This month, as part of Organic September, some of the team have been thinking about what organic means to us. The wonderful and dedicated Gillian, who has been part of Enfield Veg Co for over 8 years, has offered some thoughts on the matter, which are well worth a read...

Is it quality or quantity you want?

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be a farmer. My grandfather was a farmer, my uncle farmed as did most of my cousins so you could say it was in the blood. My parents generation had grown up during WW2 and so had lived through rationing and really understood the value and importance of food security. As farmers we were taught and encouraged to increase yield no matter what the cost. The welfare of land and livestock was of secondary importance to yield. The quality didn’t matter so much as the quantity. 

After leaving agricultural college I got a job at The Grassland Research Institute. Here the main thrust of the research was on the different ways we could manipulate the grass grown to make it more palatable and more digestible to the animals eating it so that they in turn would be more productive. Seldom did we look to nature to help us in our endeavours, it was nearly always the scientists in whom we trusted.

As you can probably imagine, coming to work at Forty Hall Farm was a massive gear shift for me. I have come to understand how to work alongside nature rather than trying to fight her the whole time. I am learning to recognise that field margins aren’t full of weeds as I had been taught at college, but are full of plants that are the habitat for many beneficial insects. Also, that we can’t expect to keep taking from the soil without giving back.  

So what have I learnt from working on an organic farm? Firstly, it is much kinder to the environment as we work with nature rather than fighting against her. Secondly, you can’t fight the weather. Growing conditions may be great for one crop but less than perfect for another. Therefore, spread your growing options and just because you get a great crop one year doesn’t mean you’ve cracked the growing technique because next year you might get a late frost or a wet spring which that particular crop won't appreciate but another crop will be loving! Finally, food production is hard work, but every time I hear a compliment or read a comment from a customer it makes it all worth while. 

By Gillian Hughes.