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TABLE OF CONTENTS... • Making your own Handcream... • Make your own Mascarpone Cheese... • A Little Bit about Beehives... Join the 'In Crowd' Sign up today and save over £1.00 on every issue (on Direct Debit), getHome Farmer delivered straight to your door every month and get a choice of either River Cottage Every Day, The Herb & Flower Cookbook or Paul Hollywood's Breadas a FREE GIFT. To subscribe by Direct Debit and save 25% click here. To subscribe for 12 issues by card click here. See you at... We are putting together the Home Farmer Road Show programme for 2015 and are delighted to add The Edible Garden Show and the RHS Malvern Spring Festival to our schedule this year. We certainly hope to see some of you there. Buy This Month's Issue... To view the contents panel click here. To buy this issue click here.   THE HOME FARMER APP If you've not already done so, download our FREE Home Farmer App and subscribe to Home Farmer for £19.99 for 12 issues WORLDWIDE on your tablet. Making your own Handcream... Reader Lynn Huggins-Cooper shares her recipe for making your own herbal handcream. The perfect solution for hands suffering from the cold. To see the recipe click here. IF YOU CAN'T CLICK ON THE LINKS, GO TO THE TOP OF THIS PAGE AND CLICK TO VIEW THE WEB VERSION. Make your own Mascarpone Cheese... Making your own mascarpone cheese is really easy - now all you have to do is make the tiramisu to go with it. To see the recipe click here. A Little Bit about Beehives... Whether you keep bees or not, being able to tell the difference between a Langstroth and a WBS, not to mention a Modified National Hive, will help you on your next 'I Spy' country walk. Claire Waring demystifies the 'What Hive?' debate.  To view the article click here. Claire will be explaining all about the internal structure of hives in the forthcoming Home Farmer, and will follow this up with a 'how to' article on actually putting together a flat-pack National hive in the next issue. Subscribe on Direct Debit.   Subscribe with a card.

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With New Year’s resolutions still fresh and shiny, January is the month to plan how you will achieve at least some of the things you have always wanted to do on your smallholding, but couldn’t find either the time or the resources!
It may be starting out with a new species of animal to make best use of your land and broaden the range of products you can sell…
or setting up an internet shop to promote your produce and crafts to a wider audience …
or booking onto a course to learn a useful skill, such as hedgelaying, fencing, tractor maintenance, or sausage making…
and if you really want to crack on with some major projects on your smallholding, consider joining WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) – an international organisation that introduces volunteers to organic (not necessarily fully-registered, but following organic principles) farmers and smallholders. You could find that extra pair of helping hands you need to take your smallholding to a new level!       

		...New Year's resolutions for smallholders Keep a farm diary - invaluable to look back on Learn a new husbandry skill for your livestock - see our DVDs! Make your own bread or cheese Buy more local produce... and advertise your own - even if it's just selling to your neighbours For the kids - grow something edible - even in a pot on the patio And of course, promise to read The Smallholder Series monthly 'Things to do' pages for lots of top tips on keeping sheep, chickens, pigs,horses and creating a more productivevegetable garden

       

There's plenty to do on your smallholding during January. Here are some top tips from our 'Things to Do' pages - available on our website.

• Now that the ram’s work is done for the year and has left the ewes, check him over paying particular attention to his feet, any areas where the harness may have chafed, and condition
• Chickens will appreciate a little more carbohydrate in their diet as the weather gets colder, but don’t overdo this – monitor their weight regularly by picking them up, and feed accordingly
• As winter deepens, you can add some cod-liver oil to the pigs’ ration (no more than half a teaspoon per day for a young pig)
• If the ground isn’t frozen solid, this is the ideal time to lift any remaining parsnips and store in a cool place close to the house
• If your horse is rugged, make sure you remove the rug at least once a day to check he is dry, and not excessively warm under his rug

Keep up with all your smallholding tasks with our comprehensive guides to sheep,chickens, pigs ,the vegetable garden and equines. Just click on an image below.
          

