Dear Customer,

There has certainly not been much sign of summer yet, especially here in the North so crops have spent much of June and July in a slow or arrested state awaiting light and warmth. However this week starts to see an end to this extended 'hungry gap'. We have our first runner beans from Mike Smales who farms in Lyburn, adjacent to the New Forest in badger and escaped mink territory. The first North Yorkshire broad beans are from Jonathan Farrer in Sproxton up on the North Yorkshire Moors - he's in a time-warp some 6 weeks behind the rest of the country. Our courgettes too are from North Yorkshire, a new supplier called Peter Richardson. I visited him last week and was taken aback when through the hazy memory of my horse-mad childhood, I realised that he was the famous, dashing International Showjumper Peter Richardson. I reverted to an awkward 14 year old girl and found it very difficult to have a normal conversation with him after that. I must grow up.

I hope you have been enjoying the fruit bags - this is really the best time of year for all the soft fruits. The Bergeron apricots (my favourite) and the peaches are from the Drome region of France picked from orchards on the slopes that fall from the Alps. The Galia Melons are from Andalucia.

Someone told me to be more adventurous with my salads and add raw very small nutty pieces of cauliflower, broccoli, or runner beans. I personally like all types of fruit in my salads - apricot, peaches, melon - in fact they would certainly complement the former coarser vegetables tossed in a Dijon mustard dressing.

I enclose a note from Jane Edwards: (I had received an email from Josh Corcoran who enjoys hearing about the farms and was especially fascinated by the Harry the tractor driver. I had forwarded this onto Jane and so I think I need to warn you that she now perceives you all as children - or else she's had the pesticides out )

"Hello - what a lovely day it has been today - so very different from yesterday with all the rain, thunder and lightning. We were very lucky the rain did not last long - in another village the fields were flooded. That would have been a disaster for the cauliflower and cabbage plants we had just put in the ground. Small plants do not like to sit in water. (we lost a field of cabbage last year due to a wet spell in spring). We are still cutting a few boxes of cauliflower from the last field and hope that the next crop of cauli will be ready to cut next week.

The lads have brought the combine harvester out of the shed and are busy with its preharvest service so that all is ready to go when we have had a few dry days to dry the barley. The winter wheat, which we always try to drill (sow) in the autumn, will not be ready for 3-4 weeks. Tomorrow is muck spreading - we have cleaned out all the crew yards where the cattle (with the help of our trusted Massey Ferguson Telehandler ) have been kept during the winter. The manure is so valuable to us as it provides many of the nutrients the plant needs. One old cow has a swelling on her backside so must bring her in from the field ready for the vet to see - not an easy job - she will not want to leave her friends in the fields so we will probably have to bring all of them in together ! Never mind - Harry will no doubt be there to help, but he will have to leave his dog at home - cows and dogs don't mix! Now it's time for a late tea - guess what we're having - cauliflower! "

All best wishes,

Isobel Davies