Newsletter w/c 6th December 2010
We’ve been having a bit of bother with the weather for the past two weeks. It all started with a failure to turn-up at the Juniper green farmers market because of a snow-fall. We couldn’t get the van up from the shed to the top of the drive to get over towards the Edinburgh road. Little did we know at that stage that the snow we had then was but a light decorative dusting in comparison to what was to follow. From Monday to Wednesday last week, we must have had about 20 snow showers that lasted for no longer than an hour each, but the amount of snow accumulating, marooned us. I must have arms like Popeye from all the snow clearing, trying to keep access open. It’s been accessible by 4X4’s, but the vans wouldn’t have stood a chance. Things seemed to improve over the weekend and I drove the Connect down to West Calder and back on Sunday, just to prove to myself that we were safe to go, and after a successful mission, looked forward to an un-interupted week of veg delivery. At 9am on Monday I texted the packing team to let them know we were ‘green for go’ for the week. At 11am with the schools closing and white-out conditions all around, I retracted the statement and told them to give it 24hrs. As I write this, it is Monday night and we’re postponing Tuesday’s deliveries to Wednesday and we’ll take it from there. Lets hope for an improving weather picture.
With Christmas falling on Saturday this year, delivery days will be unaffected, for the week leading up to Christmas with our last deliveries on Friday 24th. We will then take a week off between Christmas and New Year and start up again from w/c Jan 3rd 2011. Let us know if you need any extra veg , fruit, eggs, milk or cream to see you through the festive season.
We’ve done our best to protect the veg from the freezing temperatures, however, some damage may occur that is invisible to the eye at packing time. Please let us know if you have any damaged veg, potatoes are particularly susceptible to frost damage, and we’ll replace and compensate with your next delivery.
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.
Garlic Allium sativum (1 head) Good source of vitamin C and A, calcium and iron. Adds heightened flavour to any savoury dish and crushed and sauted in a pan with butter, is an excellent base in which to cook the mushrooms for a simple Garlic Mushrooms. For a simple way to incorporate the ingredients in the bag this week you could try taking a quarter of your savoy and shred it into strips about1cm or less across. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a wok. Peel 2 cloves of garlic and crush them lightly so that they are still whole. Cook in the pan for 20secondsand add the savoy before the garlic browns. Cook for 2 minutes, turning the cabbage in the oil constantly. Add 2 or 3 shakes of soy sauce. Cook for 15 seconds and serve immediately.
Beetroot Beta vulgaris Contains Vitamin C, folic acid and potassium. Beetroot can be eaten fresh, cooked or pickled. Much of the beet I sell at the market is going to the juicer fresh, although I have never tried this, it is the most beneficial way to eat beetroot. Cooked it can be boiled, stewed or roasted, and of course, after boiling, can be pickled. The time for boiling depends on how big the root is. A golf ball sized beet would boil in 20 mins, while a tennis ball size may take over and hour.
Cauliflower Brassica oleracea Botrytis Group (1 head) – Excellent source of Vitamin C and also a decent source of Vitamin B6, folic acid, pantothenic acid, fibre and potassium. To prepare, cut off the outer leaves. There is no need to remove the inner, tender leaves and the pale green base leaves. Trim the end of the stalk flush with the base of the cauliflower and cut a cross in it with a sharp knife. Boil the cauli in lightly salted boiling water for 12-15 minutes if whole or 8-10 minutes if the florets are split up.
Parsley Petroselinum sp. The flat leaved variety of parsley has far more flavour than the more common curly type, though I have to say the curly one is a far nicer plant to look at. Excellent for flavouring all sorts of dishes or cut into salads. Especially popult in our household, cut over boiled potatoes, with a little melted butter.
With Christmas falling on Saturday this year, delivery days will be unaffected, for the week leading up to Christmas with our last deliveries on Friday 24th. We will then take a week off between Christmas and New Year and start up again from w/c Jan 3rd 2011. Let us know if you need any extra veg , fruit, eggs, milk or cream to see you through the festive season.
We’ve done our best to protect the veg from the freezing temperatures, however, some damage may occur that is invisible to the eye at packing time. Please let us know if you have any damaged veg, potatoes are particularly susceptible to frost damage, and we’ll replace and compensate with your next delivery.
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.
Garlic Allium sativum (1 head) Good source of vitamin C and A, calcium and iron. Adds heightened flavour to any savoury dish and crushed and sauted in a pan with butter, is an excellent base in which to cook the mushrooms for a simple Garlic Mushrooms. For a simple way to incorporate the ingredients in the bag this week you could try taking a quarter of your savoy and shred it into strips about1cm or less across. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a wok. Peel 2 cloves of garlic and crush them lightly so that they are still whole. Cook in the pan for 20secondsand add the savoy before the garlic browns. Cook for 2 minutes, turning the cabbage in the oil constantly. Add 2 or 3 shakes of soy sauce. Cook for 15 seconds and serve immediately.
Beetroot Beta vulgaris Contains Vitamin C, folic acid and potassium. Beetroot can be eaten fresh, cooked or pickled. Much of the beet I sell at the market is going to the juicer fresh, although I have never tried this, it is the most beneficial way to eat beetroot. Cooked it can be boiled, stewed or roasted, and of course, after boiling, can be pickled. The time for boiling depends on how big the root is. A golf ball sized beet would boil in 20 mins, while a tennis ball size may take over and hour.
Cauliflower Brassica oleracea Botrytis Group (1 head) – Excellent source of Vitamin C and also a decent source of Vitamin B6, folic acid, pantothenic acid, fibre and potassium. To prepare, cut off the outer leaves. There is no need to remove the inner, tender leaves and the pale green base leaves. Trim the end of the stalk flush with the base of the cauliflower and cut a cross in it with a sharp knife. Boil the cauli in lightly salted boiling water for 12-15 minutes if whole or 8-10 minutes if the florets are split up.
Parsley Petroselinum sp. The flat leaved variety of parsley has far more flavour than the more common curly type, though I have to say the curly one is a far nicer plant to look at. Excellent for flavouring all sorts of dishes or cut into salads. Especially popult in our household, cut over boiled potatoes, with a little melted butter.
posted by thewholeshebag at 2:52 PM
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