Newsletter week commencing 31st May 2010
It was a bit of a shock to the system to slide back to the threat of frosty mornings again over the last few days. It was pretty close to freezing last night, however, if the weather forecasters are to be believed, and the fact that we are now into June, I think we can put the fleece and the bubble-wrap insulation away until the autumn. Lynda’s started to plant out some of the softer plants in her cut-flower garden. Her collection of Allium varieties is going to be a riot of colour over the next three or four weeks going by the amount of full buds in evidence.
On the vegetable side of things, I’ve sown another batch of salads and a few extra herbs and pricked out a full tray of basil. I have high hopes of getting a huge crop so that I can make a huge amount of pesto sauce for the freezer. I tried it for the first time last year and it was a success so here’s hoping for a good crop. The plants haven’t liked this cold snap, but I think they’ll be strong enough to pull through. We lost a lot of our soft fruit potential yesterday when the cows from the neighbouring farm broke down a gate and had a feast on the currant and gooseberry bushes. Their big tongues could just wrap round a dangling truss of partially formed berrys and whisk them straight off. The berries in the centre of the plants survived OK and nothing else was damaged, so it could have been much worse.
This week, I’m going to have to concentrate on pricking out the second batch of brassicas, along with sowing another batch to follow on. I also need to keep on top of the weed situation. With the bit of damp weather we’ve had the weeds are starting to move. The only bed that looks a bit green at the moment is the potato plot, but the potatoes seem to be taking forever to emerge, so it’s hard to weed confidently without doing some damage. I may just run the ridging plough through the rows to give myself a bit more time to weed them thoroughly once I can see the tattie plants themselves.
We don’t have any markets or gala days this weekend. We attended the Claylands nursery fete, near Newbridge on the outskirts of Edinburgh, last Saturday. The rain threatened but stayed off for the whole time we were there and we all had a great time.
Potatoes Solanum tuberosum. Tatties this week are Cara 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.
Kohl-rabi ( 1 head) Brassica oleracea Gongylodes Group - Excellent source of Vitamin C and potassium. This vegetable deserves to be far more popular in Scotland than it is considering how sweet and juicy the flesh is. Eaten raw, it has almost the texture of an apple. However, it is most often steamed or cut into stews. Just prepare them as you would for a turnip. Here’s a recipe to try: Trim and peel the kohl-rabi and cut into ½ inch slices. Blanch for 5 minutes in boiling water, with a litle lemon juice added. Drain and refresh in cold water. Melt 3oz ( 75g) butter in a pan, add 2 tablespoons of water and the kohl-rabi slices. Cover with a lid and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Sprinkle the kohl-rabi with salt if preferred, lift the slices out and arrange in a shallow serving dish. Stir a tablespoon of chives and a tablespoon of parsley into the cooking liquid and spoon this over the vegetable.
Spring Onions Allium fistulosum (1 bunch) Good source of vitamin C and A, calcium, iron, potassium, protein and phytochemicals. This salad onion can be used in salads and sandwiches. Both green and white parts of the plant can be used. In Ayrshire, where I was brought up, they were called Cybes.
Leek Alllium porrum (2 head) Leeks are used to give a creamy texture to soups. They can also be served as an accompanying vegetable, and may be boiled, braised, steamed or fried. To prepare, cut off the root base and any damaged upper leaves. Rinse in running cold water to wash away the grit that gets caught between the leaves. Boil in minimum of salted water. Whole or halved leeks need 15-20 minutes while rings and slices need about 10 minutes. Drain then return to the pan to steam off any remaining water. Serve with a knob of butter, or coated in a white sauce or cheese sauce.
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.
On the vegetable side of things, I’ve sown another batch of salads and a few extra herbs and pricked out a full tray of basil. I have high hopes of getting a huge crop so that I can make a huge amount of pesto sauce for the freezer. I tried it for the first time last year and it was a success so here’s hoping for a good crop. The plants haven’t liked this cold snap, but I think they’ll be strong enough to pull through. We lost a lot of our soft fruit potential yesterday when the cows from the neighbouring farm broke down a gate and had a feast on the currant and gooseberry bushes. Their big tongues could just wrap round a dangling truss of partially formed berrys and whisk them straight off. The berries in the centre of the plants survived OK and nothing else was damaged, so it could have been much worse.
This week, I’m going to have to concentrate on pricking out the second batch of brassicas, along with sowing another batch to follow on. I also need to keep on top of the weed situation. With the bit of damp weather we’ve had the weeds are starting to move. The only bed that looks a bit green at the moment is the potato plot, but the potatoes seem to be taking forever to emerge, so it’s hard to weed confidently without doing some damage. I may just run the ridging plough through the rows to give myself a bit more time to weed them thoroughly once I can see the tattie plants themselves.
We don’t have any markets or gala days this weekend. We attended the Claylands nursery fete, near Newbridge on the outskirts of Edinburgh, last Saturday. The rain threatened but stayed off for the whole time we were there and we all had a great time.
Potatoes Solanum tuberosum. Tatties this week are Cara 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.
Kohl-rabi ( 1 head) Brassica oleracea Gongylodes Group - Excellent source of Vitamin C and potassium. This vegetable deserves to be far more popular in Scotland than it is considering how sweet and juicy the flesh is. Eaten raw, it has almost the texture of an apple. However, it is most often steamed or cut into stews. Just prepare them as you would for a turnip. Here’s a recipe to try: Trim and peel the kohl-rabi and cut into ½ inch slices. Blanch for 5 minutes in boiling water, with a litle lemon juice added. Drain and refresh in cold water. Melt 3oz ( 75g) butter in a pan, add 2 tablespoons of water and the kohl-rabi slices. Cover with a lid and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Sprinkle the kohl-rabi with salt if preferred, lift the slices out and arrange in a shallow serving dish. Stir a tablespoon of chives and a tablespoon of parsley into the cooking liquid and spoon this over the vegetable.
Spring Onions Allium fistulosum (1 bunch) Good source of vitamin C and A, calcium, iron, potassium, protein and phytochemicals. This salad onion can be used in salads and sandwiches. Both green and white parts of the plant can be used. In Ayrshire, where I was brought up, they were called Cybes.
Leek Alllium porrum (2 head) Leeks are used to give a creamy texture to soups. They can also be served as an accompanying vegetable, and may be boiled, braised, steamed or fried. To prepare, cut off the root base and any damaged upper leaves. Rinse in running cold water to wash away the grit that gets caught between the leaves. Boil in minimum of salted water. Whole or halved leeks need 15-20 minutes while rings and slices need about 10 minutes. Drain then return to the pan to steam off any remaining water. Serve with a knob of butter, or coated in a white sauce or cheese sauce.
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.
posted by thewholeshebag at 4:58 PM
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