Newsletter week Commencing 30th August 2010

We’re trying to make the most of this great weather to get as many potatoes picked as possible, however, as usual, the machine isn’t behaving. I’ve got help from my Nephew Robbie, for as long as it takes him to find a ‘proper’ job. He’s a real grafter and has been a great help. We’re hoping that we can get a full day at the lifting tomorrow (Tuesday) and fill a couple of big tattie-boxes.
We’ve got our broad beans in the bag again this week. I think this will probably be the last of them for this season for the standard sized bags, but we may have enough for the larges for a wee while longer. We’ve got some cauliflowers in the larger bags this week, The rain last week has marked a few of the heads, but generally they are very good.
I’ve had a request form the Primary school to have a visit to the farm to see where the vegetables that arrive at the door, come from.The children are exploring a topic on Local Produce. I think they’ll get a shock at just how untidy and weedy everything looks. Robbie and I have been busy trying to tidy up the bits that might help the children to actually see some vegetables. I’ll need to think up some activities that will make the visit more interesting for them. Any suggestions will be gratefully considered.
Finn had a Birthday party on Saturday and had a few of his mates over. Lynda and I devised a treasure hunt for them, but I think we made it a bit too difficult. I don’t think they found one clue without help and the birthday boy himself went home in the ‘huff’. Still it kept most of them occupied for a good hour and it worked up and appetite for their lunch. We made ‘Huckleberry Finn’ style fishing poles in the afternoon out of things we had lying about. I don’t think we managed to get one hook into the water though, as the line got tangled up on the way down to the waters edge. My party activity organisation will have to improve for next time and although we didn’t actually catch anything, we all had a good time making them and scavenging all the bits.
We don’t have any markets this weekend, but, all being well, we’ll be at Balerno Farmers Market a week on Saturday and Livingston on the Sunday of the same weekend.
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 either Maris Peer or Orla, both are good general purpose potatoes. 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 and a scrub. 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. You may receive some of our own onions this week. They are the best onions I’ve ever grown. I have red and white varieites so could be either or a mixture. They haven’t been dried yet so they’re full of flavour. 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. We’ve started digging this seasons carrots again, so you may get the tops left on. Will probably vary in size quite a bit.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. The salads are growing well this year. 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.

Savoy Cabbage Brassica oleracea Capitata Group. (1head). Here is a recipe for Braised Savoy Cabbage: Prepare the cabbage and shred it finely. Put it in a pan of boiling, lightly salted, water and cook for 5 minutes. Drain thoroughly. Remove the rind and gristle from 4oz (125g) streaky bacon rashers, chop crossways into narrow strips and put in a heavy based pan. Fry the bacon until crisp, and the fat begins to run, then add a finely chopped onion and cook until soft. Add the drained cabbage, stirring continuously, unitl weel coated; season to taste with salt pepper and allspice, and cook through.

Cucumber Cucumis sativus (1/2 head) Source of Vitamins A and C and also a source of potassium. Cucumbers are generally eaten fresh in salads. Just give them a wipe over and slice or cut into chunks. For an alternative to this, try peeling the cucumbers thinly, then slice crossways into slices 0.5cm thick. Cut the seeds in the centre out to form a ring. Melt some butter in a frying pan and add a little salt and the cucumber rings. Saute for about 10 minutes or until the cucumber is tender but still crisp. Serve hot.

Broad Beans Vicia faba Broad beans are an excellent source of phytochemicals and a source of Vitamins A, B1, B8 and C, calcium, sulphur and Iron. Shell the beans from the pods and use fresh in salads or as an accompanying vegetable.