John and his hungry ducks!

Avondale Wines in South Africa have just been awarded LEAF Marque accreditation.

Owner Johnathan Grieve is pioneering a back-to-the-future approach to wine growing. And it is paying off.
He is taking his vineyard back to nature, and its soil back to its pre-agricultural state – but he’s combining this with 21st-century science, technology and research.
These are LEAF’s principles too, which is why LEAF and Avondale go so well together.

Natural, economical – and comical – snail control!
Cover crops are used instead of synthetic fertilizer at Avondale to restore the balance of the soil, for instance, and his posse of 100 ducks controls the snails on the whole farm (70 ha of fruit trees and 100ha of grapes), thus avoiding the problems of the toxic residue from chemicals.
“We get them in as day old ducklings in April (South Africa’s Autumn),” he says,  “and we rear them until they are about two months old, which is when they start eating the snails.“
During the day they go out and roam the vineyards and orchards, with a large German Shepherd dog to keep an eye on them, and at night they live in an old converted reservoir which keeps out predators. such as lynx, eagle and hawk.
The ducks are trained to walk on to a trailer (the Duckmobile) attached to a tractor which drives them out to dinner.
When they hear the tractor coming, they trot straight out of their quarters and on to the trailer, and trot straight off it when they arrive, to start scoffing up and down the rows!
“The benefits are amazing,” enthuses Johnathan.
“It’s really economical. We spend R15 000 per season on our ducks and total snail control for 170 Ha. If I were to do it with toxic snail bait it would cost R50 000 per application and we would probably have to do two.  You would spread 10kg of toxic bait evenly across the block. In the snail colonies this is too little to control the problem and in the areas where there isn’t a problem you have the toxic residues that harm our soil’s  micro life.
Snails live in colonies and the ducks take longer in some areas, as they really get stuck in.
”They are very specific – they are only interested in the snails! There are no detrimental side effects, and any byproduct is entirely beneficial to the soil. “

“We constantly question what we’re doing,” explains Johnathan, “making improvements, enhancements and ever greener decision as we go. We want the Avondale farm to be there long after we’re gone, and we believe the best way to do this is to make it a sustainable business, one that always works in harmony
with the earth.“

This approach need not be confined to South Africa of course. Every farmer with slug and snail problems could get quacking on this!

Avondale vines cover 160 hectares of which 100 (25 hectares certified organic) are planted with a selection of mainly Rhône and Bordeaux grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, Semillon, Chenin Blanc; and Shiraz, Mourvedre, Grenache, Viognier, Rousanne, and Chardonnay. The vineyards are planted in one hectare size blocks to ensure separate vinification and ageing.

Klein Drakensbarg, Paarl, South Africa
Po Box 602, Suider Paarl, 7624

Tel: (021) 863 1976
Fax: (021) 863 1534
E-Mail: wine@avondalewine.co.za
http://www.avondalewine.co.za

All the venison they sell in their farm shop comes with recipes and they also recommend contacting The British Deer Farmer’s Association for more : www.bdfa.co.uk/recipes.php

Phone: 01673 878686…..

email: office@ardenfarms.co.uk

The wines come from three estates in Bordeaux and are produced to strict environmentally responsible winegrowing techniques.

The three family- run Chateaux

Chateau Lavison

Chateau Haut-Grand-Champ

Chateau Chillac

form part of a LEAF programme being pioneered by well-known and well-respected Bordeaux negociant Yvon Mau.

Yvon Mau, started by Monsieur Mau, who went wine buying by penny farthing at the start of the 20th century,, is now part of the Spanish Group Freixenet, renowned for its distinctive black bottled cava and extensive range of still wines. The new wines available in red, white and rose varietals are available exclusively through the Freixenet Group.

As the economy continues to crumble, so we are told, try these suggestions to save money and help the environment too

• feed all your senses for free by getting out on to a farm on LEAF OpenFarm Sunday every June (… or visit a LEAF Demonstration Farm throughout the year).
• look out for the LEAF Marque on your fruit and veg for affordable food grown by farmers who really care for the environment.
• buy local if you can – fresher and fewer food miles.
• think twice before you buy – - do you really need another T shirt! Lesspackaging results from less purchasing!
• make your creases count – pack away your iron and put on a smile! Spread out slightly damp garments (that have been hung on the line of course!) and smooth them firmly.
• get down and dirty! Wash your clothes and bedding less! Air the roomand turn the duvet over – it can last another week?!
• use eco-balls or similar in your washing machine – google for suppliers. Well worth having.
• keep the car in the garage and get out the bike as often as you can.
• make your own clothes, modify old ones…Buy from secondhand or charity shops and sell/give them your clothes. Nothing wrong here that a good dryclean won’t sort out, and this is recycling in its most fun sense!
• make your garden a small holding – even in a small corner. Grow your own herbs/vegetables, and raise chickens (bantams are the most manageable if you do not have vast acreage).
• use candles to light your meals after dark – altogether a more atmospheric experience.
• MORE suggestions welcomed – please post away!

