Food in Community are holding a Pay What You Can community event Out To Lunch on Saturday from 12.30, with delicious food prepared from local surplus produce: soups, frittatas, salads, heart warming vegetable stew with dumplings, and desserts!
We meet on the first Sunday of each month from 10.00-1.00pm, for work and play at the Forest garden and Follaton arboretum tree nursery, followed by a shared lunch.
Come and join part or all of a monthly volunteer session to establish a forest garden within the Follaton Arboretum. We have planted trees, shrubs and perennial edibles and created a path leading to a sitting area with a fire pit for picnics. This spot enjoys great views towards Dartmoor. We will now continue improving this picnic area and the adjoining pond, plant more understorey shrubs, herbs and flowers, and care for the existing ones (weeding, mulching, pruning, etc.). We are also caring for the nursery, near the forest garden site, where we grow young fruit, nut and other useful trees and shrubs.
Our regular family-friendly sessions take place on the first Sunday of each month and all are welcome, to help or just to give some verbal support! We learn gardening skills from each other and enjoy ourselves! Tools provided, and you can join for as little or as long as you wish. Weather permitting, we often stay on for a shared picnic.
See the location of the Follaton Arboretum here - it's behind Follaton House, the premises for South Hams District Council, less than a mile from the centre of Totnes, along the Plymouth Road. The forest garden is near the highest point, next to the gazebo (and the nursery is further down, on the North West side of the park). More info from Annie on 01803 762992, 07929 962653 or follatonforestgarden@gmail.com.
Volunteer Maria would like to help start the process of developing a new Food Directory. Transition Town Totnes has produced two in the past, one in 2007 and one in 2009 and this time we would like to create an online version that we can keep up-to-date to help promote to visitors and locals the various sources of local food in and around the town. (To view the one we created last time have a look at the links at the end of this email)
Here are a few words from Maria:
"I am an English teacher from Spain, and I have come to Totnes for a few months to brush up on my English, learn a bit more about the UK... and about the Transition Movement! I'm working with the TTT film group at the moment, and, hopefully, I'll be able to help start a new Totnes Food Directory this summer. My experience with food does not go much further than what concerns our daily meals, but I'd very much like to learn about locally-produced foods, how they get distributed, how they reach consumers, etc. So I'll be more than happy to work with those of you who have the specific skills for this type of project and are interested in participating. I hope you will join us!"
What is involved?:
We are looking for a group of people to design the content of the directory and to carry out the research with shops, restaurants and cafes etc in the town. All the information will need to be collated and presented online, and the directory will need to be promoted. If you would like to contribute some time to any of these aspects of the creation of a new Food Directory, (large and small amounts of time are both welcome!) please get in touch with Maria and she will arrange an initial meeting.
View pages from the 2008 Totnes Food Directory using these links (on Dropbox):
High street map folds out from inside front cover
Pages 12 and 13, includes info about Totnes Pound
Pages 18 & 19, includes B&Bs
Map of district on inside pages
Pages 30 and 31, includes piece by Jon Watson father of Guy Watson, founder of Riverford Organic Vegetables
Pages 36 & 37, some shops
Pages 38 & 39, more shops
Page 44, some restaurants and pubs, and inside back cover
Fold out from inside back cover, includes some history of our fish heritage and building food links
Dear Producers and Processors of local food,
It is with great excitement and aplomb that I can let you know that the Food Hub is inching closer to going live. Over the months since you last heard from us we have been developing the software to create a convenient and easy to use website that allows local producers to upload goods that they have available through the changing season and that allows customers to simply order and pay for their chosen goods online.
We are able to offer the opportunity for producers and processors to sell their produce through the Food Hub (which has been renamed 'Totnes Food Shed, The Hub of Good Grub') and offer training in the use of the software to enable you to upload details of your produce. If you are interested in selling your produce via the Food Shed please let me know via email. All expressions of interest will be considered, our aim is to supply a diverse range of quality local produce.
Below are some answers to questions that you might have. We will send out further details on all aspects of the Food Shed to those of you who wish to consider getting involved.
What are the aims of the Food Shed?
What are the requirements for selling produce through Totnes Food Shed?
How will the Totnes Food Shed work?
Training in using the website
1) We strongly recommend that you attend training in person in order to get started. We will arrange this at a convenient time. Ongoing support will also be available afterwards.
2) Alternatively, we can send you detailed instructions on all aspects of supplying the Food Shed. This option might be for you if you already have a well established business and are already confident with e-commerce, though we encourage you to come to a training session as models differ.
What happens next?
If you have any other questions please contact Holly at holly@transitiontowntotnes.org. We look forward to hearing from you in the next few days.
Warm wishes from all at the Totnes Food Shed,
Holly Tiffen
Food-Link Manager, Transition Town Totnes
Published: 2nd July
Throughout the summer, volunteers are meeting every Thursday after work to share some green-fingered generosity with Totnes.
At Steamer Quay, planters are filled with herbs, edible flowers and more, and volunteers meet for weeding, watering, planting, and maybe most importantly, harvesting some lovely edibles! The sessions are open to all, and for more information you can contact Wendy on 01803 868305 or wendystt997@gmail.com
Meet at Steamer quay every Thursday from 5.00-6.30-pm. Bring refreshments to share if you want - anyone welcome to come and give a hand, or just to hang out for a cup of tea and chat.
There is a summer schedule of planting events in Totnes:
Transition Town Totnes
Phone: 01803 867358
Email:info@transitiontowntotnes.org
The Mansion
36a Fore St, Totnes, TQ9 5RP
Registered Charity 1138865 :: Company Limited by Guarantee: 06287039
A part of Transition Network 
