Vacancy.

North West Sutherland Food Link:
The North West Sutherland Food Link is seeking a consultant to help it to develop a plan for growth.
The North West Sutherland Food Link is a social enterprise which aims to provide fresh local produce in North West Sutherland.  The Food Link encourages producers to grow produce (mainly vegetables) and as provided outlets for sale through stalls etc. 

The North West Sutherland Food Link has been operating for several years and in that time it has demonstrated that:

• There is a clear demand for quality locally grown produce to such an extent that:-
• There is a shortage of producers willing and able to grow produce for our stalls
• To operate effectively, the Food Link needs to have a paid member of staff, to at least coordinate and assist with the running of stalls but possibly also to develop the network of local growers and to assist the growth of the Food Link into a sustainable operation.

This last point is essentially why we are seeking consultancy support at this time.  We would like a consultant to investigate possible business models, explore opportunities for expanding the network of producers and to produce a business plan that can be used in funding applications to put the Food Link on a stronger footing and ultimately guide it to becoming self-sustaining.

This is a fixed price contract.  £2000 is offered to the successful applicant on an all inclusive basis.

For further information please contact Meg Telfer: Nor-Celt, 6 Lotts, Skerray, Tel 01641 521845,      Megtelfer@tiscali.co.uk

Closing date for applications: 30^th September 2011

The successful applicant will be the one who demonstrates the clearest understanding of the issues involved and describes a work plan and outputs most in line with aspirations of the Food Link.

        

Seedling Sunday

I hope you're all getting excited about the Seedling Sunday event in Durness this sunday, 5th June.
The stall will be there, with some early local produce, along with a wide range of seedling plants.
The cafe will be open, offering a wonderful array of freshly cooked lunches and cakes, tea and coffee.

If anyone has anything for the stall, please contact me (Pete at pj.tuck@btinternet.com).

After our successful Propagation course held earlier this year, we now plan to run a course on propagation by cuttings. This will be on 5th July, in Scourie, but details are yet to be confirmed. Places are limited to between 8 and 16, so book your place early to avoid dissapointment.

After a long warm dry April and early May, most crops are developing well. I have some great broad beans, and peas in the garden, with carrots and parsnips being slow to emerge. On the croft, I have 5 varieties of potatoes emerged from the top of the ridges, awaiting a final earthing up in a couple of weeks. I planted my onion sets and shallots in cell trays, as I didn't have ground prepared in time for an early sowing. I planted these in the croft after a month, with well formed roots and shoots. Instant vegetable plot! Leaves are now 6-9" tall, with some good onions forming. I had 300 onions (340 when planted) plus 6 varieties of shallots (20 or so of each), so should have plenty to store. I plant my carrots with 4 quite close rows (4"), and then a 12" gap. Rows are 12' long and I have 16 rows this year. That should keep us going through the winter. Parsnips I plant 3 seeds every 4-6" with 9" between rows. These are thinned to single plants, and generally produce some nice roots. I am always slow with leeks and brassicas, although my next job is to plant these.

Tomatoes, Tomatillos, Courgettes, Cucumbers and Melons are all planted in the polytunnel, along with some lettuce and pepper, and I have tomatoes and peppers in the greenhouse. All are growing well with all the toms and tomatillos in flower. Radishes are growing well in the tunnel, having harvested all the first sowings, and starting on the second.

Late May winds and storms. The strong winds have really scorched my early pea sowings, some yellow podded mange tout, but I'm hoping these will recover. Blackcurrants have been scorched, along with my tree nursery and willow rods planted this year. Although these did protect a crop of lettuce planted between them.

Rhubarb purchased at Seedy Sunday is thriving, and fresh crowns are erupting from them.
I have recently bought some new comfrey plants, and hope these will provide some valuable plant feed once they are established. More on that in a later blog.

Hoping to see you all on Sunday, and that your crops are doing well,

Pete

Sowing Time.

OK. So we're starting to get busy now. The croft is still very wet, even though I've dug the drains. I've started removing weeds, and losening the soil in preparation for a covering of seaweed, and rotorvating. I'm not sure wether to put the seaweed on overwinter, as a mulch, or if it provides more nutrients when applied in spring. What do others do?

