Reclaim the fields

A call out to all community food growers, farmers, permaculturalists, land occupiers, seeds savers and swappers, those who want to RECLAIM FIELDS!

Its time to meet and share stories about all the exciting growing projects all over the UK, from those fresh and ready to sprout to projects already rooted in rural and urban communities.

Resistance is Fertile!

Reclaim the Fields is a constellation of people and collective projects willing to go back to the land and reassume the control over food production.

Determined to create alternatives to capitalism through cooperative, collective, autonomous, real needs oriented small scale production and initiatives, putting theory into practice and linking local practical action with global political struggles.

On Saturday 12th March 2011 Reclaim the Fields UK will launch itself into the unknown, beginning what they hope to be a fruitful collaboration of UK projects and people in solidarity over food sovereignty and common access to land. From fields far and wide, cities near and far, where muddy hands and feet are set on the ground, they are calling all those who are working the land for the common good.

Grow Heathrow is the host where everyone will spend the weekend getting to know each other and the various projects from across the country, take part in workshops and discussions (including access to land and land struggles) and share ideas to nurture a vision of what we can create here in the UK and Europe.

FRIDAY EVENING: from 5pm people arrive set up tents, dinner and fire

SAT FULLDAY: morning- presentations from various project. afternoon – discussions / workshops. evening – dinner, film, music, fire, talk

SUN MORNING: morning- optional practical session / more discussion / stay and help prepare the site for the european reclaim the fields assembly.

What to bring:

a tent (email if you need indoor sleeping space, this is available but limited)

Donations for food

seeds for a mass seed swap

Flyers, stories and info about growing projects in the UK.

It is essential that you book your place before the 6th March 2011 so that hey can get an idea of numbers to cater for.

There is no fee but donations will be asked for to cover food.

reclaimthefieldsuk@riseup.net

The reclaim the fields European assembly will begin on the Monday 14th at Grow Heathrow. Those who feel keen to be involved in organising for the RTF camp which will take place this summer are welcome to stay for the week, which will be working-group orientated, focusing largely on logistics for the RTF camp – a chance to get more involved in the reclaim the fields European network.

The following weekend all are welcome to join the P.E.D.A.L. weekend of workshops on storytelling, creative disobedience, legal, consensus decision making and the Occupation of Palestine. The event will be held on the 19th and 20th of March. P.E.D.A.L. starts their 100 day cycle to the West Bank on the 21st of March from Grow Heathrow.

For more information on Reclaim the Fields and the network visit www.reclaimthefields.org, for more information on Grow Heathrow check out the rest of our website and information on P.E.D.A.L can be found at http://sowestand.com/p-e-d-a-l-100-days-to-palestine/

We look forward to meeting you on the land

Grow Heathrow growing group back in action

To all gardeners, permaculturists, transition towners, people who have never planted a seed before, wise, new, skilled and fresh, all welcome!

The spring is edging nearer and at Grow Heathrow after our exciting news of another growing season on our beautiful land in Sipson, it’s time to get together and plot, plan and plant what we want to build, grow, seed, and eat!

This meeting will be a space for us all to look at our success from our last growing season, make improvements to some problems we faced growing flowers, fruit and veg in and outside of our greenhouses, and to start to think about seeds and crops to be grown this year – using a permaculture design throughout hopefully involving many residents, friends and supporters who get involved in the process of planning and planting.

Come to Grow Heathrow 7:00pm 8th February 2011

A weekly gardening club will also be starting at Grow Heathrow from Sunday 6th March, 2pm.

Lets get skilled up! We all have green fingers ready to sprout…

… and of course resistance is fertile!

Beyond Tesco! The Hedgerow!

Grey skies and a pretty constant dribble of rain started our Heathrow Villages day of scrumping, but this was not to deter us! A hot vegetable soup was made from pumpkins and potatoes from the Grow Heathrow veg beds ready for our soggy return from the fruit trees and we set off with wellies, nets, bikes and trailers to our first location; Harmondsworth Great Barn Orchard.

