Spring Lambs and Food Policy

Living in a Sheep farming area, it is the arrival of lambs in the fields that really marks the arrival of Spring. Last week I started looking out for spotting the first, there were none. Even when I went into town and lost altitude, in the fields around town were empty of lambs. Then suddenly on Thursday I spotted not just one but several in the local fields. Therefore officially spring has arrived.

While I guess this may upset the vegetarians, it does get me thinking of cooking and the aroma of lamb cooking. But as the sheep would not be there if they were not kept as part of the human food chain, I can appreciate the beauty of new and renewed life, I can also appreciate the human food they represent as well.

As the weather conditions and the soil here are only suited to growing grass, the local hills can only support livestock farming. Therefore this really means Sheep, especially on the hill tops. My village is the highest point of habitation in the county, therefore sheep are my closest neighbours. I have learnt a lot about the behaviour of sheep just from watching them as I was walking past them over the past year. The play fighting amongst the young males. There was one trio that I saw running back and forward, effectively playing chase. At first, I had wondered if something had spooked them, if I had spooked them. Then I realised that they were just playing, having fun. That is not putting human attributes upon them, they really were like any bunch of teenagers running about having fun.

Therefore when I buy lamb from my local butchers, as they post details of the farm and abattoir where the sheep was grown and slaughtered, I can know the animal was well cared for before it reaches my plate. As my regular reader may remember I was a Vegetarian for a number of years as at that time people just did not know where their food was coming from. Once this changed and I could buy meat that was from high welfare sources and not “Factory Farmed”, the best way of supporting this was to revert back to eating meat. Because I was a vegetarian during the time when the worse practices were in place, the ones that resulted in BSE and salmonella in Chicken, I avoided many of the health risks.

Many of these practices were the results of the constant downward pressure placed upon food prices by big businesses. The supermarkets, the food processors and the land investors who see anything goes as long as it makes a profit.

However the policies of the supermarkets have now started to bite them back. A couple of years ago the supermarkets had to develop direct contracts with milk producers and pay a much more fair price. As in Britain so many farmers were leaving milk production as the farmers were loosing money. This lead to a shortage of milk and to maintain supply the supermarkets had to pay a bit more and contract directly with the farmers. This was blamed on the growing prosperity of the Chinese, but the reality was the supermarkets were dictating the low prices and buying cheaper milk from other parts of Europe if the farmers would not accept the low prices they would pay. So while the Chinese were buying from the same parts of Eastern Europe, they were willing to pay a fair price and not the rock bottom prices the supermarkets were willing to pay.

While the supermarkets and food processors realised the danger there regarding milk and cheese before there were real shortages, aided by the credit crunch, the polices of the supermarkets are again biting back again, this time on fruit and vegetables.

As the effects of climate change are now effecting weather patterns and rainfall creating drought in parts of Europe and noticeably in the South of England, the policy of wanting only cosmetically perfect looking Fruit and Vegetables means that other nations are offering more money and are willing to take items that are less than perfect looking. Therefore, leaving the supermarkets without supplies.

This will not mean that there will be immediate shortages on the shelves but I am willing to bet that prices will start to rise. There are even Growers and Farmers in the South and East of Britain that will not be planting and growing crops because of the drought. Simply as if the crops will fail due to lack of rain, why even try to grow them. Although the crops will not fail, they will not be the “perfect” that the supermarkets demand. The major retailers have so much power that this dictatorial specification of cosmetically perfect Fruit & Vegetables has locked Farmers and Growers into the high cost chemically driven form of farming. As to produce the cosmetically perfect Fruit & Vegetables relies on the use of pesticides.

This policy has resulted in the small growers that used to produce the majority of the nations fresh food, have simply gone out of business. Even the the larger growers who discover their crops have not matched the stringent requirements of the major retailers, often find there crops will go to waste. At best getting composted if not sent to landfill. Therefore a lot of food goes to waste, just because it doesn't look good.

Anyone who has grown their own, and I know that includes my reader, knows the shape doesn't effect the flavour. In fact often with far fewer chemicals used in the average Vegetable Garden, they often taste better.

