Newyddion Nadolig o Ardd Farchnad Glebelands/News+Happy Xmas From Us
We hope you have all noted extra Xmas trading days,repeated on accompanying leaflet pic.Every Xmas is different but this year definitely is.Food supply in the UK has held up v.well despite multiple covid challenges,it is however already wobbling once again as the Brexit process looms.If only because of higher transport/import costs produce from Spain,etc will be dearer in 2021.
We expect Xmas availability to be ok with a reasonably strong seasonal line up.We have plenty of Purple Sprouting,Leeks and Greens but few Caulis.Salad is fine but Watercress ltd(bit too popular).UK Apples and roots look fine.We have some Kalette tops and Asparagus Kale for the lucky few.
Pleasing to see Welsh Gov and others finally publicising the need for ventilation/clean air as part of any covid strategy.While clean hands are always a good idea that is not the route that covid is transmitted.It would be very unfortunate if the need to tackle air quality,poor nutrition and deprivation in the UK was forgotten in the current rush to achieve a mass vaccination solution. It remains sobering to look at other countries which have handled the whole challenge much better,in health,economic and social terms.BBC news bulletins in particular sound increasingly like a UK Gov mouthpiece rather than an objective deliver of facts and analysis.Lord Reith would not be impressed.
We hope to return recharged after our annual break and hope that local determination to maintain a Cardi rather than an Amazon economy continues.
Nadolig Llawen i Bawb
Newyddion Glebelands Updates 24.11.20
We remain open as normal. It is disappointing to see quite a few local businesses close amidst a number of positive covid tests in the area.
While clear information can be hard to find a number of reference points may help;
Daily case numbers from Aber's finest(16yr old Lloyd Warburton) on twitter and his website.
Building environments;@ShellyMBoulder .Dr.Shelly Miller on twitter.
Pandemic Wisdom; @corsIAQ .Dr.Richard Corsi on twitter.
More Pandemic Wisdom;Devi Sridhar on twitter/Guardian/elsewhere
Welsh Pandemic Wisdom;@hughes_eilir .Dr.Eilir Hughes .
Cardigan Corona Virus Help page on facebook.Trying to help locally.
We will post again before Xmas but we are planning to be open on Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday extra to meet the way dates fall this year.Due to mild(ond glaw,glaw,glaw!) conditions many Winter crops look pretty healthy, Eg decent amounts of Purple Sprouting,and we expect availability to be good.Salad leaves and Watercress have thrived.
We re-engineered our frontage recently to provide greater shelter,maintain till service "outside" and minimise the space challenge inside.Works on our rear building extension are in train and we hope to get the car park resurfacing done during earlier 2021.
Support locally has been heartening and we continue to pursue a low risk shopping environment.To this end we no longer favour card payments over cash.The latter is fine and extremely unlikely to be a source of infection.
Newyddion Locked Down News 27.10.20
Our opening hours remain as normal ie Thursday-Sunday
We also continue to operate as normally as possible in a continually changing situation.We will be continuing with our tills essentially outdoors,soon in new cabins, with some shelter from the new awning across the shopfront.Our plan since early in the pandemic has been to maintain a well ventilated shopping space to reduce risk of infection to staff and customers.Most current thinking globally suggests transmission through aerosol/inhalation although the UK seems late to the party on recognising healthy building environments.There is a great deal that could be said about preparedness or otherwise of the UK over the last 6 months.
We are busy now harvesting outdoor crops that are barely growing as the sun slides away,but many indoor crops are still moving at quite a pace.Eg Watercress and Winter Purslane.At this time of year choice remains wide but moving on, as we say goodbye to Cucumbers this week and the last Aubergines are any day.We are planting crops that move at lower light levels now and some that will not appear on the shelves till next Spring.
We are pleased to have been able to keep up supply over recent months and we are proud that most locals have been keen to support us and other food producers of the area.There is quite a struggle for the grocery market as Amazon particularly lever their way in, dominating internet searches and unhindered by conventional taxation requirements. Supermarkets in Wales also continue to sell very few products grown or processed in Cymru.
Looking further ahead 2 new veg growing projects begin near to Newport in 2021 which should increase localised supply and jobs.Let's hope there is some similar progress on arable cropping in due course to the extent that we might yet get more Welsh loaves baked using Welsh grain(as per Torth y Tir near St.Davids). It is also heartening to note that the Teifi Valley is now the best area for good bread in the UK(anybody care to suggest anywhere better?).
