Sunday 8 September 2013

Welcome to Larderlands! 

A site about growing food communities; Larderlands is called after the 19th century market gardening area to the east of Farnham, an old borough town in the west of Surrey. Known as the Larderlands of the British Army, the area between Badshot Lea, Tongham and Runfold was the post-glacial river capture site of the Blackwater River by the River Wey. The resulting churning of the landscape created the easily worked, free draining soils that supported the thriving market gardening of late 19th centuries and early 20th centuries. Produce flowed northeast to the nearby army garrisons of Aldershot and manures from the cavalry stables made the return trip. A virtuous circle was created and a naturally hungry light soil was enriched and able to feed great numbers of people. 

Today this landscape has been disembowelled by sand and gravel mining, nothing remains of the once luxuriant countryside of market gardens and hop growing, for which the area was also renown. Serendipitously the Farnham Local Food initiative has been operating a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) project on an acre of the old Larderlands for the past four years. The enterprise supplies fresh vegetables to 70 cropsharers and has become a lively food community, in the process tenaciously reconnecting us to our heritage.

Find out more on www.farnhamfood.com or Google the fb page at farnham local food.



Southern Region CSA Hub Gathering

  
Just now it's all go for the Southern Region CSA Hub Gathering at Tablehurst Farm on Saturday, 19th October, from 11.30am to 4.30pm 

This is a very exciting time as the UK CSA movement takes wing with the creation of a national network to support and promote projects and new initiatives.  

The Southern hub gathering is a FREE EVENT similar to meetings held in other UK regions and is open to all CSAs in the South of England; London's community growing projects are also welcome to join us.

There is a flyer about the CSA hub gathering which can be downloaded from https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4I_6cylrF4NT0luamItY18zam8/edit?usp=sharing  (Copy & paste in web browser)

Or, as you may have reached this blog via the flyer, there is also the programme for the day available as a download at https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4I_6cylrF4NNFg2b2VHM1cyZG8/edit?usp=sharing

Please use the Eventbrite online booking form. You can access the webpage at https://southerncsahub.eventbrite.co.uk/  Directions to Tablehurst Farm are on the webpage. Food can be purchased at the farm cafe (£3.50) and a barbeque meal (£7.50), with vegeterian options, is available too. 

Please contact the Organiser on the Eventbrite webpage with your food orders, thanks. 

There is more information on the CSA UK facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CSACommunityUK including a report on the recent Eastern Region CSA gathering at Oak Tree Low Carbon Farm.

Hope to see many of you at Tablehurst Farm on the 19th October!