Find out about our adventures with Frieda the firetruck
A reflection on the last few months and some news on our upcoming summer season.
Winter preparations
Winter is coming and with it come the first of the Brussel Sprouts and Red Cabbage which you can now find at our Farmers' Market stall and on our online shop. Our calabrese is coming to an end, but don't panic as it's won't be long until our much-loved Purple Sprouting Broccoli will be ready in early December.
In the last few weeks we have been busy planting out our overwintered onions. This was a great team effort with all hands on deck to make holes and plant out the transplant modules. Our peas, broadbeans, carrots have all been sown in the tunnels to provide early spring produce next year. And the overwintered hispi cabbages have been sown into module trays ready for the first spring plantings.
Our newly sown greenmanures are just getting established in areas where our summer crops (e.g. squash and courgettes) have finished. The mix of rye grass and field beans that we have chosen is winter hardy and helps to protect the soil from erosion especially during wet and windy weather. It also provides useful fertility for next years crops. The extensive root system of the rye grass is adept at dredging up the minerals that may have been washed away during winter rains. It is particularly good at lifting the nitrates in the soil and releasing them slowly (once dug in) to the following crop.
Dartmoor - Private chef
Luscombe Venison, Being Private chefs at Luscombe Castle has many advantages. One of which, Luscombe Venison. There are wild Venison roaming the estate and occasionally we get a call from the game keeper with a gift.
This is Venison leg steak, red onions, balsamic, dill and wine berry jelly.
Wild garlic and walnut pesto recipe.
There’s such an abundance of wild garlic at the moment. I can smell it as soon as I walk out of my front door. I love garnishing dishes with the tiny white flowers that pack a garlicky punch and Sam and I try to make as much garlic butter as we can and store it in the freezer for the coming months.
Another favourite recipe of mine is wild garlic pesto, it’s super easy and can be used on your pasta, to dress salad. on top of a curry, finish off a roast lamb dish, anything that tickles your fancy really. You cant go to wrong with a bit of delicious garlic in your dish of choice… ok maybe not with your chocolate cake but who am I to judge?
It has been a bit of a bonkers winter here on the south coast, we had roses blooming in December with balmy temperatures that almost felt like we weren't going to get a winter, then January arrived and suddenly I couldn't keep the house warm...
I think Lasagne maybe the best dish in the world! I don't know anyone that doesn't love it, or maybe I don't socialise with haters...