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Who is going to harvest our fruit this year?

Fruit picker at Castle Fruit Farm
Fruit picker at Castle Fruit Farm by Pat Strauss

Buds are breaking on the Valor plum trees and hurrah, the blackthorn is in full blossom so the pollinators can get to work. These are our free workers so we try to make sure pollen is available early on by planting goat willow and keeping some of the hedges uncut for their early blossom. More on the importance of biodiversity later as what is more pressing is organising our 2017 harvest workers. Like all farmers we rely on seasonal labour to harvest our crops. In our case this means a group of Bulgarians who come every year for 3-5 months. Continue reading “Who is going to harvest our fruit this year?”

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March Recipe: Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie with Goat’s Cheese Mash

vegandpulses-croppedThe pulses for this recipe you will be able to obtain from Handley Organics. Root vegetables are, of course, very much in season at this time of year, but such small quantities are required that you might want to leave out celeriac and double the quantity of carrots. You could mix the potatoes and use some sweet ones if desired. Continue reading “March Recipe: Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie with Goat’s Cheese Mash”

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Winter Work at Castle Fruit Farm

“Winter work? Surely there is nothing to do now it’s winter” How that makes our farm manager Clive laugh !

Pruning at Castle Fruit Farm by Pat Strauss
Pruning at Castle Fruit Farm by Pat Strauss

One of the foremost things on our minds is tree planting. Orchards are being continually renewed, driven by age, unprofitability and the never ending desire of consumers for the new. It is a necessary and huge commitment in every way not just financial. Other tasks at this time of the year include pruning, machinery maintenance, coppicing, logging, ditching, hedge cutting and planning labour for next season. On wet days catching up on research findings and never ending paperwork deserves a blog on its own ! Continue reading “Winter Work at Castle Fruit Farm”

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February Recipe: Cod, Fennel and Smoked Bacon Pie

fennelpotatobaconThe Bechamel sauce mentioned in the recipe is made in the usual way for making white sauce. However, you may not know that you can now buy something called ‘sauce flour’ to which you do not need to add any butter.  You just mix the flour with the milk and keep whisking until it comes to the boil, then allow it to simmer for a couple of minutes to cook out the raw flour taste.  You can also make a white sauce, using butter, the all in one way, by just mixing the butter, flour and milk and again whisking until it comes to the boil and then simmering for a couple of minutes. Continue reading “February Recipe: Cod, Fennel and Smoked Bacon Pie”

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Bird Life at Castle Fruit Farm

Goldcrest at Castle Fruit Farm
Goldcrest at Castle Fruit Farm

We are very keen to increase the biodiversity here at Castle Fruit Farm for all sorts of reasons.

Firstly, orchards are a wonderful habitat and have a unique part to play in maintaining the richness of our natural world which is being challenged in so many ways – by farming practices, by the insatiable demand for houses and over enthusiastic tidiness ! Continue reading “Bird Life at Castle Fruit Farm”

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Introducing ‘A Farming Year at Bentley’s Castle Fruit Farm’

Apples in frost at Castle Fruit Farm by Pat Strauss
Apples in frost at Castle Fruit Farm by Pat Strauss

The Ledbury Food Group would like to introduce its second Photography Project in the “Ledbury Farming Year” series. The purpose of these projects is to get an inside view of the workings of farms and producers in our area, so that we can relate more directly to them and understand the challenges and rewards facing the people who bring food to our tables. This year we will be featuring Bentleys Castle Fruit Farm near Dymock, and looking at not only the orchards, but at some of the issues facing a small commercial farm. As well as selling their fruit wholesale, it is sold at Jenkins greengrocers and seasonally at the Saturday market in Ledbury, the monthly produce market in Kempley and at food fairs in and around Ledbury. Continue reading “Introducing ‘A Farming Year at Bentley’s Castle Fruit Farm’”

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