In the orchard

The blossom in the orchard just behind Haslemere High Street looks amazing at the moment. If you are nearby and the sun is shining it is well worth a look.

Last year we had a terrible apple harvest. It was so cold and wet in the spring the bees never really got chance to get out and pollinate. Fingers crossed for better weather this blossom season.

In January with six inches of snow underfoot and flaming torches all around we wassailed our orchard hoping to bring it luck for the coming year.

Here’s to thee old apple tree,
Whence thou mayst bud
And whence thou mayst blow!
And whence thou mayst bear apples enow!
Hats full! Caps full!
Bushel bushel sacks full,
And my pockets full too!

Here’s wishing better luck for the bees this year. So much of what we eat depends on them.

New beginnings (maybe)

Spring is steaming ahead full tilt here, I was out checking on our cattle this morning and couldn’t resist a few photos… Kind of made me think maybe I ought to share them too.

The bluebells in the woods were looking fantastic.

The cattle were happily chewing the cud under a tree and in the orchard the lambs were causing mischief again.

The speckled wood building is starting to season and settle into the landscape as the wood mellows and ages.

We recently built some new veg beds beside it to grow useful plants in. The current bushes and herb plants are settling in well. We even found an old kettle to grow some thyme in.

It was nice to think of sharing some pictures again, maybe there will be some more news from here soon.

Community Apple Pressing Day

If you are interested in orchards, apples, apple trees, cider or just fancy trying out something different this Saturday afternoon why not pop down to our Swan Barn Farm Community Apple pressing day.

We will be here from 10.30 till 3 for this family freindly fun event.  If your apple tree at home did well this year why not bring along your own apples and join in using our fantastic heritage press and scratter to turn it in to the finest tasting apple juice you will ever have come across.We will check how many apples you bring and you will be able to take home the equivalent in juice (bring a container!). The juice is pretty fantastic, but if you want to go the extra mile we can also instruct you how to turn it into your own delicious cider. Our orchards did pretty badly fruit wise this year due to the terrible weather at pollination time, but we have managed to beg, borrow and steal enough apples for the day so even if your tree was bare (or you have no tree) you can still come along and join in.

Our press has been making apple juice around Haslemere for over 100 years and is still going strong.

The scratter was kindly donated by a friend of Black Down, it came from a small farm in France. They are both fascinating machines, that require quite a bit of human power to get them working, they are great fun to work with.

The Black Down countryside team will be on hand to offer advice or answer any of your orchard, apple, or cider related questions. In the light of this years bad harvest we hope to increase chances of good luck for next year by holding a community wassail and bringing some positive appley luck to the orchard, further details coming soon.

Refreshments will be available on the day and there is plenty of space for kids to run around and have fun, hope to see you there.

 

There be dragons… (and goats)

Last week Matt and I were lucky enough to spare an hour or two to have a look around the wet heath areas on Black Down with Sussex Dragonfly Society recorder and expert John Luck. John really knows his stuff and its always a pleasure discussing habitat management with him as well as seeing what we can find around the ponds.

The wet heath on Black Down is a really important habitat, and one that we had been worried about due to alternating very wet and very dry weather patterns.

Its looking good at the moment though and was bursting with life.

Dragonflies have long been a favourite of mine, they are masters of the air, supreme hunters that live fascinating life cycles. They spend most of their lives as larvae in the ponds where they are the terror of other water bourne invertibrates which they hunt mercilessly. Then (after as much as 2 years under the water) they crawl up a likely looking plant stem, shed their larval coat and emerge blinking into the sunlight to spend a few brief weeks on the wing. They mate, lay their eggs and then die as the seasons advance.

In the photo above I caught a Southern Hawker on the wing buzzing over the top of the Common Darter perched on the log. Southern Hawkers are pretty big insects, with a wingspan approaching 10cm. They are incredible in the air, if you get chance to go for a walk up on Black Down (or by your local pond if you can’t get here) I would recomend spending a few minutes seeing if you can spy a hawker on the wing, its pretty impressive.

Black Down is the most important site in West Sussex for the Black Darter dragonfly, you can see it there in numbers unlike anywhere else in the county. They are our smallest dragonfly species, and a bit more shy than the big hawkers, they are really pretty though, especially the newly emerged ones, which have a glossy sheen to their fresh new wings.

There are lots of Common Darters up there on the wing at the moment too. They make a really vibrant splash of colour in the air over the ponds as their red bodies catch the sunlight. If you are patient and spend a bit of time watching them getting to know their flight patterns, just occassionally you get rewarded with a really close up view.

On an entirely different topic all together… I spent yesterday on the Isle of Wight helping our collegues over there round up goats, ah the glamour of a job with an NT countryside team!

