On September 25, 1988 we flew on British Airways, in 7 hours and 10 minutes to London.
We were again on our way to the next MGA Conference with some extra time spent visiting colleagues and friends.
September 26, arrival in London and we did take the train to Pulborough, West Sussex.
The Roundabout Hotel West Sussex click link
We arrived early at The Roundabout Hotel and by 10:30 went to Harold Linfield's mushroom farm and had lunch there.
The entire afternoon we spent with them at the mushroom farm.
By 17:00 back to the hotel and we ate at the restaurant of The Roundabout Hotel with Peter & Lydia Baker and Harold & Cecily Linfield.
By 23:00 we went to bed.
No jet lag problems and straight at arrival to work...
But nevertheless the bed felt GREAT!
On September 27, we first did go at 9:00 to the old Linfield mushroom farm to see the huge open breakfast mushrooms.
Due to the heavy spore count, they kept these open breakfast mushroom sheds far away from their regular growing rooms. Those spores 'could' carry the dreaded mushroom virus, so-called 'die-back disease'...
On the above photo I'm showing them to the viewer, wearing my silk Burberry plaid scarf and Burberry cotton sweater... Of course, honoring the British!
To the right is Mr. Harold Linfield.
I've done a harvest demonstration for them as well.
We also went to GCRI (Glasshouse Crops Research Institute in Littlehampton, West Sussex, where Pieter met with his colleagues. Always a worthwhile exchange of knowledge on both sides!
We had lunch at a local pub in Littlehampton.
We went back to our hotel by 16:00 and had a supper on our own.
September 28, we did ride with Mike and Mary Rowland to Cambridge where the MGA Conference would be held again.
Stay tuned...
Thanks for your vist and comment.
We were again on our way to the next MGA Conference with some extra time spent visiting colleagues and friends.
September 26, arrival in London and we did take the train to Pulborough, West Sussex.
We arrived early at The Roundabout Hotel and by 10:30 went to Harold Linfield's mushroom farm and had lunch there.
The entire afternoon we spent with them at the mushroom farm.
By 17:00 back to the hotel and we ate at the restaurant of The Roundabout Hotel with Peter & Lydia Baker and Harold & Cecily Linfield.
By 23:00 we went to bed.
No jet lag problems and straight at arrival to work...
But nevertheless the bed felt GREAT!
Due to the heavy spore count, they kept these open breakfast mushroom sheds far away from their regular growing rooms. Those spores 'could' carry the dreaded mushroom virus, so-called 'die-back disease'...
On the above photo I'm showing them to the viewer, wearing my silk Burberry plaid scarf and Burberry cotton sweater... Of course, honoring the British!
To the right is Mr. Harold Linfield.
I've done a harvest demonstration for them as well.
We also went to GCRI (Glasshouse Crops Research Institute in Littlehampton, West Sussex, where Pieter met with his colleagues. Always a worthwhile exchange of knowledge on both sides!
We had lunch at a local pub in Littlehampton.
We went back to our hotel by 16:00 and had a supper on our own.
September 28, we did ride with Mike and Mary Rowland to Cambridge where the MGA Conference would be held again.
Stay tuned...
Thanks for your vist and comment.
Related link:
Visiting A.G. Linfield Mushroom Compost Facility in England | previous post by me
Dearest Mariette,
ReplyDeletethose Mushroom Farms are really interesting! The mushrooms you have there, are so big! Yummi, great to fill up with delicious stuff ;O)
Wishing you and Pieter a lovely day,
Love and hugs, Claudia xo
Dearest Claudia,
DeleteThese are the so-called breakfast mushrooms and they indeed are huge, for filling.
The ones I am holding here are good quality with broad stems!
Hugs to you,
Mariette
Liebe Mariette,
ReplyDeletein gewohnter Schönheit.
Sonnige Grüße
Elisabeth
Liebe Elisabeth,
DeleteDanke, es hat uns immer Freude gemacht diese Arbeit.
Liebe Grüße,
Mariette
Dear Mariette - the Roundabout hotel looks to be an interesting hotel - my husband used to be taken to Littlehampton by his family when he was a young boy during the summertime.
ReplyDeleteDearest Rosemary,
DeleteThe Roundabout was indeed a great hotel.
We have come to Littlehampton more often for a visit to GCRI, but the lunch at the local pub was a fun experience.
Great that your husband has some fond memories of this area as well!
Hugs,
Mariette
Hello Mariette, I did not know that there were mushroom viruses, but I know how serious they are in horticulture and agriculture in general. Sanitation is the best defense--destroying all unused or infected plants, and keeping potential sources of infection far apart, as you recommend here.
