Beer 4 Nettles

This is the kind of offer that you will not see very often! Get rid of your accused Stinging Nettle patch and we will exchange them all for lovingly crafted ale (or cider).

Young Nettle Shoots, Last Year's Old, Dead Stalks Still Visible 

However, this is not as simple as it may seem; we require a lot of nettles (5 Kg). Also, we want them within two weeks, and they have only just started to grow. We need your help - so - get involved...

Pick Me!

We need these nettles to create a new seasonal wild beer in conjunction with the Unity Brewing Co. If you know where there is a BIG patch of nettles let me know the location. If you can pick them yourself, store them in a plastic bag and deliver them, either to me or to the Unity Brewing Co, that would be even better.

1Kg of Bagged Nettles - Young Shoots Visible on the Ground

Finally, we need to get this done by the end of the first week of March at the latest. In order to meet brewing deadlines. Please get back to me/comment if you can help.

You Might Spot Some Ransoms

We will personally supply a bottle of Unity Beer or Urbane Forager's cider (soft drinks for children), to anyone who can deliver 500g of nettles, in time. If you can deliver less than this amount, please still bring them. You will have, not only our thanks and gratitude, but also you will be able to tell your friends that you contributed to the making of this fine beer.

Notice where these are!

Now, get outside with your gardening gloves (plastic carrier bags are an alternative) and long sleeves and help us to create a huge quantity of high quality Spring, Stinging Nettle based brew. This unique offer will end, once we reach our 5Kg target.

Update...

Printemps release party Fri April 13th!

Apple Day @ the Orchard

Cider Press in the Foreground - Conker Contest in the Background

We are delighted to report that Apple Day at the Mansbridge Community Orchard was a massive success. Thanks to everyone who turned up, joined in and helped make it a truly fantastic day.

Slicing & Dicing

The sun was shining, the trees were loaded with apples, lots of new people (57!) of all ages turned up and joined in. Everyone had heaps of fun and drank/left with gallons of scrumptious Apple juice.

the Apple Conveyor Belt

The basic process goes like this...

Another Load Arrives

Volunteers pick apples and bring them back to the base, then other volunteers cut and mince the apples, using the "scratters" (fruit mills). The pommace (crushed fruit) is then poured into the presses and squeezed, squashed, crushed and compressed until the delicious juice pours out into buckets. This juice is then fed back to the volunteers to keep their energy up and the surplus stashed in various bottles, and containers to take home.

Good Work Girls

This is not going to be a long wordy post, there is no need, I will let the images and films do the talking.

Juiced Rewards

Operating the Big Press

Returning with Another Healthy Hoard

the Evil Quince Pimp Wuhahaha!

Marching Back from the Trees

Team Work

Fun For the Young Too

Sensible Transportation

This Young Man Likes Apples!

Not Pyramids, Sunset Over Southampton Roofs as I Washed the Kit

Now, it must surely be nearly time for Sweet Chestnuts...

Mansbridge Community Orchard Funding News

We Need More of These

We are very happy to announce that the Mansbridge Community Orchard has received a generous amount of financial backing from the Southampton Airport Community Fund.

We Always Need More Funding and Volunteers

We will use the money to purchase tools, training and equipment for use in the orchard and other orchard related projects. Primarily we will buy fruit picking and processing equipment (like a shiny new apple mill and cider press) but we will also invest in tree pruning training and tools.

We Need More of These

Fruit tree renovation can be a lengthy process; this is because it can only be done by degrees and during certain periods of the year. Given the number of trees in the Mansbridge Community Orchard (around 50), we believe that five years is a fairly optimistic target, for returning the majority of the trees to good health.

We Need More of These

 Last year was spent clarifying our position, mapping the area as well as keeping most of the brambles and ivy out of the easily accessible trees. All the efforts culminated in a wonderful Apple Day event, organised by the Southampton Woodcraft Folk, who have taken on an active role within the orchard.

