Pumpkin Carving with the Kids

Autumnal Blessings

My favourite time of year, when the leaves turn beautiful oranges and golden. The soil recovering from it's growing season and the opportunity to plant bulbs for an early Springtime appearance. Today we all celebrated with a bonfire and healthy snacks, whilst toasting our toes near to the fire. The children played the afternoon away digging up wiggly worms and running around the Willow Dome structures. Fresh air and rosey cheeks, muddy hands and happy hearts. It was refreshing to chat to the parents about alternative education and bringing the great outdoors into our central learning. Our regular meet ups are now group insured and registered with SWSF (Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship). We are looking forward with anticipation to the next years development on the farm. Working as a Collective is rewarding and soul nourishing. And in the lead up to Christmas, it is a pleasure to work with a group that bring meaning to the seasons - instead of the consumerist consumption overtaking the nation.

Apple Pressing Day 2013

Walnut Picking

Walnut Picking is an arduos task if left to your own devices up a tree, and so we were pleased to have the help of seven families today! Five large crates of walnuts are now sitting in the barns waiting to be laid out and dried...We enjoyed the company of children and adults who spent the afternoon shaking walnuts off the trees - before the squirrels could get them. We also loomed up our outdoor Earthloom - a beautiful wooden design commissioned from Living Willow Lincoln's Jay Hadley. We were fortunate to recieve a grant from the Parish Council to pay for this. After all the hard work, everyone enjoyed fairtrade teas and cakes in the barns before returning to the Willow Dome Field for an afternoon bonfire. We burnt the remains of a temporary structure to make way for a more permanent yurt framework. We all stayed until late afternoon, forgetting the time in our outdoor pleasure.

Apple Pressing

Yes! The Apple Season is upon us! The day has been a busy one, collecting the rosy Bramley cooking apples and smaller Cider apples. A bit of a risk when you consider how many wasps savour the latter. We collected up two boxes full, which are nicely stored in the greenhouse at present. They are ready and waiting to be pressed or cooked or made into baby puree... We trial ran our brand new apple press - delivered all the way from Germany. The beautiful wood and metal handles excited the inventive natures of our Off the Grid Kids. We had a merry morning dicing up organic apples and squishing them to a juice...very hard work indeed!

Beautiful Vegetables

After spending the afternoon weeding (again) and working out what bulbs and seeds we'll be planting this Autumn, I treated myself to a cup of hot sweet tea and a quick perusal of the daily paper...An article caught my eye on the subject of 'Ugly Vegetables'...indeed, I don't think I have ever laid eyes on such a thing, perhaps a vegetable that has been attacked by some pest, but generally as a rule, homegrown vegetables have a certain character. In fact, I would say that after tending them for the season, they have a familiarity and charm about their diverse sizes and appearances. Why so then are 40% of the Nation's homegrown produce subjected to waste or animal feed due to their 'Ugliness'?? It is an aim of mine to encourage children and families to connect themselves with the wonder of growing your own...perhaps we should have a garden competition for the 'Ugliest Vegetable' in Autumn??!

Wheelbarrow Fun

September gardening...and all we did all afternoon was pull up weeds and get dirty... Yes! The joys of outdoor life! However, we now have an awesome cleared space ready for planting some early peas now. The main job next week will be mulching in some organic compost. We have had a productive couple of weeks in general, what with the Bramley apples exhibiting their rosy fullness. We have enjoyed making baby puree for the littlest in the house, with the apple stewed with sultanas and cinnamon. MMMmmmmmmmmm The Pumpkin is next on our list for baby puree, Pumpkin Risotto and perhaps if there's anything left we can carve a Jack O Lantern. I'm getting excited for our new arrivals sometime next week - a couple of Legbar chickens, who will hopefully provide us with some beautiful blue eggs.

Big Pumpkin, Little Pumpkin

Life at the farm is very busy right now and there are endless tasks to do...my favourite part is to drink in the sunshine and feel it warming my face and back as we sweat it out in the smallholding. Sunburn prevention has been high priority this year with the heatwaves. However, these sunny spells have done their magic on our plants and vegetables. My delight is in the cascades of tomatoes in our lovely green greenhouse. We have also established a wonderful pumpkin that is going to being baked whole in the Aga this Autumn with a mixed centre of grated pumpkin, Greyere cheese and coriander... Here pictured are our Summer, soon Autumn delights including out littlest Pumpkin :)

Greenheart Workshop

Our Off The Grid Kids enjoyed some woodcarving out in the stix with the reputable Greenheart company. Meeting other like minded parents was a real boost to the weekend, lots of positivity vibes! Watching and helping the children (and big children) woodturning and carving individual works of art was a wonderful experience.Everyone was engaged with their task at hand. Not a piece of technology in sight in the glorious outdoors. We had a bumper crop of tomatoes this year so a plant pot full of beef tomatoes and cherry reds were shared around...and everyone finished off with tea and cakes at the Roma caravan in the woods. The kiddies burnt off any excess energy on the big trampoline. I feel very rewarded and spiritually nourished. There is nothing to compare with community and I'm looking forward to more of this...

Simple Joys

This is a first blog post to celebrate our life out in the woods and to write about our experiences of rural life in modern times. My aims are to grow organic, live organic and cherish each other and each new day... My main purpose is to avoid bringing my kids up with Toxic Childhoods filled with plastics and consumerism. Although these additions to life are unavoidable and all around us, I want to limit their impact on my kids and surround them with wholesome goodness and a love for their world and humanity. Our society is becoming 'Thing Orientated' and less 'People Orientated', where we value objects and money more than caring about each other. In this blog, I hope to bring some sunlight into life and show how much joy we can all gain from living simpler lives with our children!