Open Farm Sunday at Mote Farm

June 11th was the day that a number of farms in the area opened their gates to the public - and Mote Farm at Ightham Mote was one of them.

The sun shone and the  public flocked in.  A cowshed which had been cleaned up for stalls selling produce provided a friendly meeting place for farmers and growers to get together and exchange news and views.

Phil Broad (blue shirt) and Debbie (back to camera) who farm here and organised the day

Cobnuts were represented with the Cobnut and Bramley apple Granola-muesli and the Hurstwood Farm Cobnut Oil selling well.

A friendly meeting place for four-footed friends as well

 The day attracted many families with small children learning where their food comes from,admiring the chickens and bantams and enjoying tractor rides to visit the cows with their calves.

 For small boys (and big ones too, probably) it was real 'tractor heaven'.

Just some of the tractors, balers and threshers on display

It was a great day and hopefully its success will inspire the farmers to do it again next year.

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Back at the plat, at the end of June the cobnuts are quietly growing.  The combination of warmth and interludes of rain seems to be suiting them just fine.  I hope it can continue and if it does we could have an early harvest.  

pink mallow is abundant at this time of year

Soon it will be 15th of July, St Swithin's day and traditional weather lore says the weather on that day sets the pattern for the next forty days.  I shall be watching the calendar carefully. 

doing what they do best....