Keep the Neep

At We hae meat we are rooted in Scottish tradition. While most families this Halloween will be carving pumpkins lanterns, we will be carving neep lanterns. 

Our love for the neep begins in August when we sow stubble turnips on our farm at a rate that will make your head spin - 600,000 seeds per acre! Stubble turnips grow smaller and faster than regular turnips, making them perfect for planting later in the year, after our cereal harvest. 

Let's do some math - with a 75% germination rate, that's a whopping 450,000 turnips per acre. This year, we had 97.5 acres of these stubble turnips, which adds up to a jaw-dropping 43,875,000 stubble turnips. To put that in perspective, we could fill four Olympic-sized swimming pools with them! That's enough for each of Scotland's 5.4 million residents to eat seven turnips each and still have one extra to turn into a lantern. 

Each average-sized stubble turnips weighs about 150 grams. So, when you add it all up, we're looking at a colossal 6,581 tonnes of turnips! That's a whole lot of neep lantern potential.
After the cereal harvest, in the winter months our stubble turnips will be grazed on by around 7,500 sheep, along with other crops including black oats, pulses and radishes - though the sheep need a little convincing to embrace the radishes!

Our regenerative farming practices mean that we're not just producing neep lanterns but also enriching the land. These practices improve soil quality, combat compaction, and promote better drainage. Plus, they reduce the need for artificial fertilisers for the next crop. What's often hailed as ‘regenerative farming’ is really just our age-old, traditional family farming at its finest.

This Halloween, we invite you to embrace the spirit and #KeepTheNeep alive for some spine-chilling fun! While pumpkins may be the stars of Halloween elsewhere, in Scotland, we truly believe it is all about the humble turnip. Get carving and keep the neep-tastic Scottish tradition going!