As the year swings to it’s halfway point, June is the peak; the month with the longest days, lengthy
evenings, sunshine (fingers crossed) and the height of the growing season. Everything is blooming and starting to burst with produce, a prelude to the season to come…
SEASONAL PRODUCE
As we come to the end of the hungry gap, all the new season produce starts to come through in June. So much of our delicious produce is at it’s young best and such a joy after the winter months and the hungry gap. I am thinking fresh new season carrots, new potatoes, fresh onions, soft fruit and so much more!
What’s good and seasonal right now:
Artichoke, aubergines, beetroot, young kale, chard, chicory, leeks, new potatoes, young carrots, broad beans, cauliflower, watercress, spring onions, rhubarb, raspberries, cherries, strawberries, mange tout, sugar snap peas, fresh peas, broccoli, radishes, French beans, courgettes salad leaves, rocket, chives, pak choi, basil, dill, tarragon, turnips, sorrel, spinach.
It’s also a great month for foraging with elderflowers, mature nettles and samphire all at their peak.
DOWN ON THE FARM, Backwell
Summer has arrived at the farm and with it the start of Pick-Your-Own flower season, come along to pick your own bouquets and have a cuppa in the (fingers crossed) sunshine, every Saturday and Sunday from the 15th June until autumn, 9.30am-3.30pm. Find out more about how PYO works, and our wedding flower options over on our 5 Acre Farm website.
Our bees are also buzzing and we should have our own honey back on sale by the end of the month!
Summer veg is kicking off too, we’re already harvesting broad beans and bunched carrots and beetroot, and will soon have French beans, hispi cabbage, cucumbers and courgettes available too.
VOLUNTEER FRIDAYS, Backwell
If you’d like to come and get involved with what we do, don’t forget that every Friday is volunteer morning at the farm from 9am-1pm, with tea, coffee and a snack lunch provided. We’d love to have you come help us out, learn new skills and meet like-minded folk! Email events@fiveacre.farm for more info, or find out more over on the 5 Acre Farm blog.
From Head Grower Jon Goodman;
‘Last month the farm became a CIC, a community interest company. This means that we will have a much stronger community focus, We wish to see the farm flourish as a community resource for the people of Backwell and beyond. This fertile Somerset land with its barns and polytunnels on the edge of the village has the potential not just to grow great food and flowers but also to act as a centre for community activity and learning, helping to strengthen Backwell’s quality of life and its environmental credentials.
This month we have welcomed our new community engagement and Flower barn manager Jessica to the farm. Jessica is busy getting to know the farm team, customers and volunteers at the farm. She will be working on ways to get more people out to the farm and build a program of events to engage the local community.’
NORTH ST STORE NEWS, Tobacco Factory
The shop will be bursting with new season produce this month. We are currently all gorging on the Cheddar Valley strawberries and new season cherries right now!
The iced coffee game is strong this season and we have our slow drip cold brew coffee, featuring local roastery Boona Boona’s complex and fruity Ethiopian Beans as a special this month. We are also stocking the wonderful Rerooted oat milk cold brew made in Devon and sold in returnable bottles – what’s not to love!
We will have all the locally made cards and quirky gifts for the Dad figure in your life. We are particularly loving the brilliant maps book and the hip flasks!
We have a new range of Get Growing children’s gardening tools, watering cans and gloves from Burgon and Ball. Burgon and Ball are based in Sheffield and make RHS endorsed stainless Steel garden tools, accessories and gifts.
The products are beautifully made and the get growing range is colourful as well as practical for the budding gardeners in your family.
It’s not too late to get planting, we have lots of seeds that can still be planted this month as well as edible plants like herbs, strawberries and squash that it’s not too late to get in the ground. We also have garden plants and a plethora of houseplants, plant foods and compost as well as lots of book inspiration, ranging from growing to foraging, to fermenting and preserving!
NEW PRODUCTS,Tobacco Factory
We are excited to have flour from the wonderful Wild Farmed Team. Wild farmed are on a mission to grow wheat regeneratively that’s better for us and the planet.
We have a new hot sauce from Easton Chilli-Sunray, rated 5 out of 5 for heat, made with kumquats, habanero and scotch bonnet chilies; fruity, zesty and spicy!
We have new cheeses from the Ethical Dairy and Organic herd. The Ethical Dairy make delicious cheeses and are pioneering the cow with calf method, where the calves are left to suckle for longer with the mother, meaning less cruelty in the dairy process. Organic Herd started life as Omsco, a cooperative of organic famers supplying milk to retailers and producers. They have since rebranded and started producing products of their own. We are delighted to be stocking their Velvety cheese- made in small batches in West Sussex. It’s a flavoursome semi soft cheese (think St. Paulin), with added flavours.
5 ACRE FARM KITCHEN,Tobacco Factory
The kitchen team are busy working on new season cakes and bakes and a range of summer jams, yay!! Keep your eyes peeled for new products coming soon.
The salad counter is looking bountiful, and our super talented head pastry chef Charlotte is back from maternity leave, so we can look forward to some old favourites and tempting new creations in the cake department!
WE ARE HIRING,Tobacco Factory
We are currently recruiting for a new chef to join our talented team. The ideal candidate will be
someone creative who loves working with seasonal local produce and wants to learn and grow with the team.
Find out more details over on the full job post here.
Lots of love Melanie Taylor, Five Acre Farm shop and Kitchen Manager