Newsletter w/c 22nd November 2010
We’ll be at the Juniper Green farmers market again this Saturday. It starts at 9am at the car park of the Kinleith Arms, which is the pub beside the Iceland Store on the Lanark Road. It’s been well attended and is well worth a visit.
On the farm we’re still getting the shed organised just the way everyone wants it. The picking in the field takes less time now that we don’t have salads to pick, which is handy, with the days being that bit shorter.
At the weekend, we stayed with my Mum and Dad in Kilmarnock. We’d been invited to a friends 50th birthday party in Pollockshields, so I decided it was easier if I drove. The party was great with a lot of drinks laid on and a band. Obviously, I was on water and coffee all evening. At the end we were invited back to the flat and as I was driving I offered to take the presents back. So, the parking in Strathbungo being what it is, there was one space to park in the whole street, over someone’s driveway. As it was well after midnight and I was only going to have a coffee and leave I took it and carried all the pressies up to the flat. I was settled in the kitchen having a chat, when Steve came in and asked if anyone was driving a silver Zafira, on his shoulder was a very grumpy looking policeman and I could see blue flashing lights outside the door. The policeman kindly asked me to move the car, and there was much hilarity at the fact that I was the only sober one at the party yet I was the one removed by the police.
Potato Solanum tuberosum. Tatties this week are either Robinta (red skins) or Valor (large, white skins), 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..They are an excellent source of Vitamin A and also contain significant amounts of Vitamins B, C, D, E and K. and Potassium.
Parsnip. Pastinaca sativa Good for Vitamin C, folic acid, potassium and fibre. Peel, then cut into chunks for boiling or roasting, also can be grated into soups or kept in chunks for soups or stews. Here’s a recipe for: Curried parsnip couscous. Prepare your parsnips and cut them into batons about 7cm (3inches) long, the thicker sections will need to be quartered. Mix together 1 teaspoon each of sea salt, paprika and ground cumin, a tablespoon each of sunflower oil and honey and a dash of tabasco sauce. Pour this over the parsnips and leave to marinate for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200oC/400oF/Gas 6. Cover the parsnips tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour. Turn them regularly, making sure they are tightly wrapped before returning them to the oven. Sprinkle them with water from time to time to stop sticking. Towards the end of the cooking time prepare some couscous. Serve the couscous with the parsnips, sprinkled with coriander leaves. Have mango chutney on hand, just to finish it off.
Pumpkin Cucurbita sp..(1 head) An excellent source of phytochemicals and Vitamin A and also contain Vitamin C, folic acid, fibre and potassium.: Leek and Pumpkin Soup:- Take a chopped onion and 50g of chopped leek and soften them in 2 tablespoons of chicken stock. Dice 500g of pumpkin flesh and 250g of potatoes and add this to the leek and onion with a little salt and plenty freshly ground black pepper. Add 1 pint of chicken stock and 1 pint of milk. Bring to the boil and simmer for 45 minutes stirring frequently. Blend the soup in a liquidiser then return to the pan and add 125g of cooked rice and most of a 150ml tub of natural yoghurt. Reheat gently and serve topped with a little of the remaining yoghurt and a sprinkling of parsley.
White Cabbage Brassica oleracea Capitata Group There’s nothing like the crunch of bit of white cabbage with a bit of melted butter enhancing the flavour. Great winter accompaniment to any dish. Cabbage is a source of phytochemicals, Vitamin C, potassium, fibre , calcium and Vitamin B6. To cook, cut the cabbage into quarters, take out the central core and either cook it whole for 20 minutes in lightly salted boiling water, or shred it an cook it for 12-15 minutes. Serve up with melted butter over the top.
Leek Allium porrum The leek is a mainstay of Scottish cookery, used primarily to give a creamy texture to soups. It is also good as a vegetable in it’s own right, boiled; steamed; braised or fried. The leeks collect soil in the leaf axils as they grow, so, once sliced, give them a good rinse to clear the grit. If cooking them whole, make a slit into the white part far enough to allow you to prise the leaves apart but not far enough to split it in two.