I've fitted a heater in the greenhouse, and alongside my propagator, and have so far planted 5 or 6 varieties of Tomatoes, Tomatillos, Peppers, Leeks, Broad Beans, along with 4 types of Lettuce (now at the 4 leaf stage and ready for planting in the polytunnel). I've got 5 varieties of Potatoes, the classic King Edwards, Desiree, and Axona, plus Anya (an offspring of Pink Fir Apple, but less misshapen) and Nadine. After last year when my tops died off too soon, I'm hoping for a much better year this year.

I got my seed from "The Real Seed Company" who only sell open pollinated varieties, not F1's or other hybrid varietes. This means that you can save your own seeds for future years, and varieties will adapt to local conditions. They give full instructions on how to save seed, and how to sow and prepare your veges.

I'm trying to set up a couple of databases of information, so can you let me know what crops and varieties you are growing, when you sow, and how well they do, plus any other info you think may be useful.

The other is a list of local producers. So if you produce meet, fish, eggs, dairy, baking, delicacies, or just fruit and veg, selling either through foodlink, independantly from the gate, or though local shops, and want to be included, please let me know.

Good luck with your season, and don't forget to look at the Foodlink website..

See you at Seedy Sunday in Durness on 3rd April..

Forth-coming events

After a lively committee meeting today, I can now announce some provisional dates for this year.

Seedy Sunday, come and swap seeds and have lunch, Durness Village hall on 3rd April (to be confirmed, alternative date is 20th March)

Propogation course, the course we planned to hold last year that was cancelled due to illness, will be on the 5th April, once confirmed by the consultant.

Seedling Sunday is planned for 5th of June.

We will take the stall to the normal events, providing we have enough produce, Durness Games, Assynt Games, and hold stalls frequently in Scourie.

If you have any produce for sale, or can offer a hand at our events, please contact me.

Wish you all a good growing season. The foodlink team.

Tattie Festival

It is with great regret that I have to inform you that this years Tattie Festival, due to be held in Durness, has been cancelled.

This was not an easy decision to come to, but with a shortage of willing helpers, and the poor summer we've had, we have a great lack of vegetables. This is our main fundraising event, and we hope to have an even bigger event next year.

We will be attending the School Christmas Fayre in Scourie, and hope to see you there.

I would like to thank all our growers for their produce during the summer, and all our customers who have had the luxury of tasting our fresh locally grown vegetables and produce.

Entering Vegetables in your local produce show

I've been involved with judging vegetables at a couple of shows over the last two years.


At the last one, I was asked "Why didn't mine win?"
So what was I looking for in the perfect display?

The most important thing with any display is to have fresh, good produce, free of disease and blemishes, and of a uniform size, shape, and colour.

Follow exactly what the shedule for the show asks for. If it says "Carrots with 3" of the tops", then they should have 3" of the stalk left. Not 2.75", not 3.25", but 3". A vase of 6 Sweet peas must contain 6 stalks. A selection of vegetables displayed in a box 20" x 20" must be the right size, box means box, tray means tray, and basket means basket.

Produce should be clean, washing is OK providing the skin isn't damaged, but be careful, do not scrub. Produce should be shown in the condition that you would harvest it, or in the case of onions, how you would store them. So a fine, intact papery skin is ideal, but it must be a complete covering. They should not be peeled as if you are about to cook with them. The tops should be bent over, and held with string, or elastic band.

Podded veges will be opened to check for quality, peas must fill the pod but still be round, broad beans must not be to firm. Root vegetagles, Carrots and Parsnips must have as much taproot as possible. I remember my father digging down 2 or 3 feet to get the very tip of his parsnips. Beetroot will be cut open to check for evenness of colour and growth rings.

..and please, don't try and arrange your display to hide or cover blemishes. Judges will handle and inspect all surfaces. Finally, I judge by discarding entries until 3 are left, and then award prizes. Artistic arrangement will only be looked at after all the above criteria have been filled.

Good luck next year..

How to store vegetables overwinter

My Onions did pretty well this year, I'd even go as far as saying they are the best onions I've ever grown. Amazing to think that from that little bag of sets, I got over 25 kg of onions. These have been carefully laid out on a table in my shed to dry, with most of the soil rubbed off. I would like to tie them in strings, á la french onion seller, but haven't mastered this skill yet. They'll probably end up in one of those carrot string bags. Once dry the tops will be cut off, and we'll use the ones with thick stems first, as these won't keep as well.

Now to harvesting carrots and storage. They're not going to develop much more now, and want to get them before the slugs. I've heard that they should be stored in dry sand or peat, has anyone done this, and how long do they last?