Our New Easter Arrival

If you have ever visited us here at Goldhill Organic Farm, you will know that we have a gang of chickens with serious attitude.  They freely strut about the farm clearly in charge of all that they survey.  They argue with each other, they turn up in the shop and cafe crowing loudly and then run off laughing (in the way that chickens do), they are regularly found taking their pick to the very best of Andrew's vegetables on the plot without regard for his carefully laid out rows of perfection.  They lay eggs in random places which we rarely find, and have been seen charging at the farm cat who is clearly petrified of this unruly lot.

Yesterday, totally unexpected, while looking for a rake in one of the hay barns Richard found this gorgeous little chick (in fact there are two of them), wandering about with their mum.  We salute her nurturing skills and the marvel of nature and welcome our new organic arrivals to Goldhill Organic Farm.  A perfect Easter gift.

Little Weed

This week due to the recent dry weather conditions, we were able to start on the weeding, something we enjoy doing as we know it's doing so much good to our soil and allowing our vegetables to reach their full potential.

This usually doesn’t begin until the end of March. However the ground was dry enough to clear the weeds from the rows of onions and we achieved satisfying results.

The woods that were planted eighteen years ago are now ready to be thinned out to enable the stronger specimens to mature.

We began this task of clearing and left smaller branches in rows on the forest floor; this encourages insects and wildlife to thrive.

The larger branches and tree trunks that we cleared have been brought back to the farm yard. They can be used for fuel and hopefully some of the Oak branches will be carved by our son Philip. We use everything and waste nothing. Job Done!

Try this lovely little recipe its quick and easy - let us know the results......

LEEKS WITH VEGETABLE VINAIGRETTE.

For 6- Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Leeks…………………6

Bouquet garni ….1

Tomatoes………….2

Chives…...................6 sprigs.

Olive Oil..............3 tbl.spoon.

Balsamic vinegar.1 tbl.spoon.

Dijon mustard…..1 teaspoon.

Salt, Pepper.

1 Slice the leeks into 1cm width pieces. Cook them with the bouquet garni with enough water to cover until tender. Remove the leeks with a slotted spoon.

2 Plunge the tomatoes for 30 seconds in the leek stock and remove their skin.

3 Reduce the look stock by a quarter.

4 Chop the tomato flesh into small dice and finally snip the chives and bulb spring onion.

5 Make a  vinaigrette by mixing the mustard with oil, vinegar and 3 tablespoons of leek stock. Season and add the diced tomato, chives and spring onion.

6 Dress the reserved leeks with this vinaigrette.

A Special Place To Work

In our tranquil courtyard setting we not only sell beautiful organic vegetables at Goldhill Organic Farm, we also have other units to entertain you.  The Art Stable which now has a large following of loyal art collectors, Meg Morton which offers shabby chic style gifts and furnishings, The Cake Tin cafe that sells patisseries for all tastes and a very popular Tack shop selling nearly new bits and bobs for all equestrian needs, and our newest resident here James's Cheese which sort of speaks for itself.

Currently above the Farm shop we have a vacant 44sqm unit comprising of two sky lighted rooms (shared loo and kitchenette) which was being used by a portrait artists, Christabel Blackburn who has been whisked off to the sparkling lights of London where she is much in demand.  If you are interested or know someone who needs such a space in our family setting overlooking Hambledon Hill, give Sara a call on 01258 861413 for more details.

Whatever The Weather

First it was the mild winter weather, then rain, then the vicious winds which ripped two of our poly tunnels (they've been patched up so salad leaves saved), and now the big freeze that we've all been waiting for.  It's now wonder us Brits are so weather obsessed. 

Our vegetables are pretty weather intrigued and have been doing strange things, but we seem to have it all under control.  It can make planning what we plant and when challenging, but Andrew, who has been growing our gorgeous vegetables now for over 25 years, has learnt to be flexible after all this is nature and we cannot dictate what happens, we have no influence over our weather system.

Luckily our vegetables are pretty robust and we have plenty of green leafed varieties to satisfy every hungry soul. Our cabbages have done particularly well along with the very popular and perfect purple sprouting broccoli.  Our enormous lush leeks have been admired by all and we still have plenty of hardy and sensational squashes and those, either love or hate them nuggets of greenness -yes the humble sprout. This all comes with a warning as we are about to enter our hungry season when things become leaner, and creative cooking comes into its own - so if you have any great recipes that show how to stretch your vegetables do let us know.  On display in the shop soon will be a wonderful recipe for stuffed onions which only really needs 2 onions to feed about 8 people, it's a real winter winner..

Cabbage Patch Babies

Although we know every nook and cranny of our plot, sometimes even we are amazed at the delights we find (in the wee small hours), and today was no exception.  Off we went to the cabbage patch to harvest some little beauties for the shop and we found these scrumptious babies bursting out of the ground.  We got a little over excited and had to be told to calm down as we ran up the drive pushing the wheelbarrow laden with giant green goodness, as we might frighten the chickens who were still sleeping soundly.

You will find a selection in the shop but be quick as you have competition.  We discovered the chickens on top of the cabbages eating away at them, so we gave them the onces they started and they chomped them down quicker than you could say 'roast dinner', and no doubt they will be back for more.

Looking forward to welcoming you to Market Day here on November 26th....

Roll Up, Roll Up, it's Market Day

We are very excited here at Gold Hill, as we will be hosting an Anonymous Travelling Market.  We did the same last November and it was a hugely successful event.  There will be lots of food to eat, gifts to buy, people to see, liquids to drink, exhibitions to stroll around, portraits to consider, and merriment for one and all, and all set in the beautiful setting of our farmyard. 

Jim our meat man will be on hand to talk you through your trotters, pigs cheeks, and pork chops as well as bringing along his mutton.  James's Cheese will also be there to tickle your tastebuds.  The Cake Tin will be on hand to keep you warm with burgers and hot drinks.  The Old Tack shop will be on hand to offer advice on all those accessories needs for your horse or pony, and there will be a selection of stalls offering crafts, soaps and all manner of goodies. Last but by no means least, we will of course be showing off our stunning vegetables, freshly picked and ready to be turned into something wonderful.

Come and enjoy the Market Day in Child Okeford.....

An Inspector Calls

As with all matters of health and safety, inspectors must arrive without an appointment, totally unannounced and as a full surprise.  Today was our turn, and it is always a scary moment, as although we know we are fully compliant with all high standards, there is often the concern that we might have overlooked something, forgotten to tick a box or two on our long list of daily checks, or the chiller temperature might not be quite as it should be or even the dread of an out of date item lingering at the back of the shelves, or heaven forbid a mouldy turnip.

So as our lovely inspector walked in he must have heard the sharp intake of breath and the sound of someone scurrying out the back to check all was well with our packing area.  He smiled politely and walked around the shop, doing what he must do, inspect, check, look, prod and rummage through our displays of vegetables, flour, teas, pasta and our milk, butter, yoghurt's and cheeses, and we are were delighted, thrilled and relieved that as one would expect we received the thumbs up!!

We are as we should be, and organic farm shop with a little bit of healthy mud and lots of glorious vegetables all gleaming and shining ready for you to eat.