Hydref/Autumn
Or is it still summer...?( or did that end in May?!) Either way as days become noticeably shorter, there is a feeling of having passed the most intense part of the season. That said, it is still a peak time of year for produce, with lots of delicious flavours coming from our two sites. Tomatoes and courgettes continue, while celery, beetroot, the first rocket of the season and plenty more besides are all available at the moment.
As well as harvesting, we are hoeing field crops when dry-weather windows permit. The August storms made this tricky (at one point we had a stream running down the middle of the field ), and some crops have been adversely affected by the buffeting winds. However we have mostly avoided any runaway weed situations, thanks to some hard work by regular and seasonal staff at critical times (pictured).
Winter polytunnel salad-brassicas etc are at the seedling/planting stage now (pictured), and will gradually replace summer tunnel crops like cucumbers, aubergines etc. We continue to produce our own compost on site to augment that which we bring in. The visible improvement in soil structure in the time we've been here (nearly ten years!) is heartening to see.
Staff-wise we are happy to see Phil and Jayne back after a long break. Expect efficiency levels in both the field and the shop to rise accordingly (!).
We are grateful to local groundwork contractors Mark Toft and co for putting in a solid track up the side of our main field (pictured). Mud-skating with heavy wheelbarrows of soil/compost/stones/woodchip/produce (delete as appropriate) will hopefully be, if not a distant memory, then a much reduced occurrence henceforward!
Plans for shop expansion/improvement are still in the works. Tills will effectively remain outside for the foreseeable future. Thanks to Llandudoch market for the loan of the market stalls, and to Jen for her enormous folding table. Thanks to all customers for the continuing support. We recognise shopping at Glebelands is not quite the social experience it once was, something we are as sad about as anyone. We are hopeful it can return one day, but in the meantime masks and distancing remain the order of the day. Our priority in this is the safety of both customers and staff, so we can continue to provide a (hopefully!) valuable service to the community.
Happy autumn/late summer...
Dyddiau Stormus/Volatile Times?Updates 22.8.20
2020 now feeling like the classic game of 2 halves with Spring drought giving way to a v.stormy scenerio of damaging wind+intense rain.We've managed some decent brassicas in our newest field,overcoming the ex-pasture legacy of compaction and leatherjackets and some good crops elsewhere.Squashes look a light yield reflecting deteriorating conditions while inside Tomatoes,Cucumbers,Basil and Aubergines have done very well.The latter success underpinned by lots of trips back and forth opening and closing tunnels,not always at social times.Many new domestic tunnel owners are discovering just how often.
Our approach to Covid-19 remains to try and maintain a safe shopping space for all,including the staff at Glebelands.Lots of fresh air,making the best use of the space available and some healthy produce.Contact and clean surfaces are clearer to most of us than aerosol concentrations and air quality. Our tills will be remaining outside over Winter,with some improved frontage to come.
Approaches from other businesses across Cymru and the UK seem extremely varied,from the vary lax to the very conscientious.Local bus services now look a good bet with windows open,good airflow and mandatory facecoverings.Watching people arrive at Poppit Sands unable to park while an empty bus goes past drives the point. Some pubs and eating places with gardens or frontage have made good use but not all are recording customer details.Tesco,Weatherspoons and Aldi seem not to be taking spacing or ventilation particularly seriously.Good systems now may prove valuable as Winter outbreaks occur.
Like all challenging situations Covid-19 requires a proportionate response.Suggesting there is no virus,it isn't v. infectious or is not dangerous to all won't help much.You don't need to be especially fearful to calculate this.Equally bad people and totalitarians take advantage of disruption.Dominic Cummings
isn't the only person this occured to.There remain plenty of opportunities for good deeds as well as some decent food.
Newyddion/Updates 15.7.20-Road Diversions-Facecoverings-Veg
Some continued Welsh Caravaning weather of late, with a nighttime low of 6 degrees and 50mm+ rain in a single day in the last week,tricky.A just large enough hoeing window opened last weekend and it was a scramble to get everything done.Hanako and Anna,(with some help from David Brown) were the backbone of the team.Some tired shoulders, and heads on Monday.
St.Dogmaels Rd is being resurfaced this week.Access as normal for customers except on Sunday when the Cardigan end of St.Dogs Rd is closed.For Sunday access from St.Dogmaels is open,see link below for official diversion to St.Dogs via Croft(or more realistically via Briscwm/Longdown Bank).
https://www.ceredigion.gov.uk/resident/travel-roads-parking/roadworks/ro...
