February's news

And the award for ‘peculiar newspaper story of the month’ goes to this: ‘The nation is caught in a courgette crisis!’ Cold temperatures and heavy rain have had a drastic impact on the output of Spanish and Italian farmers, leaving supermarket shelves without their favourite glossy green courgettes, and it seems that British shoppers are at a loss at the so-called ‘tragedy’.

Well, we are unashamed to say that we too are caught in the courgette crisis. In fact, we haven’t had courgettes for months. But it won’t come as a surprise to our customers that we too have been without french beans, sweetcorn, and aubergines for quite sometime. Instead, we’re relishing in our cabbages, leeks, beetroot, and seasonal roots bought in from other British organic farms. It is the season for rooty stews and cabbagey broths, and boy are we British good at it.

It’s true that we do import and enjoy the products of other countries when they’re at a reasonable price (this week we’re selling Spanish sweet potatoes, celery, fennel, and Italian avocadoes). But I feel it is important not to be dependent on international imports, and there’s something not only healthy (to oneself and the environment) but also meaningful about eating seasonally. Our british crops are used to growing in our cold wet winters, so our home-grown veg won’t suffer too much and our fair prices will remain frozen!

This month, we have our own woodchip for sale (from the Gold Hill woodland); good for mulching fruit trees and shrubs to keep the weeds at bay. We also have compost for sale, the same we use on the farm. We sell in 50 litre bags, or we can fill a trailer of yours with the tractor - whatever suits you. Why not feed your veg beds the organic way this winter - you’ll see the benefits this summer! Do give us a call if you’d like compost or woodchip in large quantities.

01258 861916

goldhillorganicfarm@gmail.com