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Wyld Life News from Monkton Wyld Court |
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1
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Winter
2008
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What's New At
Monkton
A brief look This Newsletter The Monkton Crew are proud to present our new newsletter with hints and tips for sustainable living, news from community life and general ramblings about living the Wyld Life! The faces Joining the new managers appointed early this year, are four new staff members and two long term volunteers. Newly Decorated Rooms Beautifully decorated using eco paints and rescuing old furniture wherever possible. New Courses Planned for 2009 A new programme of events planned for the new year with a wide range of courses and events. New Chickens 5 new chickens joined our old hens, and the 4 chicks which hatched earlier this year are all growing up fast! |
 Apple Pressing
We
were blessed with
a good harvest of apples this year,
meticulously sorted by Noel, and Sophie has
been busy making dried apple rings and puree to
freeze for later in the year. inevitably we had
many that wouldn't keep for long. The solution
to this problem was provided by the Peasants
Evolution Producers' Cooperative who have a
fantastic juicing and bottling set
upavailable for use
by members. We spent a great morning at
Fivepenny Farm washing and milling our apples,
building our 'cheese' and working the ancient
press to extract the juice. Some of us have
been lucky enough to attend some cider
pressings on local farms - a slightly less
hygienic affair but one that truly reflects the
old traditions of community cooperation that
the Peasants Evolution group is trying to keep
alive.
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How it works
"We provide a FREE service where you can shop with your favourite online stores and at no extra cost raise funds for any charity, good cause or group you choose to support. You still shop directly with each retailer as you would normally, but simply by using the links from our site first, each purchase you make will generate a cashback donation to the cause you wish to support. ... You can shop with 600+ Brand Name retailers and to raise funds you just use the links from our site first - it's that simple! If you ALREADY shop online, why not help good causes at no extra cost from purchases you would make anyway." |
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Gardener's
Grove
by Rachael Moss Autumn has arrived and winter is almost here, the days are drawing in and the first frosts have adorned the beds. The leaves of our Yacon plants (from South America with edible tubers that have been proven to be beneficial to people with diabetes) have been blackened with its icy coldness. The crowns of the dahlias have been covered by straw and plastic sheets to protect them from frost, the stems providing us with material for our composting systems. We have also done the same to our runner beans which we have decided to treat as perennials in the hope of gaining a crop next year. The few days of coldness followed by mild weather has confused certain plants and creatures. Butterflies have been spotted, along with their caterpillars feeding on our kale. A large swooping and swerving flock of house martins were seen overhead at the end of October. A patch of nettles has put forth fresh new growth, which perhaps are destined for a soup, or beer, rather than the compost heap. We have made a start on our Indore compost system which originated in India, designed by one of the founders of the Soil Association. It will reach quite a size and should reach a high temperature, hopefully supplying us with a good supply of compost in a few months. The first of the broad beans have been sown ahead of a later sowing for an extended growing season. The garlic and over-wintering onion sets have all been placed in their positions, and mitzuna and Oriental salads have been sown. The first of the parsnips have been harvested, along with the last of the beetroot and carrots, and the heritage tomatoes we have been feasting on are now over. We are now juicing the huge crop of apples that our trees have provided us with, which have also given us a good excuse for tasty apple desserts! Many of our apples we will store over winter. Our green-house grapes were also successful and delicious. Unfortunately, the lack of sun this summer meant that we produced few melons, but the ones we managed to grow were sweet and juicy. We have saved seed from many of our crops, most specifically, our sweet corn which produced well, the seed of which has been growing here for 5 years. Our poor brassicas, and lettuces in the polytunnel, have suffered from the relentless onslaught of slugs, munching their way through the tender growth and entwining themselves in slimy passions over the beds, their offspring creating new armies. A creature that's difficult to like, especially when on night-time slug patrol instead of in a warm cosy bed! The mild temperatures, along with the wet weather, has caused these pests to be a larger problem than usual this time of year, and our resident population of toads do not seem to show much of an interest in these tasty morsels! In the centre of our Victorian walled garden we have started terracing, digging trenches almost a metre deep to remove all the bindweed that has been a bit of a nuisance in the garden. We have began to make a series of raised beds down the relatively steep slope which should prevent water from draining downwards, retain warmth, and also moisture in the summer months, as well as being visually pleasing. This will keep us busy over winter and into the spring. With hard work and dry weather, we will hope to have a very productive, high yielding garden next year! |
