Sustaining Dunbar seeks to rebuild a local food culture by reconnecting consumers with where their food comes from, rebuilding local markets for farmers and growers and recreating local food processing facilities. We also want to enable anyone who wants to grow their own food to have access to an allotment or garden and to establish skill sharing in food growing, food preservation, seed saving and composting.
To date the food group has been instrumental in setting up Dunbar Allotments Association, Dunbar Community Bakery and in organising two very successful Apple Days. The Food Group is currently seeking someone to take on the roll of convenor as Sarah Wall has had to step down because of other commitments. Please don’t be shy about coming forward.
Allotments
Anyone can put their name on the Allotments waiting list by emailing Stuart Pryde, ringing him on 01620 827430, or there is more information on the East Lothian Council’s allotment policy website.
Channel 4′s Landshare Initiative
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is trying to link people and plots throughout the country through this Landshare programme. Sign up at the Landshare website.
Fruit Trees
Many people have fruit trees in their gardens which produce more food than they themselves can eat. Sarah and Chris are putting together a map of Dunbar with all the local fruit trees on it. This can be found here: View Fruit Tree Map
If you would llike to add to this map, you first need to create a Google Account here, and then view the map using the link above.
Carbon footprint
We have pledged to investigate just how far our food produce has to travel before we can access it. We will ask Peter the Butcher how far meat travels between farm, slaughterhouse and his shop. Eventually we can make the case for more local slaughtering – e.g. each county has its own facility. We will look at whether or not there is a relationship between fish landed at Dunbar Harbour and the High St fish shop, and what we might do to improve this. The Crunchy Carrot already deals with local producers as much as possible for veg, fruit and eggs and of course has always happily taken garden surplus.
The food group are hoping to put together a calender and directoryto identify when/where local produce becomes available. This may take the shape of a target with the center being local and then outer rings identifying produce from Scotland then England, Europe etc. Linked to this is the idea of starting a project similar to the one running in Fife, the Fife Diet.
Other ideas from a brainstorming session faciliated by Susan Guy produced lots of ideas for investigation. These are listed below (in no particular order)
- The use of one of the poly tunnels at Belhaven Fruit Farm
- Identification of allotment sites around Dunbar
- Finding out those who have gardens but want help planting out for veg etc and linking them up with people who don’t have gardens
- Community Bee keeping
- Business or Community allotment
- Celebrate and make known the good things already happening
- Fish farms off shore
- Local currency
- Allotment/ gardening club: teaching people to grow their own veg
- Seed exchange
- Shops and restaurants using local produce
- Identify sources of unused fruit trees in gardens
- Encourage children to learn about where food comes from and its impact on the environment
- Local fish available locally. In schools?
- Community and school visits to local food producers e.g. fish farm, fruit
farm, Knowes Farm, Phantassie Farm - Produce a pack about Dunbar for new residents to the area
- Food festival and directory
Useful Links
Forth Valley Food Links has a good local produce page, info on allotments, info on what forth valley council is doing to support local produce and their producers
Anyone who is interested in how we might feed ourselves in future as well as in future employment and settlement patterns would do well to read Simon Fairlie’s recently published article Can Britain Feed Itself?
A possible model for local food production: Stroud Community Agriculture
Lancaster District Sustainability Partnership have produced a useful document called Eat Local which outlines their plans for encouraging Lancashire residents to eat local food.
We also like the sound of the Food Up Front scheme which encourages Londoners to use their front gardens and balconies to grow and share healthy, natural food.