Apologies to those who didn't read the notice of facecoverings policy last weekend we posted.To repeat we now require customers to wear a basic facecovering while inside our shopbuilding.The timing unsurprisingly was to coincide with the arrival of visitors from other parts of the UK,all with higher infection rates than Cardigan. While most customers got the rationale(no us, no shop)there was some disappointing responses as well.(see accompanying notes with chief masker Donald T's pic). We have volunteer made masks for those without(£2 donation to Cardigan Food Bank).
Crops remain just about seasonally predictable with some real stars(Shallots with lush tops/Basil/Spring Onions)a few fails(Coriander/Celery/Parsley all v.late) and everything else as planned .Meaning lots of Mini-Cucs/Toms/Salad/Aubergines/French Beans/Chard/Fennel,etc.The Squash crop for August-Spring 2021 hangs in the balance due to recent strong winds and heavy rain knocking them about.
We are now planning Autumn/Winter sowings to take best advantage of our now greater polytunnel space.Discussions continue over to how best expand the building and queueing space for the damper months to come.There are plenty of items on which we could spend finite funds but we continue to focus on providing relatively low risk shopping space. This is a situation which most have now accepted is medium to long term.
Newyddion o'r Fferm/Here Come The Tourists 7.7.20-Brief Update on Face Coverings/Masks
From Saturday 13th July we will asking customers to use a basic face covering or mask.This is prompted by expected visitors(local bookings are high) from areas with much higher Virus presence.It is aimed at minimising aerosol output while customers are in our shop building, and we hope risk of infecting our staff, and other customers. Washable 2 layer masks will be available onsite for those without their own.These have been made locally and will be charged at a £2 donation to Cardigan Food Bank.
It seems likely that face coverings may well become mandatory in public settings in Wales at least.Wearing facemasks for long periods may well not be a good idea but having a clean and dry one available for situations of proximity to others seems prudent.What happens in the increasingly Banana Republic of England remains to be seen.
After some difficult wet and windy conditions we are looking forward to some dryer days ahead.Plenty of planting and hoeings-off to come!
Newyddion Llysiau/Updates 1.7.20
After some gruelling sessions we remain just about ontrack as the days begin to shorten.The Spring drought has given way to much more unsettled weather of variable light levels but some damaging wind speeds(Squash yield likely to be much reduced after recent batterings).We are always pushed to get on to hoe off in narrower dry windows but much hinges on doing so.
Discussions continue over building extensions and to how to best use the ltd onsite space available.We intend to keep the tills essentially outside but with more roof area for customer protection! As you may have noticed we remain keen to keep people moving onsite to minimise congestion,viral dangers and waiting time for others.If the car park is full please do not try to bring another vehicle in.The laybye on St.Dogs Rd is a vehicle option if there is a wait time.
With visitors likely in volume from July 13th we will be revising our shopping guidance.We will be continuing to enforce 2 metre spacing onsite and are looking at reusable masks for shoppers.There is every likelihood of continuing viral risk for a long time to come and we remain acutely of the need to protect ourselves in a high public contact situation.
The UK union look distinctly shaky as the UK Gov presses on with a strategy which seems to encompass shrinking the state,tokenistic investment and favours for Dom Cummins' associates.A fairly rabid media seems to be lapping it up.Local actions look more positive in many areas around the UK but uncertainty seems the only certainty for now.
Our veg offer has widened out with the season and a brief guide follows to crops we have in volume;
Salad Leaves+flowers
Shallots+lush tops
Lettuce
Basil
Spring Onions
Broad Beans
Fennel
Mini-Cucumbers
Courgettes
Aubergines
Spring Cabbage
Runner Beans(Su Hunter/Poppit)
Loganberries(Su Hunter/Poppit)
Kales/Calabrese/French Beans/Coriander/Tomatoes all as available on the day.
Our aim remains to offer a strong seasonal offer ie not necessarily everything all of the time,but a range an Italian would be proud of,produced in Cymru....
Amser Ffa/The Return of the Broad Bean...Updates 10.6.20
Spririts raised here by the drought finally giving way to precious rain.While we all thrive in sunshine(and viruses don't) local soils are in trouble.Even hedges and trees have been looking stressed.This is the third consecutive Spring drought and has left the local barley and grass yield doubtful.