All best

Old Macdonald

Pigs and tipis at Broxtead Farm

in Suffolk, a few miles from Sutton Hoo, is the Suffolk Coast and Heaths region, one of this country’s most protected landscapes.

There, at Broxted Farm, brothers AJ and Robert Paul have diversified into tents. Authentic tipis, to be exact – with a fire hearth inside and sleeping up to eight adults. There is a deck with barbeque facilities: seasoned wood is provided.
If you can’t be bothered to shop, order a Broxtead Hamper when you book, packed full with our own rare breed free range pork and bacon with eggs from our own totally free range chickens and seasonal vegetables?

And take some home too perhaps – they sell direct, giving you the chance to stock up your freezer with top-quality meat at good value prices.

The pigs have been reared entirely outside and have matured slowly, enjoying the good life, hence the pork has a superior taste, colour and texture.

A variety of cuts are available, everything from the classic premium roasting joint to traditional, oak smoked, cured gammon to sausages for feeding the hordes. Subject to availability.

Oink - rare breed free range pigs at Broxtead

Lots to do, lots to see, lots to eat – all produced the LEAF Marque way!

RH & R Paul, Estate Office, Broxtead Estate,Sutton, Suffolk IP12 3HL

Tel: 01394 411242.

Sparkenhoe Farm, Upton, in the South West Leicestershire countryside, is where the very first cheese to be LEAF Marque certified is made, according to an old recipe discovered by David and Jo Clarke.

David and Jo Clarke’s families have farmed in the area for generations.
They started making Sparkenhoe in November 2005, from the milk produced by their 150 pedigree Holsten Friesian cows – the unpasteurised milk from the previous day’s milking is pumped across from the parlour to the cheese room at 4am.
Traditional animal rennet added and annatto is then added to give the cheese its rich orange colour. Annatto is a natural plant dye obtained from a South American bush.
The curds and whey are scalded gently and separated, and the curds are cut into blocks and turned to release further whey.
The curds are then put through the mill and salt is added.
The cheese is put into moulds and pressed for 24 hours, turned and pressed for a further 24 hours. They are bound in cloth and lard and matured for four and a half months in the store at 10 degrees.
It is made in large wheels of 10Kgs and 20Kgs.

The dairy enterprise is run by David with help from Roger, who does most of the milking and Billy who is in charge of feeding the cows. (William and Annie also have a big part to play in seeing that everything runs smoothly!)
David tries to grow as much of the feed on the farm as possible and buffer feeds the cows all year round to help produce milk as consistent as possible for the cheese making.
The cows are all pedigree with names such as Greeta and Hyacinth, and the herd was in the semi final of the National Herds Gold Cup Award.

http://www.leicestershirecheese.co.uk/
01455 213863
info@leicestershirecheese.co.uk

Turned on the telly last evening and saw a LEAF farmer being interviewed about her strawberries which she supplies to Wimbledon. Marion Regan of Hugh Lowe Farms in Kent (started by her family more than 100 years ago) has supplied Wimbledon with its strawberries for years, and from what people were saying about them, it looks as if she might continue for many more.

Visitors interviewed – without exception – raved about them, and it was quite clear they were sincere, even with their mouths full! Some astonishing number are consumed over the two weeks – I think 27,000 kilos and 7,000 litres of cream!

Well done Marion! Try her fruit for yourself – you could go to Wimbledon, of course, but for those not tennis keen, the Pick Your Own is now Open. Tuesday to Friday 3pm to 6 pm and weekends 10am to 6 pm.

http://www.hlf.co.uk/pages/the_farm.asp?did=42

All best

Old Macdonald

400 farms right across the country opened their gates and showed people around their farms on the 1st June.

Farms of every type and size got involved and offered everything from simple farm walks and tractor rides right through to ferret walking, duck racing and worm charming!

“The response from farmers and the public has been fantastic” said LEAF’s Chief Executive, Caroline Drummond “We exceeded all our expectations this year with more farmers getting involved than ever before, more people visiting their local farm and some fantastic national and local press coverage. The enthusiasm, commitment and hard work from everyone who opened up just went to show the pride and passion farmers feel for what they do, not only as food producers but as custodians of our countryside.”

Next year’s Open Farm Sunday is on the 7 June 2009!

AND an amusing bit of business from one farmer who marked out with rope the area of a field to illustrate –
1 ha
1 acre
Area required to produce 1 litre of cooking oil (6 m2)
Area required to produce 1 bag of flour (1.5 m2)
1 ha, produces 15,000 loaves of bread

WELCOME to our new blog!

This is the place for people who are interested in where their food comes from and how it is produced.

LEAF stands for Linking Environment And Farming: LEAF farmers do just that.

So if you buy any food from a LEAF Marque farmer (a LEAF farmer who has been stringently assessed as conforming to LEAF principles of Integrated Farm Management) you KNOW it has come from a farm that cares for the environment, for our planet, for our food and for our future.

Please feel free to ask or discuss anything you like about what LEAF does and what you would like us to do, within reason!