Tree Planting at Green Dragon Lane - Saturday 19th & Sunday 20th November - 1pm



Next weekend we have 200 trees to plant on a dissused peice of land on Green Dragon Lane. We'll be meeting on the land which is alongside Green Dragon Lane oposite Cornish House (one of the tower blocks) at 1pm Saturday and Sunday. The trees include Apple, Hazel, Elder and Blackthorn and our intention is to create a native British edible woodland in Brentford for future generations to enjoy. We have permision from Hounslow Homes who own the land, and support from the Woodland Trust who have supplied the trees, collars, stakes and instructions for planting. There will be plenty to do for young and old alike, and no experience of tree planting is necesary. It would be great if you are able to bring pick axes, spades, drinks and snacks,..either iether or. Look forward to seeing you there!

A Big Thank You....

.....to everyone who took part in the harvest festival on Sunday and to everyone who has put their energy into the land this year. It really felt like the place took on a new dimension last night! Special thanks to Dawn and Choco for leading the ceremony and to all those who drummed, sang and danced and probably freaked out anyone catching a train from platform 1 last night.

From October 2011 to Febuary 2012 open days will be on the first Sunday of each month. The dates are:

Sunday 2^nd October 2011

Sunday 6^th November 2011

Sunday 4^th December 2011

Sunday 1^st January 2012

Sunday 5^th Febuary 2012

Weekly open days will begin again in March 2012

This does not mean that nobody can use the site during winter, if you want to hold an event there you are most welcome to.

Some people where asking for a recipe for the nut-roast so here it is:

(There are still plenty of acorns about so get picking now! they will keep for a good while)

Veg to be boiled:

3-4 potatos

4-5 parsnips

1 butternut squash

1 pumpkin

4-5 apples

(boil until everything is soft, strain off water and then mash)

Veg to be fried:

2 Onions

2 whole heads of garlic

4-5 Celery sticks

A handful of Nasturtium seeds

10 small radishes

A bowl full of radish seed pods

(fry quickly, 5 minutes should be enough)

Next, mix everything togethor including the nuts and any herbs you want to add. With hazel nuts, peanuts, etc you can put them in as they are. With acorns, you must crush them up and boil them in several changes of water to remove all tanin (red stuff that you'll see in the water). Once the water runs clear, all the tanin has been removed, and you can add the nuts to the mixture. Next, take everything and put it in a baking dish, stick it in the oven for 1 hour or so and then serve. You'll know when its ready when the surface becomes crispy.

PEACE, LOVE and PERMACULTURE!

Harvest Festival - Sunday September 25th 2011 - 12pm until 10pm

Come and join us as we celebrate the harvest of 2011!

1pm: Lunch

2pm - 6pm: Workshops and activities -

Clay pot making, Sowing autumn veg, Manual labour for men, Corn dolly and harvest mask making, Apple bobbing and more (bring your own ideas)

       

6pm - 7pm: Dinner  - vegan, vegetarian and carnivorous options available

7pm - end: Home made Elderberry wine inspired Jam session, Poetry reading and Story telling (please bring an instrument, poem or story if you have one)

Feel free to come and hang out for any part of the day, there will be free tea and coffee available all day as usual. If it rains we now have a shelter with a wood burner inside which can hold around 20 people. Call 07905 283114 or email syonlanecommunityallotment@gmail.com for more information.

PEACE, LOVE and PERMACULTURE!



Open Day - Sunday 18th September 2011 - FREE Workshops

Food Storage - We have just installed a larder and this sunday we are going to start filling it with our produce to store for the winter. There are various methods of storing vegetables, we have some books on the subject, and we'll be experimenting with different methods of storing nuts, roots and more.

Stratification - This may sound like something very complicated, but its actually very simple. Some plant and tree seeds need a period of chilling during the winter preceding the warmth of the spring which will "wake them up" from their dormant state. We have made a section of the plant nursery to plant seeds now which will hopefully come up in spring 2012.

There will be other activities and free food, tea and coffee as usual.

For more information call 07905 283114 or email syonlanecommunityallotment@gmail.com



Open Day - Sunday 11th September 2011 - FREE Workshops

Nettle Retting - Learn how to make your own fibers and clothing from stinging nettles (this one requires patience). We already have some soaking in water ready for twisting.

Cider Brewing - There should be plenty of apples ready around at the moment, so please bring some along if you are coming. Hopefully we'll have enough to make 7 gallons.

Go Nuts! - This isn't really a workshop, but there are millions of acorns, hazel and cob nuts around at the moment, and we are collecting as many as possible. They'll all be gone soon so lets make the most of this abundance!

There will be home grown food, tea, coffee and some veg to take home if you want.

Email syonlanecommunityallotment@gmail.com or phone 07905 283114 for more info.

