Hello from Farm Number 2! We are writing to you from Vallis Veg, a small farm that sells organic produce and runs a vegetable box scheme. The farm itself is located in Frome, Somerset, just a 35-minute train ride east from Taunton. Chris and Cordelia, the owners of the farm, grow a variety of crops that change seasonally, which they harvest and deliver to customers on a biweekly basis. A few examples of things that are in season right now are carrots, parsnips, kale, and chard.

Life here is very much different from life at Pitt Farm. While the family-centered feel and generous hospitality are similarities, the fact that Vallis Veg is off-grid means we have to be much more conscious about our electricity and energy consumption. Which is a great thing, once you think about it, but it took some getting used to.

All of the electricity generated comes from solar panels on the roof. If it happens to be a cloudy day, then we turn on the backup generator--something that we want to avoid, as it runs on fossil fuel. Water is heated peripherally by the fireplace, so there is only hot water for a shower after a fire has been lit for some time. Rachel and I have since made it a habit to shower every other day, and for shorter times. We've also gotten much better at lighting fires!

The weekend we arrived at Frome was the same weekend that the Frome Independent was on, which is a monthly market that features local artisans, producers, and crafters. Pretty much all the stuff being sold was handmade... and therefore rather pricey. We bought a black pudding scotch egg for £4.50, which in retrospect is absurd. It was still delicious, and it was the first time either of us had a scotch egg. No ragrets there. Anyhow, we managed to eat our money's worth in free samples. 

Given that Frome is only half the population of Taunton, the market was bigger than we expected. The photo below shows only a minor section of the market. We spent the day paying for overpriced food, buying gifts, and people-watching. Solid weekend activities. 

It feels strange to admit, but for the first few days at Vallis, we missed our first farm a lot. As I had mentioned in our posts about Pitt, we got real freakin' spoiled. So essentially we transitioned from sleeping in comfy beds in comfy rooms to sleeping in caravans that receive neither heat nor electricity.


To be fair, Chris gave ample warning to us beforehand about the caravans, since they tend to get rather cold around this time. After a few nights though, we found out that they weren't so bad at all. We spend most of our time in the house anyway, so the caravans are just for sleeping. And they offer good privacy.

On Monday, we started work, and it was great. Our first job on the farm was to pick chard--just the most gorgeous vegetable, pictured at the top of this post. Then we uprooted some celeriac, which is substantially uglier. It tastes really good, as we discovered later at dinner, but it looks like a buried ogre's head.


In the afternoon, we were given the tasks of digging up carrots, gathering salad leaves, and planting broad beans. Harvesting carrots is such a fun job. It's muddy, as you can see, but we quickly got used to that.

How much stuff we harvest changes day to day, so Cordelia always lets us know how many kilograms of each thing we need. We bring the harvested vegetables to the tent, where Cordelia weighs, arranges, and packages.

Vegetable box schemes are a way to give more power to the farmer rather than the customer, as it allows them to sell based on what they have. Customers pay monthly to be guaranteed fresh, organic produce every week, but the variety depends completely on the farmer (unless the customer puts in a specific request). Part of the fun is that the customer may receive vegetables that they would never dare buy--like celeriac or endive--and be forced to get creative with it.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, when we don't need to harvest, we typically do maintenance, planting, or construction. There aren't many animals to take care of, besides a few sheep and pigs. Plus a beautiful, but very temperamental cat.


Another thing that's cool about Vallis: they use a compost toilet! It sounded gross to me at first, not gonna lie, but it's not unclean at all and really sustainable. Basically, your liquid & solid business gets separated into containers so that they can be used as compost later. Throwing in a handful of woodchips after each time prevents smell. 

And yes, that's a poo container on the left. Glorious.

That's all for now! Until next time.