October items

Membership Renewal

Thanks to all those who have now renewed, especially so many of you who have changed to Family membership.  Your extra votes are so important to MON. We look forward to hearing from the outstanding few very soon!   

Also, thank you to those who have confirmed they are happy to receive their Newsletters via the website.  That will save your money.

Manx organic meat – time for action by all of us  NOW

Normally, demand outstrips supply, but right now in the new season, supply outstrips demand. We as MON members need to make sure we are buying all we want to buy from our local organic producers.

Manx organic beef and lamb is principally sold through Radcliffe’s butchers in Castletown who have taken the major step to become certified to process organic meats.  There is a significant cost involved in achieving and renewing organic certification, and also investing in freezing capacity. They deserve our wholehearted support.  For more information on their service and an order form, go to the ’Where To Buy Organic’ section.

If you can’t get to Radcliffe’s, Manx organic beef and lamb is now widely available around the Island – from Fenton Campbell, butchers in Duke Street Douglas, have Manx organic beef and lamb (you have to ask for it – it isn’t on display) and in selected Shoprite stores around the Island. 

All of this meat is Manx and comes either from Pheric and James Curphey in Kirk Michael or Andrew Moore in Castletown. The message to us is loud and clear.  If we want to have local organic production here in the long term, we need to go out and buy their beef and lamb NOW, wherever is most convenient for you.  There is plenty on display at Radcliffe’s.  Elsewhere, if you don’t see it on display, ask the shop staff for MANX ORGANIC MEAT– whether it is Fenton Campbell in Douglas or your local Shoprite store – the main ones are Little Switzerland, Douglas; Ramsey; Port Erin.  If you normally go to other butchers local to you, continue to ask for MANX ORGANIC MEAT there too until they give in and get some!!!!

Welcome to the self-styled ‘Farmers Market’ in Ramsey….

 ….in Mooragh Park around the café area every Saturday from 7th October, 11-4.  Focusing on local produce, the One Stop Shop at Ballaugh will be there with some seasonal veg, herbs and game too, as will Purely Plants from Andreas.  Given support from local people in the north, we look upon this as a welcome addition to local produce availability in the north of the Island.  Additional producers / stall holders welcome too – call Dot Price of Purely Plants on 470507.

Change of hours

Sharon Jamieson and Bill Mizen will continue to sell in-season vegetables from the farm gate at Ballakilley Farm.  However with immediate effect and to meet with consumer demand, they will be open on Fridays only but extended hours – from 2.30 to 5.30.  Ballakilley Farm is located opposite Rushen Church which is just up from Four Roads Roundabout in the direction of Peel.

September items

Membership Renewal – Urgent Request.
Your continuing support is absolutely vital to MON’s success.  We cannot stress this enough. We hope that you feel that the broader MON achievements this year, together with the information you have personally received, justify the modest subscription compared with many similar organisations.  

For those of you who have not yet renewed from the start date of August 1st, we realize that holidays etc get in the way, but may we please ask you to do so soon?  Please review which of the two Membership categories – Family or Individual – is now appropriate.  Click on ‘Join Us’ for more detailed information and a Membership Form to download if you need one.

If you are happy to receive your future Newsletters via the website, then simply write ‘Newsletter OK Website’ at the bottom of your returned Membership Form. (You should have just received the September Newsletter by post, together with your car sticker which we would ask you to use a.s.a.p please!  You may choose to receive later Newsletters via the Website.  The latest one has just been inserted in the Newsletter section). By doing this, we can save the postage etc of sending it to you and spend more of your precious Subscriptions money achieving MON’s other objectives. If on the other hand, you would still like a paper copy, then we will be happy to send one to you.

The Summer Shows – our key member-gaining period.

Although in the future we would like to have a more sustained membership-gaining programme throughout the year, for the moment the summer shows represent a key period for MON.  Please click here for the latest results and news on what has been a concentrated and successful period in MON’s short history to date.

August items

Putting organic Loaghtan lamb on the menu

Certified by OF&G, eight males out of the 19 Loaghtan lambs will go into the Island’s abattoir in around a year’s time: a small but significant step towards meeting the ever increasing demand for Manx organic produce.

A 10-year old leads the way at Sulby Horticultural Show’s 60th Anniversary – and he grows organically!
This year’s show on 6 August saw great strides made by MON members involved in ‘growing your own’ to organic principles (no pesticides or artificial fertilisers).
The greatest stride was made by 10-year-old Alfie Leach, a MON family member and pupil at Sulby Primary School. In the Vegetable section, he won seven First prizes, five Seconds and two Thirds. He also walked away with the much-coveted (and aptly named) Alfie Garrett Memorial Shield, awarded to the individual with the most exhibits in Flowers/Vegetables.
If there are any more Alfies out there, we’d love to hear from you in order to set up a children’s section on the MON website – just email the site’s Editor.

One or two MON adult members didn’t do too badly either. The highly professional Bill Mizen carried off several trophies, five First prizes, five Seconds and a Third, while Ian Davies managed four Firsts (including a Highly Commended), three Seconds and two Thirds.  It is estimated that these 3 MON members took rather more than 50% of the prize points in the Vegetable Section.

More local Shows are coming up in the North at Ramsey on 26 August, Maughold on 16 September and the Andreas Root Show in October, not forgetting the Royal Show on the 11th/12th August. These are great opportunities to ‘show your own’, so go on and have a bit of fun and spread the word about growing to organic principles. You never know, it may catch on!

How about Shows in the South (or East or West) over the summer and autumn?  Send the Editor an e-mail with names and dates and we will publish them.

The Maynards are on the trail in the North
In this website’s Section: ‘Where to buy organic’, Sharon Jamieson is showing the way in the South with her twice-weekly sale of vegetables at the farm gate. (For more information, visit her website at http://ballakilley.googlepages.com. As she says, it would be helpful to gauge sowings for next season if interested parties could let us know what vegetables they might be interested in. You can do this by e-mail to Ballakilley@manx.net.).
Well, Ken & Jenny Maynard from Smeale, near Andreas in the North are not far behind and we need Island-wide supplies for local availability.  This is the first season of their fledgling business growing vegetables to organic principles. 
Currently they are supplying a small group of customers with regular boxes of vegetables, but hope to be able to increase that number from next year on.  They are also planting soft fruits and fruit trees with the aim of producing a range of jams, chutneys, pickles and sauces as the trees and bushes mature, allowing us to enjoy produce all year round. 
The recent arrival of three beehives should aid with pollination of the fruit and vegetables as well as adding to the supply of genuine local Manx honey.

Stirrings in the Middle of the Island too………
Stephen and Jenny Devereau have around 10 acres at Staarvey Farm near Peel.  They seem to be really ‘mixed up’ people, with some sheep and hens for themselves, as well as a good range of vegetables and herbs which they market through the Green Mann market.  The really exciting bit is that they plan soon to start the process of organic certification, especially going in for commercial certified organic egg production which would be a 'first' for the IOM.
There are more details of what they will have available through the Green Mann market over the coming months in the next Newsletter in September.

We will keep you up to date with these and hopefully other similar developments which expand the range of local produce which is either certified organic or at least grown to organic principles.