Notes from the Farm - July 2024

FROM RICHARD SMITH

Farm Managing Director

TURKEY SEASON

Strangely enough there has been a festive feeling in the air this month with the arrival of our young turkey poults. We rear traditional bronze turkeys, because this breed’s innate curiosity and desire to roam outdoors and enjoy a natural forage-based diet is well suited to our high-welfare, truly free-range organic farming system. 

We welcome the poults to Daylesford at just four weeks old. They spend their first month in one of our largest barns until they are old enough to range freely outside on the agroforestry paddock our farm team call “Shangri La” because the worms, insects, snails and fallen fruit within it is like turkey paradise. 

Letting the turkeys grow slowly over 180 days and range freely helps ensure excellent eating quality. We finish them on home-grown oats to further develop flavour and succulent texture. There is no better choice for a special feast such as Thanksgiving or Christmas, and we are proud that many of our customers return to Daylesford year after year to choose their festive centrepieces.

AWARD-WINNING CHEESE

Hip hip hooray for our amazing Creamery team on their successes at the International Cheese Awards. Our Single Gloucester, Cheddar and Milk Kefir were all awarded Gold, while our Double Gloucester achieved Bronze. 

IN THE MARKET GARDEN

While Christmas may be on the horizon, the bounty of summer surrounds us in the present moment and the Market Garden team is busy harvesting ripe tomatoes from the polytunnels. This time of year is peak tomato season, with up to a tonne ready to be picked by hand each week.

The joy of tomatoes is the sheer variety of sizes, shapes, colours and tastes, from weighty, juicy beefsteak tomatoes to tiny, sweet cherry tomatoes. This year, our Head Grower Jez and his team are growing more than ever. The polytunnels are filled with nearly 5,000 tomato plants of around 40 types, including buffalo sun and bellandine tomatoes, new varieties for Daylesford. Organic hybrids make up two thirds of the total crop, as these tend to be more disease resilient and have higher yields than heritage varieties.

As well as harvesting tomatoes, the Market Garden team has been planting crops like tenderstem broccoli, cavolo nero, kale and squash, beetroots and a range of alliums.

Amazingly, despite his packed schedule, Jez has managed to find time to host tours of what he likes to call Daylesford’s “jewel in the crown”, our organic Market Garden, which is usually closed to the public. Sign up and meet him at the front of our farmshop, for a walk around the 28-acre plot of the Cotswolds farm where he and his team nurture hundreds of different crops to supply our farmshops, cafés and pubs. Expect lots of information, insights, anecdotes, light-hearted jokes and tastings of fresh cuttings.

Whether you are interested in gardening or would simply enjoy time spent in the great outdoors in good company, it is sure to be a pleasant and memorable couple of hours.

Places are limited and booking is recommended.

MOTHS

At the beginning of July, we welcomed retired entomologist, Paul Embden to our Market Garden to investigate and educate the team on the species found on our farm. Moths are an important indicator of biodiversity and crucial for a healthy environment.

They have experienced worrying declines in the last 40 years with many species now extinct in the UK. The reason for the decline is more complex than just one cause, but an increase in intensive agriculture, commercial forestry, industry and urban development are most likely causes. Other problems include the ways in which gardens and green spaces are managed, using pesticides and herbicides and the impacts of light pollution.

Moths are particularly useful as indicator species, monitoring the numbers and ranges can give us vital clues to the health of an environment. They also benefit plants by pollinating them and predators rely on moths for food. Overnight, Paul set traps to harmlessly catch the moths which the team then studied the next day whilst letting them free. In the mix was the Privet Hawkmoth, Poplar Hawkmoth, Elephant Hawkmoth, Buff-tip, Magpie moth and several other species.