newsletter 03/05/10
We’re still awaiting the warm weather to start heating the soil up here at Cobbinshaw. There have been frosts as the day has edged towards sunrise, on the last couple of mornings, not enough to damage anything under the protection of the poly-tunnel, thank goodness, but I put a layer of bubble wrap as extra insulation over the softer plants, just to make sure.
The tunnel is looking good, with a lot of the seeds sown in the last two weeks, germinating nicely. The seedlings that have been pricked out are sitting up straight and looking quite uniform, so I can’t ask for better than that. The next job that needs done, is to prick-out the leek seedlings that have been sown at the beginning of April. I’ll transplant them into individual plugs, then hopefully they’ll be ready to plant out by the middle of June. Some of the seedlings could do with a bit more heat, just to bring them on that bit faster. We haven’t had a lot of slug problems yet and I’m sure that is partly due to a big toad who has assumed some accommodation beneath the seed tray holding the celery. If anyone can come up with a name for her/him, just let me know.
One piece of bad news this week is that egg prices are going to have to rise at last. We’ve held off for ages, but we’re determined to stay far cheaper than the supermarkets, so you won’t be losing out. The eggs are going up to £1.80 per box from the 1st May 2010. Obviously, many of you will have left us a cheque for less than this, as you had no prior warning of the increase. If you don’t mind just adding the extra £0.30 to the next delivery that will suit us fine.
We’re also still tinkering with the delivery runs, just trying to make them as efficient as possible, so one or two of you may get deliveries on days you aren’t expecting them. Please accept my apologies for this short period of uncertainty. It will settle down to a regular day soon. We’re still trying to integrate the deliveries Brian used to do, without driving for too many hours at a time, or needing to get up ridiculously early. I think we’re nearly there now though.
We’ll be at Balerno farmers Market on Saturday from 9am til 1 pm. It would be great to see you there. It always helps if we can get some good weather.
The white cabbages in the bags this week, may be halved if they are too big. I know a lot of you get put off by trying to deal with vegetables that are too big and end up leading to waste.
Potatoes Solanum tuberosum. Tatties this week are Remarka a good general purpose potato.. Potatoes are the only commonly available source of B3 and Iodine. Excellent source of Vitamin C and also Vitamin B6, Potassium and fibre.
Onion Allium cepa. Used in stews, pasta dishes, soups. Source of Vitamins A and C, Iron, Calcium and Potassium .
Carrot Daucus carota 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.
Celeriac (1head). To prepare celeriac, treat it much as you would a swede. Peel it thickly and slice. As you slice the flesh drop it into a pan of cold water with a couple of drops of lemon juice to avoid discolouration. Here’s a recipe fpr Celeriac with mushroom stuffing: Prepare as above but slice crossways into discs 1 inch thick. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Drain and keep the celeriac warm under a dry cloth. Meanwhile, take 250g (1/2lb) mushrooms, keep whole if small and slice thickly if large. Fry the mushrooms in 50g (2oz) butter for 5 minutes until golden. Arrange the celeriac slices on individual plates, top with the fried mushrooms and sprinkle with paprika. Serve as an appetiser.
Radish Raphanus sativus (1 bunch) A good source of vitamin C, potassium and fibre. Wash your radish, cut the top and tail off and cut into salads. Give a fine burst of colour and a little kick to the taste buds.
White Cabbage Brassica oleracea Capitata Group There’s nothing like the crunch of bit of white cabbage with a bit of melted butter enhancing the flavour. Great accompaniment to any dish. Cabbage is a source of phytochemicals, Vitamin C, potassium, fibre , calcium and Vitamin B6. To cook, cut the cabbage into quarters, take out the central core and either cook it whole for 20 minutes in lightly salted boiling water, or shred it an cook it for 12-15 minutes. Serve up with melted butter over the top. Here is a recipe for Asian Coleslaw with Peanuts and Chilli: Combine the following for the dressing: a crushed garlic clove, ½ onion finely sliced, 1 chilli chopped, 1 tablespoon of thai fish sauce, 1 ½ tablespoons of brown sugar, 3 tablespoons of lemon juice and a dash of sweet chilli sauce. Whisk them together in a bowl and set aside. Mix together the following veg: ½ cabbage finely shredded, 3 carrots coarsley grated, 2 apples grated, 1 red pepper sliced, 1 tomato chopped and 2 tablespoons of crushed roasted peanuts and 100g of beansprouts if you have them. Toss the veg in the dressing sprinkle a few roasted peanuts on top and serve.
