Life of Waste

Do you know what happens with the contents of your food waste bin - provided a fox hasn't knocked it over? Ealing Council takes the food waste to a processing plant, where it is used to make fertiliser. Elsa from Horsenden Farm told us that the compost piled up at the farm car park was produced that way. So, if you live in Ealing and recycle your food, maybe our intrepid team of farm-gymers was shovelling the product of your egg shells, banana skins and that leftover at the back of your fridge you discovered after two months, thriving with fungal civilisation. Hopefully not the latter! If you don't recycle your food, you can read about it here and order your free food waste bin. It really makes a difference to the environment.

Today's session was all about compost. Penny, Roberta, Sevan and Kash, not scared by the pouring rain, made it to Horsenden Farm to transport the fertiliser from the car park to our favourite potato patch up the hill. Elsa advised us not to overfill the wheelbarrows as the journey to the plot was challenging enough. The tactical approach was to load the barrow with the lighter dry compost from the middle of the heap. Can you imagine? The fertiliser inside the mound was extremely dehydrated despite all the heavy rain flooding streets and paths since yesterday!

Sevan was fascinated by the compost journey in the circle of life. He filmed a documentary, starting with the fertiliser shovelling scene. The action then moved up to the plot where - believe me or not - we saw potatoes being grown and harvested. They are not a myth! Our manure exploits at the farm in the winter finally paid off. Potatoes that had been already harvested were being sold at the farm shop at the Hayloft.

It was a pretty tough workout and everyone gave their best effort, so we decided to cut on breaks but finish the shovelling ahead of time. Now, the rewards awaited! It was too early to order the pizza, so we were hanging out with the farm animals. Chickens, pigs and goats could be found in their usual spots, while the calves were out for grazing and nowhere to be seen. We offered cuddles to the fluffy farm cat and the cute dog, Nalla just before noon, then queued for the coffee and pizza order. Both treats were delicious and warmed us up after the morning in the rain and the wind. It was a well-deserved break!

If you missed animals, pizza and the great company today, worry not! Horsenden events are running each month throughout the year, so join us for the next one in August! Oh, and there will be a proper volunteering workout too, of course!