| Philosophy behind Shillingford Organics
| Introduction
Vegetable box schemes and local markets are a way for you the customer to have access to really fresh vegetables at an affordable price. Furthermore, buying locally supports small, organic farms and the people and skills involved.
The continuous downward pressure on food prices imposed by the supermarket / economic system is not sustainable for a small vegetable growing business like ours. Fundamentally we can not produce vegetables at the low prices paid to producers by the supermarkets. The global economic system sources from the cheapest cost of production and for organic vegetables this is generally where labour is the cheapest.
I have written this document to express the ecological, social and business thinking behind our organic vegetable growing business. There is an element of commitment involved from our vegetable box customers. If you think the small degree of commitment is worth making then we gladly welcome you.
Health
There are many factors leading to good health in people. These include healthy food and diet, pure water, clean air, access to natural light, strength and fitness, a healthy positive mind, a trust that the body will cure itself and others possible including more abstract influences for example good luck and love!
As organic growers we strive to produce healthy plants and thus harvest healthy food, which in turn we can pass on to our customers. At Shillingford Organics it is our passion that we pass on the healthy vegetables we grow so they reach our customers in optimum condition and that the benefits of growing vegetables in natural systems is not lost due to inefficient delivery systems.
Healthy vegetables come in many forms. There are the bulbs and tubers, e.g. onions and potatoes; roots e.g. carrot, parsnips, celeriac and beetroot. Then there are the leafy greens, e.g. spinach, lettuce, kales and the heading flowers e.g. broccolis and cauliflowers.
The leafy greens and heading flowers will start loosing their quality from the moment they are picked. This is also true of sweetcorn. Thus, in the summer we pick, pack and deliver these on the same day and in the winter we may pick the evening before delivery. This is true for the box scheme and for any markets we supply. New potatoes, carrots and beetroot are almost always harvested the day before delivery. Main crop potatoes and onions are stored in optimum condition.
To achieve this degree of freshness we only sell our vegetables to areas local to the farm, i.e. to Exeter and the surrounding villages.
Ecology
From the perspective of the soil, the field and the farm it is important that we encourage natural systems wherever possible. These natural systems are interconnected and interdependent. If a part is missing it affects the whole system.
The vegetables are grown in a seven year rotation. Green manures and the use of composts are integral in that rotation to maintain fertility and the health of the soil.
Most of the wild pests are controlled by natural predators, whether they are slugs, which are controlled by beetles, frogs and birds; caterpillars which are controlled by parasitic wasps and hoverfly, or aphids which are controlled by ladybird larvae and lacewings. Even field mice, rabbits and pigeons are controlled to a degree by hawks and buzzards, stoats and foxes.
We plant field margins and beetle banks and manage our hedgerows to harbour natural predators in the winter months.
To us ecology also has global connotations. Patrick Whitefield in his permaculture book ‘The Earth Care Manual’ beautifully expresses a fuller understanding of The Ecological ethic. He distinguishes ‘The Humanitarian’ from ‘The Ecological.’
"...The Humanitarian gives equal worth to all humans: good is what benefits the most people most of the time.
The Ecological embraces humans, other sentient beings and the health of the planet: good is what benefits the whole Earth."
He goes on to say:
"caring for the Earth is in our interest not only for ultimate survival but for our quality of life in the short term... Yet at a deeper level... it is fundamentally right to care for the Earth, whether it benefits us or not."
To me 'The Ecological' is a powerful context from which to live. Producing great food and supplying local people is an exciting way for people to connect with the farm, the soil and nature.
( We work with ‘OrganicARTS’, which is primarily a charity based on a nearby farm, which facilitates education and connecting people with farming, food and nature - www.organicarts.org.uk ).
The Soil
Cultivated plants thrive best on soil fed with the same kind of food that nature makes for its own use. In natural systems this food is made of fallen leaves, twigs, decaying weeds and grasses and other vegetable matter, plus a small percentage of animal and bird manures. In the normal course of nature these are spread thinly over a wide area and so take many months to thoroughly decompose in readiness for feeding the soil.
Plants have evolved in this system for hundreds of millions of years. In a truly ecologically balanced system no disease or pest dominates. The plants are healthy.
The early sustainable farmers evolved a more usable way to prepare this natural food. They took similar materials and built them into a heap so that decomposition would be quickened. Ideal ‘manure’ – nature’s food for the soil – was thus able to be produced in a matter of weeks. It was found to be dark and crumbly, easy to handle and odourless and given the name of ‘compost.’
