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The Forthcoming September Home Farmer...
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We're working hard on the next issue of Home Farmer which will feature a full programme of planning for the winter growing season, an update on Dot Tyne's Smallholder Diary, some wartime gardening and recipe tips and a 'Fixing Stuff' article devoted to plumbing featuring pipe repairs and ball valve repairs, all designed to save you money and increase your independence and empowerment. The above image is from Elizabeth McCorquodale and shows a Lord Woolton pie, probably the most famous of the WW2 Ministry of Food recipes, originally devised by the head chef at the Savoy Hotel and just one of many recipes to look forward to.
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Delicious Summer Fruit Pudding...
For our first recipe we are lucky to have a summer fruit pudding while the summer lasts - and here I am speaking as a Northerner for the very first time. The recipe comes from Mel Sellings aka the Jammy Bodger and is one of the most pleasant ways of appreciating the summer harvest I have ever come across.
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Rich and Succulent Carrot Cake...
Another cake designed to use up the summer harvest is carrot cake - a delicious accompaniment to a cup of tea at any time of year. This recipe comes courtesy of Jennie Rutland who knows a great recipe or two.
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A Winter Potato Harvest...
We have a great gardening tip from contributor Dave Hamilton which should enable you to harvest potatoes well into winter and even on Christmas Day, fresh for your Christmas dinner.
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Terry Walton's Guide to Protecting your Brassicas...
Brassicas seem pretty hardy - tough skinned and with a solid and purposeful taste, for the most part, but they are actually more prone to disease and pests than most veg - namely clubroot and the deceptively pretty cabbage white butterfly which looks to lay its eggs on your precious plants. Experience has taught Terry a few tricks though, and he's ready to share them with newsletter readers.
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Beware Ragwort - the 'Yellow Peril'...
I was asked about doing an article on ragwort by someone at the Ardingly Smallholder Show, She described it as perhaps the worst pest for horses and ponies, but it also affects most livestock. We did include an article on ragwort by Heidi M. Sands some time ago and it helps with recognition and dealing with the problem.
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Birds Endangered by Neonicotinoids too...
Recent research by scientists in Holland has revealed that neonicotinoids are not only a danger to pollinators - they are also causing a serious decline in many farmland birds. The peer-approved research looked at other potential problems such as intensive farming techniques, but concluded that it was without doubt neonicotinoids, and in particular imidacloprid, which awas responsible for falling numbers of tree sparrows, swallows and starlings. This was one of the recently banned insecticides which Environment Secretary Owen Paterson tried to return to use, but was overruled by his cabinet colleagues.
To read about the recent research and findings click here.
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The Landworkers' Alliance...
Most Home Farmer readers want to enjoy good food produced in a wholesome and healthy way, preferably by traditional farming methods rather than something we would equate more with a factory. One organisation that is trying to get a greater say for small farms within Defra is the Landworkers' Alliance, and next month we shall be featuring their aims and hopes for the sector. I recently received a press release from them about the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership proposals which we have also voiced concerns about as they will give too much power to the big corporations. I have put their press release online for anyone else concerned about the matter to add their voice to the campaign. This is something which will affect all of us if it becomes a reality, so anyone who was concerned about the proposed outlawing of heritage seeds should be similarly concerned about this matter too.
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