11th November 2024

This is something we don't do very often - ploughing. (Last week's picture looked a bit like it but ridging up potatoes is quite different!). We usually keep the ground worked in beds with wheel tracks in fixed lines to avoid damaging the structure of the soil in between. No ploughing was done at all last year, this week Rogerhas turned over about 2 acres of ground on which we plan to put 'Spanish Tunnels'. These are big polytunnels which have a polythene sheeting system which is easily removed. This will allow us to get crops started early with protection but remove the covers as the weather improves. We have found that many crops benefit from early protection but don't mature well under cover, eg runner beans and courgettes.

Our 3 furrow reversible plough has slatted mouldboards which gives our heavy clay less surface area to stick to.

Thought you might like to see the bottom part of our soil profile where James has been digging some post holes. The bottom is blue lias mudstone, then about 2ft of various clay then about 2-3ft of soil. Most of the top layer is missing here as we had already scraped that back.

To the Shop

Markets This Week, 14-17 November

on Thursday - Stow on the Wold

on Friday - Malmesbury, Rodborough and Abingdon

on Saturday - Winchcombe, Woodstock, Charlbury, Headington, Reading, Malvern and Stroud

on Sunday - Summertown, Ascot, Caversham and Willersey

Jerusalem artichokes

£1.50

500g bag of Jerusalem Artichokes

Many people like these made into soup, sometimes mixed with carrot. We prefer ours roasted as part of a vegetable mix. But our favourite version is as "dauphinoise", slice them into a buttered ovenproof dish, season in your own way add cream (or your alternative) and bake in a moderate oven for about 40 minutes. Be careful not to eat too many!

Shop now

Start of stage one of putting up a new shed which will include a new food processing area. This is where the post holes come in.

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