I do not have any simple nor simplistic solutions to these problems. And while I do understand that businesses need to make money, the major retailers have only ever had their interests in mind and their customers and suppliers have been ill used at the very least. Our governments have left the matter of food to the supermarkets and now we are facing potential shortages and price hikes that will effect everyone.

There will be folks that will read this and say that it should just be left to the market, and governments do not have any role to play. But when we all pay for the effects of shortages and the health effects of the poor diet the major retailers have foisted upon many, the supermarkets will soon find they have questions to answer.

While I can still afford to I will enjoy watching the sheep and cooking with the Vegetables I can afford and making sure my freezer is well stocked.

Mad as a March Hare

When I first moved here to the high fells of Country Durham, I was pleased to discover that I was in hare habitat. While I had seen Hares before, they were illusive and often at a distance. The way they hug the ground to hide in hollows helps them disappear. Bringing to my mind the Celtic and magical myths of folk tales.

It was the myth of the mad march hare that got me confused last year as this was happening in February. My lack of skill watching Hares and the cold made trying to discover the puzzles much harder. Therefore I needed to develop my stalking skills and try to discover where the hares territories were. As here any wind below forty miles an hour is considered just a gentle breeze here, the direction of approach would often involve taking long walks well past these territories then doubling back.

Many of the attempts to observe were fruitless or very brief. This was until one day the observation of a buzzard alerted me to something near the site that had proved to be most fruitful. I then went a couple of days latter. Being May it turned out to be a delightful day and I stretched my legs among the wild flowers. I was allowing my mind to wander and nearly walked into the scrape where the leverets were laying out in the sun. I retreated to a point near a copse of trees. The mother was very close and must have been hiding too as she just popped up and I could not have missed her approaching as the grass and heather was far to short to have missed her movements.

Then the most dramatic part of the observations happened, a large bird of prey swooped down. It was targeting one of the young hares, and I thought it would get one but the mother reared up and boxed the bird. I think it just nudged the bird off taking one of the four young, so it missed a meal.

I am well aware that the natural world is lacking sentiment and there is a natural food chain, but I was really pleased that this juvenile Golden Eagle did not get a meal that day. As it was wearing tresses, it was a captive Eagle that someone was using for hunting. It flew off with empty talons and I could not spot where the falconer was. I have not seen the bird since. Also as the scrape was vacated days latter, I am guessing the mother moved her litter. While it was more likely because of the bird, I was worried that I had caused some disturbance myself.

It was not until the autumn that I started seeing hares again. I most of all wanted to work out where the females were resident. As the female is larger it is possible to tell the difference, but there appeared to be many more males about. Reading about hares told me that this is quite normal.

As last winter had been quite hard with plenty of snow, my initial spotting of hares had been quite easy. This time it was a bit more tricky, but I am learning. Therefore luck has been playing a major part in this too. As I was out watching a flock of Lapwings when I started to spot the start of the mating activity. This is where myth has been blurring the facts. As when I was a child, it was believed that the boxing behaviour was males fighting over females. When in fact it is the female fighting off unsuitable males, or over amorous males before she is ready to mate. So last year when I saw males boxing too, I was more than puzzled by this. As I said size distinguishes the males from the larger females. Also last year it was happening in February a good month before it was supposed to be happening.

By reading deeper than the myths and casual observations, I discover that most of the mating activity actually starts in February and it is normally only the un-mated males that are left fighting, boxing. Therefore while the classic boxing behaviour is the females fighting off males, the males do box too.

It was only because I had seen behaviour that did not match the facts that are often repeated on television and in books that I discovered the truth of the behaviour. At one point I had actually thought I might have discovered behaviour that had not been previously observed, but others had already seen and recorded it. The problem is the myths persist.

The brown hare is far less numerous than it once was, so I am genuinely lucky to have seen these animals at all. To have seen them enough and for such prolonged periods to have been puzzled by the behaviour though was a real privilege.

