July 2, 2010
Camel Community Supported Agriculture’s first veg boxes were distributed exactly a year ago today.
Over the last 12 months our volunteer picking and packing team have braved extreme conditions – frost, snow, hail, gales, mud, rain and shine – to prepare the weekly vegetable boxes for our members.
Together with our growers and local suppliers in north Cornwall they ensure that the quality of the veg box contents remains of a consistently high standard.
Between us we’re growing a fantastic variety of fresh seasonal vegetables.
Our veg box scheme has vacancies for new members. So if you’re interested in a regular weekly supply of locally-grown food, please contact us.
We’ll make sure you feel very welcome.
June 30, 2010
It’s proved an uphill task to cultivate vegetables during this long spell of hot, dry weather. Some very welcome rain is now on the way, but the pace of growing has been very slow.
In the meantime our volunteer growers have been forced to water in the newly-sown seeds and seedlings by hand, which is a thoroughly time-consuming process.
The upside is that the annual weeds have been easier to keep at bay. This hasn’t prevented the growing team from having to take it in turns to handweed endless rows of tiny carrots and parsnips – not the most popular of jobs!
Over the past few weeks we’ve planted carrots, parsnips, sweetcorn, Swiss chard, perpetual spinach, beetroot, celeriac, self-blanching celery, salad leaves and bee borage. We’re about to sow some bulb fennel, parsley and coriander.
The over-wintered broad beans are cropping well and the Jerusalem artichokes are growing strongly. The borage is showing its intense blue blossom and beginning to attract lots of bees.
The remainder of the summer crops for our weekly veg boxes are being cultivated mostly by our three expert growers – Jeremy Brown at St Kew Harvest, Jane Mellowship in New Polzeath and Mark Norman in Bodmin.
We’re also buying in delicious Cornish strawberries from pick-your-own Treworder Fruit at Treworder Barton, Egloshayle, Wadebridge.
June 27, 2010
One of Camel CSA’s expert growers has been showing St Mabyn Toddler Group how to grow their own food.
Jane Mellowship’s been helping out on the Cornwall Pre-School Learning Alliance Healthy Tots project, which has support from the Big Lottery Local Food programme.
The green-fingered toddlers and their mothers are sowing and growing a variety of veg seeds and plants in containers outside St Mabyn Village Hall – including potatoes, spring onions, lettuces, runner beans, radishes, tomatoes and carrots.
Jenny Ahern, the Pre-School Learning Alliance development worker for north Cornwall said:
The purpose of the project is to bring parents and children together to demonstrate how foods can be grown in a variety of ways and how you don’t need a large garden to do that.
Jane’s been brilliant. It’s been so much fun. It’s proved how easy it is to grow your own veg, how simple it is and what a difference it makes.
June 21, 2010
Our Open Farm Sunday event was a real success. Great fun was had by all – especially the children.
Around 80 people came to visit us, nearly half of them children, not counting our own members and their families.
Many thanks to everyone who did baking, making, cooking, carving, crafting, preparing, explaining, erecting, dismantling and all the other assorted tasks necessary to get the day up and running (and down again).
Special mention should go to Jeremy Brown of St Kew Harvest, who got up at the crack of dawn to get the hog roast going. It was melt-in-the-mouth delicious!
June 11, 2010
We’re celebrating Open Farm Sunday at Camel Community Supported Agriculture AND St Kew Harvest Farm Shop in north Cornwall this Sunday 13 June 12.30 – 5pm.
This is a joint event aimed at promoting locally-grown food and produce. We’re neighbours, so come and find us behind St Kew Harvest Farm Shop beside the A39 at St Kew Highway near Wadebridge.
Join in family fun & games, guided tours, nature quiz, vegetable box raffle. Refreshments include a home-reared hog roast, veggie BBQ, home-made cakes, hot & cold drinks.
Camel Community Supported Agriculture is a co-operative group. We grow fresh, seasonal vegetables for our members to share through our weekly veg box scheme.