Garlic Allium sativum.( 1 head) Good for Vitamins A and C, calcium and iron. A crushed clove of garlic can enhance many savoury meals.
The tunnel is looking good, with a lot of the seeds sown in the last two weeks, germinating nicely. The seedlings that have been pricked out are sitting up straight and looking quite uniform, so I can’t ask for better than that. The next job that needs done, is to prick-out the leek seedlings that have been sown at the beginning of April. I’ll transplant them into individual plugs, then hopefully they’ll be ready to plant out by the middle of June. Some of the seedlings could do with a bit more heat, just to bring them on that bit faster. We haven’t had a lot of slug problems yet and I’m sure that is partly due to a big toad who has assumed some accommodation beneath the seed tray holding the celery. If anyone can come up with a name for her/him, just let me know.
One piece of bad news this week is that egg prices are going to have to rise at last. We’ve held off for ages, but we’re determined to stay far cheaper than the supermarkets, so you won’t be losing out. The eggs are going up to £1.80 per box from the 1st May 2010. Obviously, many of you will have left us a cheque for less than this, as you had no prior warning of the increase. If you don’t mind just adding the extra £0.30 to the next delivery that will suit us fine.
We’re also still tinkering with the delivery runs, just trying to make them as efficient as possible, so one or two of you may get deliveries on days you aren’t expecting them. Please accept my apologies for this short period of uncertainty. It will settle down to a regular day soon. We’re still trying to integrate the deliveries Brian used to do, without driving for too many hours at a time, or needing to get up ridiculously early. I think we’re nearly there now though.
We’ll be at Balerno farmers Market on Saturday from 9am til 1 pm. It would be great to see you there. It always helps if we can get some good weather.
The white cabbages in the bags this week, may be halved if they are too big. I know a lot of you get put off by trying to deal with vegetables that are too big and end up leading to waste.
Potatoes Solanum tuberosum. Tatties this week are Remarka a good general purpose potato.. Potatoes are the only commonly available source of B3 and Iodine. Excellent source of Vitamin C and also Vitamin B6, Potassium and fibre.
Onion Allium cepa. Used in stews, pasta dishes, soups. Source of Vitamins A and C, Iron, Calcium and Potassium .
Carrot Daucus carota 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.
Celeriac (1head). To prepare celeriac, treat it much as you would a swede. Peel it thickly and slice. As you slice the flesh drop it into a pan of cold water with a couple of drops of lemon juice to avoid discolouration. Here’s a recipe fpr Celeriac with mushroom stuffing: Prepare as above but slice crossways into discs 1 inch thick. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Drain and keep the celeriac warm under a dry cloth. Meanwhile, take 250g (1/2lb) mushrooms, keep whole if small and slice thickly if large. Fry the mushrooms in 50g (2oz) butter for 5 minutes until golden. Arrange the celeriac slices on individual plates, top with the fried mushrooms and sprinkle with paprika. Serve as an appetiser.
Radish Raphanus sativus (1 bunch) A good source of vitamin C, potassium and fibre. Wash your radish, cut the top and tail off and cut into salads. Give a fine burst of colour and a little kick to the taste buds.
White Cabbage Brassica oleracea Capitata Group There’s nothing like the crunch of bit of white cabbage with a bit of melted butter enhancing the flavour. Great accompaniment to any dish. Cabbage is a source of phytochemicals, Vitamin C, potassium, fibre , calcium and Vitamin B6. To cook, cut the cabbage into quarters, take out the central core and either cook it whole for 20 minutes in lightly salted boiling water, or shred it an cook it for 12-15 minutes. Serve up with melted butter over the top. Here is a recipe for Asian Coleslaw with Peanuts and Chilli: Combine the following for the dressing: a crushed garlic clove, ½ onion finely sliced, 1 chilli chopped, 1 tablespoon of thai fish sauce, 1 ½ tablespoons of brown sugar, 3 tablespoons of lemon juice and a dash of sweet chilli sauce. Whisk them together in a bowl and set aside. Mix together the following veg: ½ cabbage finely shredded, 3 carrots coarsley grated, 2 apples grated, 1 red pepper sliced, 1 tomato chopped and 2 tablespoons of crushed roasted peanuts and 100g of beansprouts if you have them. Toss the veg in the dressing sprinkle a few roasted peanuts on top and serve.
Garlic Allium sativum.( 1 head) Good for Vitamins A and C, calcium and iron. A crushed clove of garlic can enhance many savoury meals.
posted by thewholeshebag at 2:45 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home