NEWSLETTER FOR W/C 16/01/2007

To start with, this week, I’ve got a couple of apologies to make. Sally, who has been helping out with the packing side of the Whole shebag operation for the last six months or so, has been off sick since the week before Christmas, with this virus that seems to be afflicting half the population of Scotland. It’s been hard work delivering during the day and packing at night and I ended up not quite making it by the second half of last week. Many of you on Thursday and Friday deliveries received your bags a day later then expected. I’m really sorry if it caused you any inconvenience. This also leads me on to my second apology. I was out dlivering Friday’s bags on Saturday, so didn’t make it to the farmers market in Balerno as I had intimated I would be. It may have been called off due to inclement weather anyway, however, I’m sorry if you went down there hoping to buy some extra organic produce, to find none. Sally is still off this week, but ever the optimist, I’m hoping everyones bag will be on time.
On the subject of markets, the Linlithgow market will go ahead once per month on the 4th Saturday from February, so we hope to see you there.
The other main news this week is that, as intimated last week, eggs are going up by 10p per half dozen to £1.40. Apparently there has been a further rise in the cost of organic feed to the producers. We’ve absorbed one price hike about 6 months ago but feel we have no choice other than to pass on this increase. As far as I’m aware, we still have some of the lowest priced and highest quality eggs around but let me know if you know differently.
On the farm, we are starting to look forward to the growing season ahead. With the amount of water lying everywhere, it looks like it could be April before we can get a tractor on the land to plough, we could really do with a dry windy spell to get rid of some of the excess moisture. As soon as sally is back, I should get the chance to sit down and order all the seeds for the planting season. That’s when I feel we’ve really got into the New Year of work.
Potatoes Solanum tuberosum (approx 2.0Kg) The varieties this week are: Sante (oval shaped, white skins) or Robinta (red skins). They are good general purpose tatties, neither too waxy or too floury, so satisfactory to be cooked in any way you like. Potatoes are the only commonly available source of B3 and Iodine. They are an excellent source of Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Potassium and fibre.
Onion Allium cepa ( approx 450g). Used in stews, pasta dishes, soups – in almost any type of cooking. Source of Vitamins A and C as well as Iron, Calcium and Potassium.
Carrot Daucus carota (approx 450g). Carrots are eaten fresh in salads or cooked in just about any way you like. They are an excellent source of Vitamin A and also contain significant amounts of Vitamins B, C, D, E and K. and Potassium.. Some major variations in size again as no two carrots in the field seem to be alike.
Savoy Cabbage Brassica oleracea Capitata Group..(1 head) Excellent source of Vitamins B6 and C and also a source of potassium and fibre and phytochemicals. To cook, cut into quarters, cut out the hard core shred and wash under running cold water, then boil or steam for 7-10 minutes. This recipe is quite close to the traditional bubble and squeak:- Prepare the cabbage as above and put in a pan of lightly saltd boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain thoroughly. Remove the rind and gristle from 6oz ( 175g) of bacon, chop crossways into narrow strips and put in a heavy based pan. Fry the bacon until crisp, and the fat begin to run then add a finely chopped onion and cook until soft. Add the drained cabbage, stirring continuously until well coated. Season to taste with salt, pepper and cook through.
Pepper Capsicum sp. (1 head) Slice off the top and scoop out and discard all the membranes and seeds. Slice up the flesh and add to salads or cook into stew and pasta sauces.
Parsnip Pastinaca sativa ( 350g) Source of Vitamin C, folic acid, potassium, and fibre. Peel thickly than cut off the top and bottom of the root then cut slice into long chunks. Boil in lightly salted boiling water for 20 minutes or parboil for 10 then roast in the oven for 20 minutes.
Leek Allium porrum ( 1 head) Slice up your leek than wash thoroughly, as soil sometimes gets trapped down in the leaf axils. Probably best used in soup to give a creamy texture or in an omelette or flan.