At St Kew Harvest Farm they cultivate their own fruit and vegetables without any chemicals or pesticides in the fields next to the shop. They also raise their own free-range Gloucester Old Spot pigs.
Join in the fun and games
12:30 Guided tour / lettuce planting, make bee nests & bird scarers
13:30 Tai Chi for kids / tomato toss, bull’s eye, Mr Potato Heads
14:30 Guided tour / lettuce planting, make bee nests & bird scarers
15:30 Tai Chi for kids / tomato toss, bull’s eye, Mr Potato Heads
16.30 Guided tour / lettuce planting, make bee nests & bird scarers
June 10, 2010
There’s lots of things to see and do this Sunday beside our plot at St Kew Highway. Join in the fun and games with us and our neighbours St Kew Harvest Farm Shop on Open Farm Sunday.
Refreshments include a free-range home-reared hog roast, hot & cold drinks and home-made cake.
Everyone welcome. See you there!
June 7, 2010
Come and see what we do to promote local food this Sunday 13 June. Join us in lots of food-related fun and games – including a hog roast – on our site at St Kew Highway.
Camel Community Supported Agriculture members are holding this Open Farm Sunday event jointly with our neighbours Jeremy and Antonina Brown who run St Kew Harvest Farm Shop & Tea Rooms.
We rent our two acres of land from the Brown family and Jeremy is one of Camel CSA’s three expert growers.
Do come along any time between 12.30 and 5pm. You’ll find us behind St Kew Harvest Farm Shop beside the A39 at St Kew Highway near Wadebridge.
There’ll be family activities, guided tours, nature quiz and vegetable box raffle. Delicious refreshments include a St Kew Harvest free-range hog roast, veggie barbeque, home-made cakes plus hot and cold drinks.
Join in the fun & games
12:30 Guided tour / lettuce planting, make bee nests & bird scarers
13:30 Tai Chi for kids / tomato toss, bull’s eye, Mr Potato Heads
14:30 Guided tour / lettuce planting, make bee nests & bird scarers
15:30 Tai Chi for kids / tomato toss, bull’s eye, Mr Potato Heads
16.30 Guided tour / lettuce planting, make bee nests & bird scarers
June 1, 2010
The campaign group lovewadebridge.com is holding another public meeting this Thursday 3 June at 6pm in Wadebridge Town Hall.
Its 500+ members, representing local households and businesses, are opposing three out-of-town supermarket developments.
Both Morrison’s and Sainsbury’s now want to build brand new superstores on the east side of Wadebridge. Tesco has applied to expand its existing store at the top of West Hill.
Lovewadebridge.com was set up by local residents concerned that these out-of-town developments would damage the heart of Wadebridge – its character, economy and quality of life.
It’s proposing alternative ideas to maintain the health and well-being of this historic market town.
May 31, 2010
Camel CSA members Trish and Jeremy Gibson are opening their garden to the public for the first time this Sunday 6 June under the National Gardens Scheme.
Trish is our volunteer picking and packing supremo. She oversees the preparation of more than 30 vegetable boxes every Friday.
She’s recently taken time off from her weekly duties to put the finishing touches to their one and a half acre garden at the The Mill House, Pendogget near St Kew in north Cornwall.
There are extensive views across the surrounding farmland and within the garden enclosed formal areas contrast with open spaces. It has a mill pond, several smaller ponds, and a small stream running through.
Trish says:
After months of sowing and planting, weeding and clearing, hedging and edging, pruning and fine tuning, we’re ready … Opening for the first time under the National Gardens Scheme on Sunday 6 June, 2-5pm, a bargain £3 entry (children free), plant stall and irresistible cream teas in aid of Cornwall Hospice Care.
May 30, 2010
Why not come and see what we’re doing at Camel CSA? We’re taking part in Open Farm Sunday on June 13. There’ll be lots of things to see and do – guided tours, children’s fun and games, nature activities, veg box raffle and homemade refreshments. Including a hog roast!
We’re holding this event in conjunction with our neighbours St Kew Harvest Farm Shop & Tea Rooms.
