get in touch. If you know anyone else who might be interested, please share these details with them.

In this week’s veg shares:
*spring onions
*wedge of Crown Prince squash
*mixed salad leaves (mizuna, rocket, lettuce)
Romanesco cauliflower (Trerair Farm, St Eval)
carrots (Trerair)
parsnips (Trerair)
potatoes ‘Manitou’ (Trerair)

* = grown to organic principles.  Please wash all veg thoroughly  
Produce grown by Camel CSA, unless otherwise indicated

We’re having the soil tested on our nature-friendly vegetable growing site at Treraven Farm, Wadebridge.

Jake Corin of the Symbiosis Soil Lab in Cornwall has been taking soil samples from the veg beds, the orchard and meadow, and our compost making area.

We’re already growing our veg crops using no-dig methods and no harmful chemicals. We don’t plough, till or rotavate and we use our own compost and natural fertilisers to enrich the soil.

We’re one of 15 community growing schemes chosen to take part in Sustainable Food Cornwall‘s Joining the Dots for Nature initiative, which includes soil testing. Sophie Bailey, its community growing development worker, is leading the project.

As we’re so often told, a teaspoon of soil contains more living organisms than there are people on this planet.

These tests will help us find out how healthy our own soil is and how we can improve it.

Warm sun, more daylight, loud birdsong – it must be spring!

Our growers and volunteers are making the most of the dry days to prepare for the new veg growing season. It’s all systems go on our community growing site at Treraven Farm.

This week’s tasks included:-

• transplanting and mulching the blackcurrants
  
• sowing tomato, aubergine and pepper seeds
  
• weeding and composting the outside beds
  
• harvesting lots of oriental salad leaves and the first of the indoor radishes for the veg boxes.

If you’re interested in volunteering on our friendly team, please get in touch. If you know anyone else who might be interested, please share these details with them.

In this week’s veg shares:
*radishes
*purple sprouting broccoli or curly kale
*oriental salad leaves (mizuna, frilly mustard)
celeriac (Trerair Farm, St Eval)
cauliflower (Trerair)
onions (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)
potatoes ‘Manitou’ (Trerair)

* = grown to organic principles.  Please wash all veg thoroughly  
Produce grown by Camel CSA, unless otherwise indicated

Have you ever wanted to learn more about growing healthy, nutritious vegetables? Spring is only just round the corner and you’re welcome to join our volunteer team at Camel CSA.

This week we’ve been busy weeding and preparing no-dig veg beds, stripping out spent crops in the polytunnels and harvesting the last of the leeks on our nature-friendly site at Treraven Farm, Wadebridge.

Join us and you’ll learn from Melanie Broomhead, our skilled community grower. She’ll help you find out more about soil care, natural mulches and fertilisers, seed sowing and planting, compost making, crop maintenance, and harvesting techniques, from our skilled community grower.

It’s not all hard work. You’ll be rewarded with fresh clean air, an abundance of nature, good company, regular breaks, and delectable treats like homemade vegetable soup and cake!

If you’re interested in volunteering on our friendly team, please get in touch. If you know anyone else who might be interested, please share these details with them.

In this week’s veg shares:
*baby leeks
*red Russian kale
*rhubarb chard
*sprouted fenugreek seeds
*can of fava beans (Hodmedod’s)
swede (Trerair Farm, St Eval)
potatoes ‘Manitou’ (Trerair)

* = grown to organic principles.  Please wash all veg thoroughly  
Produce grown by Camel CSA, unless otherwise indicated

The cut-and-come-again oriental salad leaves in our polytunnels at Treraven Farm, Wadebridge, are thriving now the light levels are increasing. They’re a very valuable and welcome crop in our weekly veg boxes at this time of year.

Our volunteer pickers and packers focused on the spicy mizuna, rocket and frilly mustard leaves on veg box day while leaving the overwintered lettuce to grow a little more.

After harvesting it’s really important we weed and water the beds so the plants can produce plenty more leaves for the boxes in the weeks to come.

If you’re interested in volunteering on our friendly team, please get in touch.

In this week’s veg shares:
*oriental salad leaf mix
*sprouted mung beans
January King cabbage (Trerair Farm, St Eval)
beetroot (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)
curly kale (Trerair)
parsnips – Devon (Continental Wholesale Fruits)
potatoes ‘Manitou’ (Trerair)

* = grown to organic principles.  Please wash all veg thoroughly  
Produce grown by Camel CSA, unless otherwise indicated

Like to join us? Our pickers and packers harvest the vegetables and prepare the veg boxes on Thursdays and Fridays.

They volunteer for the task because they love being outdoors, enjoy teamwork, like good company, and really appreciate working with fresh, seasonal produce. (Plus the promise of homemade cake at crib time!)

It’s a job that constantly varies along with the seasons. At this time of year they’re harvesting, preparing, weighing, and sharing out the outdoor winter vegetables like kale, leeks and Jerusalem artichokes and indoor crops in the polytunnels like salad leaves, chard, parsley and coriander.

If you’re interested in taking part, please get in touch.

In this week’s veg shares:
*kale – cottager’s or curly (Camel CSA / Mark Norman, Bodmin)
*squash – Crown Prince
*coriander
onions (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)
parsnips – Devon (Continental Wholesale Fruits)
cauliflower (Trerair Farm, St Eval)
potatoes ‘Manitou’ (Trerair)

Also in the standard boxes:
*leeks
*tin of fava beans (Hodmedod’s) or jar of green tomato chutney (Camel CSA)
tenderstem – Devon (Continental)

* = grown to organic principles.  Please wash all veg thoroughly  
Produce grown by Camel CSA, unless otherwise indicated

That’s it till next winter! Our pickers and packers harvested the very last of the kalettes for this week’s veg boxes. Yet again we’ve enjoyed another abundant seasonal crop of this delicious nutty-tasting cross between kale and Brussels sprouts.

In this week’s veg shares:
*kalettes or *chard
*carrots
*sprouted mung beans
*turnips
tin of carlin peas (Hodmedod’s)
white cabbage (Trerair Farm, St Eval)
potatoes ‘Manitou’ (Trerair)

Also in the standard boxes:
*mixed salad leaves or red Russian kale
white onions (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)
swede (Trerair)

* = grown to organic principles.  Please wash all veg thoroughly  
Produce grown by Camel CSA, unless otherwise indicated

Our growers and volunteers are now back and all geared up after a well-earned short festive break. Come rain or shine, we’re very proud to provide our members with seasonal, local vegetables 51 weeks of the year.

In this week’s veg shares:
*squash – ‘Crown Prince’ or ‘Jack Be Little’
*leeks
*mixed salad leaves
*parsley
cauliflower (Trerair Farm, St Eval)
white onions – (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)
potatoes ‘Manitou’ (Trerair)

Also in the standard boxes:
*leafy kalette tops
*Jerusalem artichokes
beetroot (Restharrow)

* = grown to organic principles.  Please wash all veg thoroughly  
Produce grown by Camel CSA, unless otherwise indicated

Nadelik Lowen! Wishing you a Merry Christmas from us all at Camel CSA.

An enormous thank you to everyone who supports us, especially our dedicated volunteers and loyal CSA members.

We’ve been making sure we have plenty of time to relax together over home bakes, mince pies and mulled apple juice.

Our growers, admin staff, delivery drivers and volunteers are now having a well-earned rest and look forward to seeing you again in the New Year.

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