ReplyDeleteThat is why it is dangerous to bring wild plants into a commercial farm, which would be a problem for me as I would like to rescue rare varieties that have gone wild or exist in the wild.
--Jim
Dearest Jim,
DeleteOh yes, there are several diseases in mushroom growing, most competitor molds. But the dreaded virus, the 'die-back-disease' is disastrous. My task always has been to raise awareness for hygiene, treating a harvesting room like working in a hospital! Hair should be pulled back, not loose hanging and touching growing surfaces, neither baggy and loose clothing that would touch. That was my issue in India with the 'sweeping' sarees that I had to change into pants for this very purpose.
For the very same reason the US is prohibiting to bring in any plants... that could be disastrous too for diseases.
Anything taken out of its natural environment could spread and take over and become dangerous.
The entire science of mushroom growing is to kill off all other organisms by making the substrate selective through pasteurization and to further create the optimum environment for only the species we commercially want to grow and no other competitor molds! But still a tricky thing as hygiene is a big issue.
Hugs,
Mariette
Hi Mariette! There have been huge mushrooms of great size!
ReplyDeleteDearest Anne,
DeleteYes, these huge open ones are perfect due to still having a very broad stem - a quality indicator.
Hugs,
Mariette
Estas imágenes es una buena manera de recordar ese viaje. Viendo cada una de ellas hasta recuerdas los sntimientos que experimentastes al hacer la fotografía.
ReplyDeleteBesos
Querida Ventana de Foto,
DeleteDe hecho, el poder de las fotos es traer de vuelta a la vida buenos recuerdos!
Gracias por su visita y abrazos,
Mariette
The Roundabout hotel is a pretty building, love the thatched roof.
ReplyDeleteThose are huge mushrooms Mariette.
Dearest Sami,
DeleteYes, the Roundabout is a very attractive thatched roof building.
These are superb breakfast mushrooms indeed. They are very British and also in South Africa and in Australia you will find them. Here in the US they gave them a different name: Portobello mushrooms! They are after all the more mature white button mushrooms, only older... Shortly before releasing their spores as that is the sole purpose of a mushroom.
Hugs,
Mariette
It is always such a good read when I get here and see what you were and are doing. You have the energy of two people I think! I don't know about diseases of the mushroom until just now. The die-back has to be the worst! I wonder how such a thing starts?
ReplyDeleteDearest Katie Isabella,
DeleteHaving the energy of two people is above all a mind set. Being positive and just go for it and do it! Both of us have always done that and so far it worked out. Once we had come back from Australia and went straight to a Christmas party and there was a lady with a 'teenage' daughter that had to be brought home and put to bed because she suffered from jet lag, coming home the previous day from California. Both of us looked at each other and wondered!
Well, any such disease are always out there lurking at an opportunity to attack. At all times we have to make sure that the substrate is the best we can make, where competitor molds cannot grow and where our chosen mushrooms thrive for being healthy and strong. Hygiene levels have to be very high, like in a hospital and never moving from old(er) harvest rooms into newer ones. Also the temperature, moisture levels in the casing layer as well as relative humidity in the room has to be in the optimum. After all, we're just mimicking Mother Nature's Fall Season in a very high tech and sophisticated way! So if you keep all that under control, you're safe.
Just like humans, if we are well fed and well rested we are far less prone to any virus or flu attack. Having not slept well for weeks and not eaten well and then being in an environment where others are suffering from illness, may infect us easily.
It usually takes quite some training for changing the mind set of all workers in that field! That was my task for doing so in several languages as the workers in harvesting 'seldom' had university level with a command of English!
But we loved the challenge.
Sending you hugs,
Mariette
Just yesterday I was talking with my husband about your journey as a mentor to the mushroom growers. You have a vast experience from different countries and different culture.
ReplyDeleteDearest Krishna,
DeleteThank you so much for your kind words. We both have always loved what we were doing and did it with great passion and always with the goal to help others.
It has been the best experience indeed for getting to know so many cultures more in depth.
Hugs,
Mariette
Those mushrooms look so huge! If the virus is called "die-back disease", it must be really bad.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice of you to choose the clothing to honor the British :-)
Have a wonderful weekend, Mariette!
Dearest Tamago,
DeleteThose breakfast mushrooms were of incredible size and quality!
Yes, the 'die-back disease' is a disaster and the entire production is lost. Having to start all over and hoping for the best.
It is only natural to honor them for their national products and we both love Burberry.
Enjoy your weekend too and sending you hugs,
Mariette