Eight beautiful old variety apple trees make a small orchard in Harmondsworth behind the old barn and St Mary’s church, where the creator of the Cox’s Orange Pippin apple is buried. Having been told these laden trees tend not to be picked anymore there was massive excitement and energy from the scrumping crew to arrive and sample both the cooking and eating varieties. Climbing, shaking and picking apples from the trees and ground we had more than we could carry with the trees still looking as full as they had when we arrived!

Long time Heathrow resident Ken had great knowledge of fruit and nut trees in the area and showed us to a walnut tree in the next field. To someone whithout this local knowledge, it could seem there were no walnuts around but pushing aside the carpet of nettles surrounding the tree: treasure appeared! The field was also covered in yarrow, a medicinal white flowering herb great as a tea for the cold season; a bouquet now hangs in the Grow Heathrow community kitchen drying out ready for use. With 2 bags of walnuts and the yarrow we headed back to site to have some hot lunch and drop off the goods.

Revived and ready for more we scrumped three apple trees next to the site in Sipson and then headed down Sipson Lane to harvest a pear tree heavy with fruit on the side of the road. On our walk down to Harlington hawthorn berries, rosehips and damson plums were also collected from the hedgerows. A final pop to the Airplot to collect some apples from a cooking variety and we were ready to go through and sort the fruit of our labour.

A sorting station in the second greenhouse had been set up so we could separate the blemished fruit from the storable before the attack of the fruit flies. Sorting, drying and stacking the good fruit and then peeling the bruised and cut fruit to stew were the afternoon’s activities.

By sharing the local knowledge of what we already have around us we hope our community will come together in pride to defend it from all future threats.

This day focused on the abundance of fruit trees in the Heathrow villages, we hope to get more residents out and collecting in the coming weeks while the branches are still heavy.

Gather a group of friends and neighbours in your communities and go out in your area (or come to grow Heathrow and scrump here), see what you can find.

Let’s look past the supermarket shelves to the hedgerows!

Next installment is preserving and storing all this wonderful fruit for the winter months; Saturday 23^rd October starting 11am come share recipes with us (and a apple press is in the making; Sipson cider!)

More info on urban fruit scrumping:

http://growsheffield.com/pages/groShefAbund.html

www.hackneyharvest.com

Heathrow villages autumn scrumping & conker championship!

Look to the fruit trees of Sipson, Harlington and Harmondsworth! Laden with apples, pears, plums, rosehips, hawthorns and who knows what other goodies lay in the branches.

It’s that time of the year and we are ready for a good old scrumping and preserving session!

Come and join the autumn celebrations and collect these fruits that all too often fall to the floor and rot when they can be enjoyed by everyone in the community.

Sunday 3^rd October 11am- 4pm

Scrumping and collecting

Bring tree locations, boxes, nets, energy!

Saturday 23^rd October 11am-5pm

Preserving and Storing

Bring recipes, jars, ingredients, ideas!

Let’s share our chutney, cider, wine and jam recipes and learn how to store fruit for the winter together.

Sipson Conker Championship 2010

Bring your conkers at midday to find out who will take home the Sipson Golden Conker. 

Both days starting at the Grow Heathrow site in Sipson, Vineries close, UB7 0JG.

Lunch provided, donations welcome.

Transition Heathrow at Hayes Carnival – Sophie’s blog

I was asked to help out Transition Heathrow for the Hayes Carnival in Barra Hall Park on Saturday 10^th July and immediately I said yes. I love the project both for its local implications and its wider political vision. Transition is all about recognising climate change is happening and that oil will and is becoming more and more scarce. It’s all positioned in a framework of what positive impact it can have on a local and global level. Plus I love a local day out and Hayes Carnival promised to be a great way of getting out there and meeting more of the community in the local area.

So on a beautiful (and incredibly hot) sunny day, amongst the genteel setting of Barra Hall park, Transition Heathrow set about transforming its little corner of the park into a beautiful representation of how life could be post-transition, with yards and yards of bunting, ex-airline pilots turned gardeners, tea and cakes and smiles in abundance.

If the transition movement is that its all about the positives, then Hayes Carnival provided an excellent opportunity to show how we deal with issues of power created by burning oil and coal. We just don’t need it. We have renewable that can provide so much of our electrical needs.

