Farming with nature in North Scotland
When we took it on, the croft was more than a bit tired around the edges. Decades of use and wear and tear take their toll! However, we’re constantly seeking to improve what we’re working with and so, as and when we can, we invest in new infrastructure.
Bit by bit, we’re replacing old fences with new ones, realigning fences with habitat zones, rather than historic fields boundaries. We’ve build a Polycrub in order to grow more of our own food all year round.
Our big investment in recent years has been to plant an orchard, which will allow us to produce a range of our own heritage fruits – we’ll be developing our offering from this as time goes on. Juices, jams and jellies… watch this space!
We currently run a small flock of pedigree Hebridean sheep. At present they allow us to fill our own freezers, but we aim to set up a meat box scheme in future, as the flock and our capacity grows.
There are lots of projects on the go, but with two small children and both of us working full-time, the croft can sometimes find itself taking a back seat – however, producing and enjoying good quality food in a sustainable way, that can be enjoyed locally, is something we are both passionate about.
