Newsletter w/c 12th July 2010
The field is looking as good as it ever has at this time of year. Not perfect, by any stretch of the imagination, but no complete failures. The problems we had with beetles early on in the planting season seem to have passed and subsequent sowings are growing well. I just need to fill the gaps, where plants were eaten away, with the plants still coming on in the polytunnel. All the vegetables seem to be later this year and although the tatties are looking green and most are in flower now, I could pick them a month before this in previous years. This is the last week you’ll receive stored tatties. Next week we’ll begin this years crop, but even this is 6 weeks later than usual. The upside is that I won’t have to reduce the weight that you receive. The standard bag will still contain about 2 Kg and the large bags 3.5Kg.
Last Saturday we took our, now annual, trip up to Braemar for the Junior Highland Games. It’s a great event for introducing children to the fun and friendliness of the real Highland Games. There are all the usual Sports Day events with flat races, sack race and obstacle race etc, with a 2Km cross country for the over 8’s. There are Dancing and Piping competitions and a whole range of the traditional heavy events. The children then get the opportunity to try out the heavy events for themselves with adapted equipment. It’s quite entertaining seeing all these wee ones tossing the caber and throwing the hammer. One of the other main events is the family tug-of –war competition. Everyone gets the chance to be as involved as they want to be. My body’s been aching a bit as I took part in a couple of adult races, one on Saturday and the other on Sunday, and my old legs just aren’t used to the punishment. It was all good fun though. We’ll definitely be back next year.
Here’s a list of whats in the standard bag this week. We’ve got spinach and radish in some of the other bags too. The radish are a little on the large side. I’ve left the leaves on both the milans and the radish. If you have pets that eat greens they’ll love the tops.
Potatoes Solanum tuberosum. Tatties this week are Axona 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.
Mixed Salad various. Our mixed salad bags are on-stream again. There’s a mixture of lettuce, endive, eraclea and herbs. When you receive your bag, rinse the salad leaves thoroughly to remove any traces of soil that may have attached, then drain in a salad spinner or colandar. Pop back into a sealed bag or box and store in the fridge until ready for use. Will keep for over a week easily. If you’d like more, let us know.
White Cabbage Brassica oleracea Capitata Group..(1/2 head) . To cook, remove any damaged outer leaves, cut into quarters and remove the central core. It can be cooked in quarters like this in boiling salted water or else shredded and boiled or steamed. Here’s a recipe for Cabbage soup which will use up a few items in the bag this week: Prepare and wash the cabbage and shred it finely. Prepare and roughly chop, 2 carrots, the leek and 1/2lb(250g) potatoes. Put all the vegetables in a pan with 3 pints(1.5l) stock and a bouquet garni, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Season to taste, sprinkle with parsley and serve at once.
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.
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.
Last Saturday we took our, now annual, trip up to Braemar for the Junior Highland Games. It’s a great event for introducing children to the fun and friendliness of the real Highland Games. There are all the usual Sports Day events with flat races, sack race and obstacle race etc, with a 2Km cross country for the over 8’s. There are Dancing and Piping competitions and a whole range of the traditional heavy events. The children then get the opportunity to try out the heavy events for themselves with adapted equipment. It’s quite entertaining seeing all these wee ones tossing the caber and throwing the hammer. One of the other main events is the family tug-of –war competition. Everyone gets the chance to be as involved as they want to be. My body’s been aching a bit as I took part in a couple of adult races, one on Saturday and the other on Sunday, and my old legs just aren’t used to the punishment. It was all good fun though. We’ll definitely be back next year.
Here’s a list of whats in the standard bag this week. We’ve got spinach and radish in some of the other bags too. The radish are a little on the large side. I’ve left the leaves on both the milans and the radish. If you have pets that eat greens they’ll love the tops.
Potatoes Solanum tuberosum. Tatties this week are Axona 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.
Mixed Salad various. Our mixed salad bags are on-stream again. There’s a mixture of lettuce, endive, eraclea and herbs. When you receive your bag, rinse the salad leaves thoroughly to remove any traces of soil that may have attached, then drain in a salad spinner or colandar. Pop back into a sealed bag or box and store in the fridge until ready for use. Will keep for over a week easily. If you’d like more, let us know.
White Cabbage Brassica oleracea Capitata Group..(1/2 head) . To cook, remove any damaged outer leaves, cut into quarters and remove the central core. It can be cooked in quarters like this in boiling salted water or else shredded and boiled or steamed. Here’s a recipe for Cabbage soup which will use up a few items in the bag this week: Prepare and wash the cabbage and shred it finely. Prepare and roughly chop, 2 carrots, the leek and 1/2lb(250g) potatoes. Put all the vegetables in a pan with 3 pints(1.5l) stock and a bouquet garni, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Season to taste, sprinkle with parsley and serve at once.
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.
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.
posted by thewholeshebag at 3:28 PM
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