Newsletter w/c 3rd January 2011

Happy New Year everybody. Let’s hope for a good one. My main New Year resolution is to be better prepared for the inclement weather that is bound to come. I have to act to ensure the quality of the veg is good, when it reaches your doorstep. We need better-insulated storage. This is a priority now and I have to get on with this task early in the New Year. The storage we had just couldn’t cope with the minus 15-20 degree temperatures.
The other major change for the New Year is that Andy has left for pastures new. So, I’ll be carrying out all the deliveries myself for the next wee while. It’ll be good to see all the old faces again. I may change a few delivery days to tweak the run efficiency, but if your affected I’ll let you know in advance.
Auchterhouse farm can’t get egg deliveries to us til the end of the week> Clyde organics can help us out for most of the week but are a bit short for Tuesday. I have a few boxes left from before the year end with a few days left on the sell-buy date so if you get one of these boxes let me know if it’s going to be a problem to use it and we’ll sort something out.
The Balerno Farmers market is not on this month so it’ll be Juniper Green next on the 22nd January. The next Balerno market will be the 2nd Saturday in February.
The boys have had a really good Christmas and New Year holiday. Pat and Finlay hosted Christmas this year with help from the Mavors from Redhall and the food was terrific. We decided to stay at home for New year. My brother Brian and Alison and Scott came over for a dinner and a wee karaoke session later on.
We’ve spent the start of the week clearing out the shed for the New Year. Out with the old and in with the new. Lets hope its going to be a year to look back on, for all the right reasons.
Here’s a list of the veg that should appear in the standard bags this week id substitutions haven’t been required:

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.

Pumpkin Cucurbita sp. (1head). Sorce of Vitamins A and C. Here is a recipe I have given before for Pumpkin Soup. It seems to be a favourite of many of you. 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.

Garlic Allium sativum..(1 head) Excellent source of Vitamins A and C. The peeled cloves add flavour to almost any savoury dish. Ususally crushed.

Leek Allium porrum Leeks can be used in many ways, however, with just one leek, they are best used in soups to give a creamy texture. Leeks are also good in quiches.

Jerusalem Artichoke Helianthus tuberosus Source of Vitamin B1, B2, B3, calcium, potassium, iron and fibre. To cook scrub off the worst of any dirt on the root, then boil for a couple of minutes without cutting off the root or the top. This loosens the skin and allows you to rub it off quite easily. Then boil in slightly salted water for a further 15-20 minutes or until tender. Add lemon juice to the water before boiling to keep the roots white. Can also be roasted after parboiling, and makes very good soup. All you really need are the artichokes, some onion, simmered together until soft, add a stock, boil for 30 minutes maybe a little nutmeg. Puree it then reheat with a little milk added and bob’s your uncle. Delicious soup.

Newsletter w/c 20th December 2010

With our 4th snowy Monday in a row, we are getting used to what we need to do to get your deliveries out on time. Last week, we even had the Friday deliveries out on Thursday, in case the weather worriers were correct and the snow was going to shut down the entire country again. Luckily for us in the central belt, it stayed in the North. We have the same forecast for later on this week and I may decide to get bags out early rather than risk them not getting there for Christmas. If we do decide on thia course of action, I’ll let you know in advance.
I have to apologise again for the quality of the potatoes last week. I think they were the only veg really affected by the cold. This week I have given up on the ones were using before and got rid of them. We’re on to a better protected batch now and things should be fine for your Christmas dinner, unless they end up getting frosted on your doorstep. I’m keeping a heater in the back of the van overnight to ensure frost free conditions prior to delivery. The only other produce we’ve had real trouble with are the bananas which hate any kind of cold and need to be eaten straight away. If you’d rather not have bananas then we can substitute something else during the winter weather. Just e-mail and let me know.
At home we have two very excited boys who can’t wait for Christmas and want as much snow as possible so that the school will shut again and let them stay at home. It’s also very noisy, as Finn, who has been learning the chanter for a couple of years, has moved onto the bagpipes and the increase in volume during practice sessions is quite hair-raising. He’s doing really well though, considering he’s had them less than a week. It takes a lot of puff for a boy his age. We’re all really proud of him, although Keir does get annoyed when he gets ‘Scotland the Brave’ blasted in his ear while he’s watching Horrid Henry or Scooby Doo. We ‘re all looking forward to a rest next week as we’re taking a week off of deliveries. Thanks very much for your support over the year, and particularly for the understanding you have shown, throughout this harsh weather, and the problems it has caused with the deliveries. Merry Christmas to you all and All the Best for 2011.

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.

