Big Lottery helps Camel CSA buy little red tractor

Isn’t it cute?! This is the new little red tractor bought at the Royal Cornwall Show for our community veg plot at St Kew Highway.

We sent a small team to the show to look for one, led by expert grower Mark Norman. They had such fun choosing it – a TAFE 35 DI classic, built in India.

Now we can’t wait for the tractor to be delivered.

It was paid for out of our £49,000 grant funding pot from the Big Lottery Fund’s Local Food Programme.

Thank you Big Lottery!

We’re in the news – again

Camel Community Supported Agriculture members succeeded in spreading the word far and wide at the Royal Cornwall Show and the open day on Open Farm Sunday. 

Hundreds more people in the south west now know what Camel CSA is doing to help make local food work and how we’re going about it.

Our efforts also resulted in plenty of media coverage in the past week or so  – on BBC Radio Cornwall, in the Cornish Guardian and in the Western Morning News (three times!)

Discover food glorious food at the Royal Cornwall – Western Morning News May 26 09

Open day to feature county’s first community food growing group – Cornish Guardian June 2 09

Cornish food at its best – South West Farmer June 1 09

Food from Cornwall News – June 6 09

Other groups keen to set up their own community agriculture project should contact the Soil Association’s south west CSA co-ordinator Traci Lewis at tlewis@soilassociation.org or on 0787 0268654.

A great display of showmanship

Camel Community Supported Agriculture’s stand in the Food and Farming Pavilion at the Royal Cornwall Show has attracted a great deal of interest. 

Countless visitors have stopped to chat and to find out more about our community food growing project, which is the first of its kind  in Cornwall.

They have admired Antonina’s fresh and original design and Jane’s bountiful display of plants in boxes.  Everyone has been really impressed with the beautiful peas, the vast courgette plant, the kohl rabi, broad beans, mint and parsley as well as the marigolds, nasturtiums and cornflowers. 

Lots of people have wanted to touch the peapods.  Small children were tempted to pick and eat them! 

We have fielded all kinds of questions and dealt with a variety of comments, as Antonina explains: –  

Courgette plant – are the spots dangerous?
Are the peas a certain kind?
How do you deal with black fly on broad beans?  Is it best to plant broad beans in autumn or spring?
How do you cook kohl rabi?
Why are the beetroot sooo big?
Why is the cauliflower pink?
Can I pick some of the mint to go in my salad?
Why not grow this and that?
I grow mine like this and that….!!! 

We have sold a large number of freshly-picked mixed salad bags.  The National Trust chef incorporated several of our salad packs in a cookery demonstration and has ordered several more to use on the third and final day.

Camel CSA has been making its presence felt at the show courtesy of the Plunkett Foundation and the Soil Association, who are prime movers in the Making Local Food Work initiative. 

We have been sharing the stand with the newly-formed West Penwith Community Supported Agriculture project and we wish them the very best in their new venture.

We have one more day at the show before our first Open Day on Sunday – Open Farm Sunday.  Watch this space.

We’re open for business

We have a hectic week ahead of us as Camel Community Supported Agriculture members prepare for the Royal Cornwall Show and our first Open Day.

Visitors to the show and the Open Day will be able to talk to our enthusiastic volunteers, find out what we’re growing, and discover the benefits of getting involved in our community food growing venture. 

You will find our stand in the show’s popular Cornwall Food and Farming Pavilion from Thursday 4 June to Saturday 6 June.  Make sure you come and visit us there.

We will be selling freshly-picked salad packs and signing up new members to our local food project – the first of its kind in Cornwall. 

We are sharing the stand with the  Soil Association, which has just helped to set up the new West Penwith Community Supported Agriculture project.  We are also there thanks to the Plunkett Foundation, which manages the  Making Local Food Work campaign.

The next day, on Sunday 7  June, we are holding a series of Open Farm Sunday events between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. including guided tours of the site at St Kew Highway near Wadebridge.

There will be family activities and all-day refreshments including homemade cakes and cold drinks, with a barbeque from 12 noon – 2 p.m.  You are welcome to bring your own picnic.

Schedule of events: –
11:30    Guided tour
12:00    Making bee nests, planting lettuces
12:30    Sheep shearing demonstration
13:00    Scarecrow making
13:30    Guided tour
14:00    Making bee nests, planting lettuces
14:30    Sheep shearing demonstration
15:00    Scarecrow making
15:30    Guided tour

 If you are a member and are able to help out, please get in touch.

Click here for directions to Camel Community Supported Agriculture’s site at St Kew Highway.

Click here to view our entry on the Open Farm Sunday website and details of LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming), the national charity that helps bring farmers and consumers together.

Camel CSA goes on show

We have an incredible opportunity to publicise our exciting new community food growing initiative at this year’s Royal Cornwall Show near Wadebridge from June 4-6.

Camel Community Supported Agriculture has a stand in the show’s Cornwall Food and Farming Pavilion.  This is thanks to the Plunkett Foundation, which manages the nationwide Making Local Food Work campaign, and also the support of the Soil Association.

The pavilion is a must-see feature which hosts 60 local producers and their displays of Cornish food and drink.  It attracts thousands of show visitors every year.

If you are a Camel CSA member and would like to help out on the stand for a few hours please get in touch with Antonina at St Kew Harvest on 01208 841818.

Camel CSA – Why we got involved

There are lots of reasons why members of Cornwall’s first community-led agriculture project decided to get involved.  

Camel Community Supported Agriculture’s latest video features different people explaining what inspired them to join in.

Camel CSA - first volunteer day

 

 

Click here to watch an earlier video about our first volunteer day in March.