Don't Panic We're Organic

by Ruskin Mill Clervaux

YOU are probably aware that Clervaux Seasons is an organic and biodynamic veg box scheme. But what exactly does this mean?

The fundamental basis of organic agriculture is the exclusion of chemical fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides. In addition to this, organic certification usually also includes guidelines on the wellbeing of livestock, for example preventing overcrowding. And whilst biodynamic certification (known as “Demeter standards”) covers most of the requirements of organics, it goes further in qualitatively assessing the intentions of the farmer.

Biodynamics originated with a series of lectures given by Rudolf Steiner in 1925, in which he outlined the concept of the “farm organism”: an ideal of the farm as a largely self-contained, integral whole, uniquely evolved to its local conditions, with the aim of utilising the farm's own resources to achieve sustained fertility and an ecologically sound system. It also puts the farm in the context of the rhythms of the cosmos (the sun, moon, planets and stars) and their influences on plants and animals.

And although the production of high-quality food is of course at the heart of what we do, crucially, the task of biodynamic growers goes beyond this, to include:

  • enhancing the landscape
  • training and education of young people
  • research and development of agriculture that is attuned to the natural world
  • nurturing cultural life on the farm in cooperation with the social life of the surrounding area.

To put this into the context of the Ruskin Mill Clervaux when you receive your weekly veg, we hope that it isn't just about a box of food; through its production, we try and affect positive change for:

  • the students at Clervaux, who undergo a hugely positive therapeutic experience from involvement in growing;
  • the surrounding environment, through our ecological practices;
  • the global environment, through our low emissions;
  • and local residents, through our community events.

A book to help you cook

If you're struggling for recipe ideas for your local veg, the River Cottage Veg Everyday cookbook (published by Bloomsbury – we promise we haven't received any payment for this plug!) and was blown away by its fantastic collection of hundreds of recipes, all orientated around local, seasonal, veg. Author Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall confesses: “I'm trying to persuade you to eat more vegetables. Many more vegetables. And I hope to do so not by shouting from a soapbox, but through sheer temptation...”.

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