Field Notes: 5th - 11th August 2024

Aug 16, 2024

5th - 11th August
 
Field Record: What’s been happening on the 107 acres of Honeydale Farm?

 
While our rye is drying out in the barn, we’ve been getting ready to harvest our wheat crop. The ears are now heavy and golden and with a few days of dry weather on the horizon, we should be ready to start combining later in the week. The combine harvester will work its way around the field, cutting, threshing and separating the wheat from the chaff (what's left of the wheat flower) and straw. 

The sainfoin field has been ploughed, harrowed and rolled - ready to be sown with a cover crop. Whilst we were ploughing, flocks of seagulls swooped in, filling the farm with the familiar seaside sound of squawking as they hunted for earthworms. This is a common sight on UK farms, thanks to the gulls’ excellent eyesight and high flight! They often follow farm tractors, eager to feast on the insects and critters brought to the surface by the plough. 
 

If you’re out for a stroll around the farm, keep an eye out for the first sunflowers blooming in our bird seed mix. They’re a beautiful sight and a sure sign of August! 
 

We have plenty of exciting events coming up at FarmED, from a Lunchtime Talk all about composting to a course dedicated to permaculture. Follow the links or visit our website to find out more! 
 
Cafe Catchup: What’s new in the Cafe?
 

 
One of our colourful salad bowls
 
Now we’re in the height of summer, our Cafe has been matching the sunshine outside with colourful dishes, fresh flowers and refreshing smoothies. Tables are decorated with beautiful blooms picked straight from our market garden and our menu features a variety of summer delights, like garden-fresh gazpacho and salad bowls bursting with veggies: cucumbers, spring onions, kale, tomatoes, rainbow chard, basil and nasturtiums. The smoothie of the week - strawberry, mint and cucumber - has been a huge hit, a true taste of summer! 
  
This Monday, we had the pleasure of welcoming D’Accord, our Cafe band, back to the farm. The combination of music, sunshine, and delicious food made for a perfect summer afternoon. 

Beautiful blooms from Ruby's (one of the Cafe team) garden!
 
Events Recap: What’s on at FarmED?
 
Minibeast Safari
 
A beautiful magpie moth captured on the farm
 
On Tuesday, we welcomed a group of 22 eager children to the farm for another Minibeast Safari. This time around, the kids managed to capture crickets, grasshoppers, damselflies, and plenty of butterflies. One adventurous child, however, ended up with more than just insects in their net - they took a tumble into the mud, turning both their net and trousers a lovely shade of brown! 
 
Later in the week, Alex spotted a beautiful magpie moth and an elephant hawk moth in caterpillar form. 
 
Friday Farm Walk
One of the things we love about our farm walks is how much they vary from week to week. Depending on the season, everything happening on the farm changes greatly and it’s a joy to be able to point out the subtle differences in the land. 

Each group also brings fresh perspectives and inspiration to the walk, depending on their interests and backgrounds. On Friday, we had a visitor all the way from Toronto who was interested in rewilding, another guest with a background in architecture, and a family of smallholders. This mix led to a whole host of interesting questions during the walk. You can sign up for a farm walk here.
 
Garden Treasures: What’s been happening down in the kitchen garden?


The salad picking marathon!
 
Down in the garden, everything is ripening in the hot August sun and it’s been a busy week of harvesting and tending to the plants. The Kitchen Garden People team spent a sunny Tuesday afternoon trellising the tomatoes, carefully wrapping them around strings to keep them sturdy as they climb higher.  Since the start of August, their water supply has been cut off. This technique may sound harsh, but it helps the tomatoes sweeten up in the sun, becoming ripe, juicy, and ready to pick.
 
The team also tended to the french beans in the polytunnel and finished weeding all of the brassicas. What was once a sea of weeds is now a sea of deep green leaves, a glorious sight after the hours of hard work that have gone into it. The apple trees along the agroforestry strips are ripening, and the hedgerows are beginning to gleam with blackberries, hawthorn berries and elderberries. 
 
Thursday was spent harvesting potatoes with the usual volunteers, preparing for our Friday veg boxes. This took some of the pressure off of Friday, when, with another big harvest, The Kitchen Garden People team spent a lovely day with volunteers Janet, Alex, Sam and Alice. Together they harvested tomatoes, rainbow chard, lettuces, courgettes and cucumbers. Followed by a reward of well-deserved iced coffees from the FarmED Cafe and kept cool in the packing shed whilst weighing and distributing all the fresh veg into the weekly shares.