We have been irrigating continuously using several methods but we don't possess a borehole or a big volume irrigation system,as yet. Our soil is clay based with higher than average organic matter levels which is very water retentive.The sandy soil at the Bryncws site is more challenging.Crop growth has been good and sales remain steady to good.
So far Ceredigion,and us,remain in relatively good health with some tracking/tracing system in place for Corvid infections.Some credit due to Ceredigion CC for initiatives taken here.Local feeling is very much against visitors from England particularly, arriving yet, a sentiment we share.Lack of clarity seems inevitable with such a poor UK Gov in place.Looting public resources and favours for mates appears their greater preoccupation so far.
Globally Amazon,Google and others are trading well and their stocks are booming on international markets.Local businesses seem to be struggling to reopen even where relatively low risk to do so.Avoiding Amazon particularly is not getting any easier but is getting more important.
As we move on from the "hungry gap"cropping is widening out as Summer veg looms.Our first Toms are ripening,Courgettes and Basil are on the shelves and Fennel has been lovely.As ever seasonal eating remains best value with imported crops suffering steady price rises in recent weeks.Brexit will only increase the effect.Lemons,Oranges and Grapefruit are all moving back to their traditional place as nice treats rather than cheap fruit.
Crops we expect to have in volume;
Kale
Cavolo Nero
Beetroot
Broad Beans
Chard
Salad
Lettuce
Spring Onions
Basil
Fennel
Spring Cabbage
Herbs(but not Coriander...)
Pembs New Pots(Carfei,St.Davids)
While we are planning how to approach the Autumn+Winter(bearing in mind our tills are now outside)we have the current challenge of higher shop temps,with windows and doors open.The latter is very anti-viral but not very helpful for keeping veg fresh. Our advice to keep veg cool and long lasting is as follows;
Car boots can be v.hot and will shorten veg life rapidly
Apples should be stored in fridges to remain crisp
Tomatoes are really best at room temperature
The coldest part of a fridge is the bottom
All brassicas/brocolli/cabbage/leeks like damp+cool
Newyddion/Updates 20.5.20
The team here all still on their feet despite the wider range of challenges than a typical Spring. Leon, Gonzalo and Hanako are all newer faces joining Owen, Elin, Rhian, Anna, Lesley, Sam+Adam. Jayne and Phil are currently furloughed, and missed.The average age onsite has fallen quite a bit this year! Rising paid hours continues to be a very positive effect of localised veg production.
The worsening drought is the downside to the sunshine and it can be quite a struggle to get enough water on crops. Most local Barley and grass is looking parched. So far our deep rooted Chicory and Red Clover is holding up well, scouring moisture from the sub-soil.
While a few new crops slip in, notably the first new Colleen potatoes from Jersey, demand is close to and often above availability of late.(Wyn Evan's new pots from St.Davids will also land this weekend). At least we have plenty of Mint (help yourself at the till). The wider UK food supply situation continues to be of concern with a particularly feeble statement issued by DEFRA on Tuesday. More positively, an article linked to below by Rutger Bremner (of Davos fame) outlines options in the wider world, and a nice summary of recent history.
https://thecorrespondent.com/…/the-neo…/61655148676-a00ee89a
Newyddion/Updates 13.5.20
Lots of work and cropping going on here as we continue to get new plants in the ground.The burgeoning drought should be a concern to all,despite some beautiful sunshine.We are irrigating using driplines and low-tec hosereels and our deep rooted clovers and chicory still look lush.However even the best soils will not withstand drought forever.The UK looks particularly ill-prepared for more climate challenges.
Our seasonal top tips continue to revolve around leafy crops with treats such as Asparagus and Ceredigion Strawberries.New Potatoes kick off next week from Jersey with our usual Carfei,Pembs pots following in about 2 weeks.They were irrigating yesterday........Seasonal things we have volume of this week;
Chard
Spinach
Sorrel(put in at end of soup making to keep it lemony)
Spring Cabbage
Coriander(Parathas filled with Coriander are great)
Salad Leaves
Little Gems
Saturday PMs and Sunday remain quietest times/least queue time.Ceredigion remains relatively small numbers of Pandemic cases,to this end note our continued spacing guidance,and lack of enthusiasm for visitors/2nd homers from elsewhere. We managed to sell an amount of duff V.Toms last week.If they weren't edible please ask for a refund/replacement,apologies.
