Last Wednesday, some of our Veg Buyers headed over to Merseyside for a catch-up and tour of Kindling Farm’s fields. With the favourable weather over the last few weeks, some crops are coming through quickly, making things busy down there for those picking the crops.
The development on site in such a short space of time is admirable, and looking into their brand new three span poly-tunnel is an exciting prospect. We have the first of their cherry tomatoes on our shelves this week, accompanying the tunnel grown spring onions.
They have also recently finished the installation of a one million litre water tank, which towers over the one it has replaced in true David and Goliath style. On a day like the one we visited, this seems like sensible planning for the future as heatwaves increase and the impact of climate change is felt by farmers.
We walked the fields, checking out the 4000 strawberry plants that have gone in this year. These are already sturdy and well established, we’re looking forward to sampling them next year. We have always struggled to find a secure supply of soft fruits with so much of the industry being non-organic or from dubious supply, so we are thrilled that we’ve been able to crop plan this in with them.
They have two fields of fine looking winter squashes, and with the lesser known Queensland blue and Black Futsu in the mix, these should complement our existing range nicely. Other growers have started on Squash exceptionally early this year and, as such, will finish earlier, so we’re pleased that Kindling should be able to bump up our winter stores.
We now also have some beautiful celery and beetroot bunches. Kindling’s irrigation system has kept the tops nice and green even in this weather. We’re very happy to have them on the shelves this week.
As always, even a couple hours of working in the field is a humbling experience that further increases our gratitude for the work that our growers do for us. It’s hard graft all year round, but especially when the temperature is tipping the scale.