Diets and Exploitation

As my regular reader will already know, I set up my own little business selling Herbs & Spices. This has been expanding so I now sell a comprehensive range of botanical's for healing too. From the moment I started selling these, I have had a steady flow of emails. The well known auction site requires that your personal details are there for all to find.

Initially this was useful as it gave me some vital clues regarding the herbs that people were looking for, and helped me expand the range. Even now I still have not got all that I would like to stock, but in time I will add to the range. However, the flow of emails has now become a flood. While I have always tried to be helpful to folks questions, and guide them in the right direction, there are limits to the questions I can answer. Further, it would be all to easy to just say buy this, or use this. When often the conditions they are seeking treatment(s) for are far to complex for simplistic solutions.

Here the law actually helps, as there are legal limits upon any claims that can be made for Medicinal Herbs. As while this can be seen as a cop out on my part, often I just can not treat people at a distance. If I had been calculating and cynical, I could have exploited this and sold loads more.

So it was with a degree of concern that I got an email from a woman asking for herbs to treat two conditions. As with all complimentary forms of healing, I could see the two conditions were linked and there was also a third issue that probably needed addressing too. I replied but said that I just do not have the time as her conditions were far to complex for simplistic solutions.

The reply I got back was hostile and hurtful, but I am a big mouse now, and while it hurt I will get over that. However, it highlights the problem of people wanting “Quick Fixes” for problems.

One of her problems was that she was overweight. While there are people that will sell herbs that are supposed to “make the pounds fall off” I know that it really needs folks to change eating patterns and habits for people to loose weight and keep it off. Therefore my ethics just stop me from exploiting people like this. This is why I will never be rich.

While I do not want to, nor am I intending to offend anyone, but unless you are one of the rare people who have an under active thyroid, the reason you are carrying a few extra pounds is you are consuming more calories than you are using. Therefore, it is each individual that can control their weight. I know that is far more easier said than done, and it is often a positive supportive friend that people need more than wasting money on supposed quick fixes.

Further, many of the health problems that people suffer from would be greatly reduced and often eliminated. Therefore my general advice regarding diet is find a supportive friend and eat yourself well.

Curlew & Hare

Hello dear reader, have you missed me? Oh you had not noticed I had gone.

Well as I have been busy, I just have not had the time to put much up here. Also there have been some changes in my life that meant I was not inclined to say much here, as I just did not want to bore folks.

Anyway, a few wildlife observations, a few weeks ago when it was really cold here, snow and all that, there was a rather large flock of Goldfinches about. I would estimate about fifty plus feeding on some Teasel that grows in the corner of one field close to the village. Also during the cold winter weather I was regularly seeing a couple of Grey Shrike. This was a life bird observation, so I was pleased to see them. As my cameras have both died, no pictures for the moment and as soon as I can afford to get a new camera... Well who knows what images may turn up here.

It was the observations that I made this last week that tells me that spring is coming. Although with another cold snap just hit, that seems longer away than it did on Thursday. When I saw the first Skylark making its courtship flight. It was a male and they sing while flying, rising from the ground and singing while in flight for a good minute at a time. The next observation made just ten minutes latter was of a Curlew. I had heard it while I had watched the Skylark but no matter how hard I scanned I could not see him. Then as I walked nearer the crest of the hill before entering my village, he flew across the road just fifteen feet ahead of me. He was going to a patch of land where a farmer had been keeping some manure and now cleared is clearly a good spot for them to feed.

However I have also been watching the Brown Hares. While I have seen hares before, it has only since I have moved here that I have seen them as frequently and in greater numbers than I have ever seen them. Also many of the observations have been closer than I have seen before too. Although I have had to learn how to observe them without them seeing me and going to ground. I can see where the folk legends of them being mystical and magical creatures arise, as one minute you can see them then in the blink of an eye they are gone, disappeared. They huddle in scrapes in the ground so they literally do disappear. While trying to watch a female hare recently, I came across a Lapwings nest. While there were no eggs in it yet, he or she was so settled that it was not until I was seven or eight feet from the bird that it took flight.

There have been times when it appeared that the local landscape was barren of wildlife, but it is there it just hugs the ground so tightly that mostly it goes unobserved.