A couple of articles we have used may be helpful for virus information;
https://www.erinbromage.com/…/the-risks-know-them-avoid-them
https://www.linkedin.com/…/saving-your-health-one-mask-ti…/…
For more sober info on wider economic prospects try Richard Murphy's blog;
https://www.taxresearch.org.uk/…/the-new-lockdown-rules-ma…/
Newyddion/News 6.5.20
Spring Gluts continue here contrasting the deteriorating UK food supply situation.Plenty of leafy crops as the lengthening Spring days push crops along.We have piles of Chard this week(great with Walnuts,Olive oil+Lemon Juice).Endive Salad heads while looking like Lettuce are less sweet but continually recommended to eat for nutritional value.Italians often favour flavours that hint of bitters.Our quietest times/no danger of queues are now Saturday PM and Sundays.Crops we have in abundance/seasonal eats this week;
Chard(big bags this wk)
Spinach(big bags this wk)
Salad Leaves
Endive Heads
Coriander(70g bags) and most herbs
While many of us continue to take on board the fallout from the pandemic the future for Cymru and the UK is certainly going to be different. Food supply looks needlessly shaky as UK farmers struggle with low prices and the Westminster Gov largely ignores the situation. Welsh Gov while aware of problems for many Welsh farmers hasn't much of a plan, beyond defensiveness, either.
Sources for pandemic information continue not to be the Daily Telegraph or BBC News! For less Pravda sources try the Financial Times online(pandemic coverage is free),John-Burn Murdoch and Antony Costello on twitter or the article below;
https://www.irishtimes.com/…/coronavirus-north-netherlands-…
Other countries clearly have much lower death rates and have been less cavalier.New Zealand and the UK show real contrast for example.Laissez-faire believers and Dominic Cummings seem v.poor at public health policy or protecting vunerable members of the community.
Meddwl Sbigoglys/Spinach and Spring Gluts
Seasonal Spring crops are dominated by fast growing leafy greenery(beans take longer,roots longer still). We have lots of Spinach right now,such that we have increased the bag size to 300g. So think Spinach recipes.....
In our household the refined face of pies, Spinach Fatayers are popular,essentially a bread dough with a lemony Spinach filling,see pic,but Spinach recipes are many and varied.
Lines we have lots of;
Spinach
Salad Leaves
Little Gems
Sorrel
Thyme
Coriander
Parsleys(both)
Looking further ahead our Leafy Beetroot starts shortly,Broad Beans and French Beans won't be long,and Spring Onions are nearly there.Next wk Asparagus volume should be better,ditto B.Menyn loaves.Anybody who hasn't tried Anuna,bakers from Llandysul,bread should.They have a drop off on Mondays in our car park on Mondays.Excellent Campagne,Malted and Rye loaves.Email us for a copy of their order list.
Gwanywn Hyfred?/Updates 22.4.20
Despite a pandemic and an almost drought situation it's been a beautiful Spring with very high light levels.Bird song is as loud as I can remember and insect numbers seem high.We even have Common Wasps active onsite,(seemingly several months early).As the accompanying pics show we continue to crack on in with plantings,ground prep,watering and first hoeings-off of new crops.Paid hours continue to grow as we try to run the farmshop with spacing challenges as well as manage a larger area of land.The new field we bought from our neighbours 3 years ago finally comes into production after clover stimulation and dock clearances.
Spread of customers was better last week with less people trying to shop in the mornings.Thanks to all who moved times or days.It remains quieter on Saturdays and Sundays for those not wanting to risk being turned away on Thurs or Friday.Supply remains ok for the hungry gap time of year,and typically leafy for Spring.As ever we are keen to emphasise seasonal lines to wean us all off Spanish imports(which continue to rise in price).Lines we have in volume this week;
Salad Packs
Coriander
Sorrel
Pak Choi
Rocket
Sage
Spinach
Apologies to anyone who bought Braeburn Apples last week, do claim refund (too soft, fridged or not!).Normally Apples always keep much crisper kept cold.
News on the pandemic remains sketchy with much of BBC output short on facts.Channel 4 news has been more incisive so far.Worldcrunch(https://worldcrunch.com/) are among those putting out some useful daily briefings. The reality of a long haul is looking likely.Public reaction remains encouraging with lots of people looking out for others and trying to avoid a future where Amazon have eaten our High St.