To make this point real, Transition Heathrow invited our friends from Coltek to come with their solar powered generator to provide power for the area, and as the blistering sun beat down, we danced to the music on the Transition stage, with live acts curated by another of our friends, the guys from the award winning folk club the Magpies Nest. It was a beautiful line-up, with music from the likes of Paris Thompson, Anna Log, Troubadour Rose, James Mcdonald, Aaron Jonah Lewis, JAW and Perhaps Contraption. The solar power also extended to the Renewable cinema, a lovely blacked out tent, strewn with cushions, showing a selection of films curated by more of our friends: Just Do It Films.

The café was run with aplomb and again set out a vision for a post-oil future. We had a pedal powered smoothie maker, creating delicious smoothies that involved some personal work. A smoothie never tasted better than one you had to pedal a standing bicycle to make….. There were home made cakes using vegetables we had grown in Sipson. We also had the legendarily efficient Rocket stoves. A beautifully constructed cooking stove using recycled oil drums and burning wood. These boiled our water so we could provide tea and coffee to the thirsty carnival revellers.

Grow Heathrow, the sister project of Transition Heathrow was there, giving away plants and seeds and general growing advice to encourage people to get growing locally. Screen printing workshops were also provided and more friends, this time from the radical social centre 56A, provided bike maintenance free of charge. And finally there was a free shop giving away clothes free of charge.

The Transition movement is all about creating community reliance with bottom up solutions but it is also about having fun with your neighbours, family and friends. For me, Hayes Carnival showed how a community can come together and be a showcase for a better future.

For photos of the day check our flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/47991844@N06/sets/72157624348584707/

Revolution disguised as gardening

Two permaculture teachers, enthusiastic about Grow Heathrow, gave a free three day course there earlier this week. It was attended by over 20 people including local residents and supporters from further afield. Proving the maxim that resistance is fertile, some of the attendees are planning to start an eco-village land squat in West London later this month, armed with knowledge from their visit.

Permaculture is a set of approaches to help us create a permanent culture – on which land and food systems sustain life rather than being ravaged in the persuit of profit, and in which there is no space for aviation. It’s about working with natural systems rather than against them, both in our relationships with soil and plants, but also with each other, with social and political systems. It’s revolution disguised as gardening.

For more information about permaculture, check out the Permaculture Association.

Grow Heathrow ready for take off

Beginning our new project on the first day in March was always going to be tricky, but even Spring was on side. For Transition Heathrow’s latest project we’ve gone back to the land, turning a neglected scrap in the heart of the third runway into a thriving market garden for the community.

After the successful site take on the Monday, in which about 20 people secured our new site, we spent an intense week in the sun clearing and cleaning up the mess left behind by previous tenants. The amount of rubbish was monumental, but by the weekend we felt ready to open the gates and welcomed in the community.

The support we’ve had from the local community, and particularly from those on whose doorsteps we’ve set up, has been staggering. We posted a wish list of stuff we needed and by the weekend had mostly fulfilled it. From food parcels to blankets, we’ve been supremely well looked after by our new neighbours.

Over the weekend an incredible mix of people came together and spent two days in the glorious sunshine restoring the greenhouses to their former glory. It’s hard to describe just how positive the atmosphere was, especially when people were primarily clearing rubbish. We had kids painting tyres to grow potatoes in; mass raking to clear up the broken glass and bender building to establish a beautiful shelter for our front gate. By the end of the weekend we were all exhausted, but exhilarated, by the amount we’d managed to achieve in such a short space of time.

This project is definitely a good antidote for anyone feeling overwhelmed post-Copenhagen, or depressed after reading 1,000 comments on the Guardian dissing climate science. Making a tangible difference in a community that has been blighted for so many years by the overhanging threat of airport expansion is wonderfully empowering, and there’s plenty for people to do to get their hands dirty.

As a good friend of ours said about the project, “people should stop talking about the resistance, and come here and live it instead.”

For more information email info@transitionheathrow.com or if you want to come and join us for a day’s work call the site phone on 07890751568.