Newsletter w/c 21st June 2010

Andy’s off on hols this week. He’s away up to Kenmore for the week, so I’m on the delivery runs for a wee change. Then it’s our turn for a holiday as we head off to France for a week next Monday. Andy will manage all his usual deliveries but won’t be able to cover the Wednesday run, so there won’t be any delivery on Wednesday 30th June. No one else will be affected, only the people due a delivery on the 30th.

The weather, here at Cobbinshaw, has been hot and dry all week, so I’ve been getting a lot done. Weather like this makes weed control so much easier as the weeds just don’t get a chance to re-root after they’ve been cut out with the hoe. I’m not completely up to date with weeding, but I don’t think the field has looked as good as this at this stage of the year before. The only problem, is the little beetle that eats all green leaves, but even he seems to be less destructive now. The second sowings are faring a lot better than the earlier ones. I’ll need to think of ways of protecting the earlier crops next year. The potatoes have been ridged up for the second time and that always makes that plot look a lot neater. I’m still in a battle with the jerusalem artichokes to try to keep them in a tidy row. They want to sprout up anywhere within 10 ft of the row they are supposed to be in.

This week I just want to get the field ready for a weeks break. The salad plot is only half planted at the moment and I want to direct sow another batch of all the varieties before I leave. I’ve also got another batch of brassicas to prick-out and the remainder of the batch of salad that Andy started pricking-out last week. So I’ll be ready for my holiday by the time Sunday night comes.
A major bonus from the good weather is the fast growth in the plants that have survived beetle-attack. I’ve managed to include some of our own produce in the bags this week. The large bags will have a spinach, mizuna and rocket salad mix. There is a few more holes in them than you get in the supermarket, but we won’t charge any extra for them. When you receive them, take them out of the plastic bag, steep them in a basin of cold water and drain thoroughly in a colandar or salad spinner. Re-bag them again and put hem in the fridge til you need them. The leaves will keep for a week at least if needed, but I’m sure they’ll be polished off before that. We also have our own radishes in some of the bags too. They’ll just need a good clean before you use them. If the skin is a bit rough, peel it, but otherwise, just use it as you normally would. The rabbits and guinea-pigs will enjoy the leaves.

Here’s a list of what you can expect in the standard bag this week. Substitutions may occur.

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.

White Cabbage Brassica oleracea Capitata Group. (1 head) It’s the first time we’ve had white cabbage in the bags for about a month. Some of them were pretty big, so we cut them in half. To cook, simply wash in cold running water, removing any marked outer leaves. Quarter the cabbage, then cut out the core. Shred the leaves, then boil or steam for about 8 – 10 minutes until the leaves start to wilt. You want to retain a bit of a crunch! Drain thoroughly and tip into a warmed serving dish with butter melting over the top. Can also be cut finely into salads and gives the crunch to a summer coleslaw.

Tomato Lycopersicon esculentum.( Good for Vitamins A and C, potassium and iron. To cook tomatoes are used for many peoples favourite soup, they are added to casseroles, folded into omelettes and served grilled with a little butter and salt and pepper on top. Obviously, the most common usage at this time of year is fresh in salads.

Courgette Cucurbita pepo (1 head) Source of Vitamins A and C , calcium, iron and fibre. Prepare by wshing and trimming both ends. Courgettes can be coked whole or in slices, or they can be cut in half lengthways filled with stuffing and baked. Boil courgettes in lightly salted water for 15-20 minutes. Sliced courgettes may be steamed in butter for 10 minutes. Halved courgettes may be parboiled for 5 minutes the finished in the oven, in a well-buttered dish for 25 minutes at 190oC (375oF) Gas Mark 5.

Flat Beans (1 bag) A wee treat for you this week, some flat beans. Just wash them in cold water then cut them into salads, stir-fries or steam them and have them as a side veg.

Newsletter w/c 14th June 2010

It’s been a week of ups and downs as far as the veg production goes, but that happens every year. We never seem to get everything growing just the way we want it to. There seems to be a little beetle in the field (well a few thousand of them) with a voracious appetite for anything that is green. Weeds and vegetables alike are getting annihilated by the little pest. There are whole areas of the field that are bare earth. Andy was congratulating me on my weed control until I pointed out I hadn’t touched that part of the field except to sow carrots that certainly germinated well, but have since disappeared. Radishes and turnips and spinach have all suffered quite badly so far, but I hope later sowings may fare better. On the plus side the onions and shallots and garlic are all looking splendid, I’ve managed to keep the jerusalem artichokes from taking over everything around them and they’re growing well, the tatties are looking great and broad beans look really strong. So I’ve no need to get too despondent, it’s just annoying when we don’t get the benefit of the time and energy spent preparing the ground and sowing these plants just so they can be eaten by a beetle
Last week I planted a lot of brassicas and a few salad varieties, although there weren’t quite as many ready for the field as I thought. So this week I’ll get them planted and a whole batch of leeks that are ready too. There are also some herbs to go in. I’ve fallen behind a bit with the pricking out of seedlings so I need to get a move on with that too.
The urgency to get finished is due to the fact that Andy is off on holiday next week, so I’ll be carrying out all the deliveries. The week after that we’re taking our summer break for 1 week. Andy will deliver the bags that he usually does, however, I won’t be able to do the deliveries I usually do on the Wednesday ( June 30th). We usually take our holidays in the UK but this year,. Lynda, the boys and I, are off to Carcassonne near the French/Spanish border to sample continental life. Everything should be back to the normal routine by the week beginning the 5th July.
I had my stall at Balerno farmers market last Saturday and had a good day in lovely weather. The market has moved back to the newly renovated Main Street again. I didn’t have any young helpers with me, as both Finn and Keir were away at Edinburgh Zoo with their Cub and Beaver packs.
Here’s a list of what you can expect in the standard bag this week. Substitutions may occur.

