Why are Ash Trees being imported to UK anyway?

TV news is now reporting that, due to the discovery of Chalara Fraxinea virus (commonly known as ash dieback) in the UK, imports of Ash trees will be prohibited from Monday.  The fungal disease was first found in trees imported from Holland in November last year.  Why the long wait?  Shouldn't this discovery have led to an immediate lock down on imports of any vulnerable tree species?  Australia seems to manage to protect its borders pretty effectively so I'd have thought a small island nation like ours shouldn't find it difficult to do the same in these circumstances.

This disease could be a serious concern to our 80 million ash trees.   This king of firewoods is such an established native of this country that readily self-seeds and grows away so rapidly it's hard to understand why we need to import saplings started in a different country and climate.  It's accepted wisdom that plants will establish better if they're germinated and start their life in the same environment and climate as that in which they'll spend the rest of their lives, and it makes environmental sense.

When we planted 5 acres of mixed native woodland at Muddy Carrot HQ in February 2011 the trees came as bare root stock from a supplier barely 20 miles away.  Of the 2,000 or so trees we planted about 40% were Ash, intended to be coppiced for firewood in the fullness of time so our lives could be lower impact.  They've spent the last two growing seasons getting their roots down, and from next year we expect to see some decent top growth.  I just hope and pray that as a nation so affected by Dutch elm disease in the latter part of last century, we'll act quickly and decisively in the face of this new threat.

If you are concerned about any tree near you you can check the symptoms against http://www.forestry.gov.uk/chalara .

Man Made Shed

We love Kevin McCloud at Muddy Carrot!

Kevin McCloud carries off the combination of design, style and up-cycling with such aplomb.  His new series,  Man Made Home sums up so much of what Muddy Carrot stands for, too.  Low impact living does not have to be without beauty, or comfort for that matter.   His eye for detail allows him to build his very own Grand Design “shed” based on simple, low impact but elegant principles.

His new hideaway is based, like Muddy Carrot HQ, in the South West, tucked away in an idyllic woodland with its own stream.  With our love of all things eco-friendly, and having built our own eco home just 4 years ago, this series has been a must-view in our home.  We've marveled at his glass making, his use of local green wood  (in his case - within walking distance) and adore his amazing tractor chair (could it go into production?)  And well done to the ladies of the Guild of Spinners, Weavers and Dyers and the wonderful work they did in converting the raw Alpaca fibre into a luxurious bath robe.  

But boy we see a real future for his poo-powered cooking & heating.  Doesn't that make so much sense?  It makes you realise how wasteful we are as a society when we pay a fortune to have gas extracted and pumped to our houses at high environmental impact, at the same time as paying more to have our poo removed (bonkers).  There are already some fantastic projects using anaerobic digestion like Owen Yeatman based on a farm in Dorset.  This farm can produce enough electricity to supply 450 homes.  Enough said!

Putting a local sparkle into saving and borrowing

“Championing those fab people who create that little sparkle… the truly traditional as well as the contemporary and inspired…”

Those lines are from the About Muddy Carrot page of this website, but they could just as easily describe FundingKnight – a new financial provider who arranges crowdlending to businesses.

At this point, you might well be wondering what crowdlending is and, indeed, why financial matters have a place on this website at all – especially if you’re more used to coming here to read great stuff about pigs foraging in the Wyre Forest - but please, bear with me, I promise to explain.

  

So, first things first….

What is crowdlending?

Well, it basically means everyday people – like you or I – investing in British businesses - typically the small, independent ones that breathe the lifeblood into all of our local communities.

A lender like you could put in anything from £25 up and see their money pooled together with cash from lots of other lenders and turned into a business loan.

Our borrowers come to us because they don’t want, or can’t get, the business finance they need from a bank or traditional sources.

We thoroughly check them, including carrying out all of the usual credit checks a bank would run, and then offer them up to our lenders.

We encourage lenders to spread their cash across lots of different businesses which lets them build their own individual portfolios whilst helping to keep risks to a minimum.

Who do we lend to?  How can I apply to borrow money?

FundingKnight typically lends to businesses who:

·         Have been trading for two or more years

·         Are a limited company, and have filed at least one set of accounts with Companies House

·         Have a UK bank account and are based in the UK

We can lend from £10k to £100k and have funds ready and available for businesses who apply now.  To find out more, or to apply please visit our website.

How can I become a lender?

You can sign up and register as a lender on the FundingKnight website.

We are in the process of putting the finishing touches to the next phase of our website but in the meantime, our brochure site gives you some more information about what we’re up to.  Please do sign up to stay in touch – that way we can keep you up to date as things develop.

Why should I care?

Of course, I also promised to explain just what a financial company is doing on this blog at all.

Well, really, it’s because we’re a local company, committed to local communities.  Ultimately, we want to take our campaign for a better way to lend and borrow nationwide and help people all over the country invest in their community but, right now, we’re starting local and focusing particularly on Dorset and Hampshire.

We know that people care about where they live and the businesses that help the local economy to thrive.

We believe that, given the chance, people would love to invest in those businesses – putting their money to work whilst giving local business a much needed boost.

We believe that there’s a better way to lend and borrow and that’s why we created FundingKnight.  Please do pop along and sign up to stay in touch.

Hazel McHugh

FundingKnight

Go Lisa - uplifting start to Strictly Come Dancing

What a first week performance from actress Lisa Riley - boy she's got rhythm!   I loved her whole dance, so self-assured, an amazing performance to "Think" by Aretha Franklin, with brilliant facial expressions - but she definitely stole the show with her final lift with Robin Windsor leaping into her arms and wrapping his legs around her.  If you missed it do watch it on YouTube, they have great chemistry.

There was even a rare smile from judge Craig Revel Horwood who said: "Three words darling - you can dance." Riley then kissed and hugged him.

In an interview with Chris Evans this morning she said: "We'd practised the lift all week; all the way through we were at belly button level, but going live on Saturday night he was sat on top of my boobies!"

I'm not sure how she can top that performance - go girl!

Mists and Mellow Fruitfulness

I love Autumn and Spring - both are times of change.  The magic of autumn lies in the cool mornings, the earthy smell of damp ground and a feeling of a time of rest approaching.  (If only that last bit were true!...) So, how best to exploit this mellow time?  Soup making, for a start.  Well, our marrows were a complete non-event this year so I thought I'd pop out and get one.  Not so simple, it turns out.  Demand in Beaminster for marrows has outstripped supply, with orders being placed at the local supplier ahead of any deliveries such that furtive "under the counter" arrangements to bag the elusive local vegetable were being made.  This time I was in luck though, and was able to obtain a couple of smallish specimens, too small for the popular stuffing option - but fine for soup.

Here's the recipe I used:

Marrow Soup

500g marrow
40g butter
1 medium onion
2 carrots
1 smallish potato
1lt chicken stock
Ground ginger
150ml cream
croutons or fried sage leaves to garnish

Peel the marrow, cut along its length and scoop out the seeds (feed them to the chickens).  Roughly chop the flesh.  In a large pan, melt the butter and add the marrow, and the peeled and chopped onion, carrot and potato.  Fry gently for 5 minutes until they soften but don't let them brown.

Add the stock to the pan, with salt and pepper to taste, bring to the boil then put the lid on and simmer for half an hour or until all the vegetables are tender.

Allow to cool a little, then whizz in a blender.  Or, if you like a bit more texture, you can rub it through a course sieve instead.  Return the pureed soup to the pan and heat it through and adjust the seasoning, adding ground ginger to taste.  Gradually add the cream without letting the soup boil.  Serve with crunchy bread croutons or a few flash-fried sage leaves and a swirl of cream.