Today organic farmers use ‘green manures’ and composts. Green manures are crops grown specifically to be returned to feed the soil, e.g. grass clover, vetches, etc. Often they are legumes which fix nitrogen from the atmosphere.
Without compost and green manures organic farming would not be possible. Making good compost and feeding the soil along with sustainable rotations are the essence of organic farming. These produce a good healthy balanced soil and in turn strong, healthy plants.
Compromise, Sustainability and Business
In reality the systems within our farm are not yet fully ‘mature’ and there is still much to be done. Furthermore, growing many types of vegetables on a relatively small scale is labour intensive.
The business culture of today requires us to be financially sustainable, which is not always compatible with being ecologically sustainable. It requires us to be cost efficient in all our systems whether that is growing, selling or distribution.
To keep costs at an affordable level we have chosen to use some labour efficient systems in many of the crops we grow. This inevitably means tractor cultivations, planting, weeding and harvesting. Mechanical systems inevitably lead to a degree of compromise with soil quality. However the rotation and systems we have evolved appear to enhance the fertility and quality of the soil and plants.
The other aspect of sustainability is us, the people that run Shillingford Organics. Many successful box schemes have stopped for two reasons:
| 1. |
the individuals behind the schemes gave up because the physical demands of running a small scheme on their own was too great as they became older. |
| 2. |
they were not generating enough income to sustain the needs of themselves and their families. |
Shillingford Organics has to generate enough income to pay acceptable wages to all the people working on the farm and allow a degree of profits for re-investment.
This is in the context that:
| 1. |
in recent years many, many farmers have left the land in the UK (the average age of farmers is now over 60!) |
| 2. |
most of the fruit and vegetables sold in this country are now imported from countries with a far lower wage base. |
Farming Partners
We aim to grow the majority of crops ourselves or else from our partner farmer at Christow, Tim and Jan Deane. Please see the section on Northwood Farm.
Tim is growing approximately 15% of the crops, i.e. all the sweetcorn and a percentage of the leeks, aubergines, tomatoes, carrots, squash and melons.
We have concluded that a few crops are such a drain on resources that we buy them in from other local, organic producers who specialize in these crops and thus have a far lower cost of production. These are essentially swedes ( which I have given up growing after two disastrous crop years ) and celeriac ( which does not thrive in our soil ). Also we buy in stored main crop onions from January to April.
Partnership and your Commitment
In order that we can physically distribute our vegetable boxes to our customers on the same day as packing we need to have a very efficient system. We use ‘collection points,' which are primarily customers who have a shed or other suitable space, so that we can easily drop several boxes ( ideally 5 or 6 ) in one place and then others pick up their box from this point. If you consider you could be a suitable drop point there is a small incentive and you have your box delivered for free. We do drop individually but there is a charge for this.
The only other commitments we ask you to take on are to pay on time and to return your empty boxes to your collection point each week. These may appear trivial, but they give us a significant saving in time and thus cost.
If additionally, you wish to help on the farm or be involved with other projects we are pursuing, please feel free to call us.
Evolving
The soil and the farm evolve and we evolve ourselves. We hopefully learn from our observations and our mistakes and we learn to understand each other.
It is important to acknowledge our responsibilities, i.e:
- to produce and supply good, fresh food;
- to care for the land and the soil;
- to consider the impact of our actions on humankind and the ecology of the planet.
Acknowledgements
Tim Deane, for the concept, being a great teacher and a generous partner.
The Soil Association, The International Society for Ecology and Culture ( ISEC ), Friends of the Earth, Landmark Education, Joanna Marcy ( The Great Turning ) and many others for teaching, inspiring and shifting paradigms. |
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| 25/07/2008
This weeks organic vegetable box contains: |
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Last Updated
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23rd July 2008
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| 1 |
Potatoes (Milva) |
| 2 |
Carrots |
| 3 |
Green Onions |
| 4 |
Lettuce |
| 5 |
Spinach |
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6
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Snap Peas |
| 7 |
Courgettes or Summer Squash
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| 9 |
Tomatoes |
| 10 |
Beetroot or Cucumber |
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Mini boxes will have a selection of the above vegetables but not all.
Make up crops may vary from the list !
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NB: Due to availabilty box contents may vary
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| Useful Links: |
| Shillingord Recipes or veg-box recipes |
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