Field Notes - Summer Solstice Special

Last week, we celebrated the summer solstice with a magical evening of music, drinks, delicious food and meditation right here on the farm. Guests arrived in the early evening to clear blue skies. We began with a guided walk around the farm, taking in the beauty of our wildflower meadows, budding agroforestry strips, heritage orchard, and kitchen garden bursting with crops ready for harvest. 

We were then treated to a soothing guided meditation session led by the wonderful Sarah from Brave Kind Minds. This session allowed everyone to not only connect with the nature around us, but also embrace the spirit of the solstice.

Afterwards, we enjoyed a mouthwatering barbecue full of fresh salads, meat from Paddock Farm and an abundance of veggies grown on the farm. Our house band, D’Accord, played some jazzy tunes and set the perfect atmosphere for dining outside.

As the sun began to set, laughter and conversation flowed as freely as the wine. We all felt the simple joy that comes from celebrating nature together. It was a night to remember - a testament to the beauty and bounty of our farm.

The summer solstice, marking the longest day of the year, is a time filled with magic and folklore. People often celebrate by watching the sunset, lighting bonfires, and staying up all night to welcome the sunrise. Our celebration captured this spirit beautifully. We left feeling full of the true meaning of summer and the promise of the seasons ahead.

 

Shipton-Under-Wychwood Cubs - Bug Hunting

 

The group identified so many interesting beasties!

Last week, an excited group of cubs from Shipton-Under-Wychwood came to check out the diversity of insects and minibeasts on the farm. The kids were particularly excited by wolf spiders carrying their eggs, froghoppers and a delightful cabbage white caterpillar! Celebrating wildlife in all its glory is a wonderful way to honour the solstice.

 

 

 

 

 

This week, it feels as though summer has finally arrived. Everything is germinating and the crops are flourishing. The Kitchen Garden People's flowers are in full bloom, with bright red and orange nasturtiums and yellow marigolds joining the sweet peas and cornflowers. The team have been keeping cool with breaks in the shade, plenty of water and hose pipe showers. 

The sweetcorn was planted out this week, and they’re already shooting up into the sunlight. These will be ready for harvest come autumn. Everything’s speeded up and the ‘green manure’, or fertility building ley, has shot up almost overnight. The team also raked the green manure mix between the squash and sweetcorn plants. Now the plants are big enough, this mix of grasses and wildflowers will cover the ground, protect from weeds, build fertility and diversity into the soil and prevent soil runoff, building an underground ecosystem. 

As well as heat, there’s a real sense of excitement in the air as we come into the busiest season of the year. The polytunnels are beginning to look like jungles with towering cucumber and tomato plants, and it only feels like yesterday The Kitchen Garden People were planting them out!  

Friday brought a mega harvest for the weekly shares, including a vegetable rescue mission involving mini beetroots. The team had to dig up a lot of beetroots in the polytunnels to make room for the peppers and aubergines, and, while they might have ended up as compost, Gareth, our wonderful FarmED cook, saved them. The kitchen team spent a couple of hours roasting and peeling them for use in soups, salads, and cakes.