Monday, August 02, 2010

Newsletter w/c 2nd August 2010

We were hoping to have some of Murray’s broccoli this week, but the heads haven’t quite developed as quickly as he’d hoped. Luckily he had a whole row of cabbages ready for us instead, so that’s in the bag this week. We’ll get his broccoli within the next two weeks. Our own brassicas are a little further behind, but they’re coming on well.
Over the last week, I’ve managed to get some of the tasks, I had laid out for myself, done. I sowed more spinach, mizuna and rocket, andy tied up the peas and Skye finished her turnip weeding epic. I got started on the carrot and onion bed and managed to get well into the bed then hit a big patch of couch grass, so it’s eradication is my job for this week. I’ve managed to get a bit of time for tidying up around the new shed and started sorting out which function each area will have. I’ve now earmarked a composting area behind the poly-tunnel and an area for storing kindling wood and an area for storing logs. I have invested in a log splitter that is driven by the tractor, so hopefully that will cut down on the time I have to spend on logs throughout the year. The next implements I want to by for the tractor are a snow plough blade and gritter. I know it’s a funny time of year to be thinking about that, but I thought they might be cheaper when there wasn’t an immediate demand for them. If anyone happens to know of such a thing for sale, let me know who I should speak to. Our stocks of wood are growing now, so please note that kindling is back on the price list.
The boys were over in Kilmarnock visiting Gran and Grandpa last week. They had a great time being taken on a trip to Rothesay and another trip to the Kelvingrove Museum. Unfortunately, Keir caught a bit of a bug and was under the weather for most of the three days they were away. He sends his apologies to the people on the bus down from Glasgow to Kilmarnock and says he didn’t feel sick ‘til the bus drew away. Finn was very impressed by the Spitfire hanging from the roof at Kelvingrove.
Next week we’ve got a few new vegetables coming to maturity. I hope to be able to pick broad beans for the large bags and we’ll have coriander in the standards. If we can get the broccoli from Murray, we’ll have that in the standard bags too along with our milans and salad mix.
Here’s a list of what’s in the standard bag this week. As I’ve noted already, substitutions may occur.

Potato Solanum tuberosum. Tatties this week are Orla, a good general purpose potato. It’s so good to have our own tatties again. We’re bagging them straight from the field at the moment so the sizes will vary. They are very easy to prepare when they’re as fresh as this and really only need a wash. 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. Tge new season onions are quite small, so are a bit more of a fiddle to work with.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.

Cabbage Brassica oleracea Capitata Group (1 head) – Excellent source of Vitamin C and also a decent source of Vitamin B6, folic acid, , fibre and potassium. To prepare, cut off the outer leaves. Cut the cabbage into quarters then shred it. Steam or boil it in a minimum amount of water for 10 minutes, the drain thoroughly and serve immediately with butter melting over the top of it. A wee bit of pepper and you’ve got a fantastic accompaniment to any meal. Don’t think cabbage is boring.

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.

Pepper Capsicum sp. (1 head) Good source of vitamin C. Wash the pepper, then slice off the top. Scoop out the seeds and membranes. Can be eaten cooked or fresh in various dishes including pasta sauces, pizza, salads. Peppers can also be stuffed with various fillings.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home