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Prepare for a
GREEN CHRISTMAS! by Amy Archer Egg boxes make great bells for hanging up on the Christmas tree and provide fun for the family. Cut out each of the 'cups' the eggs sit in and turn them upside down. Paint and glitter to your hearts content and thread a piece of string through the top and tie in a loop, one beautiful bell. Save any glossy mags from the recycle box and turn them into multi coloured paper chains. Newspaper, mags or comics can be use as and alternative to wrapping paper, just add a bow or coloured string ... it's reusing and then can be recycled after the eager receiver rips open their pressie. Give eco gifts such as those from Oxfam, where you can help make a difference with your gift. Or complete the cycle by recycled goods or reuse packaging such as jars tins and bottles to contain home-made gifts of jam, biscuits, sweets and brews. Save Christmas cards from this year to cut up and make labels or cards for next. |
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News from the Land Use
Managers
By George Sobol and Patsy Garrard: 'WYLDSIDE' WALK PROJECT Early in November we were delighted to hear that our application to the GreenPrints fund had been successful. GreenPrints supports projects for 'community green space improvement' that are mainly designed and delivered by groups of volunteers in the 16 to 25 year old age group, especially involving those who are new to volunteering. So we now have £10,000 to spend on recruiting and training a team of young volunteers to help design and build a circular walk. The project will build on the existing Millennium walk and will also bring environmental improvements to our diverse and beautiful site by creating a wildlife pond and doing some much-needed bramble-bashing. Once the work is done, visitors will experience woodland, riverside, herb-rich meadow, wildlife pond and orchard ecosystems with observation points along the way. Our strawbale house will be used as an interpretation centre and teaching space. So, in brief, the project will enrich our site and strengthen our links with the local community. For more information about Greenprints and its supporting organisations, please see |
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The volunteer programme
by Caroline Walker
Since I arrived in February one
of the most interesting and challenging aspects
of my job has been the volunteer
programme. Over 100 people have come to
offer their services as short term volunteers
and we have benefited immensely from their
skills, knowledge and expertise in such varied
fields as human resources, psychology,
administration, gardening, tropical
agriculture, tree surgery, piano playing,
plastering, plumbing, electricals, cooking and
computer wizardry. We have had volunteers of
all ages from as far as Australia, Costa Rica,
Greece, Canada; and from as close as just down
the road. Some were having a break from work of
a week or so; some were on a 'gap year' from
their usual lives of a year or more; and some
were undertaking a personal challenge to do
something different and experience a different
way of life.
Everyone who comes to stay here learns something, even if it's only that community life doesn't suit them. It's a very useful exercise to match your fantasy about the ideal community where everyone gets on and lives and works in total harmony to the often messy, difficult but vibrant reality. We have had some very hard weeks of work followed by wonderful parties and nights round the fire; but also some tough weeks where no-one feels inspired, the work seems endless, the group aren't getting on and it's all a bit unrewarding. It's all part of the mix. Our new internship programme for European students began this year with our first intern. Our second intern arrives in January. Students combine volunteering with tutored study and a personal project relating to sustainability. We welcome enquiries about this programme. If you have practical skills and wish to offer us a week of your time check the volunteer page on our website. |
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Monkton's 21
By Sue and Ste
Monkton is now the proud
host of twenty one chickens, five of which are
new arrivals and stand out from the old
crowd. Initially it took two days for
them to be encouraged out of the nursery hut
but they eventually came out to meet their new
surroundings and fellows. They look a
motley crew as they are an assortment of mixed
breeds and some have more feathers than others!
Chickens are woodland birds so love to scratch about in leaves looking for insects and grubs. Autumn has been a good season for them and has brought them more leaves for foraging than they know what to do with. In addition to the bugs they are fed on organic mix of maize, wheat, soya and of course our waste scraps. |