Newyddion/Updates 15.4.20
We continue to do our best to maintain a planting programme in difficult circumstances.We are relying on you the public to shop at the times we recommend otherwise the farmshop service will no longer be possible.
All days are quieter after 3 pm ( UK wide seemingly with many of the wider grocery problems relating to a desire to shop early in the day-pity for all of us). Turning up "early"is likely to see you turned away and is just eating up more of our time+energy. As ever turn up organised and ready to shop efficiently, browsing is no longer possible in a pandemic situation.
Availability remains ok with predictable price rises on mediterranean imports(mainly due to transport problems so far but more problems coming) .Easy to forget this is the traditional "Hungry Gap"where choice was always less. Spring veg growing is dominated by leafy crops that are first to be ready. Seasonal eating might well feature Sorrel soup,pasta with Chicory+Oil (Italians way ahead here), properly dressed Salads,Stir-fries and Rocket Pesto. Listed below are items we have in volume this week;
Salad Leaves
Pak Chois
Wild Rocket
Coriander
Chicory
Spinach
Dyddiau Heulog,Lleuadau Mawr/Updates 8.4.20
Note we are closed(as usual)on Easter Sunday
After a welcome 7mm of rain on Sunday night it's dry+sunlight all the way.As the pics show we have plenty to do,with first plants in the ground on the light land at Bryncws Farm and our intensive beds filling up fast.Tomato planting is approaching too.We have also been desperately trying to finish off the annual dock digging-thanks to all who assisted lately.
We remain of course majorly preoccupied with the Pandemic fallout.This week we will install perspex screens in front of till person to reduce their exposure.Continuing to operate relies entirely on strict adherence to our shopping guidance.(in summary;arrive prepared,shop briskly/don't browse,keep 2 metre spacing,particularly at till).We are really not in a position to chat at the till right now.
Our biggest problem at the shop has been people all trying to shop at the same time.If you are planning to come on Thursday or Friday morning-DON'T.Later afternoon and Saturday were relatively quiet,visit then instead.Let's eke out the space we have.
Bread improves further when Popty Anuna from Llandysul begin a service on Mondays from our car park! (contact them online).Nice sourdoughs to complement beefed up output from Bara Menyn of late.Crwst have also turned a few batches apparently.
Information on Pandemic issues is improving with coverage on Channel4 News making much of BBC main news output look, at best, uninformative.Locally Ceredigion+Pembs CCs are busy and the Cardigan Corona facebook page has some sobering posts.
Newyddion 25.3.20 Update
We reopen Thursday morning at the normal time,and continue normal hours.To continue to be able to operate and to minimise the rate of spread of Coronavirus we need some help from customers;
Please observe 2 metre spacing from staff and other customers.
Shop+car park are now controlled access.Note PMs generally quieter than AMs.
Handle items only if you are buying them.
All veg remains wash before use.
Arrive prepared with some thought beforehand of what you need.Lists and efficient shopping enable best of our shop space for the greatest number of people.
Payment by debit card/contactless is helpful to us.
Vunerable or isolating customers may be able to receive assistance from either Provisions for Progress in St.Dogs (07896 634763 callie.pixelsforprogress@gmail.com or call at the Yellow Shop),or facebook page for Cardigan-Corona Virus Help.
Although it is the traditional Hungry Gap now the shortages of fresh produce (across the UK for the last week)have largely ended and supply is relatively good.
We face a wide range of tasks at this time with first ploughing this week,outside plantings now underway and dock digs not yet complete.We are majorly preoccupied with ensuring crops get in the ground for the months ahead and we don't feel we have much room for manoeuvre.
Great to hear that Bara Menyn return to bread baking next week at a time when most food in Cardigan is being shipped in from long distances away.Top seasonal cooking tips might be;Sorrel soup,steamed Russian Kale+tips or Wild Rocket Pesto, with Rhubarb,Asparagus and New Potatoes on the horizon.
Newyddion 23.3.20/Update Coronavirus
Sobering piece from the great Tim Lang below.He's been saying this for a long time now.
After a bumpy few days growing and trading last week we will return on Thursday with further measures to enable us to continue to supply food and trade in the midst of a pandemic.An important statement with customer guidance due from us prior to opening.
