Organic Food Production
From the early days, when the founders famously grew exceptionally large vegetables in their modest family garden, to today’s gardens and growing projects, co-creation with nature and producing food locally have always been part of life at Findhorn.
In 1994, a pioneering Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) scheme called EarthShare was established, using organic and biodynamic farming methods to increase the supply of locally grown food. It was the first CSA scheme in the UK.
Over the following 15 years, EarthShare expanded from five to 25 acres and worked alongside Cullerne Gardens, then the Findhorn Foundation’s market garden. Across three growing sites, it supplied much of the community’s temperate vegetables, including the Foundation’s kitchens and more than 100 local households.
EarthShare’s success inspired the Soil Association and other bodies to launch wider initiatives in the late 1990s and 2000s, contributing to the development of the national CSA Network UK.
After EarthShare ceased operating in 2010, other initiatives continued the tradition of locally grown and organic food.
Today, Cullerne Gardens has been brought back into productive use as a project of Ekopia Social Investments Ltd. Four acres are cultivated using a no-dig system to produce ecologically grown seasonal vegetables, salads and herbs. Cullerne once again operates on a Community Supported Agriculture model, with people able to subscribe for a regular veg box and share in the harvest. Boxes can be collected from Cullerne or delivered locally in Findhorn, Kinloss, Forres and Elgin.
In this way, a tradition stretching back to Findhorn’s earliest days continues: growing food locally, working with nature and strengthening the connection between people and the land.