NEWSLETTER FOR W/C 09/01/2007

Happy New Year! All the best for 2007 from all of us at The Whole Shebag. If you had been reading your newsletters towards the end of last year, you would realise we were off on holiday last week. We’ve celebrated the last few New Years’ in Braemar and this year was no exception, although this was the first I can remember with no snow. We had a busy time of it: eating and drinking too much; but still finding time to head off into the hills for a walk or three. We hope your festive season went to plan and you are raring to go for the coming year.
The first job I had to do when I got back was check for damage after the storm at Hogmanay. I was quite surprised because it didn’t seem that bad up North, but we lost a couple of chimney pots at Cobbinshaw, and anything that could move has moved, nothing really serious though. The next job was to tow the tractor from it’s bogged down position. It has sat in the mud for a month because I’ve been too busy to do anything about it. It’s now safely back in the shed.
I’ve been informed that due to organic poultry feed prices going up, the price of eggs is increasing. From next week the price of 6 eggs will go up by 10p to £1.40. Apologies for the increase, however, I believe we are still one of the cheapest sources of organic eggs even with this increase.
We’ll be at Balerno Farmers Market this Saturday, so, look forward to seeing you there if you can make it.
Potatoes Solanum tuberosum (approx 2.0Kg) The varieties this week are: Sante (oval shaped, white skins) or Robinta (red skins). They are good general purpose tatties, neither too waxy or too floury, so satisfactory to be cooked in any way you like. Potatoes are the only commonly available source of B3 and Iodine. They are an excellent source of Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Potassium and fibre.
Onion Allium cepa ( approx 450g). Used in stews, pasta dishes, soups – in almost any type of cooking. Source of Vitamins A and C as well as Iron, Calcium and Potassium.
Carrot Daucus carota (approx 450g). Carrots are eaten fresh in salads or cooked in just about any way you like. They are an excellent source of Vitamin A and also contain significant amounts of Vitamins B, C, D, E and K. and Potassium.. Some major variations in size again as no two carrots in the field seem to be alike.
Swede Brassica napa. (1head). Cut off the top and bottom of the swede then peel thickly. Cut into cubes or big chunks and boil for 30-40 minutes or alternatively, parboil then set around a roast in the oven for the last 30 minutes of cooking time. Excellent boiled, then mashed with butter and cream.
Kale Brassica oleracea Acephala Group..(200g) Kale is an excellent source of Vitamins A and C and also a source of potassium, copper, calcium, fibre and phytochemicals. To cook, strip the leaves off of the tough midrib, then shred and wash in cold, running water. Then steam for 10 minutes and serve with melted butter and season with pepper or ground cloves. You can make Colcannon by draining the kale after boiling then setting it aside. Take a finely chopped onion and put it in a pan with 150ml of milk. Bring it to the boil then remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 10 minutes. Blend about 375g of mashed potatoes with the finely chopped kale, then heat through gently, adding as much of the milk and onion mixture as it will absorb to give the consistency of creamed potatoes. Put in a serving dish, make a depression in the centre and pour in some melted butter.
Celeriac (1 head To prepare your celeriac, peel off the thick outer skin and chop into chunks or juliennes and leave in water with afew drops of lemon juice until required for cooking. I usually give you a recipe for soup, but here’s something completely different: Celeriac and mixed seed salad:- Heat a frying pan and add 15g of sunflower seeds, 15g of pumpkin seeds and a teaspoon of salt. Roast, stirring frequently, til they start to pop. Remove from the heat and set aside. Shred the prepared celeriac and toss it in 150g of yoghurt, a crushed garlic clove, the juice of ½ a lime, pepper, and a tablespoon each of parsley and coriander. Chuck in most of the seeds, reserving some to sprinkle over the salad just before serving. Seve with french bread and some winter salad leaves.
Garlic Allium sepa. ( 1 head) Use to add flavour to any savoury dishes. Watch you don’t overdo it – a little goes a long way.