We Need More of These

The Southampton Airport Community Fund has also promised us volunteers. We will organise another introductory Orchard Blossom Walk, when the trees come into flower (around April-May). Around this time, we will also set up a meeting for anyone else keen to get involved.

Rustic Fruit Cage Completion

Ta Da!

The weather finally relented enough for us to get down to the allotment space that we are sharing with our friends. The main aim I had in mind was to complete the netting surrounding my rustic fruit cage, which I had constructed from coppiced hazel and also to see if the slugs had eaten all of my squash plants yet.

Muck Spreading

When we arrived, the first thing we noticed was how high the grass had grown; it was easy to lose the children, which was nice! Actually, in truth they were quite helpful weeding, sowing carrot seeds, planting strawberry runners and chopping down the grass.

Getting Planted

Stretching the netting over the cage was no mean feat and definitely a two person job. This was largely due to the wind, raspberries and the fact that it kept snagging on the rough hazel. Eventually we had it covered, as they say, with only a tiny scrap left over.

Taking Shape

Now, finally the project is completed, our raspberries, tayberries, blueberries and strawberries can now be left to ripen without being gobbled up by our feathered friends. We are looking forward to harvesting the soft fruits now that the hard work has been done.

Door Frame

The door works and even some of the hazel staves used to prop up the fruit buses are starting to grow. I even briefly entertained the thought that it might be possible to grow a fruit cage out of hazel; although, I suspect that this might be a bit too much of a quixotic idea, even for me...

Door Added

If you would enjoy the challenge of building a similar construction or simply read about our allotment activities, follow the sequence of links below…

Netting... Done!

1.       http://theurbaneforager.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/attack-on-manure-mountain.html

2.       http://theurbaneforager.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/another-lot-of-allotment.html

3.       http://theurbaneforager.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/rustic-fruit-cage-contruction.html

4.       http://theurbaneforager.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/rustic-fruit-cage-continued.html
5.     http://theurbaneforager.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/allotmenteering.html

There were times when I thought it would never be finished.

Attack On Manure Mountain

The Allotment

Last year, friends of ours obtained an allotment, with the price of food rising, this made good sense. Like us, they are keen amateurs and their allotment is an oasis of calm in the middle of the city.  It is a pretty big space though, especially for a busy family with kids; so they asked us and other friends, if we would like to join in and make it a communal effort. 

Lovely Weather For It

The first job was defining where the beds were going to be and removing as much of the weeds and rocks as possible from the ground. While doing this preparatory work, late last summer, we caught a slow worm and brought him home so that he could be released to feast on the ants and slugs in our garden. When I was a boy, I had a pet grass snake but he kept escaping and scaring my mum.

The next stage was to thoroughly dig all the beds over and weed them. This is really hard work, especially if you don’t have much spare time and are not used to it. So it does pay to have a few extra contributors who will help when they can. Once the beds had been roughly turned over, we left them to allow Jack Frost to break the ground up a bit further.

Attack On Manure Mountain

Then, in a fit of enthusiasm, Pete recklessly ordered a trailer full of manure from a local farm in Rownhams. The tractor duly arrived and delivered the pile of poo/straw; the job now, was to spread it over the various beds to nourish the ground before planting.

Another Barrow Load

The mountain of muck looked a daunting task when we first arrived, but the sun was out and we soon put a significant dent in it. Using our forks, spades and a wheelbarrow, we distributed it about the site while the kids worked to help spread it out.

Looking Better

Then, reinforcements arrived. Fortunately they came bearing banana cake, our fig-roll and doughnut supply was running dangerously low at this point.

A Pretty Good Effort So Far

After all the hard graft, the fun part is thinking about what to plant, I’m definitely having some raspberries and blueberries in my plot, I love being able to eat the tastiest fruit straight off the plant.

The Full Team, Hard At Work

I think a nice little tree makes sense too; something that gives us luscious fruit early in the season seems a sound idea. We’ll also be planting some exciting root vegetables; so we’ll have something to bring home for the Head Chef.

Of Course, It's Not All Hard Work...