About

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqkmmc16RNE

What is this blog about?

Cambridge CropShare is a small-scale community-supported agriculture (CSA) scheme in Cambridge that started in 2011 and is run as a partnership between Transition Cambridge and Waterland Organics, a well established diverse organic veg and fruit growing business at Willow Farm in Lode. We organise trips to the farm where anyone can join in with seasonal tasks, e.g. sowing seed, planting (on the tractor-pulled planting machine), weeding (perhaps on the lay-down weeder), harvesting (perhaps trailer loads of multicoloured squash). You then get to take away whatever freshly picked veg or fruit is available on the farm on the day, and have a bring and share meal back at the farmhouse. And of course enjoy a fun and social day filled with farming in the Fen!

How will it work?

Throughout the growing season, local Cambridge farm Waterland Organics will make its farmland available for use by volunteers from the Cambridge area, and reward volunteers with seasonal veggies.
In exchange, Transition Cambridge volunteers will help plant, weed, and harvest Waterland Organics’ crops.
This will be about 20 organized volunteer group trips to the farm – from March t0 October, depending on weather.

But crops will not be the only yield- volunteers will be able to see how crops are grown at a large scale, have fun working in groups, and chat to real food growers in their local area.

Where are we based?

[osm_map lat=”52.257″ long=”0.229″ zoom=”12″ width=”770″ height=”480″ marker=”52.25677,0.22916″ marker_name=”wpttemp-yellow.png” m_txt_01=”Willow Farm” m_txt_02=”Lode” m_txt_03=”Cambridge” m_txt_04=”CB25 9HF” theme=”ol” type=”CycleMap”]
Willow Farm, Lode CB25 9HF

Note: the dotted footpath between Waterbeach/Bottisham Lock and Willow Farm isn’t necessarily suitable for cycling- may bet bumpy/muddy/need to lift bike over styles.

How do I get to the farm?

We do a shared cycle ride from Stourbridge Common, which lasts about 40 minutes. There’s usually also people driving to and from the farm, so you should be able to get a lift with one of them (we’ll send out an email with details who’s driving a couple of days before a farm day). Plus there’s a bus going to Lode (the number 10), and we can arrange pick-up from the Fassage Close stop in Lode village. See the timetable here.

Can I buy any organic vegetables from the farm?

Waterland Organics runs a local box scheme delivering to Cambridge, Newmarket, Soham and most places in between. They also serve the ‘Fen edge’ villages of Reach, Burwell, Swaffham Prior, Bulbeck, Quy, Bottisham, Longmeadow and Lode.

To order veg bags from the farm, head over to their sign-up page here.

We’ll be posting blog entries to update you throughout the season as the crops grow, enjoy!
If you’re interested in the project, get in touch with us by emailing cambridge(at)cropshare.org.uk

Cambridge CropShare is a Transition Cambridge project. Transition Cambridge is a part of the Transition Network of towns all over the world, whose collective aim is to help communities deal with climate change and shrinking supplies of cheap energy (peak oil). This process, which we call Transition, aims to create stronger, happier communities.

See our page on the Transition site here.