Extra buying across the UK caused immediate shortages for particular foodstuffs Eg potatoes and pasta.Many people fearing curtailed movement stocked up.Relatively small increases left the just in time nature of UK food retail trashed.We were able to cut more and restock to a point but mass customer arrivals Eg Thursday AM, or weekend visitors were not helpful. Temporary closure of Crwst and now Bara Menyn (for different reasons)are very sad to see.
More positively UK supermarkets immediately reduced line numbers,effectively ending the "hyperchoice" era. A dry,sunny window has opened for UK farming and conditions will shortly be ideal for land prep.and outside plantings.Many farmers will be reviewing their plans.We should be ploughing our first field area next week on the light Bryncws Farm soil.
Thanks for offers of help+support lately.While we can't provide deliveries or boxes to collect, efforts locally to get housebound people supplied continue Eg The Yellow Shop,St.Dogs.Some co-ordination online might help to connect those able to shop+deliver for others,aside from the informal arrangements many are making.We could publicise requests for help?
UK Gov.advice continues to be patchy and late,with Welsh Gov.seemingly following behind. Not a secret that continued mass gathering(everywhere yesterday!)and no efforts to stop infected flights in from everywhere until too late are awful decisions. BBC and newspaper coverage have looked misleading at times.Selective use of twitter can provide more accuracy and reports from elsewhere.BBC Worldservice coverage gives perspective.
Newyddion Coronavirus Update 18.3.20
We are continuing to grow and sell amidst the challenges of the virus spread.As with many other food businesses we are trying to keep people fed, and employed, while trying to assist in the general effort to slow the rate of transmission down. Demand so far has been high but we have been able to replenish effectively so far.Adjacent cropping helps of course.
We have removed certain loose or self-serve lines.We may have to restrict numbers of people in our shop area so please shop singularly and where possible pay by card. Maintain distance where ever possible.
Customers arriving by bicycle or by foot make best use of the space available.
We aim to move customers through as efficiently as possible.
We do not have the capacity to pack boxes or take orders.C+M Organics and Troed-y-Rhiw both offer this service.
Various mutual aid schemes are underway or forming in the area.Please consider helping if you can.More details as we have them,or post below in comments.
Buying Sacks of Potatoes while reassuring for some, are a dead cert to sprout at this time of year.
Our default advice of "rinse before use" is worth repeating.
While the UK Gov.uses public funds to protect some interests, it is important to wherever possible to purchase from local businesses Eg Mantle Brewery,Crwst,The Coach House and Bara Menyn to ensure their continued viability.
Seasonal crops+availability;
Salad- lots
Wild Rocket-lots
Leeks-ok
Watercress-finishing
Sorrel-ltd
Purple Sprouting-ok
Caulis-ltd
C.Nero-starting
Russian Kale-ok
Spring Cabbage-ok
Squash-sold out til Sept.
Cyrraedd y Gorffendaid?/Hedgegate Nears The Finish Line? 3.3.20
Our planning applications did reach a confusing climax last week when A190344(hedge position) was refused.It gets confusing when you read the Report linked below(in summary refused but Dept. will probably agree to it later on....).A190346(shop extension) was passed the following day.
It's all very late(applied in May 2019)and doesn't reflect well on the process, orPlease observe 2 metre spacing from staff and other customers.
Shop+car park are now controlled access.Note PMs generally quieter than AMs.
All veg remains wash before use.
Arrive prepared with some thought beforehand of what you need.Lists and efficient shopping enable best of our shop space for the greatest number of people.
Payment by debit card/contactless is helpful to us.
Vunerable or isolating customers may be able to receive assistance from either Provisions for Progress in St.Dogs (07896 634763 callie.pixelsforprogress@gmail.com or call at the Yellow Shop),or facebook page for Cardigan-Corona Virus Help. those seemingly able to control outcomes.It would do nothing to encourage any young farming families to attempt farmshop diversification.Credit due to Officers and Ceredigion staff trying to keep to the letter of planning law in the face of some internal and external pressure.
So we are about to plant a hedge on the boundary with our neighbours and not next to our tunnels.You could say a common sense outcome that could have been agreed several years ago.It still meets the precedent of screening on our eastern side,ironically offered by ourselves in 2012, when attempting to overcome hostility from Dolwen neighbours then.
https://ceredigion-online.tascomi.com/planning/index.html…
Newyddion Cynlluniau a Mwy/Planning Update and More 24.2.20
At last we reached mid-February where in the 'tunnels it is now Spring.Lengthening days and a rising sun provides fuel for an explosion of leafy growth after some almost dormant weeks.Suddenly ample Salad Leaves,Wild Rocket,Watercress and Spinach are there.We also time some Kales indoors
to achieve continuity between fading outside crop and new season outdoors in the real Spring. As ever it's all about offering a seasonal range that inspires us all, and keeps down the menu temptations for imported crops.Accompanying pics we hope show some success.
