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Our first veg boxes
Posted on July 2nd, 2009 No comments
We’ve done it - we’re starting to eat our own food! More than 15 Camel Community Supported Agriculture members receive their first vegetable boxes on Friday 3 July.
A great deal of human effort has gone into providing these first fruits of our labour. It’s hard to believe that we only started preparing our site at the beginning of March and sowed the first seeds just a few weeks later.
Our first share of the harvest will contain: -
- broad beans
- potatoes
- onions
- beetroot
- Swiss chard
- a bunch of curly or flat-leaved parsley
- turnips and radishes – possibly
- green salad
We’ve grown the first eight items ourselves at St Kew Highway. The salad leaves are being provided by Jane Mellowship, one of our expert growers, who has her own vegetable plot at New Polzeath.
Hard work
We’ve made enormous strides since March – entirely as a result of the dedicated volunteer labour provided by members and expert growers. Some people said we would never manage it, but we have proved that we can.Many hours of hard work have gone into preparing the 40-metre long growing beds, spreading compost, digging up dock leaves, sowing seeds, planting out seedlings, hoeing and an enormous amount of hand weeding. We’re grateful to our expert growing team and all the volunteers who have turned up on Sunday mornings – rain or shine.
Last Sunday we thinned out and hand weeded the parsnips, weeded the Swiss chard, spread compost and dug up yet more dock leaves that were threatening to go to seed.
A big thanks to expert grower Mark Norman, to members Charlotte, Diana, Mike H and Mike S, and to visitors Donna and Marianne.
Another team of volunteers will be picking and packing the boxes every Friday morning. If you’d like to be included on the rota, please contact Mark Norman or phone Antonina at St Kew Harvest.
Box collection
Members must pay for veg boxes in advance. You’ll be able to collect your box every Friday between noon and 5 p.m. from St Kew Harvest Farm Shop, which is next to the Camel CSA site. Treasurer Cathy Fairman has been co-ordinating box payment and organisation. She says:“Your name will be on your box, please take your own box and anyone else’s that you are delivering. Remember to give us feedback as soon as possible.
A special thank you to to Penny and Robert Manders and to Mike Haywood for volunteering to help Mark with the first harvest and packing.
Happy eating!”
Feedback on box content and any queries about veg box administration should be sent to Cathy at thefarm@bodminmoor.co.uk
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We’re growing our own food
Posted on April 30th, 2009 No commentsA big thank you to the 17 volunteers who turned up last Sunday to work on the Camel Community Supported Agriculture project.
In three short hours our community food growing group achieved what one person working alone would have managed in a week! That’s one of the big advantages of belonging to a co-operative.
Grateful thanks to the three volunteer expert growers – Jane, Jeremy B and Mark N - and to volunteer members Alex, Cath, Charlotte, Diana, Fiona, Ian, Jeremy S, Jerry, John, Kitty, Mike H, Mike S, Mark M and Yvonne.
Together we spread compost, hoed weeds, tended the broad beans, shallots and onions, planted out cauliflowers and cabbages, sowed radishes and dug up yet more dock leaves. More seeds were also sown in the polytunnel.
Unfortunately a whole row of peas had been eaten by predators, but our enthusiastic volunteers got some new seeds planted in just a few minutes. It would have taken an allotment holder most of the morning.
Jeremy B, one of our expert growing team, thinks we should blame slugs rather than our resident cock pheasant. Fortunately the rabbit netting has proved secure so far.
We’re looking forward to welcoming you again this Sunday between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. We’ll be preparing additional beds, spreading compost, planting out more brassicas, and sowing calabrese and leeks.
Remember to bring strong shoes or wellies, waterproofs, gardening gloves, drinks and a snack. Also tools, ideally wheelbarrows, shovels, spades, forks and rakes. If the weather’s good you might need suncream and a hat!
Click here for directions to the site. If you have any questions call Antonina at St Kew Harvest Farm Shop on 01208 841818.
