Germs, gems, and chicken salad

This Friday as part of the Aldeburgh Food Festival Fringe I went to Maple Farm Organic Farm in Kelsale to take part in their farm walk. I have written previously about the industrial scale of farming immediately around our house, the farm at Kelsale is quite a different story. We went around the poly tunnels where salads are grown for sale in local shops and farmers markets, met Kylie and co the very tame and contented pigs, the outdoor, free range, organic chickens, the Limosin cattle and the flour mill, which is pictured above. Having been raised on a farm and living in Bow and Arrow country I am always intrigued by the different ways that people choose to farm. Maple Farm are clear, they are an arable farm that need to add value by, for example, turning their grain into eggs or flour to sell to bakers to make the sums work. The result is a delight, small fields, friendly animals and increased wildlife. The Kendal family and farm manager Simon were interesting and informative and even sent us home with a goody bag of eggs. Part of the party trundled off to the Bell at Saxmundham for an excellent meal afterwards.

One of the concerns for the owners in running a tour was the recent publicity about E Coli infections following visits to farms by children. They had hand sprays available for the children who seemed quite content to play with the chickens and then go off and eat their sandwiches. It amused me because I am a firm believer in the 'peck of dirt' approach to children and dirt; it reminded me that my own children thought chicken salad was a mix of worms and grass that they collected to feed to our hens when they were younger. Also this weeks Illustration Friday topic is germs, so another brushes on iphone concoction.

The gem, was the latest must have kitchen essential; a table top milling machine, so tempted to get one, I could extend my gleaning to wheat field edges…….