We now have several thousand plants sown and fairly full heated benches.We continue to work on where our crop rotation will be several years from now and the 2 year
fertility build-up, particularly for the brassica crops.It would be fair to say customer demand has made fitting it all in
challenging and we are looking at renting more land.Our biggest headache remains our very overdue planning/hedge situation,see below for latest.
During October our applications were taken over by the Director of"Services" at Ceredigion(who controls the planning dept),to "review the applications". Some unproductive emails later, we were still waiting for the release of the Officer's Report and recommendation,which then goes to the Ward
Councillor.This was suggested as during December but actually took place on mid-January.This Report was then withdrawn(for reasons unknown)and reissued on
February 12th.At time of writing Councillor Miles has a copy and can decide to accept it's recommendation,or due to strong public interest in this case,send to Planning Committee.
Our case remains that there is little to no justification to erect a 3-4m hedge adjacent to a productive polytunnel.We have also become concerned that our objecting neighbours seem to cast a long shadow.Looking back at their previous objections there seems a fundamental objection to Glebelands being here at all.
Llythyr Cyngor Dref Aberteifi/Cardigan Town Council Letter 4.2.20
This for presentation by Town Clerk at Town Council Meeting tonight.
Annwyl Cyngor Tref Aberteifi,
We have a number of concerns around our planning applications A190344+6.
Firstly we still do not a have a decision from Ceredigion CC despite the applications being submitted in May 2019.
Secondly the applications were removed from normal officer supervision in October to be overseen by the Director of Services,Ceredigion CC.No reason was quoted.
Thirdly while all parties are entitled to comment on a planning application it is not right that one household should exert undue influence over the outcome,whoever they might be.
It has twice been previously suggested that Glebelands intended to develop a dwelling onsite.Firstly in early 2012 when Cllr Miles suggested it to fellow planning sub-committee members,and secondly in 2016 when the same suggestion was repeated(Town Council Minutes-July 2016). As there was no reason to suppose this was the case why suggest and repeat it?
Glebelands has also been accused by the objecting neighbours of flooding their property Dolwen.While this has been understandably ridiculed, Cllr Miles attempted to get another hostile condition attached to our 2016 permission (A160478) to force construction of a superfluous ditch on our land.The planning officer pointed out this could not be done.
The currently contested hedge appeared as a condition in 2016 after discussions between Cllr Miles and the planning dept.It's 3-4m height and specification was drawn up by the Ceredigion ecologist who says she was not told it was to be placed next to a polytunnel but in fact as a standard field boundary hedge.Our applications address the precedent of screening agreed in 2012 but put in an appropriate location, on our boundary with Dolwen.
Ward Councillors are uniquely placed in planning applications, it is a power easily misused. Only Cllr Miles has been prior to events above.She should explain what has been going on.
Cofion,
Adam York/Lesley Bryson
Gardd Farchnad Glebelands
Planning Update Cynllunio 23.1.20
It is now 9 months since we submitted our applications A190344+6 to defend our tunnels from an adjacent 3-4m hedge, (and expand our sometimes crowded farmshop). The applications have now returned to Cllr Miles' (our Ward Councillor) in tray once again.
Since October control of our applications has been taken over by Director of Services at Ceredigion, whose view, in his words, is the view of the Planning Department. This can effectively mean writing the Report on the application and the Dept. recommendation. From several emails we were led to expect the applications would go the Development Control Committee (made up of County Councillors). Why a decision about a hedge should not be an Officer level process isn't clear.
There doesn't appear to be any National or Ceredigion policy supporting such an obstructive hedge while there is a lengthy list of policy supporting food production as per Glebelands. We have made a comprehensive case for meeting the screening precedent for neighbour amenity. It just appears that some people's amenity, or view, is more important then others .
We remain in the difficult position of potentially losing the full use of one of our most productive growing areas, in favour of a disputed view.We are reluctant to commit any more capital spends or any expansion onsite whilst in such a precarious situation.
(Mon-Weds horticultural ie growing activities only; deliveries + contractors by arrangement)