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Time for the big push
Posted on April 19th, 2009 No commentsThe next six weeks are crucial for Camel Community Supported Agriculture as we have so much work to do on our two-acre site at St Kew Highway.
We’re holding an additional volunteer session this Thursday 23 April from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Our usual weekend session is next Sunday 26 April from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Please make an extra special effort to come and help out at one of these times. We need to prepare a number of vegetable beds, sow more seeds and plant out cauliflower and cabbage seedlings.
Remember to bring strong shoes or wellies, waterproofs, gardening gloves, drinks and a snack. Also bring tools, ideally wheelbarrows, shovels, spades, forks and rakes. If the weather’s still good you might need suncream and a hat!
Click here for directions to the site. If you have any questions call Antonina at St Kew Harvest Farm Shop on 01208 841818.
Mark Norman, one of our three-strong team of expert growers, has this stark message for us:
“If we don’t get all the planting done in the next six weeks we won’t have enough vegetables later in the year to fill our boxes .
“We need as much volunteer help from members as we can get at this stage so we make the most of the planting season.”
Today we spread another 30-metre-long bed with compost and planted kohl rabi, turnips and radishes. We hoed between broad beans and onions to get rid of annual weeds, and earthed up the early potatoes.
Grateful thanks to expert grower Mark and volunteers Cath, Charlotte, John and Mike S.
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Fresh shoots
Posted on April 13th, 2009 No commentsBroad beans, early potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes and onions are beginning to show above the ground on the field being cultivated by Camel Community Supported Agriculture at St Kew Highway.We shifted a mountain of compost in glorious sunshine on Easter Sunday. Beetroot seed and red onion sets were sown in the new growing beds.
Special thanks to our three expert growers – Jane, Jeremy and Mark – and to volunteers Antonina, Catherine, Charlotte, Danni, Mike H and Mike S.
We hope to see even more of you between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m next Sunday.
Camel CSA - why we got involved
Watch our latest video to find out why some of us decided to get involved.
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We’re a growing concern
Posted on March 31st, 2009 No comments
Some of our growing team regulars (left to right) Gav, Jane, Diana, Kitty, Charlotte, Jeremy
We feel we’re starting to get somewhere!
There was a good turnout on the field on Sunday. The Camel Community Supported Agriculture team worked hard to create additional seed beds, spread loads of compost, and get broad beans, peas and onions into the ground.
More seeds were planted in the polytunnel. Some of us tackled the remaining dock leaves with a vengeance.
Many thanks to Kitty, Ian, Mike, Jane, Gav, Jeremy, Charlotte, Frank, Mark and Diana.
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Join us to plant peas, broad beans and onions
Posted on March 25th, 2009 No commentsAll this hard work is starting to make a difference!
A big thank you to all Camel Community Supported Agriculture members who turned out in the sunshine last Sunday to plant potatoes, onions and shallots.
Please come and help out again this Sunday 29 March between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. to get more seeds in the ground.
Mark Norman, one of our team of expert growers, says:
“There’s another bed of onions to plant together with broad beans and peas. We need to prepare another bed for sowing carrots and parsnips. Look out for broad beans and Jeruselem artichokes just peeking through.
“We have more seeds to sow in the polytunnel. Seeds sown in the tunnel three weekends ago are doing well. Some have been moved into the greenhouse for slightly cooler and less humid conditions with maximum light.”
Remember to bring wellies and waterproofs (just in case) as well as drinks and snacks. And don’t forget a pair of gardening gloves! If possible, bring a selection of tools – wheelbarrows, rakes, spades, forks and trowels.
We look forward to seeing you. You’ll be sure to get a warm and friendly welcome.
Camel CSA - first volunteer day
Watch this video of our first volunteer day.
If you would like more information or have any questions email Alex at alex@olivetreeevents.co.uk or call Antonina at St Kew Harvest on 01208 841818.
Click here for directions to the site.