Open Day - Sunday 28th August 2011

Hello folks, we have Barley and Quinoa to harvest and hopefully eat and/or make into bread or lager this sunday. No combine harvesters here! we'll be doing it all by hand. Also, it would be good to get some more elderberry wine on the way so if you know trees near you please bring us some berries and you will be rewarded at christmas with some tasty wine. There is plenty of space to sow seeds outside and in the greenhouse, and also some nice wood to work with for making furnature. Work is not compulsory, all ages are welcome. We have a proper rain shelter up now so weather is not an issue. Call 07905 283114 or email syonlanecommunityallotment@gmail.com for more information.

Open Day - Sunday 21st August 2011

This weeks activities:

More late summer sowing - Last week we sowed Broccoli, Chard, Coriander and Parsley, but there are more seedlings in the greenhouse to go out. The idea is that the Herbs and salad will bush out during the autumn and not go to seed as they did in the spring, with the Brassicas hopefully producing next spring.

Wooden Figure Carving - Have fun adding to the artwork on our welcoming scar-crow/shaman. We have some knives and chisels to lend out but only to those old enough or accompanied by parents.

Hard Labour for men - We have lots of fresh wood to work with at the moment from the Sycamore we sacrificed and it can all be used for making furnature for the sitting area and building a rain shelter. Weather you know about wood work or not, just build something, aslong as its safe it will do the job.

If anybody would like to cook, there is always plenty of food here to work with. Free teas and coffees as usual. For more info call 07905 283114



Open Day Workshops - Sunday 14th August 2011

Elderberry Wine Making

This week we will be testing the plum cider from a few weeks ago and picking elderberries to make wine for the winter. If you know elder trees near you please collect some to bring along, we can't have too many!

Late Summer Sowing

August is the time for sowing leaf vegetables for autumn and winter which would otherwise go to seed if grown in mid summer. These include Coriander, Parsley, Cabbage, Chard, Celery, Lettuce, Spinach and Kale. We'll be experiementing with growing these things for the winter both indoors and outdoors.

Free tea and coffee plus a homegrown meal.

Call 07905 283114 or email syonlanecommunityallotment@gmail.com for more information.

Open Day - Sunday 31st July 2011

There is an abundance of food to be harvested and cooked on the allotment at the moment, so do come and help eat it. There will also be work going on at the front of the site where we have cut down a sycamore tree to make way for an ornamenal vegetable and flower garden. Seeds are all over the place and ready to be collected, please bring small packets if you want to take some home with you.

Free Tea, Coffee and food will be available all day from 12p.m.

All ages are welcome.

Email syonlanecommunityallotment@gmail.com or call 07905 283114 for more information.



Open Day - Sunday 24th July 2011

Plum season is upon us and there are many more than anyone can eat at the moment, so please come along and take some home with you! We'll be making jam, wine, cider and vinegar with them. There are also millions of seeds ready to collect and dry including Parsnip, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Spinach and Brussel Sprouts. If you have a skill you would like to teach at Syon Lane (even if you're not an "expert") contact us. We now have temporary shelters which can be put up if it rains.

Free tea, coffee and food will be available all day from 12pm.

Open Day - Sunday 17th July 2011

The following FREE workshops will be running this Sunday:

Coil pot making - Ever wanted to make your own cups and bowls from local Brentford clay? We have an experienced potter who will give us an introduction to shaping and firing clay.

Seed Saving - Lots of vegetables are going to seed at the moment so it's a good time to learn about drying and storing them. There will be plenty for you to take home and sow next spring.

Pickling - Learn how to store excess summer produce and wild food for the winter in tasty pickles. Please bring your old coffee and jam jars!

As usual there will be free tea and coffee on all day from 12pm until dark, and a home cooked vegetarian meal at some point in the afternoon. For further information call Andrew on 07905 283114 or email syonlanecommunityallotment@gmail.com.

Sunday 10th Open Day Events

The planned events for this weeks open day are:

Propogation of soft wood cuttings
Non-permenant Henna tattooing for children and adults
Mural painting for children and adults
and Seed collecting

Free food, tea and coffee is available all day as usual and visitors are invited to look arround the whole site.

Welcome to Syon Lane Community Allotment's blog

Syon Lane Community Allotment is a strip of land next to Syon Lane train station in west London which had been un-used for 20 years until a group of permaculture enthusiasts were offered it on loan for 3 years. We have re-opened it as a forest garden and permaculture demonstration center, a growing space for local schools and also an outdoor area for arts and crafts. Open days are every Sunday from 12pm, and admision is free. Visit this blog to keep up to date with the free workshops that will be running every Sunday. Visits can be arranged on other days by calling Andrew on 07905 283114 or emailing syonlanecommunityallotment@gmail.com