Kale and Winter Fair Down on the Farm

# Come join us down on the farm today

# Learn about nature along the way

# From seas to crops and field to farm

# So much to do down on the farm

# Summer, autumn, winter, spring, ploughing, planting harvesting

# With JB and Storm to lead the way

# Come join us down on the farm today. #

Hello! I'm JB and welcome to Down on the Farm.

In winter, there's lots to do on the farm

to make sure that animals are warm and dry.

While I help make these cows some snug beds,

let's find out what Storm's been up to.

Not all farms are outside with large fields.

Some are much smaller and can be found indoors.

I've come to Gloucestershire to visit this shed and inside,

something very special is growing - mushrooms!

Hi, Farmer Peter.

-Hiya Storm.

-So this is a farm?

-Yes, even though we're indoors

it's still called a farm. It's where we grow the mushrooms.

Are mushrooms a vegetable or a fruit?

They're neither - they're a fungus. They don't have leaves or roots

and they can grow in the dark.

How long does it take to grow into these?

It takes 16 days - let me show you how that happens.

The trays are filled with a special type of soil.

After six days a layer of something called mycelium grows.

Peter makes the room really cold and the mycelium turns into mushrooms!

Now it's time to get picking and I've got Harriet, George,

Chloe and Aidan to help me.

It's safe to pick these mushrooms because they're grown for eating.

But NEVER pick mushrooms you find outside.

-What's that one?

-That's a baby button mushroom,

one of the first mushrooms we pick.

So, guys, what do the mushrooms feel like?

-Smooth.

-Really, really soft.

These mushrooms look a little bit bigger than the baby button

mushrooms we picked earlier. What are these?

These are closed cup mushrooms - the most popular ones in the shops.

These are flat mushrooms.

These are the juiciest, tastiest mushrooms when they're cooked.

What does the mushroom taste like, Chloe?

Delicious.

These mushrooms have all been sorted and weighed. What next?

We put the punnets on the conveyor and away they go for wrapping.

Shall we have a go, guys?

-CHILDREN:

-Bye!

The mushrooms are wrapped in plastic, labelled,

put into crates and now they're ready for the shops.

We've had a really busy day picking mushrooms.

And while we finish off here,

why don't you find out what else happens this time of year?

In the final weeks of winter,

the trees are still bare but down on the woodland floor we start to see

signs of growth.

There are more hours of daylight now.

The extra sunlight shines down through the empty branches

and warms the ground.

It is just what these snow drops have been waiting for.

They are the first new flowers to appear for many months.

A sign that spring is coming.

Hazel trees grow a special long, hanging flower, called a catkin.

Catkins are full of golden pollen which the tree needs to spread to

another tree so that hazelnuts can grow.

It only takes the slightest breeze or the beating wings of a bird to

send the tiny grains of pollen off through the air.

By now, squirrels have eaten up most of the food that they buried for

winter, so some try to steal nuts from their neighbours.

This smart squirrel has noticed she is being watched.

To trick her rival,

she digs up a nut and pretends to rebury it in another spot.

She then runs off with the nut, leaving the thief empty-pawed.

Down on the farm, the first lambs are being born.

When spring finally arrives, there will be new life all around us.

As our world turns green again.

MOO!

I'm in Carrickfergus to visit a farm holding a winter fair.

The farm has opened its doors so people can come and visit.

It's a great chance for children to meet animals they wouldn't normally.

-Hi Pauline. Hi everyone.

-ALL:

-Hi, Rory!

There's so much to see, I don't know where to start.

-What do you think?

-You can follow our nature trail

-and learn more about our animals.

-That's a great idea. See you there?

-CHILDREN:

-Yeah!

-See you soon!

I think the first stop is somewhere near here.

I wonder what animal I'm going to meet...

GOAT BLEATS

-Hi, guys.

-ALL:

-Hi!

-Who do we have here?

-Pigmy goats.

What are you going to do with the goats today?

-We're going to clean out the beds.

-Let's get going.

During winter, pygmy goats grow a woolly fur vest beneath their fur

which keeps them warm. Straw bedding makes sure the goats are extra cosy.

Great job, everyone.

But it's time for me to get back on the trail. See ya!

-ALL:

-Bye!

There are so many animals here. Who's next?

-CHICKENS CLUCK ALL:

-Over here, Rory!

So, what are you guys up to?

We're going to feed the chickens some food.

-Oh, and why are they on strings?

-So we can hang them up on the tree.

Let's get in there, shall we?

Hanging up fruit during winter keeps chickens active and healthy.

Well, the chickens look very happy but I need to get to my next stop,

-so, I'll see you later guys.

