Seeds for sale

We are again stocking a range of seeds from the Seed Cooperative in our farm shop. seedcooperative.org.uk
The seed cooperative is based in Lincolnshire and is a community-owned producer of organic biodynamic open-pollinated seeds.

New farm entrance

For the past ten years we have been working towards a new safer farm entrance, and we now have one (thanks in the main to Rebuild Southwest for doing most of the labouring work). There is now good visibility both up and down the hill when getting into and out of the farm.

The new entrance is primarily for shop customers and people collecting their veg boxes, but can also be used by allotment holders and volunteers - the old entrance further down the hill can still be used during office hours, but please be careful when pulling out, and use the mirror opposite.

Chicken feed

We have recently changed our chicken feed from standard layers pellets from a local(ish) producer, to non-GM soya-free pellets from the Smallholder Range. This feed comes in paper sacks rather than plastic, which we can then either use as a mulch on the farm beneath wood-chip, or recycle with our paper.

www.smallholderfeed.co.uk/products/layers/natural-free-range-layers-pellets/

This is something that we have been working towards for a while, and we have finally got enerything in place - including extra rodent-proof storage - to make the switch. The new feed costs £10 per sack, compared to £6.90 for the old feed, so we have had to increase the price of our eggs from £1.60 to £1.90 per half dozen.

Hadrien

We'd like to thank Hadrien, from Belgium, seen here picking kale in the market garden, for coming and being part of the community farm for two weeks. Thank you Hadrien!

Recent veg boxes

Our veg boxes so far this January have contained a selection of winter veg from the community farm (kale, chard, potatoes, spring greens, carrots) and Cargease Organic Farm near Penzance (cauliflower, leeks, swedes, beetroot), augmented with produce from our polytunnels (Chinese leaves, coriander, parsley, fennel, watercress, mooli, rocoto chillies).

Red Russian kale from the market garden (as well as Black Tuscan, green and red curly kale).

Rocoto chillies from the Mothership - fresh chillies in January!

Spring greens from the market garden.

Chinese leaves (Granaat) from the Sausage polytunnel.

In the next few weeks we are also hoping to be able to include crops such as purple sprouting broccoli, green sprouting broccoli, kohl rabi, salad, French breakfast radishes, oriental greens, and jerusalem artichokes.

Picking chard in Meeting Field.

Winter storms

Tuesday's sleet storm filmed through the kitchen door window during a well-timed morning coffee break.

This has been one of the wettest windiest winters we've known in ten years of farming at Bosavern, but so far "all" we have lost are two sections of packing shed roof, both of which have been repaired by our friends from Rebuild Southwest. Our polytunnels and chicken sheds have stood up to it all so far, touch wood. It does make harvesting veg very cold wet work though, especially when there is no option but to get out there and do it. We have also had to build a land-drain (rubble-filled ditch) across the farmyard to prevent our packing shed from flooding. Today is a sunny windless cold winters day, and we love it!

The latest piece of packing shed roof to blow off, repaired yesterday by Rebuild Southwest.

Mooli

Over the past two weeks we have harvested 45kg of mooli radish a.k.a. daikon from one bed in one of our polytunnels (one bed and a fifth to be precise). These long crunchy white radishes are a real treat in January when crops are scarce. All 50 of our veg boxes had them last week, and the 18 standard veg boxes we produced yesterday had the last of them. There's still a few in our farm shop and at both St. Just and Pendeen farmers' markets this morning.

Jenny and Hannah, two of our wonderful local volunteers, harvesting mooli for last week's veg boxes.

Filling a wheelbarrow with mooli.

Virginia and Ben

Virginia returned to volunteer on the farm for a second time, for ten weeks, and Ben for his third time, for two weeks. It's always lovely to have wwoof volunteers come back to us and help again.

Spring cleaning the farm shop

The farm shop only closes for three days every year (Chrsitmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year's Day), so we have to take the opportunity to give it a good clean and tidy (last year we painted the floor too). Virginia and Ilaria spent all day yesterday doing this, and we were open again at 10am this morning as usual, ready to go through until next Christmas without a day off.

Ilaria cleaning cobwebs out of the shop.

Viginia wiping down the shelves.

Virginia re-stocking.

The shop will now be open from 10am till 6pm every day, and we have removed the gate-stall. The new entrance is also fully operational, with new signage, and we ask all shop customers to use it because it is much safer than the old farm entrance.

Christmas farmers' market

To support the turning on of St. Just's Christmas lights, and the walking nativity, the farmers' market opened for the evening of Friday 13th December, offering all the usual stalls, plus mulled wine and mince pies, with a special guest appearance by the incredible Pendeen Silver Band playing carols.

Christmas hampers

This Christmas we had orders for seven £25 hampers, two of which were vegan. We think that they looked amazing, and hope that the recipients enjoyed them too. We delivered them on Friday 20th alongside our regular veg boxes (all of which had a Christmas feel - mainly the stick of sprouts in each, and delicious they were too).

Virginia decorating the hampers with ivy from the farm.

Christmas Tree festival

Once again Bosavern Community Farm was delighted to decorate a tree in the Miner's Chapel in St. Just to help raise funds for the chapel and secure its future as an art and music venue in the town. This year our tree's theme was "the creation" - and thanks go to Sonja, Alice, Fran, Willow and Jenny for creating the tree.

Aisling, Jun and Jimi

We would like to thank three WWOOF volunteers who helped us out in December - Aisling from Coventry on her second visit, plus Jun and Jimi both from South Korea (even from the same city, but they didn't know each other before meeting on our farm here in Cornwall). Many thanks to you all, and we hope you all have a happy and healthy new year 2020.