Gentle Gardeners

28/03/2025

09/03/2025

Please consider joining our sister page Market Town Makers. Previously known as the What Sue Grew aMade & Found Fairs 🙏

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572840213384&mibextid=wwXIfr

We are a group of handcrafters & artists that hold a monthly fair in Barnard Castle in the Methodist Church hall on Scar Top on the last Saturday of the month, March through to November. We have a pop up cafe with delicious cakes and bakes on offer too.

17/01/2025

Winter is proving far too long!

We usually get back together in March, it feels too long away. Anybody fancy some bread making? How about Marmalade? Plant oils?

I’m thinking of doing some one off sessions on a Saturday afternoon, in town.

Watch this space for details….🙏

23/10/2024

The Gentle Gardener’s met for the last time this year.

We made bread, butter and discussed memories of our favourite smells from childhood.

We all owe a debt of gratitude to the volunteers that run the community centre at Startforth. They have ensured that we have everything we needed to run our sessions and encouraged us to reach out to all ages of our community.

Thank you to everyone that joined me this year, it’s been our happiest year yet!

We will return in Spring for our fifth year! So much local food is now being produced from even the tiniest of gardens using our Gentle Gardening techniques 🙏😊

21/10/2024

Ever wanted to learn how to make bread? Fancy a go at making your own butter?

Join us tomorrow, 6pm - 7.30pm, at Startforth Community Centre (resource room) for a basic bread making demonstration. We will also be churning our own butter and making butter milk.

Everyone is welcome, tea and coffee provided, £6 per person. Open to all x

This is the last meeting for 2024 for our Gentle Gardener’s, we meet again in Spring for seed season.

15/10/2024

These are some of my favourite plants, they heal my friends and family & keep me fully occupied for most of the year.

Tonight, the Gentle Gardeners gathered to chat about these plants. We talked about how to turn them into plant oils and then process the oils into healing balms.

We gather next week for a basic bread making skills demonstration and we will be making our own butter.

14/10/2024

Plant oil and balm making demonstration, 15th October at Startforth Community Centre.

Come along and find out why the plants growing around us can help with healing and well being.

All welcome, 6pm - 7.30 pm, refreshments provided, £6 payable on the night. No need to book!

08/10/2024

Pickled onions take 6 weeks to mature, not sure if I’m up for the wait!

Thank you to everyone that joined me at Startforth Community Centre for a lovely evening of pickling.

We discussed the old ways, memories of pickles at Christmas and agreed they’d make great gifts.

Everyone left with a jar of warm Piccalilli for their pantry (4-6 weeks to wait).

Gentle Gardeners are patient folk.