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.