The staff from the island came over last year to help us make shingles for Speckled Wood. They were the best performing group we had and between them did really well for us, thanks guys. (The prize for most shingles by an individual vollunteer went to Paul from CNN in London, thanks to him too!). So we reckoned we owed them a return favour, that favour was called in yesterday.

On Tennysons Down above Ventor on the southern tip of the island the trust has a small flock of goats grazing on the steep slopes helping to keep the scrub at bay. Once a year the goats are rounded up to be checked over, foot trimmed and generally be given a goaty MOT.

We were there to help, because its a very steep large hill with lots of hidden valleys and woodland on it for the goats to hide in. The days volunteers were lined up at one end of the hill and between us all we drove the goats ever forward across the slopes towards a pen at the far end. It was tough work, on very steep slopes, the view out to see was spectacular though, and a trip to the island (with a brief paddle in the sea on the way back to the ferry) made for a nice change and a bit of a breath of fresh air.

 

Chicken and chips

Our new chickens have arrived.

They are Light Sussex chickens, and its great having them here. We have four that were kindly funded by our local supporters group, they are a dual purpose meat and egg laying bird that are traditional for the local area. The act of going out and collecting your eggs for breakfast puts you in touch with the local countryside and its management in one of the simplest ways I know, I hope the many volunteers who stay at Speckled Wood and the Basecamp will get to know them well.

We have also sourced some Speckled Sussex Bantam fertile eggs that we will be hatching out in an incubator to add to the flock. Bantams are miniture chickens, about a quarter to a thrid of the size of a normal chicken. The name fits so well with the project we just had to have some. They lay little eggs which taste delicious and make the best cakes. The eggs arrived today, its going to be fun seeing them hatch, really looking forward to it.

Meanwhile up in the orchard our Knobby Russet (yes, that is a real name) apple tree has been looking a bit poorly lately. There was a ram lamb in there last year who was uncastrated, he had a bit more vigour about him than the castrated males I usually raise and he unfortunately set about butting, nibbling and scratching against this particular apple tree with such enthusiasm I fear it will not survive. A trip to the abbatoir and several very tasty home cooked meals dealt with the problem of the errant lamb, but what to do about the tree. Its the wrong time of year for grafting, but it is the right time of year for chip budding…

All fruit trees are grafted onto rootstocks, normaly in the spring you graft a twig onto a rootstock, but for trees that are either very rare or where you need to do something in the summer chip budding is the answer, using this technique you can use just a single bud to grow an entire new tree.

I headed up into the orchard and fetched back a twig from the knobby russet.

Form that I selected one single heathy looking bud and carefully cut it from the twig. You need to use a nice sharp knife to do this with, so you get a good clean cut.

I then took this bud to where we have some rootstock tree’s growing.

We grow these specially for grafting our new apple and pear trees on to. We use old fashioned rootstocks which grow a much larger tree than you would get in a modern orchard, it gives us bigger trees, better for wildlife and much prettier, even if the picking is a bit more awkward!

From the rootstock tree I cut a small sliver to correspond exactly with the bud I had prepared.

Its important to get a really good match, poor contact will mean the new bud will fail.

The bud was then held in place using a bit of cling film. Beeswax or proper grafting tape would be a bit more traditional, but time was pressing.

Early next spring the cling film will be taken off and the top of the rootstock tree above the new bud will be pruned off entirely. The single bud will then sprout and a shoot will emerge which will form a new tree, of exactly the same genetic make up as our original knobby russet. In a year or two from now it will be ready to be planted back out in the orchard.

Over the next few years we will be raising as many of our own trees as possible to boost the stock in our traditional orchards here at Swan Barn Farm. If you are interested in finding out more, or want to get involved with the apple pressing and cider making at harvest time look out for our apple pressing event later in the year.

Speckled Wood Opening

Well, sometimes I thought we would never see the day, but at last we are there, Speckled Wood has been officially opened. Jane Cecil, National Trust General Manager for the South Downs, without whom the project would likely not have got very far, kindly agreed to open the building.

She cut a ribbon of bark from a Sweet chestnut tree and declared the building open. It was quite a moment, thanks very much to everyone who came along to help mark the occasion. As I tried to say at the time so many people have been involved and have worked so hard to make it become a reality, thanks very much to all of you.

After the opening Ben and I led a tour round the building, I hope everyone liked what they saw, they certainly seemed to like the look of the building as well as being interested in the processes and ideas behind the construction.

This all took place as part of our Green Woodworking Day, an event for all the family where woodland and countryside craft skills were on display for the public, it went really well, and there were lots of fascinating stalls and crafts for everyone to see. Particularly popular were all of the hands on activities where kids could get involved in making their own stools, pencils, woven willow decorations and much more besides, lots of fun was had by all.

