August 2017 Meeting & Events

Wednesday 9th August 8:00pm. Monthly Meeting at Carmarthen Veterinary Centre.
Mr & Mrs Rose who are Rhosyn (Carmarthen Market) will talk about making sausages.
Meeting Report
The August meeting saw a really packed house all eager to listen to Emma & Neil Rose of Rhosyn Farm Produce talk about how they make their Sausages. First was an introduction to the animals they have now, followed by how from small beginnings, through sheer hard work and determination to produce the best that was possible, they developed the thriving Award winning business that they have Today. For more information head to their web site www.rhosynfarmproduce.weebly.com
The technicalities of making sausages from their Gloucester Old Spot pork was discussed in detail from the importance of at least a small amount of rusk, the source of flavouring, to the types of casing used and the final packaging, all helped by two important pieces of machinery and governed by lots of food safety rules & regulations. Thank you to Emma & Neil for giving up some of your very valuable time to inspire us all. A more detailed report is available in your September Newsletter.

Sunday 20th August 10:30am. The Big Kit Show & BBQ near Blaenycoed
An opportunity to spend a day looking at all the equipment that DSA Members can gather together that a smallholder might use. From hand tools to tractors, kitchen scales to milking equipment, apple peelers to cider presses.
If at all possible there will be demonstrations of equipment in use and an opportunity to compare different approaches to farm tasks e.g. scything versus mechanical hay cutting, an axe versus a 13 tonne log splitter, hand milking versus machine.
Some of the equipment will have been bought new, some second hand from dealers, some bought at auction, some built by our members, or it might have been adapted from something quite different
We will have a sort of Car Boot sale for smallholding equipment – but please keep it relevant!
There will be a BBQ going with various burgers, sausages and possibly some other things available – but contributions of other foodstuffs would welcome.

Event Report
From hand held seed/fertiliser spinners to tractor winches for pulling 4 logs up hills. It was all there as were a large number of members as it drew a different cross section to a normal farm walk. From tunnels within poly-tunnels and tomato support structures to having a go at welding. In the animal shed if the bedding builds up too much just mount some more bolt on gate hangers higher up the post. Lots to see and think about plus a boot sale and a barbeque. A good day. Well done and thank you to Alan and Margaret