The first Introductory Scythe Course of the year was held on 25th May. 8 people joined us for a enjoyable and thankfully dry day. For a full report on the day see the Scythe Cymru website.
Our next Introductory Scythe Course is on 23rd June.
Flowery Spring Salad
Spring salad from the garden at Dyfed Permaculture Farm Trust
This picture shows freshly harvested spring salad from the garden at the Trust. It contains several varieties of lettuce, red veined sorrel, baby chard leaves and endive, which can just be seen peeping out from under all the flowers! The flowers are Primrose, Cowslips, Heartsease, various coloured Pansy and Bellis Perrenis, making up a colourful, fragrant and tasty salad.
We really enjoy putting lots of flowers into our salads. They taste good, look nice and the children love eating them. The combination of leaves and flowers changes with the seasons – other flowers we use include various Campanulas, Calendula, Chervil, Malope, Musk Mallow and Nasturtium.
Some of the salad plants are grown as perennials (sorrel and most of the flowers in this particular salad). We are trying to increase the amount of perennial vegetables that we grow, as we have found perennials to be much more reliable with the uncertain and extreme weather patterns that we have been experiencing. We also have had success with self-seeding annuals, especially Corn Salad and Winter Purslane.
We sell a small amount of our surplus vegetables, including flower-packed salad at the Country Market in Newcastle Emlyn. The market is held every Friday, 9.30am until 12.30pm in the Catholic Hall. For more details about the market, see their Facebook page.
Posted in Permaculture
Tagged flowers, local market, newcastle emlyn, perennial, Salad
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Introductory Scythe Course, 25th May 2013
Learning to sharpen the scythe on the Introductory Scythe Course, May 2012
We still have a couple of places left on our Introductory Scythe Course on May 25th. An Introductory course is a great place to start using a scythe, or as a refresher if you have had one for a while. On the course we cover scythe set up, mowing, sharpening and peening with plenty of chance to have a go. We believe people learn best by doing!
We have scythes for sale at the end of each course and we strongly recommend that you attend an Introductory course before you buy your first scythe.
It gives you a chance have a go first and see what set up suits you best. Having seen a peening jig and an anvil in action and had a go yourself, you will be in a better position to decide which one will suit your needs. We will be able to advise you on which blade is best for your situation and all course participants have the chance to buy a Ready to Mow blade, that has been expertly prepared and edge-peened by Philip Batten, at no extra cost.
For more information and booking, see Scythe Cymru courses page
Volunteer Workday – Sunday 12th May
The next Volunteer Workday at the Dyfed Permaculture Farm Trust will be on Sunday 12th May.
We will be doing some agro-forestry work in a group of trees in the North- East corner of our allotment field. The group will be thinned to promote the trees that are potentially productive in terms of food / timber and remaining trees will be pruned. We will also be harvesting some ash pole suitable for making a bicycle wheeled handcart later in the year.
If it rains (let’s hope not…) we will shelter in our cosy barn and do some woodwork, making hay-racks etc ready for the coming season.
Each workday starts at 11am and includes a bring and share lunch. For more details / directions, please contact us .
All Year Round – Beltane
Posted in All Year Round, Events
Tagged All Year Round, Beltane, Celebration, Family, Maypole, Wales
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Shark’s Fin Melon Seeds
Cucurbita Ficifolia “Shark’s Fin Melon” grown at Dyfed Permaculture Farm Trust
We still have some seed available which we are happy to offer. If you do not live locally to us we can post a packet to you (UK only) in exchange for a suggested donation of £2.50 to the Trust. Money raised through donations will be put towards extending the forest garden / agroforestry planting at the Trust, as well as covering post and packing cost.
Donations can be made through PayPal by pressing the button below, or you can contact us via our contact page to make a donation via bank transfer or cheque.
SORRY, WE HAVE NO SEED LEFT
Posted in Seed Saving
Tagged avalible, Cucurbita Ficifolia, seed, shark's fin melon, swap
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Apple Tree Grafting at the Trust
Working on the next graft, finished graft in the foreground
The sun was shining for our Apple Tree Grafting Workshop today and by the afternoon it was even fairly warm!
Preparing the scion for grafting, the rootstock has already been prepared (left of photo)
Six people came to learn to graft apple trees, using the whip and tounge method. After some theory in the morning and a practice session on some twigs, everyone went out to the allotment to have a go at the real thing.
Checking the match between the cut surfaces of the scion and the rootstock
A completed graft, wrapped in grafting tape
We were surprised at the popularity of this course, which booked up very quickly. We are running a second workshop at Clynfyw on 17th April, on which we have one place left, contact us if you are interested. We will also run the workshop at the Trust again in 2014.
Shark’s Fin Melon at the Seed Swap
Cucurbita Ficifolia “Shark’s Fin Melon”
Yesterday we started eating the Shark’s Fin Melon shown in the picture above, in order to harvest the seeds to bring to the Seed Swap at the Eco Fair in Drefach Felindre on Saturday 23rd March.
The seed originally came to us via a seed swap in Sheffield. We grew it for the first time last year and, despite the poor growing season, managed to get one fruit to maturity.
The Heritage Seed Library’s “Growing New Seeds” projects says that Shark’s Fin Melon is “……a rampant grower which needs at least double the area for a pumpkin. Needs full sun and relatively infertile soil to crop. Sow two seeds per pot undercover in late April to May and remove the weaker seedling.”
After this plants are hardened off then grown on as for pumpkins. Fruits are harvested before the first frost, once the skin has hardened and the fruit sounds hollow when tapped.
Once ripened, the fruits store exceptionally well. Ours was harvested at the end of last summer and has stored very happily throughout the winter hanging in a net sack from the beams in our house. In “Seed to Seed” by Susan Ashworth it is said that the fruits can store for up to three years!
The Shark’s Fin Melon is used by the Chinese and Vietnamese for making soup. When cut open there is definitely more than a hint of melon in it’s smell. In taste and use it is like a cross between a pumpkin and a marrow. We have found it a nice addition to mixed vegetable dishes
The seeds are unusual for a squash / melon, being black in colour with a slightly serrated edge – see the picture below. The Heritage Seed Library advises that seed continues to mature inside the fruit for several months, so seed for planting should not be removed from the fruits too early.
Seeds of the Shark’s Fin Melon will be available at the seed swap, along with many other interesting and more common or garden varieties of seed! Do come along for a look if you are in the area. If you do not have seed to swap you can leave a donation instead, with all proceeds going to the Heritage Seed Library. We will also have a scythe stand and more information about activities, events and courses at the Trust.
Seeds of Cucurbita Ficifolia “Shark’s Fin Melon”
All Year Round
A new group is starting at the Trust called All Year Round. We will be holding gatherings for families to celebrate the seasonal festivals. Events will include crafts, outdoor activities, songs and stories. See below for information about the first event for Spring Equinox, being held on 24th March. A warm welcome to all!
Posted in All Year Round, Events
Tagged All Year Round, family event, spring equinox
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