Newsletter - October 2006

Can you beat September weather?

I love this time of year more than any other.

I love the low-slung sunlight that seems to beam across the landscape rather than frying it from above.

I love the damp mornings and the lush greenness that it brings as we witness growth revival.

Questionnaire draw

The winner of the questionnaire draw is:-

COST OF RAISING A PIG
We thought it might be interesting to lay out a list of the costs involved in raising a pig from 8 weeks old (a weaner) until ‘slaughter’ at 24 weeks . This will give you some idea of the background to the retail prices of familiar pork products. The costs below are based on batches of nine.

Any profit from the sale is re-invested for improvements.

barrow full of wet mud and wrenched my left knee. We can go back as far as 1997.

I bet you can’t wait. Next time we shall look at the winter period for the whole recorded decade and see if it means anything.

Keep those storms coming - the ‘Gauge’

ASHMORE FARMHOUSE CHEESE
David and Pat Doble started to make their delicious cheese in 1985 in East Sussex. As Dairy farmers they were completely familiar with the ‘white stuff’ and soon mastered the magic process of turning a fiendishly perishable product into a stable block of intensely nourishing food. Four years ago they moved to their new and shiny factory in Cranborne and four years before that they moved from East Sussex to Ashmore – a hilltop village on the Wiltshire/Dorset border. So for 8 years we have been lucky enough to have these skilful people among us. The Ashmore cheese is made from fresh milk collected daily from a Friesian herd in Sutton Waldron. 1250 litres(270 gallons) of milk are made into a ‘cheddar style’ wheel of unpasteurised cheese each day. 10 gallons of milk goes into 1 lb of cheese(10 litres=1 kg) and some of the whey goes to our pigs. From fresh milk to finished cheese takes 4 months and all the product at all the delicate stages is carefully handled and stored at the Cranborne factory. Half their production is sold through Farmer’s markets and small shops and half is sold to Wholesalers. Ashmore Cheese is always on sale in the Village Hall.

RAISON D’ ETRE

Futurefarms was formed as a not-for-profit company limited by Guarantee in order to try and produce enough food for a Parish of people and to find the best way to distribute the food having grown it.

The original ‘Steering Committee’ became the board of directors of the new company. The day to day running of the business is undertaken by the directors on a voluntary, unpaid basis.

No director receives any kind of remuneration;no bonuses;no free food and no perks - only the intense satisfaction of working on such a fascinating and important subject.

We now have three part time workers totalling £ 105.77p per week and the directors keep time sheets in order to keep a realistic tag on what is involved in such a project.

The directors hold fortnightly meetings usually from 7 pm to 10.30 pm.

Futurefarms is like a giant allotment with the animals and fowls added on. We run the allotment for 80 families and participants and members.

We want as many people as possible to take part in the running of the allotment. We want you to share in the advantages of fresh,
pesticide-free vegetables and meat. We need you to buy as much as possible from Futurefarms each week so that we can increase in size; feed more families and pay more people to work on the enterprise.

Please consider joining us either with your time (voluntary) or with your custom or preferably with both.

The allotments at Sandleheath measure 16 yards by 6 yards = 96 square yards and each one would feed a family of four ravenous humans. An acre of ground would therefore accommodate 40 allotments allowing extra land for paths and roadways. We are currently working 3 acres of veg land plus one poly tunnel (20 m x 6 m).

Our new recipe feature focuses on one seasonal vegetable each issue. This month we look at

Beetroot has long been know for its health-giving properties, but nutritionists have recently elevated it to the status of "superfood"!

It contains high levels of anti-oxidants, which protect against heart disease and stroke; it is one of the richest sources of folic acid, essential especially during pregnancy; and it contains silica, which is thought to reduce the risk of osteoporosis.

Even better, it has been labelled a "mood food" since it contains betaine, which is known to relax the mind and help with depression.

Of course, the main reason it is becoming increasingly popular in fashionable restaurants is its delicious nutty flavour, smooth texture and rich red colour.

If your only experience of beetroot is the pickled variety, you should try it fresh. You can boil it, roast it in the oven, or make it into soup or chutney. But you don't even have to cook it. For a really quick and easy beetroot taster try these salad recipes.

BEETROOT AND CARROT SALAD

Grate together equal amounts of raw beetroot and carrots. Stir in French dressing and serve. Easy and delicious!

BEETROOT COLESLAW

Grate raw beetroot. Add mayonnaise, mustard and finely sliced onion. Toasted seeds (e.g. pumpkin, pine kernels, sunflower seeds, etc.) may also be added for extra variety.

Forget carrot cake! The latest vegetable dessert currently tickling taste buds in London (and now Martin!) is beetroot cake.

CHOCOLATE BEETROOT CAKE

75g cocoa powder
180g plain flour
2tsp baking powder
250g caster sugar
250g cooked beetroot
3 large eggs
200ml corn oil
1tsp vanilla extract
Icing sugar for dusting

Heat the oven to 180C/Gas 4 and lightly butter a 20cm (8in) round or square cake tin. Sift the cocoa powder, flour and baking powder into a bowl. Mix in the sugar, and set these dry ingredients aside.

Purée the beetroot in a food processor. Add the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla and oil, and whiz until it is smooth. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, add the beetroot mixture and mix it all lightly. Pour into the prepared cake tin.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean (cover with a loose sheet of foil if it starts to brown at about 30 minutes).

This cake will not rise a great deal, and the top will crack. After removing from the oven, leave it for 15 minutes before taking it out of the the pan. Cool on a wire rack and dust with icing sugar before serving.

               ***********

Do you have any favourite recipes that you would like to share? If so, please send them to info@futurefarms.org.uk or Janet Richards, St. Hilda's, Martin, Fordingbridge, SP6 3LG and we may include them in a future newsletter. Only one rule - the more ingredients you can buy from Futurefarms, the better!

FIND YOUR FOOD IN A FIELD NEAR YOU

Next Time: Tales of a Farm shop!

Crop Rotation and The Gauge!!