By Ruth Kimber.

Only a few weeks to Christmas, our seasonal turkey work is under way. We have been pleased with our New Blackmore Vale advert result for helpers.

A lot of chat has been going round about the availability of fresh farmgate free range turkeys – let me reassure you, turkeys are still available around the country. Indeed, we still have availability, our bronze and white in assorted sizes, crowns and turkey roasting rolls.
Our farm shop, Kitchen and Trading Barn, has been busy with people enjoying the cosy kitchen with its wood-burner and lovely food. The shop has an assortment of goods including unusual gifts to accompany our local foods. The Trading Barn has lots of unique gift ideas.

The farm cycle continues to roll. We have all the dairy cows in day and night as the land has become too wet – the damage their feet could do to the soil and themselves is the trigger they now need to be housed. We still have a few store cattle out. We have never been able to continue to grass the milking herd this late in the season – the grass kept growing, making up for the dry arid summer months.

I am sitting at my desk with a view over our fields and to the woods topped by King Alfred’s Tower. The trees are a beautiful burnt orange with still some green, the fields still a healthy green – some of the hedges have been trimmed, others left to accommodate our wild birds.
There are lots of berries and nuts in the hedge rows – we have a routine to trim only once in three years. This keeps the hedges thick and cattle-proof, giving shade and shelter and the wildlife food.

We have noticed vast numbers of gulls in the fields – they have always been part of country life, but only as visitors. Typically when the plough goes in, a flock of gulls appear, as if from nowhere! We used to see them when it was rough at sea. They have prospered and multiplied using our refuse tips and bins as an additional food source – they will eat anything, including other birds and their eggs, and use city buildings as nesting sites. Maybe that’s why we see so many more now. We do feel nervous with so many on the pastures feeding among our animals.
We had two more school visits since I last wrote – primary school age. The youngsters were really interested in the farm and then had a ride on the trailer to the farm shop, where they were shown sausage making by Jack and how a lamb and pig were jointed by Jason. As luck would have it, we had the Somerset Wildlife stand at the shop and Will, the wildlife rep, added to the school visit with an interesting chat about wildlife and the farming partnership.

Counting down the days to Christmas, and now finishing my copy with thick fog outside my window!

Kimbers Farm Shop, The Kitchen at Kimbers, Somerset Trading Barn; Linley Farm Charlton Musgrove BA9 8HD Phone: 01963 33177; www.kimbersfarmshop.co.uk, info@kimbersfarmshop.co.uk;

Opening times Tuesday – Friday 8.30am-5pm Saturday 9.30-4pm; until Christmas, The Farm shop and Trading Barn – not the Kitchen – will open Sundays 10am -4pm.