Article of the Month
New Regulations on Food Labelling
Moredun Health Bulletin
Fluke Control in Sheep And Cattle
Green Farm Diary
We’d love to be able to exist off-grid... the compromise with self-sufficiency
NADIS Health Alert
Lice and Sheep Scab
Farming in the News
Subsidised blood tests now available if your flock has a barren rate greater than two percent
Recipe of the Month
Lamb Shank Shepherds Pie



           

Healthy(ish) recipes to kick-start
the New Year.
Balsamic and Parmesan
Roasted Cauliflower

Kale and White Bean Soup
Leek, Potato & Minced Beef Bake
Lamb and Sweet Potato Curry
Pot Roast Pheasant with Celery,
White Wine & Fennel Seeds
         
FeedbackWe really appreciate getting feedback from our customers - your views on our DVDs, suggestions for articles you'd find useful / helpful, and how you initially heard of us.
You can leave feedback by emailing us - see the feedback page on our website.
Weekly BulletinsFollow us on Facebook and Twitter for weekly smallholding news.
  

Tuesday 20th January 2015

Our next meeting is the AGM 

on 

Tuesday 20th January 2015

at the 

Blue Boar, Silver Street, Maldon, Essex CM9 4QE.

I am going to be stepping down as Chairman in 2015. What with our new addition due, I am worried I won't have the time that being Chairman requires. 

If you would like to stand as Chairman please can you send me an email registering an interested. Danielle.Perkins@Yahoo.co.uk.

I am however going to still be very involved in the group and take an active part in the committee. So you've not got rid of me yet!

If you have an ideas or suggestions about the running of the group please do tell us. We want the group to be something that everyone enjoys.

We have some great visits and meetings planned for next year, thanks to the brain storming session in November. All will be revealed shortly. 

Anyway I am in time to say, Happy New Year!

I look forward to seeing you all in 2015.

Danni

 

Membership Renewal 2015

Welcome to our Membership Page
We have changed our membership rate following a vote by members.
A single membership is charged at £12 per year.
A joint membership is charged at £18 per year.
Under 18's are free

East Essex Smallholders is fabulous value for money.

So what do you get?

An exclusive Members Only eNewsletter
An exclusive Members Only specialist newsletter called Dig It - all about growing 'stuff'
Free attendance at all monthly meetings
Access to Member only discounts.
Invitation to all member visits and reduced member rates if applicable
Involvement with a range of shows held within the district
Access to courses on livestock at specially negotiated Member rates
Access to courses on other useful skills at specially negotiated Member rates
Use of Group equipment (subject to Terms and Conditions)

this is just an outline.........

Want to join?

Complete our membership form and send it to our Secretary - this can be via email or post.

Postal address: Furzedown, Main Road, Mundon, Essex CM9 6NU

Cheques to be made payable to East Essex Smallholders Group

If you would like to come along to our next meeting, look on our Events Diary to find out where it is and when.

We look forward to welcoming you at our next event or meeting.