There were all sorts of crafts and skills on display, from pole lathing, to spinning and dyeing, to willow weaving and even log hewing.

Before I forget, Amber, if your mum or dad read this we found the pencil you made near my spoon carving stall. I heard you were looking for it, if you want it back we have it here at Swan Barn Farm in our office.

The event had a really freindly atmosphere, and it was great to meet up with old freinds and new. If you missed out you could always look out for our Apple pressing event in October, or make sure you try and catch it next year.

 

Just in time

The sheep that graze in the Orchards here at Swan Barn Farm have been having a bit of a miserable time of it recently, the weather had been horrible for about 6 weeks, and they were starting to look like slightly soggy sponges. Getting them shorn is a priority at this time of year, as if you don’t the fleece can attract flies that will lay eggs that hatch out and cause all sorts of horrible medievel type nasty problems for the animals.

The problem is you can’t really shear them when they are wet, so I have been hoping for the weather to turn (admittedly as much for my own sanity as for the sheep!). On saturday the sheep finally dried out and the weather looked set fair, so it was time for an appointment with Rob the shearer.

Willow the collie is making a very enthusiastic looking face int he picture above, those of you who know her will know she was next to no help in rounding up the sheep…

My shearing is awfull I’m afraid, they tend to look like they have been through the mincer when I do them (and it takes ages), so a bit of help was the order of the day.

They look like completely different animals after they are done, half the size and with a bit of a dazed look.

Since they were done the sun hasn’t stopped shining here, I reckon it was just in time.

The fleeces will be going to my freind Polly, who in her spare time is a very accomplished knitter and spinner. She will be here at the Green Woodworking day this saturday demonstrating her skills, so if you are interested in that sort of thing I would recommend coming along and having a chat to her, as well as seeing all of the other countryside skills and crafts we will have on display. If the weather holds it should be a fantasctic day. Hope to see you there.

Green Woodworking Day and Speckled Wood Official Opening

On Saturday July 28th here at Swan Barn Farm we will be holding our annual Green Woodworking Event. As we have now finnished our new building, this year it will also include the official opening of Speckled Wood.

The event is open to everyone and is aimed at all the family. We will have a variety of different craft stalls showing off all manner of woodland skills and produce. Refreshments and a hog roast will be available for hungry visitors and there will even be a bouncy castle for the kids.

There will be pole lathing, charcoal making, blacksmithing, spinning and dyeing, beam hewing, whistle and stool making, carving and all sorts of other skills on display along with the chance for kids (big and small) to have a look around some of the tractors, land rovers, machinery and livestock that we use whilst managing the local woodlands, meadows, orchards and heaths. You will get chance to try your hand at some of the crafts as well as soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the green open spaces that are right on the towns doorstep.

Last year it was great fun, we hope to build on that and have even more for people to see and get involved with this year.

In the picture above you can see in the background the frame of the Speckled Wood building. We have come a long way since then, and this years event will include our official opening ceremony at 3pm. There will be opportunities to take a tour around and inside the building throughout the day, as well as to speak to the people who built it.

The building has been put up to accomodate our long term volunteers, and although we welcome people coming to look around the site there are only limited opportunites to get a proper look inside. It will be a really good chance to have a snoop around for those who are interested. I know I’m biased, but I reckon its well worth a look.

We were really lucky that so many people were willing to get involved and help with the building, especially the shingle roof, which is looking fantastic. If you were one of those people I hope you will come along and take a look at what we have all achieved together, its quite something.

Hopefully I will see you all on the 28th.

 

The bridge and steps

Finishing touches on the building now.

The bridge and steps have been the main things, along with a visit from the National Trust Council and our Regional Director. Was a bit nervous about the visit, which was on tuesday, but it seemed to go well. They were certainly an interesting bunch of people and they seemed to really enjoy looking around the building and Swan Barn Farm. I hope they liked it, I like to think the Speckled Wood project is something the Trust is going to be able to be proud of.

Its been a real relief to get the bridge and steps finished. After all they are the ways you walk on to the veranda and access the building, getting them done has started to make the whole thing feel like it is nearing completion.

The bridge had consisted of a plank for some time, it couldn’t be built until the landscaping around the project had created the finished level of the track.

As soon as that was done we could get the joists in. They were douglas fir with the outside ones made of oak, from our own woods of course. This means they will match the pattern of the ones we used for the rest of the building.

It took a while for us to decide quite what shape to make the bridge. Somehow at right angles to the veranda the look of it seemed off. But then I remembered a converstation I’d had a while ago with our Curator. She had suggested building it at an angle, we gave it a go, and I really liked it, you can judge the results for youself, but it looked pretty good to me.

