I was hoping to write this months update with news of spring sunshine and glorious grass growth for the new born calves to be put out to pasture. Alas it is still raining and very much impossible to even think about livestock returning to the farm fields. We have some pigs out doing their job of minimum tillage to the arable rotational land, ready to plant in the Spring but apart from that Herons Green Farm on the other side of the lake is still under siege.
Tip of the month:
With Easter already over I wanted to share some interesting information and a few tips for Easter including a recipe for all you budding chefs, this one is not a meaty one, it includes sugar and I got it from my 103 year old Grandmothers recipe book, the classic Easter Biscuit for all your imperialists I will leave it to you to work out the weights.
Recipe (she will be fuming with me for sharing this, sorry Gran):
Easter Cakes
Cream fat & sugar & oil of Cassia, Beat in eggs, Fold in other ingredients. If soft, leave to harden. Roll to 1/4” thick & cook for 15 minutes at 325”F, until golden & middle is firm, sprinkle immediately with caster sugar.
Ingredients:- 1/2lb Butter / 1/2lb Caster Sugar / 2 small eggs / 12oz Self Raising Flour / 2oz Custard Powder / 2/3 drops oil of Cassia OR Nutmeg / 2oz Currants.
Good luck and a big thank you to Mary Hasell for leaving us behind some legendary recipes, who said sugar is bad for you, 103 years old and that lovely lady knew a few things about food.
2024 – The Year of REGENERATION:
To believe in regeneration is to believe in renewal and one of the most powerful ways is to nourish yourself by growing your own food or tending your own garden. We are going to give it a go this year, i’m sure the children will refuse to help weed and rather get square eyed in the digital world but one can only attempt to encourage and inspire, something we are trying to do at this years Valley Fest, I can’t wait to bring you our yearly event and welcome you to the land we’ve never been more optimistic about the future of the food movement. But our work is just getting started. We’re counting on you to join us so we can rise up in the grassroots movement for change. Join us – www.valleyfest.co.uk.
Action of the month:
Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle in the garden – we are going to become a steward of the earth by embracing eco-conscious and sustainable practices in our gardening endeavours.
News:
PLANT COMMUNICATION: In a revolutionary advancement, Japanese scientists have captured this real-time video footage of healthy plants receiving distress signals from neighbouring plants experiencing mechanical damage or insect attack. “We have finally unveiled the intricate story of when, where, and how plants respond to airborne ‘warning messages’ from their threatened neighbours,” says molecular biologist Masatsugu Toyota, who was part of the groundbreaking research
Quote for this month:
Regenerative farming on 40% of the world’s farmland would save around 600 million tons of emissions − about 2% of the world’s total emissions or the carbon footprint of Germany.
I look forward to sharing more news and updates as I kick start our social channels and celebrate Earth Day on 22nd April. With huge gratitude for your partnership in the food revolution.
