Good afternoon,
The weather has been putting on quite a show this week. The main-character energy, the plot twists, the sheer drama of it all. Appropriate clothing has been a challenge - is it a fleece and dry robe (yes, I live in Brighton) or short sleeves and sandals? I’ve been beckoned into the yard by blue skies and bright sun to set things up for tomorrow’s apple swap, pack our deliveries and check the ripeness of our fruit (not quite there yet), only to be caught in a biblical downpour mere minutes later, and retreat to the safety of the office and tea making facilities, and send thoughts and prayers to those out in the fields.
As so often happens with farming, we have nailed our sowing and rolling timings on some fields, and messed it up with others. Grass success relies on warm wet weather and seed to soil contact, so we roll the seed after sowing to nestle it happily into the earth below and wish it well on its journey towards the sun. We finished 46 acres on Monday evening before a well-timed downpour over night, but missed the boat with another 30 acres and it hasn’t been dry enough to get out with the roller since. Such is the way.
Whilst cooped up in the office and leaning into the fact that summer has come to an abrupt end, I’ve confirmed the traders for the Autumn Market on 11th October, added our 2025 Christmas beef boxes to the website, booked a date with Charlotte for this year’s wreath making workshop, and have been sourcing the ingredients to make a batch of mulled cider next week.
But before we get too festive, The Trenchmore Table returns on the 3rd October with the Green Michelin Star team from The Small Holding, and we only have a couple of tables left. Chef James has been working with our Sussex Wagyu for years, and they're bringing produce from their own organic farm to create something really special. It's communal dining from 6pm, with food served from 7pm, and we'll have the wood burners going as the evening gets cooler.
We’ve upgraded our apple processing operation this year and condensed it into one snazzy Swiss army knife machine that does it all - washing, milling & pressing. This was triggered by the dauntingly hefty crop of apples we have and the volume of enquiries about the swap this year, so we’re in the midst of working out how to use our new belt press and plan to start pressing your apples next week. I’m hoping, all going well, we may be able to offer apple juice on some of the swap days but unfortunately not in time for tomorrow.
If you are bringing us your fruit tomorrow, one option is to bring a vessel to fill with cider to take home. Other exchange options for 12kg of fruit is a 330ml bottle of Cowfold Cider, a pint to drink in the yard or a fillable 500ml bottle you can buy from us. Most of the cost for us is in the packaging, so I wanted to offer you more liquid with different options, whilst keeping the convenience of a long shelf life pre-packed bottle in the mix, too. More info here.
The shop fridges are full of roasts, steaks and braising beef and the boys are in the kitchen, so we hope to see you in the yard. With or without apples.
Godspeed,
Rachel