Potato 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.

Fennel (1 head) This stem base can be chopped raw into salads or simmered in a stock. Here’s a recipe for Buttered Fennel: Trim the root base and cut in half lengthways and rinse in cold water. Put the fennel in a pan with a minmal amount of boiling, lightly salted water and simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes or until just tender. Overcooking reduces the sweet aniseed flavour. Drain thoroughly in a colander and keep warm on a serving dish. Now, melt the butter. Season the fennel with pepper, then pour the melted butter over the top and serve. Your cress would be a fine garnish for this dish. Goes particularly well with grilled fish or roast chicken.

Milan Turnip Brassica rapa Rapifera Groups (300g) Contains Vitamins A and C, folic acid and calcium. Trim off the top and the root, then peel thinly. Boil in lightly salted water for 20-30 minutes. Drain thoroughly, toss them in butter and chopped parsley and serve immediately. An alternative is to prepare as above, but cut into small chunks, then do the same with an equal amount of carrots. Melt 3oz (75g) butter in a pan, add 2fl.oz.(50ml) white wine and add the turnip and carrot, a little salt and pepper, cover with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes. Spoon the buttered vegetables with the juices into a dish and serve hot.

Cucumber Cucumis sativus. (1/2 head) Good source of vitamin C and A. Also, a good source of potassium. Wash thoroughly, dry, then slice up to use in salads. Occasionally used in soups.

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.
Please Return All Net Bags

Newsletter w/c 7th June 2010

The warm weather seems to be back again, with some much needed rain too, so all the plants (including weeds) are starting to make a bigger impression now. I’ve been planting brassicas most days and should finish the batch I’m on, this week. Andy has just finished pricking –out the next batch and I’ll try to sow another one tomorrow if I get time, or one of those really heavy showers comes on. I can sow the seeds while sheltering in the tunnel. I need to get started on the salad bed this week too, as the first batch of lettuce and some of the herbs, are ready to go out into the field. We still need to continue weeding and pricking out whenever we can as well, but more of that later.
One apology I have to make this week is that the newsletter sated wrongly that you were getting leeks last week, they are in the bag this week instead. It was ginger that should have been mentioned on the newsletter, although I’m sure you figured that out for yourself.
We’ll be at Balerno farmers Market this weekend. I believe the venue will be back to it’s original site. So from Saturday morning at 9am, til 1 pm, we’ll be manning our stall, and hope to see you there.
As I mentioned earlier, one of the main jobs at the moment is weeding. I spend about 3 or 4 hours a day at the moment hoeing up and down the rows of vegetables. It keeps the seedlings free from competition from weeds and also lets me see how they are doing as far as moisture and pest damage are concerned. I get up and do an hour before I go back to the house and get the boys ready for school, then at night, after they’re in bed, I go back out and hoe for another couple of hours before it starts to get dark. I took an hour off of hoeing tonight to wander round the fences and walls with my strimmer, cutting down any clumps of nettles I found. It is a great time of year to do it as they are already starting to produce flower heads which will very quickly go over then spill seeds all over the place. Cutting them now prevents this. The other good reason is that the young tender shoots make a nice soup. See under Garlic below for the recipe.
Here’s a list of what you can expect in the standard bag this week. Substitutions may occur.

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.

Garlic Allium sativum ( 1 head) Excellent source of phytochemicals Vitamin A and C, calcium and iron. Cook a crushed clove with butter and spread it on french bread or toast. As promised, here’s the recipe for Nettle Soup Take 8oz of nettle shoots. Wear rubber gloves to pick them and only pick the first two leaves and the bud. Don’t use flowering stems. Wash the nettle shoots. Melt 4oz butter in a large saucepan, then saute 1lb of sliced onions for about 10 minutes. Add 6 chopped cloves of garlic and cook for a further two minutes. Add the nettles and 2 ½ pints of chicken or vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for 5 minutes the puree. Season with salt and pepper then serve with a dollop of crème fraiche as a garnish in each bowl

Celery Apium graveolens (1 head) This biennial veg is high in Vitamin C, folic acid, potassium and fibre. The stalks are generally eaten fresh or used in soups and stews. To cook it, boil it in a little salted boiling water for 15-20 minutes or steam it for 25-30 minutes. Serve in cheese or parsley sauce or smothered in butter.

Leek (Alllium porrum) 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.

Beetroot Beta vulgaris Contains Vitamins A and C, folic acid and calcium. Beetroot is great for juicing, but mainly used as an accompanying vegetable. Simply boil it first, with skins and tops on for somewhere between ½ hour to 1 hour or until the beet is tender. Serve on it’s own or mixed in to salad ( once it’s cold of course). Can also be roasted in the oven as well.