One of the nicest things for me about the building is the way the roundwood reflects the landscape and gives a direct link with the woodlands we manage. Unfortunately this does mean whenever you are working on it there are not a lot of square edges and there is lots of scribing and measuring and cutting out to make things like floorboards fit around posts… its all part of the challenge.

Spindles and handrails were next, pretty pleased with the results.

Then it was on to the steps on the other side of the building. I had a bit of a brain freeze at first and for some reason cut the supports the wrong shape. A bit of adjustment soon had them in order though and put us back on track.

I like the way they work with the slope and lead you up and on to the veranda.

Sometimes the practical details of a living space take a while to get right, things like places to store boots and hang coats, I guess you just don’t think about that too much until it gets near to people moving in. A coat and boot rack was knocked together in an effort to sort out some of these issues.

Meanwhile in the garden the first of our home grown produce is nearly ready. The salad has been doing well for a while. But I was really chuffed when I saw the peas were swelling in their pods.

I tasted a few raw straight from the pod, they were so sweet and delicious. I know they aren’t the most exciting vegetable in the world, but there is something really pleasing in the way they grow, and the act of podding them. Plus you just can’t beat some fresh pea soup.

We really thought we had the place pretty much finished this week. Unfortunately a visit from the building inspector on friday turned up a couple of issues we still had to address before it can all be signed off. Its nothing major, we need to put in some extra higher handrails outside and spindles on the staircase inside to fill gaps in order to satisfy some of the health and safety regulations. Its a bit frustrating to be honest, it wont take us long to get it put right, but it just fealt like it was finally done. Never mind, wont be long now.

Elderflower champagne

If you have been out and about in the countryside over the last week or so you probably can’t help having noticed that the Elder is blooming for all it is worth. I know I posted on this last year, but its one of my favourite hedgerow treats, so I reckon it was worth revisiting.

Whilst camping on Exmoor recently with a freind who is a fellow hedgerow brewer we discovered that a few of our brews had definitely passed the “not compltely awful” benchmark. Maybe its time to start setting the bar a bit higher? “Not at all bad” might be a bit of a stretch, but we reckoned we were getting there!

Elderflower champagne though is one of the real highlights of the hedgerow year, not to be missed. It is ready comparatively quickly. If you make some now you could be drinking it with friends in the sunshine in late July.

The following is Dave’s method for 2012. It has been adapted over the past few years from the myriad of recipies out there on the internet. It changes a bit every year, sort of a champagne evolution.

Gather 35 or so nice big elderflower heads. Make sure you leave plenty behind for the local insects on each bush.

You will need a vessel in which to ferment the champagne, a sterilised clean bucket will do if nothing else is available.

Boil 10-12 litres of water and allow to cool in the bucket. Add 2.5 kg granulated white sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the juice and zest from 5 lemons and 1 lime. Add 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar. Give the elderflowers a good shake in the garden to remove the small insects that have hitched a ride and then add these as well. Add a sachet of either champagne or general purpose wine yeast. Cover with a clean cloth.

You can use the natural yeasts which will be present on the flowers, but they seem to me to be quite weather dependant and this year we have had so much rain I have decided to go for the champagne yeast option.

After a week or so the fermentation will start to slow, strain into demijohns leaving the flowers and lemon zest behind. This will let you monitor the fermentation more easily so you can see how its doing. The aim is to bottle just before the fermentation has completely finished, it will finish in the bottle, and thats where the bubbles come from. Last year in the end I left it for a further week in the demijohns and it was plenty fizzy enough.

Elderflower champagne comes with a warning, ignored at your peril! Depending on the point when you bottle it can be very, very fizzy. I have exploded a number of glass bottles over the years and would recomend caution. For some reason they always seem to explode very early in the morning, not the most popular thing with some people! By far the safest is a plastic fizzy drink bottle, when the pressure builds up too much you can crack the lid open a bit to release pressure before it splits. If you do choose to use glass bottles make sure they are strong ones and keep one bottled in plastic alongside so you can see when to release the pressure.

I have been reading up on elder brews a bit this year and discovered a few people out there recomending using a hydrometer to check how close the fermentation is to finishing and bottling when the reading is between 1004 and 1008. I am going to give that a go this year and see if it results in a few less expolsions. Will report back later and let you know how it went. If it goes well I am hopeful of a few fizzy brews. Last year I made rhubarb champagne by accident, I must have bottled the wine too early and discovered it when the bottles started popping their corks under the stairs. It was really tasty though, and might be on the agenda for later this year too.

The Elderflower doesn’t keep for more than 3 or 4 months, give it about 6 weeks in the bottle, wait for a perfect summers evening, chill and then enjoy!