Last week saw the arrival of a dozen laying chicken to Coldharbour.  A new chicken house has been made using recycled timber left from the Wagon Lodge Project. There are many different types ranging from Bluebells, Golden Lines, White Star and Silver Sussex.

In days past on the Farm, keeping poultry was a necessity not a hobby. Generally speaking it was the housewife who looked after and cared for the chickens (!) Old books that we have found that detail the livestock at Coldharbour many years ago include flocks of chicken which used to roam the farmyard feeding off scraps in the garden and throw outs from the kitchens.

You can learn more about the history of Coldharbour Farm and perhaps help out collecting the eggs, feeding the chicken and locking them up for the night when you next visit. Guests enjoy the fresh eggs for breakfast – with a few more chickens now on the Farm, there is plenty to go round.

They love farmland, scratching around in the grass for bugs and insects. They have  a short legs and a funny tuft on their head which makes them instantly recognisable. They are often in pairs and could be seen swooping around the farm buildings at Coldharbour clearly having a lot of fun.

We have a Wildlife Book in the Cottage where we encourage visitors and guests to write down any birds or other wildlife they have seen within 5 miles of the Farm. The book is getting very full! – there is so much to see and learn.  I often say whenever you go for a walk around the Farm you will invariably see something different, whether its a plant, a shrub, an insect, a bird or even a footprint or track on the ground.

New from Coldharbour!  Its been very busy in the Kitchens up here on the Farm over the last few months. We are delighted to announce the launch of a new range of Jams and Jellies.

These are not ordinary – they are made only from fruit grown on the Farm..

When I purchased the Farm in 2005 the cottage garden was a bit overgrown but there were a number of fruit trees so it was clear that in days past the farmer and his wife grew a lot of fruit for their own requirements. So about 18 months ago we decided to build a fruit cage and bought the fruit trees back to life. We have had a bumper crop.

So we have a limited amount of the following.

                                                                 Bramble Jam

                                                                Redcurrant Jelly

                                                                Damson Jam

                                                                Blackcurrant Jam

 All these are nicely packed in 8oz jars with Coldharbour labels – they make an ideal Christmas gift or simple enjoy them yourself.

They are priced at £3.50 and we can post them anywhere. (p&p extra – depends where we have to send them)

 If you would like to buy some of these please fill in the contact form below and we will contact you regarding payment. (Credit cards accepted)

This year in the Cottage Garden we have some lovely vegetables. Last night we pulled the first batch of fresh carrots and beetroots. On the Farm many years ago the cottage was occupied by an old farmer, his wife and children. They would have had a vegetable patch on the Farm and grown many types of vegetables. These were picked then stored or used in pickles and saved for the winter months. For our guests who come and stay on the Farm we try and recreate the story of the Farmer and his family and how they used to live. Many of you often say, this is how grandmother used to make or do things and its great to remember the old ways.

For the carrots we have stored them in a dry box layered with peat. For the base we put down some newspaper, then a layer of peat, then the carrots (not touching each other) and then covered with peat again and so on. We are told that these will keep for months like this if stored in cool, dry place. The beetroot is being boiled, mixed in vinegar and stored in big old glass jars for winter salads. Can’t wait !

Life on the farm will never be the same again! The ‘farmer’ got married on June 1st and we had a lovely day. The weather was hot and sunny with beautiful blue skies. We got married in a chapel in Tunbridge Wells and had a reception for family and friends at  a hotel nearby.

I often refer to the Farmer and his wife who used to live in Coldharbour Cottage with his family. Much of the information found in the cottage, the rooms, this website, the puzzles and quiz for guests and the photos relate to what farm life used to be like back in the 1800s. A wedding in the family would have been a joyful occasion often celebrated by all the local people in the village. The family would have walked to Stone Church for the wedding ceremony and returned across the fields to the cottage to celebrate on the Farm. One can imagine the children running in the fields, the farmers wife arranging a big picnic on the cottage lawns with lots of homemade food and drink for the guests. It would have been a fun day.

A walk in the woods. Bluebells are always fascinating to photograph because of the colour contrast. Just last week I walked through a small area of woodland which we have as part of Coldharbour Farm and it was covered in blue. The sun shone through the trees to make lovely picture. With so little rain in recent weeks it is remarkable that the flowers still come through every year. I always look forward to May and the Bluebells – a special time of year.

In the old kitchen we have a slate tile which people use for shopping lists and messages. Slate roofs were a commonly feature in the old days particularly on barns in Kent & Sussex. With slate tiles a pitch of a roof can be less than the more traditional peg tiles because the rain water could not get underneath.  It also meant the old farmers could build larger and cheaper agricultural structures  for their farm animals. An example of this is on one of the outshuts adjacent to the old Barn at Coldharbour.

Just recently some guests who stayed in the cottage drew this lovely picture of a cockerel. This bird would definitely have been a feature on the old farm roaming about in the yard, picking up the scraps and perhaps sitting on a high perch keeping watch over the hens during the day. Today, we do have some chicken on the Farm and many of you have tasted the delicious fresh eggs for breakfast.  But we don’t have a cockerel – not sure if the guests would appreciate a 4am wakeup call whilst they are on holiday !

The last few days have seen the sun shine and the temperatures nice and warm on the Farm. The main activity now for the Farmers is the lambing with some tiny lambs being born in the Old Barn. With all this going on its easy to miss the colourful blossom on the trees in the cottage garden. This is a very old cherry tree with both pink and white blossom. At some stage we think another cherry tree was grafted onto the main trunk as we get two types of cherries from this tree. So it’s a bit unique.

It’s a wonderful time of year to watch the daffodils flower and all the plants spring into life. The clocks going back and the evenings now lighter the old farmer and his wife would be busy preparing the fruit and vegetable patches for the coming season. Life would have been very busy on the Farm for the whole family – and I would think, a happy one too.

As the nights draw in and the clocks go back it is time for general maintenance on the Farm. Many years ago a family used to live in the cottage, the farmer, his wife and their children. Their way of life was to be self sufficient as much as possible. They grew their own crops, tended the stock and were kept busy with household chores in between. We have tried to re create this at Coldharbour and its hard work ! In the evenings the Farmer would have been in his workshop with a lantern for light and worked until he was tired on small projects which would save him and his family money. The signs would have been made from wood stripped from trees in the forest and etched out using a chisel. You need a skilled hand to do this so I opted for some black paint and a steady hand.!  All good fun. We always encourage guests who stay on the farm to help out doing chores and to get a feel of life in the ‘old days’.