As Summer fades into a bright and expectant Autumn, we are busier than ever on the farm. This week we are thrilled to have harvested the very first crop of heritage apples from our East Anglian Orchard. First to bear fruit have been the tiny 'Epicure' that are as small and delicate as they are delicious. As well as Epicure we have picked 'Ellisons Orange', another heritage variety of medium size in deep khaki green and burgundy that are bursting with flavour, both of these new season apples are selling fast and we are waiting with great anticipation to see what variety fruits next from this fascinating orchard.
Our Market Garden has produced an abundance of salad and vegetable crops throughout the Summer and we are still picking great quantities of juicy beef and plum tomatoes, cucumbers, runner beans as well as various squash and marrow. The response from our Farm Shop customers to our new salad and vegetable varieties has been so positive this season that plans are already underway for new planting ready for next year. You can find all our Kitchen Garden produce in our Farm Shop, subject to seasonal availablility, and if you visit our Farm Shop early in the morning you are likely to see produce being delivered by Norman and David on our tractors having just been cut.
If plums your passion, our Marjorie Seedling plums are a sensation. More 'plummy' than the all round favourite Victoria, the 'Marj' will make amazing jams and are just as good for eating. Dark bluey red in appearance, they are are late season variety and absolutely not to be missed.
New to the Drove family this month have been a family of swallows who have made an incredible nest right outside our Farm Shop entrance. The three fat chicks seem more than happy to pose for photographs to the delight of our staff and customers. Karen at the shop has fashioned a fantastic chick ' fall bag' underneath the nest of an onion sack filled with straw to avoid any catastrophe. Amazingly both parents are completely unpeterbed by the constant attention and happily fly in around customers heads to fetch food and supplies.
