Newsletter w/c 21st February 2011
We’ll be at Juniper Green farmers market this Saturday from 9am til 1 pm. Hope we get a good day and a few of you can make it along to see the stalls and beautiful produce on display.
On the farm, we’re continuing our spring clean, getting all the working spaces ready for the season ahead. Sheds and the polytunnel are being repaired after winter damage and roads and walls getting mended. I also managed to get the tractor onto the field seeing we’ve had a bit of a dry spell and am getting the field cleared of the last of the veg from last year.
As a treat I’d ordered in an item of veg from the wholesaler who brings our fruit into the country as I feel that a change is quite welcome after all the Scottish Winter veg, but it didn’t turn up as planned. This has meant that we’ve had to substitute on of the items.
Here’s a list of the veg that should appear in the standard bags this week, if 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 varieties 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.
Jerusalem Artichoke Helianthus tuberosus ) Source of Vitamin B1, B2, B3, calcium, potassium, iron and fibre. To cook them, I’d always been one for boiling the skins off of them, but it’s a bit of a fouter, so I’ve now changed to just peeling them witht the tattie peeler and it seems to work perfectly well. I tried this recipe for Jerusalem Artichoke and Carrot soup and it went down well with 6 under 10’s who were present. The adults liked it too I should add. So, get your soup pan and sweat a chopped up onion in melted butter for 5 mins or so, then add 450g of peeled and chopped jerusalem artichokes, 400g roughly chopped carrots and a chopped stick of celery, if you have it. Add 500ml of vegetable stock and bring to the boil and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Let the soup cool a little then puree it. Add 100ml of milk and a grated carrot, check the heat and seasoning, then serve. You could add a swirl of single cream on the top. It’s a beautiful, hearty soup for these frosty lunch times, and very good for a flaskful when you’re out and about.
Leek Allium porrum. (2 head) Leeks give a lovely creamy consistency to soups and are great in flans or quiches. Leeks are a great source of Vitamin C. Be sure to wash them very carefully though, as soil gets caught in the leaf axils as it is growing. Cut up the leek then rinse in cold running water in a colander.
Savoy Cabbage Brassica oleracea Capitata Group..(1 head) Excellent source of Vitamins B6 and C and also a source of potassium and fibre and phytochemicals. To cook, cut into quarters, cut out the hard core shred and wash under running cold water, then boil or steam for 7-10 minutes. This recipe is quite close to the traditional bubble and squeak:- Prepare the cabbage as above and put in a pan of lightly saltd boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain thoroughly. Remove the rind and gristle from 6oz ( 175g) of bacon, chop crossways into narrow strips and put in a heavy based pan. Fry the bacon until crisp, and the fat begin to run then add a finely chopped onion and cook until soft. Add the drained cabbage, stirring continuously until well coated. Season to taste with salt, pepper and cook through.
Cabbage soup which will use up a few items in the bag this week: Prepare and wash the cabbage and shred it finely. Prepare and roughly chop, 2 carrots, the leek and 1/2lb(250g) potatoes. Put all the vegetables in a pan with 3 pints(1.5l) stock and a bouquet garni, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Season to taste, sprinkle with parsley and serve at once.
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 grilled fish or roast chicken
On the farm, we’re continuing our spring clean, getting all the working spaces ready for the season ahead. Sheds and the polytunnel are being repaired after winter damage and roads and walls getting mended. I also managed to get the tractor onto the field seeing we’ve had a bit of a dry spell and am getting the field cleared of the last of the veg from last year.
As a treat I’d ordered in an item of veg from the wholesaler who brings our fruit into the country as I feel that a change is quite welcome after all the Scottish Winter veg, but it didn’t turn up as planned. This has meant that we’ve had to substitute on of the items.
Here’s a list of the veg that should appear in the standard bags this week, if 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 varieties 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.
Jerusalem Artichoke Helianthus tuberosus ) Source of Vitamin B1, B2, B3, calcium, potassium, iron and fibre. To cook them, I’d always been one for boiling the skins off of them, but it’s a bit of a fouter, so I’ve now changed to just peeling them witht the tattie peeler and it seems to work perfectly well. I tried this recipe for Jerusalem Artichoke and Carrot soup and it went down well with 6 under 10’s who were present. The adults liked it too I should add. So, get your soup pan and sweat a chopped up onion in melted butter for 5 mins or so, then add 450g of peeled and chopped jerusalem artichokes, 400g roughly chopped carrots and a chopped stick of celery, if you have it. Add 500ml of vegetable stock and bring to the boil and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Let the soup cool a little then puree it. Add 100ml of milk and a grated carrot, check the heat and seasoning, then serve. You could add a swirl of single cream on the top. It’s a beautiful, hearty soup for these frosty lunch times, and very good for a flaskful when you’re out and about.
Leek Allium porrum. (2 head) Leeks give a lovely creamy consistency to soups and are great in flans or quiches. Leeks are a great source of Vitamin C. Be sure to wash them very carefully though, as soil gets caught in the leaf axils as it is growing. Cut up the leek then rinse in cold running water in a colander.
Savoy Cabbage Brassica oleracea Capitata Group..(1 head) Excellent source of Vitamins B6 and C and also a source of potassium and fibre and phytochemicals. To cook, cut into quarters, cut out the hard core shred and wash under running cold water, then boil or steam for 7-10 minutes. This recipe is quite close to the traditional bubble and squeak:- Prepare the cabbage as above and put in a pan of lightly saltd boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain thoroughly. Remove the rind and gristle from 6oz ( 175g) of bacon, chop crossways into narrow strips and put in a heavy based pan. Fry the bacon until crisp, and the fat begin to run then add a finely chopped onion and cook until soft. Add the drained cabbage, stirring continuously until well coated. Season to taste with salt, pepper and cook through.
Cabbage soup which will use up a few items in the bag this week: Prepare and wash the cabbage and shred it finely. Prepare and roughly chop, 2 carrots, the leek and 1/2lb(250g) potatoes. Put all the vegetables in a pan with 3 pints(1.5l) stock and a bouquet garni, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Season to taste, sprinkle with parsley and serve at once.
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 grilled fish or roast chicken
posted by thewholeshebag at 3:03 PM
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