Diss Community Farm’s regular column in the Diss Mercury is out this week. Head to page 8 to find out how the farm is benefitting from waste left over after the Latitude festival. If you don’t see the newspaper, read it online at http://www.dissmercury.co.uk/home/e-edition.
If you have been following the fortunes of our pilot pig project, you will know there have been difficulties. There has been some vandalism on the site, and we have had trouble getting the fencing. Recently, the owner has withdrawn his offer to put up fencing along one side. This was the final straw, and so we have been looking for another site.
Today, a group went to visit the Kadesh Community Farm in Palgrave. It is part of Kadesh Education, which works with children who have difficulties in mainstream education. The 1 acre site houses chickens, goats, turkeys, ducks and some pigs.
We were shown around by Steve, and discussed collaboration. It is all looking very promising, and we hope to have a firm agreement very soon. They have some 3 week old piglets, and it is likely that we will get some of them when they are a few weeks older. We are hoping that we can still use the money from our Saffron grant to buy an arc and some water storage.
Good-bye from Alice
Alice Maniezki, our lovely German Helpex helper, is returning home today. She has been here for three weeks, and many of you will have met her, at the Farm and the Open Day. She stayed first with Gabbi, then with Jan and Ian, and this week with Madeline and me. We have enjoyed her bubbly personality and will miss her.
Alice says, “I want to say Thank You to everyone for this great experience. It was a wonderful time with the families and at the Farm. I would love to be back some day. “
lots of beans!
This was my first time joining the harvest crew, and I found it great fun and very sociable. I recommend this to all members at least once in a while.
There were 10 of us, and I think we were all needed because there was so much to collect. We did have to shelter from a heavy storm at one point, and there we were in the tent, constantly poking the roof to remove the puddles.
Rain? Gales? Pah! It takes more than that to put a hardened community farmer off! On a weekend which saw other events cancelled at the drop of a hat we decided to be terribly British, put on our anoraks and get on with it.
Our fortitude paid off and the rain clouds scudded overhead without worrying us too much, there was even sunshine at one point which meant we could venture out of the rain tents and enjoy a Pimms and some cake (personal highlight for me, the lemon curd, marscapone and summer fruit sponge. Yummy)
I think most of us took the opportunity to have a look around Gabbi’s veg patch and admire how productive it’s looking, although the neighbouring field which has been ear-marked for expansion looks dauntingly huge!
Later in the afternoon, a game of girls versus boys rounders was instigated but had to be abandoned when the heavens opened and commenced the only real downpour of the afternoon. We took shelter in the music tent only for Kris, David, Thomas and Felix to strike up their version of ‘Why Does it Always Rain on Me?’ tres witty ….
A metaphorical ray of sunshine fell on Penelope Lister who won Il Divo restaurant vouchers – Congratulations Penelope, hope you enjoy your meal!
This is an exciting week for Diss Community Farm, VegShare Members will be able to come and collect their first share of the harvest on Thursday 9th June. We have found a temporary, free collection point for the next three or four weeks, in a friends double garage.
The first vegshare will contain some spinach, and lettuce and probably kale. At the
collection point there will be a list of what makes up each weeks share, you will be asked to weigh out/count out your own produce and pack it into your own bag.
Please bring your own bag!
Payment
If you need to drive you can park in front of the house, but please be sure not to block in neighbours car (21a Stanley Rd), we hope to make an arrangement with Catholic Church to use their car park if space is tight.
A Big thank you to Rachel and Jamie for helping us out by letting us use their garage.
If you are free at all to help with the harvest of the weekly shares on a Thursday morning from about 9.30 a.m. then let Ange know, email: disscommunityfarm@yahoo.co.uk We could really use extra pairs of hands for harvest on a regular basis.
Diss Community Farm 