Good afternoon,
One man’s weed is another man’s wildflower, and we have enjoyed seeing the different species that are flourishing in our fields this year. 2022 saw a lot of ragwort at Trenchmore, which is great for pollinators but poisonous to cattle - it hasn’t come back this year but we’ve got much more bindweed, birdsfoot trefoil & white clover.
The apple crop looks the best it has for a while, the acorns are light (also poisonous to cattle, so no love lost there) and mum’s walnut trees are heavy with nuts in their vibrant green jackets.
The more extreme and varied weather patterns will mean different varieties will thrive each year. We’re encouraging the variation by waiting a little longer before mowing or grazing our fields, and the result is more wildflowers and butterflies in our fields.
We have one table left for our picnic in the orchard on Saturday and you can book it here. The forecast looks sunny for lunch but we will move undercover if the weather turns. We will be serving a selection of nibbles, feta & greens filo pie and a few salads filled with delicious local produce from Shrub Provisions.
If a burger & pint is more to your taste, the Moo Tap is joining the 3Bros Burgers at Loxwood on Sunday for their Gin, Jazz & Blues festival and we’d love to see you there.
The yard shop is open 11-4pm on Saturday and is well stocked with beef, cider, eggs & hot sauce. Yes, the wait is over - Manda’s Atchar sauce is back in stock.
white clover
birdsfoot trefoil
bindweed