-ALL:

-Bye!

Hey, guys! Who's this?

-Lottie.

-It's Lottie?

She's a great big pig.

She's a coonie, coonie pig, which actually means fat and round.

-What is her favourite food?

-Apples.

-Oh, shall we give her some now?

-Yes!

Remember, always wash your hands after touching animals.

PIG GRUNTS

And while we go and enjoy some of the other stalls,

you can enjoy a poem about the winter night sky.

In a winter sky, a setting sun and oh, so quickly, daylight's gone.

Shining moon, now takes its place,

glowing softly out in space.

At first the sky seems dark and empty...

..but soon it sparkles with stars aplenty.

We try to count them, one, two, three...

The more we look, the more we see.

And then we can't believe our eyes, as colours sweep across the sky.

They dance away so strange and bright,

it's the Northern Lights - oh, what a sight!

Today I've come to Canterbury to find out more about

a leafy vegetable that can be picked at this time of year.

It's from the same family of vegetables as cabbage,

cauliflower and Brussels sprouts but I'm not sure what it is.

Let's find Sarah, who has the answer.

-Hi, Sarah!

-Oh, hi JB.

-Welcome to the farm.

-Thank you.

I've heard a lot about this vegetable,

-but can you show me exactly what it is?

-This is kale.

We've got green curly kale, red kale and black kale.

It was planted earlier in the season and is now ready to pick.

I thought vegetables were picked in autumn - why wait until winter?

Unlike vegetables that need the warmth of the summer sun,

kale grows well through the cold of winter and even tastes sweeter

-when it's had frost on it.

-It's chilly today. How can we warm up?

We've got lots of kale here, so let's get busy!

I think we need a few extra helpers.

Helping us today are...

Arme, Fred, Henry, Kai, Daisy, and Lotta.

-BOTH:

-Hi, guys!

We're going to pick some good fresh leafs of kale.

We'll pick the ones the size of my hand and leave the

-small ones on the plant to grow a bit longer.

-Let's get picking!

The kale is really easy to pick - it just snaps off the stalks.

-Right, boys this is called black kale.

-Black kale?

-Yeah!

Even though it's green, it's called black kale because it's so dark.

It smells really good!

And this is red kale.

Great work, everyone. Now we've got full baskets of kale,

we'll take them to the barn and prepare them for the customers.

Time to bunch up the kale.

We take a few leaves of each type until we have a handful.

Then we tie them together with elastic bands.

Finished!

What a busy day we've had!

All that picking and bunching's got me thirsty.

Why don't you try one of these, JB? It's a kale smoothie.

Wow! That looks delicious.

Mmm! Whilst I finish this,

why don't you find out what else happens in winter?

Did you know that horses have been used on farms for hundreds of years?

Because they are heavy and work really hard,

one of the most important parts of a horse is its feet.

These are called hooves.

This is Robert. He's a Farrier.

Farriers make sure horses' hooves are kept nice and healthy

and fit them with their own horse shoes.

They use lots of tools to fit the shoes but because horses can't feel

their hooves, it doesn't hurt them.

Horse shoes are just like shoes that you and I wear.

They're protect horses from roads and excessive wear on their feet.

Robert's putting new shoes on Randolf, a Clydesdale horse,

they have long silky hairs on the bottom part of their legs,

which look like fluffy socks. They're called feathers.

First, we need to take off Randolf's old shoes to trim the feet

and see the shape and size of them.

Robert removes any mud or dirt from Randolf's hoof and uses a file

to make it smooth before fitting a new shoe.

It's a bit like cutting and filing your finger nails.

The hoof is really thick so the horse doesn't feel anything.

I've trimmed the foot - now to fit the shoe.

Robert tries the new shoe against Randolf's foot

and then puts it into a small fire to heat it up.

Because it is metal,

he can use a hammer to reshape the hot shoe until it's a perfect fit

for Randolf.

Randolf will need his shoes changed in six weeks.

I use these special nails to keep the shoes on.

With the horseshoe fixed in place,

it's time for a final trim and file to make everything look smart.

Well, it looks like Randolf's shoes are a great fit!

HORSE NEIGHS

Storm, Rory and I have had an amazing time

and we hope you've enjoyed it too.

You can check out even more great things from Down on the Farm

on the CBeebies website.

See you next time. Bye!

# Come join us down on the farm today

# Learn about nature along the way

# From seas to crops and field to farm

# So much to do down on the farm

# Summer, autumn, winter spring, ploughing, planting, harvesting

# With JB and Storm to lead the way

# Come join us down on the farm today. #