Husband Pieter visiting Mushrooms in the Cave - Bradford-on-Avon in England

For husband Pieter it sure was not the first time to visit a mushroom farm inside the caves, as he would be doing in South-West England.
Pieter did sleep and stay at the home of the manager. Originally in this area were flax growers.

Mushroom Growing 1963 click on link for short 2:41 min. video

Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire.
Once the stone that built Bath was found in this mine, now it is used for growing mushrooms.
Various shots of women wearing miner's helmets. The women walk in the entrance to the mine carrying buckets, lead by team leader Dolly Laywood. Inside, the women pick the mushrooms growing in stacks of trays and place them in baskets. C/U of mushrooms. M/S of cave roof. C/U of candle stick attached to the cave wall.
These Marl Caves consisted of soft stone, that was sawn out for building cities!

Bradford-on-Avon Museum shows MUSHROOM CULTIVATION just click it.
Photos with the beds on the ground must be from before WWII era as they were growing already inside wooden trays by the time husband Pieter visited them.

BBC NEWS 4 April 2011 Bradford on Avon mushroom farm cave tenants sought click link
A 'rare opportunity' to rent space for 'unusual uses'...
No more commercial mushroom growing!

 Saturday September 29th 2018
Police find £1 million cannabis cave in hidden tunnels below picturesque village at disused quarry just click on link

So that was quite a change from quarry to commercial mushroom growing and into cannabis...

WHO would have guessed this at the time that husband Pieter visited?!

Thanks for reading along about husband Pieter's history in mushroom cultivation.

Related links:
Visiting A.G. Linfield Mushroom Compost Facility in England | previous post by me
Husband Pieter met with Darlington Spawn Makers and Fred Atkins in the U.K. | previous post by me
SO Happy for Having Met Another WRITING Mushroom Wife in the U.K. | previous post by me

Husband Pieter's Fond Relationship with Mushroom Growers in  the U.K. | previous post about Pieter's very first visit to a Mushroom Farm in England

Spring 2019 is Slowly Arriving

Just want to show you some blossom photos before we continue with more mushroom related history.

We had some rainy days and that is not best for Camellias, as they easily brown.
Here are four Pink Perfection beauties together inside a creamware cachepot on February 21.

On our kitchen bay window sill and as you can see, outside the grass is still brown!

An oval Wedgwood Cream Color on Cream Color bowl filled with White Camellias.

On a rainy day, February 19, I filled this silver plated vase with some fragrant Ehrlicheer Narcissus.
My hands reflect inside the glossy silver.
This vase is half a century old, a sweet gift from my sister Diny on my birthday!
Memories carried across the ocean...
Had to place this vase on the living room window sill for some light as it was a gloom day!
Longing for being able to use our balcony again but that takes some time.

This is our second Japanese Magnolia tree on Mom's 5th Birthday in heaven, February 12.

Closer view.
This is actually half of a tree as a big tree fell into it years ago and damaged half of it.
But it has grown back remarkably well over the years and we treasure its blossoms as they can be seen from the bay window in the kitchen and from the veranda.

This is the other tree that is looking a lot fuller. On the opposite side it will become fuller now since last year we had a big limb from the neighboring oak tree sawn off so the light can now reach the Magnolia tree.

A heavenly view from the kitchen bay window.

Look at all the leaves on the roof near the gutter... from heavy rain and wind!

This is five days later, most of the petals are knocked down from heavy rain...

Here you see that the tree had been growing more to the left, towards the light and on the right sight it will gradually fill in and become more rounded. That usually takes five years, Mother Nature takes its time for healing.

Hope you also are slowly enjoying spring flowers and of course the southern hemisphere still enjoys end of summer blossoms. 

Thanks for your visit and comments!

Visiting A.G. Linfield Mushroom Compost Facility in England

One of the numerous visits to England for husband Pieter J.C. Vedder was as a study for building a Dutch Compost Turner, as they already used in England.

A.G. Linfield Ltd., Chesswood Nurseries (mushrooms) was one of the largest mushroom producers in England.

 Harold Linfield, as well as his wife Cecily are also long time friends!

Beginning with this photo, taken a lot later than the actual visit, but it shows the person the story is about.

Husband Pieter J.C. Vedder to the left, at a B'day party of one of his students who joined Campbell Soup's mushroom business here in the US.

The date was August 25, 1984 and to the right is Jan Thielen from Lottum, The Netherlands.

A long time friend of Pieter and I would say, from both of us, as I knew him since my early years at the Training Centre.

Sadly Mr. Thielen is no longer alive but his son is still running the business.

This photo is taken by husband Pieter in 1962 when they studied how to build such a compost turner.

Actually Jan Thielen did, and thus THILOT was born...

In the photo is from left to right: Ben Ambrosius, Pieter Bels and Jan Veerman from the I.T.T. Wageningen (Technical Institute Wageningen University).

Husband Pieter did publish a booklet for the 25th anniversary of the Dutch C.N.C. from where this photo with under title comes.

During the study visit to a compost company in England in 1962. Seated on a compost turning machine, Mr. Veerman, Bels and Ambrosius are philosophizing about the future.

Jan Thielen is not in the picture but he was walking around, for studying the mechanics etc.

Britain from above: showing A.G. Linfield's Chesswood Nurseries (mushrooms) and the surrounding countryside, Thakeham, 1947. 

In the 1960s England was way ahead in the mushroom growing business but the Dutch caught on and became the world's leading industry.

This is from the 1986 publication: Moving Ahead in Mushroom Growing

The Industrialization of mushroom growing

Jan Thielen and son Ruud are pictured in front of their signature yellow colored equipment.

The BIG difference between England and The Netherlands was, is, that they started growing in shelf beds instead of the wooden trays used in England and also very much in the USA.

That way, things could be mechanized to the fullest and speeding up the labor.

You can enlarge this English text for reading...

Also seen in a 1983 THILOT HOLLAND ←video click on link.

Welcome - THILOT HOLLAND HAND SOWING MACHINE

Jan Thielen from Lottum, hence the combination Thi-Lot, was already producing various tools, just like his father did. Pieter got to know Jan from before ending up in the mushroom growing business.

At one time while still being an Assistent at State Horticulture Information Service, Pieter was specialized in asparagus, and Jan had built for him a special seeding machine, that Pieter designed... so he always remembered his long-time friend.

You can view here a short video with such an original 1930s type seeding machine: Zaaien met een Thilotje just click through.

Son Ruud Thielen now is part of GTL Europe Equipment | GTL Europe

Thilot machines have an excellent reputation in the world of composting and mushroom growing. Even after decades of service, many of these instantly recognizable yellow machines still work every day.

History | GTL Europe

Thilot Holland (founded in 1966, Lottum) has developed over the past 50 years into a successful, professional manufacturer of reliable and durable composting and mushroom growing equipment.

Related links: 

Husband Pieter met with Darlington Spawn Makers and Fred Atkins in the U.K. | previous post by me

SO Happy for Having Met Another WRITING Mushroom Wife in the U.K. | previous post by me

Husband Pieter's Fond Relationship with Mushroom Growers in  the U.K. | previous post about Pieter's very first visit to a Mushroom Farm in England