On the farm we’re still getting the shed organised just the way everyone wants it. The picking in the field takes less time now that we don’t have salads to pick, which is handy, with the days being that bit shorter.
At the weekend, we stayed with my Mum and Dad in Kilmarnock. We’d been invited to a friends 50th birthday party in Pollockshields, so I decided it was easier if I drove. The party was great with a lot of drinks laid on and a band. Obviously, I was on water and coffee all evening. At the end we were invited back to the flat and as I was driving I offered to take the presents back. So, the parking in Strathbungo being what it is, there was one space to park in the whole street, over someone’s driveway. As it was well after midnight and I was only going to have a coffee and leave I took it and carried all the pressies up to the flat. I was settled in the kitchen having a chat, when Steve came in and asked if anyone was driving a silver Zafira, on his shoulder was a very grumpy looking policeman and I could see blue flashing lights outside the door. The policeman kindly asked me to move the car, and there was much hilarity at the fact that I was the only sober one at the party yet I was the one removed by the police.
Potato Solanum tuberosum. Tatties this week are either Robinta (red skins) or Valor (large, white skins), 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..They are an excellent source of Vitamin A and also contain significant amounts of Vitamins B, C, D, E and K. and Potassium.
Parsnip. Pastinaca sativa Good for Vitamin C, folic acid, potassium and fibre. Peel, then cut into chunks for boiling or roasting, also can be grated into soups or kept in chunks for soups or stews. Here’s a recipe for: Curried parsnip couscous. Prepare your parsnips and cut them into batons about 7cm (3inches) long, the thicker sections will need to be quartered. Mix together 1 teaspoon each of sea salt, paprika and ground cumin, a tablespoon each of sunflower oil and honey and a dash of tabasco sauce. Pour this over the parsnips and leave to marinate for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200oC/400oF/Gas 6. Cover the parsnips tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour. Turn them regularly, making sure they are tightly wrapped before returning them to the oven. Sprinkle them with water from time to time to stop sticking. Towards the end of the cooking time prepare some couscous. Serve the couscous with the parsnips, sprinkled with coriander leaves. Have mango chutney on hand, just to finish it off.
Pumpkin Cucurbita sp..(1 head) An excellent source of phytochemicals and Vitamin A and also contain Vitamin C, folic acid, fibre and potassium.: Leek and Pumpkin Soup:- Take a chopped onion and 50g of chopped leek and soften them in 2 tablespoons of chicken stock. Dice 500g of pumpkin flesh and 250g of potatoes and add this to the leek and onion with a little salt and plenty freshly ground black pepper. Add 1 pint of chicken stock and 1 pint of milk. Bring to the boil and simmer for 45 minutes stirring frequently. Blend the soup in a liquidiser then return to the pan and add 125g of cooked rice and most of a 150ml tub of natural yoghurt. Reheat gently and serve topped with a little of the remaining yoghurt and a sprinkling of parsley.
White Cabbage Brassica oleracea Capitata Group There’s nothing like the crunch of bit of white cabbage with a bit of melted butter enhancing the flavour. Great winter accompaniment to any dish. Cabbage is a source of phytochemicals, Vitamin C, potassium, fibre , calcium and Vitamin B6. To cook, cut the cabbage into quarters, take out the central core and either cook it whole for 20 minutes in lightly salted boiling water, or shred it an cook it for 12-15 minutes. Serve up with melted butter over the top.
Leek Allium porrum The leek is a mainstay of Scottish cookery, used primarily to give a creamy texture to soups. It is also good as a vegetable in it’s own right, boiled; steamed; braised or fried. The leeks collect soil in the leaf axils as they grow, so, once sliced, give them a good rinse to clear the grit. If cooking them whole, make a slit into the white part far enough to allow you to prise the leaves apart but not far enough to split it in two.
posted by thewholeshebag at 2:49 PM
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