Brussels Sprouts Brassica oleracea Gemmifera Group.. Excellent source of Vitamin C and phytochemicals and also contains Vitamins A and B6, potassium, fibre and calcium. These sprouts this year are so sweet, I’m sure we can convert all those sproutiphobes out there. To prepare, wash the sprouts in cold water and peel off any ragged or marked leaves then cut an X into the base of the sprout. Cook in a minimum of boiling salted water for 8 – 10 minutes, NO LONGER, or they’ll go soggy.

Parsnips Pastinaca sativa Roots are boiled or added to soups , stews and casseroles. Traditionally roasted for Christmas. Peel then slice to the desired size. Parboil in slightly salted water for 5-10 minutes then place around your turkey for the last ½ hour of cooking time, basting with the juices in the roasting tin.

Leek Allium porrum Leeks can be used in many ways, however, with just one leek, they are best used in soups to give a creamy texture. Leeks are also good in quiches.

Red Cabbage Brassica oleracea CapitataGroup (1 head) Preheat your oven to 150oC/300oF/ gas mark 2. Remove any damaged outer leaves, cut into quarters and remove the stalk. Shred the cabbage finely. In a casserole, lay a layer of cabbage, seasoned with salt and pepper, a layer of chopped onions and chopped, peeled and cored apples, with a sprinkling of garlic, 1 clove should be enough, a little nutmeg, cinnamon and ground cloves and about a tablespoon of brown sugar. Repeat these layers until everything is in then pour in 3 tablespoon of wine vinegar and 1/2oz (10g) of butter. Put a lid on the casserole and let it cook slowly for 1 ½ to 2 hours, stirring a couple of times during cooking.

Newsletter w/c 13th December 2010

Last wee, deliveries were disrupted for a second week in a row, although we did manage to get to most of the houses eventually. There were a handful who have not received a bag for three weeks, but I have to say, we did try our very best to get to you all. We’re due bad weather this week again. I’m hoping to have Jerusalem artichokes in standards and larges this week. They will be difficult to lift if the temperature drops too far so we may have to swap them. I’m digging the swedes out with a mattock. I’m not an expert with this implement, so it’s tended to be more like a weapon of swede destruction in some cases. There may be the odd chunk out of top or bottom of your neep due to my lack of accuracy. Delivery days, especially near the end of the week, may change to suit the weather. I’m already thinking that if it hasn’t snowed by Thursday, but is still forecast, I’ll deliver Fridays bags on Thursday too.
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.

Savoy Cabbage Brassica oleracea Capitata Group. (1 head).. Cut into quarters, remove the central husk and cook whole or shred. Serve up with a do of butter melting over the top. For a quick lunch or supper dish, try the following: Shred ½ the savoy head and boil for 2 minutes, drain, refresh in cold water and drain again. Heat a litle olive oil in a large frying pan and add 300g of chopped chorizo sausage and cook for 10 minutes until just starting to brown then remove from the pan and set aside. Add 2 crushed garlic cloves and a chopped onion to the chorizo fat in the pan and cook gently for 5 minutes. Add 500g of potatoes, cooked and diced and cook over a high heat for 5 minutes to give them some colour. Return the chorizo and the savoy to the pan and cook gently for 10 minutes. Season

Swede Brassica napa. (1head). Swedes are one of Scotlands Winter staple veggies. It is completely frost resistant so needs only to harvested as required rather than having to be stored. The only problem is lifting when the ground is frozen If you keep them cool, in a shed outside for example, you can keep it for Christmas. Cut off the top and bottom of the swede then peel thickly. Cut into cubes or big chunks and boil for 30-40 minutes or alternatively, parboil then set around a roast in the oven for the last 30 minutes of cooking time. Excellent boiled, then mashed with butter and cream.

Fennel (1 head) This stem base can be chopped raw into salads or simmered in a stock. Here’s a recipe for Buttered Fennel: Trim the root base and cut in half lengthways and rinse in cold water. Put the fennel in a pan with a minmal amount of boiling, lightly salted water and simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes or until just tender. Overcooking reduces the sweet aniseed flavour. Drain thoroughly in a colander and keep warm on a serving dish. Now, melt the butter. Season the fennel with pepper, then pour the melted butter over the top and serve. Your cress would be a fine garnish for this dish. Goes particularly well with fish or chicken

Jerusalem Artichoke Helianthus tuberosus Source of Vitamin B1, B2, B3, calcium, potassium, iron and fibre. To cook scrub off the worst of any dirt on the root, then boil for a couple of minutes without cutting off the root or the top. This loosens the skin and allows you to rub it off quite easily. Then boil in slightly salted water for a further 15-20 minutes or until tender. Add lemon juice to the water before boiling to keep the roots white. Can also be roasted after parboiling, and makes very good soup. All you really need are the artichokes, some onion, simmered together until soft, add a stock, boil for 30 minutes maybe a little nutmeg. Puree it then reheat