Here are links to a couple of very useful articles that have just been posted on the Vigo Press site:

Pruning your apple trees

Getting the best harvest this year

Transition Southampton's TREEmendous project is offering people the chance to buy fruit trees at reduced prices. This year there are 3 varieties of apple tree on offer (£7.50 each), pear, plum and greengage trees (£9.50 each) and blackcurrant bushes for £5. We're happy to take orders from surrounding areas as well as Southampton. For more info and to download an order form, visit:…

I bet you'd have got pretty good odds a few weeks ago that there would be no rain for the three days of the New Forest Show!  Not only that but sizzling temperatures too!

The Food Challenge stand was kept busy throughout although we wilted a little in the heat on Wednesday and for some reason most people wanted to see the Queen rather than try out all the things we had on offer :(…

The programme of activities for the three New Forest Show days includes food demos, a talk about the wacky art of thermal cooking, making smoothies on a smoothie bike and making a raw carrot and ginger cake!

Follow the link below for full details....

The New Forest Show Menu 2012

If you missed the chance to claim some wildflower seeds you can do so at either of these sites....

http://www.foe.co.uk/what_we_do/bee_cause_seeds_35043.html

http://www.co-operative.coop/planbee/freeseeds

Let's help the bees!

Intrigued by the piece about the dangers of microwaves that I posted the other day I decided to conduct the plant test for myself.  The article I had seen claimed that feeding a plant with water boiled in a microwave would kill it after about 10 days.  Click here to view the report.

I took a couple of…

I came across a very interesting and alarming piece about the potential impact of using microwaves for food preparation.  It really made me think.

I'm no scientist and so cannot really comment on the detail related to health but the effect on the plant that was tested is clear enough.

Please read the attached document by following the link and let me have your thoughts!…

I just love coincidences!  Last Saturday Dave Richards gave a really interesting talk about permaculture at Minstead Study Centre.  He illustrated his points with a brilliant range of slides and one of them showed some strange looking tubers that looked a little like Jerusalem Artichokes.  When the audience was asked if anyone knew what they were someone called out Oca.....  No I hadn't heard of them either.....  When I got home afterwards I checked my emails and there was one entitled…

In this week's email to Food Challenge members I mentioned that I had spotted some daffodils coming up in our garden and asked if anyone else had similar out of season things happening.

One reply put my daffs in the shade reporting that two daffodils had already flowered and were now dying while another reported a current crop of strawberries!

Anything else of note to report?

At yesterday's New Forest Transition Hub meeting we talked about the availability of grants to support projects.  In these times of austerity you'd think it would be even harder than usual to find funding but actually that's not the case!

Locally the NPA's Sustainable Development Fund has a fairly large pot and is looking for suitable applications and there are several other possibilities.....

So......if you have an idea for something that you'd like to do in your community and…

Rob Hopkins has just published The Transition Companion.  It's an updated version of the Transition Handbook and builds on three years of experience across the worldwide Transition Network.

It's an inspiring read full of wonderful ideas and details of things that people have tried out.  One of the…

Just been down to Sunnyfields to stock up on provisions for the weekend - lots of activity getting ready for tomorrow's Pulse Festival - Rachel from Rosie Lea Catering was there setting up her cafe......should be a great event!…

Check out this great site and blog - all about finding, mapping and picking fruit on public land.....http://theurbaneforager.blogspot.com/

The main site is here...  http://urbaneforager.btck.co.uk/

Richard

Phew!  Well, that was a wonderful three days spent at the New Forest Show.....  The Food Challenge, representing New Forest Transition and the Eat & Grow Local element of the Brand New Forest campaign was very busy running the 'New Forest Slow Food & Juice Bar' (see beautiful sign below made by the fab…

Follow this link to an amazing audio slide show on the Guardian web site.  It's an inspiring case study of a fantastic, permaculture based small holding in the Black Mountains.  You'll be glad you did!

Richard

The 2011 Ashurst & Colbury Apple Day is being planned now.....  It is a celebration of all things apple and apple related so if you have a business (or hobby!) that fits the bill and would like to have a stand for a very modest £5 per stand please let me know.  Either email richard@veggiebarn.net or phone me on 023 8029 2531.

Pip pip!

The Food Challenge is running the 'Eat & Grow' Local area of the Brand New Forest marquee this year.  Our area will be kitted out as 'The New Forest Slow food & Juice Bar' and we'll be offering samples of food and drink, made using low energy techniques, to Show…