Monday, April 30, 2012

Gardening with Herbs - a success!

In spite of heavy rain on Friday and more on Sunday, we were fortunate to have a clear, if windy day on Saturday for our first herb course, teaching people how to propagate herbs, how to use them in cooking and what to forage.
Nettle tea was served on arrival and people were surprised at how nice it tasted, particularly how sweet it was. Interestingly, nettle tea is said to help people suffering from diabetes as it helps to reduce blood sugar. Of course the nettles were freshly picked and definitely organic! Later on, participants were invited to try a wild garlic pesto, which went down very well!
After some gardening and lots of talk on where to grow herbs and what to do with them, we went for a walk around the farm to see what was growing wild and how it could be used. However, we spent some time before hand identifying a number of different plants to help participants feel more comfortable knowing what they were picking and whether it was safe to pick. On our walk we found plenty of chickweed, (great for treating itchy skin), no shortage of dandelions, (a tincture of which is good for treating hangovers!) and meadowsweet whose smell is rather wonderful, reminding me of warmer days to come! Our next event at the farm is the dawn chorus on the 5th May, please see the website for more details.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

AGM & Spring Fair weekend

Here at Fordhall, we are all preparing for the weekend ahead as it is set to be a busy one!

We will hold our AGM at Fordhall on Saturday afternoon. This is a great opportunity for all our shareholders to come and visit the farm, to meet and mingle with other shareholders and to share their thoughts and ideas with everyone. There will be a bring & share lunch, guided tours around the farm and comedy from Martin Monologue Jones!

The fun will continue on Saturday evening with our annual Barn Dance & Hog Roast. We have local band The Shropshire Heroes playing live, with caller Baz Parkes to lead in the dancing. Fordhall Farm Catering will of course supply the delicious Hog Roast (veggie options are available!).
Our Spring Fair will be on Sunday from 10am-4pm. We will have lots of local stalls at our farmers’ market, spring lambs, hatching chicks, may pole dancing, Easter hunt around the farm, scarecrow building and pizza making in the picnic area with arts & crafts, wildlife activities and raffle in the marquee. The FCLI volunteers will be serving tea & cakes and there will of course be a delicious Fordhall BBQ. Phew!

For more information or to book your ticket for the Barn Dance call us in the office on 01630 638696. Barn Dance is 7pm-11pm and tickets are £10 Adults/£5 Children and include the Hog Roast.