All the latest news from Rare Breeds Survival Trust

RARE BREEDS SURVIVAL TRUST  WE NEED YOUR HELP Any donation, no matter how small will help us fund essential conservation work. Please Help.  DONATE NOW Visit our website Follow us on Twitter  Like our Facebook Page  January 2015 Christmas Campaign Update This Christmas, we asked for help to raise money to help fund semen collections from rare breed rams on the Watchlist. Thanks to RBST members generosity, we have raised a total of £2,851 so far. This is enough to fund four collections and help safeguard some of the rarest breeds of sheep in the UK against extinction. This year we have already collected from 5 North Ronaldsay rams and 1 Norfolk Horn. There are plans in place to collect from Boreray, Soay, Leicester Longwool and Devon Closewool in 2015.               Norfolk Horn                                         Soay                                                 North Ronaldsay  Open Farm Sunday                   Open Farm Sunday is a project, which has seen hundreds of farmers across the UK open their farms to the public for one Sunday each year since 2006. Over 1.25 million people have visited a farm through Open Farm Sunday since the project started. It is a great initiative that gives everyone, young and old to discover at first hand what it means to be a farmer. Do you have a farm with rare breeds? Why not consider opening it up to the public on Sunday 7th June 2015 and sharing your knowledge and experience with visitors. To see how you can get involved, visit the website. Photos from Open Farm Sunday Original Population Dairy Shorthorn Update                      In 2013, we appealed for donations to fund embryo transfer work with Original Population Dairy Shorthorn (OPDS). Originally, we had planned to carry out this work using one of the cows we own at Bicton College, but unforeseen circumstances prevented this. However, we successfully flushed two OPDS cows that we own in Lakenheath in Suffolk. Both cows (Twells Moss Rose 168 and Tregear Poynings 167) produced 7 fertile embryos, which is a higher than average number for this procedure.  In 2015, we plan to implant some of these fertile embryos into recipient heifers, the rest will go into long term storage in the RBST Gene Bank. As  this work was so successful, we plan to flush Twells Moss Rose 168 again at the end of January and Tregear Poynings 167 will be served by an OPDS bull and have a natural calf in autumn 2015. Countryfile - Rare Breeds Compilation  Countryfile on Sunday 4th January 2015 will feature all of new and pre-loved rare breed stories. More information can be found on our website.  Join us at Countryfest near Kendal for the inaugural RBST Young Shepherds’ Weekend                                                           The RBST started its Young Shepherds competition to recognise the skills and showmanship of the next generation of rare breed enthusiasts.  The calibre of our qualifiers and winners over the years is a testament to the extraordinary dedication of the young people who enter and bodes well for the future of some of our rarest breeds of sheep. This year, thanks to the RBST Lancashire Support Group and Westmorland County Agricultural Society, we have a brand new event in the RBST Young Shepherds’ calendar – a weekend of workshops, showing classes and social activities at Countryfest, a countryside festival held on the 30th and 31stMay at the Westmorland County Showground, just off junction 36 of the M6 near Kendal.  Camping is free, and a hog roast meal on the Saturday evening is included, as are all showing class entries.  There will be classes for Primitive, Hill & Heath, Longwool, and Shortwool and Down, restricted to native UK breeds. There will also be official RBST Young Shepherd’s qualifiers for 8-12 year olds and 13-16 year olds, together with junior handler (under 8 years) and intermediate (17-21 years).  A Novice Adult class is open to anybody over 21 who has never won a first prize showing sheep – there’ll be workshops and demonstrations throughout Saturday on every aspect of showing so please come along even if you’ve never shown a sheep before.  “Spare” sheep will be available for those who can’t bring their own! Ticket prices are just £5 for under 21 years, £15 for over 21 years.  Breed society stands and info are welcome, just get in touch beforehand.  We would also be grateful for volunteers to assist with workshops and stewarding showing classes, and we are still seeking sponsorship for some of the rosettes so if you think you can help please do let us know. For more information and a booking form please contact Northern Field Officer Ruth Dalton on 01539 816223 or ruth@rbst.org.uk   Featured Breed Shire Horse        Watchlist; Category 4, At Risk. The Shire horse is probably the most numerous of the heavy draught breeds in the UK. Originally referred to as the Great Horse it was of enormous importance in Medieval Britain carrying knights into battle. As armour became lighter the need for a strong battle horse declined and the Shire instead became a valuable agricultural workhorse. Before the introduction of steam engines and tractors to work the land, Shires were essential for the farm. The breed was also a familiar sight in the towns and cities where it was used by hauliers and breweries. Forced into decline by agricultural mechanisation it survived due only to the support of a small number of individual breeders and breweries. The Shire is a strong character with a placid nature. It is the largest British draught horse, standing over 17.2hh in height, and a mature stallion can weigh almost one tonne. They can be black, brown, bay or grey in colour, and roan is acceptable in mares. The breed has a muscular frame, sloping shoulders and well sprung ribs. It has a profusion of fine silky feathering on the legs. Shires, are still used in some areas by breweries, and for promotional work. For more information, visit www.shire-horse.org.uk Photos by Aldenham Country Park and Pauline Guest  Grazing Advice for Meadows  Did you know that hay meadow species diversity is increased when grazing and cutting are combined, rather than cutting alone?  Grazing animals can also take the place of a hay cut on sites where access is difficult or equipment is hard to obtain and native breeds of cattle, sheep or ponies can have a hugely beneficial effect on species richness. The Coronation Meadows project is able to offer advice and support on grazing through the Rare Breeds Survival Trust's Field Officers, Ruth Dalton (North) and Richard Broad (South) - this could take the form of a phone chat, site visit or even a training session.  If you're already carrying out grazing with native breeds and would be willing to host a farm walk with a discussion on the benefits of conservation grazing, please do contact Ruth or Richard. Ruth Dalton  E: ruth@rbst.org.uk  T: 01539 816223 Richard Broad E: r.broad@rbst.org.uk  T: 07772 007399

unsubscribe from this list | update subscription preferences  Rare Breeds Survival Trust Stoneleigh Park Nr Kenilworth Warks CV8 2LG Tel: 02476 696551 Email: enquiries@rbst.org.uk Registered Charity Number 269442