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September 2011

Writing this newsletter it looks like the late summer has finally arrived to Carr House Farm! After the leftover of hurricane winds earlier this week, the sunshine and mild weather is a refreshing change. Yesterday we finally finished harvest, with only the last of the beans left to do we have all had our fingers crossed that the dry weather would continue. However, it doesn't finish there. The race is now on to work land whilst the weather is dry in order to ensure that the crops are all sown into well prepared fields in spring.

Meanwhile we have apples ripening and we will be picking apples very soon for our juice. We are expecting a great crop this year, due to the good weather at the start of the year.

As autumn fast approaches, in the bakery we are already looking ahead to Christmas. We have already got a packed out diary for the Christmas period, so will look forward to seeing you at one of our open days, farmers markets, tasting evenings or Christmas fairs.

Many of you have been asking about bread making courses and due to a busy summer we haven't managed to fit one in, but have now got one booked in for Saturday 8th October, 9:30am to 4:00pm. This will be an introduction to bread making, so a great course for those who are new to world of breadmaking!

We are very excited to be launching a Christmas themed course on Saturday 12th November, 9:30am to 4:00pm. This course will cover breadmaking and Christmas baking and will be a great way to stock up on those Christmas essentials as you will be going home with stollen and Christmas puddings. Please contact us at the bakery for any further details.

Another date for your diaries is our next open day on Sunday 16th October, which will be an autumn fruits and apple pressing themed day. The day will include guided walks to hunt for small mammals with Yorkshire Wildlife and weather permitting we will be taking you back in time as there will be a demonstration showing the old method of removing the grain from the husk and straw. A great way to see how modern day combines make the job of harvesting a lot less labour intensive! Although we are hoping the lovely weather will continue, please ensure you bring along warm and waterproof clothing and footwear with good grip for walking.

As always, there will be light refreshments, hot soup and drinks for the weary walkers. The open day runs from 10.00 am – 4.00 pm. The bakery will be open and there will be mill tours to see how our homegrown wheat is milled into flour to be used in the bakery.

Please see the list of dates on the website for all our upcoming events.

Tim and Caroline

February 2011

The sight of a blanket of snowdrops has done much to raise our spirits during this last three weeks. Then this week we have see some brave daffodils budding down in the big wood, the pink, sweet scented vibernum is looking wonderful - all this plus a few bright sunny days makes us think that just may be spring is around the corner. This is the time of year when there is an endless list of things to do but before anything can get moving we need some good drying weather. There is a lot of spring sowing to do, but this cannot start until land dries enough to prepare a good seedbed for the wheat. Poor seedbed usually translates into a poor harvest.

Lets hope for a bright spring day to welcome you all at our next Open Day on Sunday 13th March. The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust will be joining us again this time focusing on a watery theme looking at herons, watervoles and other wildlife found on the riverbank and in the dykes. Certainly, there is no shortage of water on the farm at the moment and strong waterproof boots are a must for any intrepid walkers! There will be two guided walks starting at 10.30 and 1.30. For those wishing to take life a little more leisurely our two farm nature trails will be open. The shorter one takes about 20 minutes and takes you through the trees around the home paddocks where you will be able to see bird and bat boxes – the trail is suitable for pushchairs. The second trail is a little longer, taking approximately 40 minutes, with some rough terrain unsuitable for pushchairs. This trail takes you around part of the farm and along the riverbank where you will see some winter crops, orchards and owl boxes. Visitors simply follow the arrows on both trails which also have information boards on the way to point out features of interest. However, pleased remember to bring plenty of warm waterproof clothing and strong boots with non-slip soles for walking.

As always, there will be light refreshments, hot soup and drinks for the weary walkers. The open day runs from 10.00 am – 4.00 pm. The bakery will be open and there will be mill tours to see how our homegrown wheat is milled into flour to be used in the bakery.

In response to our breadmakers and potential breadmakers we have made some dates in the diary for future breadmaking days. Places are limited as we like to keep the courses small and personal so if you are interested do contact us asap to avoid disappointment. No experience is necessary just plenty of enthusiasm and a sense of humour – all we can guarantee is a basketful of bread for you to take home at the end of the day!

We are gradually sorting dates in the diary for the forthcoming year. Listed is the first draft which we hope you will find useful. There will be more to come and we promise to keep you posted!

Tim and Caroline