Newsletter w/c 21st March 2011
It’s the 4th Saturday of the month this week, so that means that we’re over at the Juniper Green Farmers Market from 9am til 1pm. There’s a good range of stalls now with bakers, choclatieres, cheese makers, beef, lamb and pork producers and game, as well as our own vegetables. Come along and visit, especially if you haven’t been before, I’m sure the weather will be lovely.
We visited friends in Glasgow at the weekend, to catch up on all their news and to watch the rugby. A Scotland victory at last and Kilmarnock winning at football, meant a successful weekend from the sporting side of things.
On the farm I’ve got the first signs of green shoots in the polytunnel and am pressing my neighbour to get our field dunged this week if he can, to take the benefit of this period of high pressure, to plough the field while it’s in prime condition. Our seed potatoes have arrived and the onion sets are here too, so the sooner we get the ground prepared the better.
I ask this every year, but I’ll say it again anyway. If there is any vegetables of herbs you would like to see included in your bag, that you don’t seem to ever receive, this is the time of year to let me know, as we can try anything as an experiment. We won’t be growing pineapples or bananas obviously, but any reasonable request will be considered.
I’d like to get into the field and take out the last of the potatoes this week, as any that are left in the soil will be starting to sprout in the next few weeks as the soil heats up. I also need to lift the remaining artichokes to re-use them as seed. I managed to clear the last of the parsnips out last week.
I think it’s probably a good time to service the tractor as well, as it’s about to get into it’s most important time of year.
Here’s a list of the produce, which barring any need for substitution, will be in the standard bags this week.
Potato Solanum tuberosum. With the drier, milder weather, I’ve managed to get some of the potatoes harvested, that have been in the ground all Winter. Considering the temperature, there are a lot more than I expected. The variety is Hunter and is a yellow skinned tattie, quite round in shape. The other variety is Maris Peer, smaller white tattie. Both are pretty general purpose and will cook in any way you’d like them to. 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. 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.
Calabrese Brassica oleracea Italica Group (1 head).. Calabrese is an excellent source of Vitamin C and phytochemicals and also contains Vitamins A, B2 and B6, Phosphorus, fibre Iron and calcium. Here’s a recipe for Roast Calabrese with Chilli and Soy:
Toss 350g of Calabrese, broken into florets, in a tablespoon of olive oil. Cut the stalks into thick batons. Spread them all out on a baking tray and roast in a preheated oven for 10 mins at 200oC/Gas Mark 6 for 10 mins.Add 2 thinly sliced cloves of the garlic, ½ a red chilli, finely chopped and ½ a tablespoon of sesame seeds and mix through. Return to the oven for 5 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven, sprinkle with soy sauce and serve.
Leek Alllium porrum (2 head) Leeks arew used to give a creamy texture to soups. They can also be served as an accompanying vegetable, and may be boiled, braised, steamed or fried. To prepare, cut off the root base and any damaged upper leaves. Rinse in running cold water to wash away the grit that gets caught between the leaves. Boil in minimum of salted water. Whole or halved leeks need 15-20 minutes while rings and slices need about 10 minutes. Drain then return to the pan to steam off any remaining water. Serve with a knob of butter, or coated in a white sauce or cheese sauce.
Celery Apium graveolens (1 head) This biennial veg is high in Vitamin C, folic acid, potassium and fibre. The stalks are generally eaten fresh or used in soups and stews. To cook it, boil it in a little salted boiling water for 15-20 minutes or steam it for 25-30 minutes. Serve in cheese or parsley sauce or smothered in butter.
Parsley Petroselinum sp. This 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 popular in our household, cut over boiled potatoes, with a little melted butter.
We visited friends in Glasgow at the weekend, to catch up on all their news and to watch the rugby. A Scotland victory at last and Kilmarnock winning at football, meant a successful weekend from the sporting side of things.
On the farm I’ve got the first signs of green shoots in the polytunnel and am pressing my neighbour to get our field dunged this week if he can, to take the benefit of this period of high pressure, to plough the field while it’s in prime condition. Our seed potatoes have arrived and the onion sets are here too, so the sooner we get the ground prepared the better.
I ask this every year, but I’ll say it again anyway. If there is any vegetables of herbs you would like to see included in your bag, that you don’t seem to ever receive, this is the time of year to let me know, as we can try anything as an experiment. We won’t be growing pineapples or bananas obviously, but any reasonable request will be considered.
I’d like to get into the field and take out the last of the potatoes this week, as any that are left in the soil will be starting to sprout in the next few weeks as the soil heats up. I also need to lift the remaining artichokes to re-use them as seed. I managed to clear the last of the parsnips out last week.
I think it’s probably a good time to service the tractor as well, as it’s about to get into it’s most important time of year.
Here’s a list of the produce, which barring any need for substitution, will be in the standard bags this week.
Potato Solanum tuberosum. With the drier, milder weather, I’ve managed to get some of the potatoes harvested, that have been in the ground all Winter. Considering the temperature, there are a lot more than I expected. The variety is Hunter and is a yellow skinned tattie, quite round in shape. The other variety is Maris Peer, smaller white tattie. Both are pretty general purpose and will cook in any way you’d like them to. 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. 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.
Calabrese Brassica oleracea Italica Group (1 head).. Calabrese is an excellent source of Vitamin C and phytochemicals and also contains Vitamins A, B2 and B6, Phosphorus, fibre Iron and calcium. Here’s a recipe for Roast Calabrese with Chilli and Soy:
Toss 350g of Calabrese, broken into florets, in a tablespoon of olive oil. Cut the stalks into thick batons. Spread them all out on a baking tray and roast in a preheated oven for 10 mins at 200oC/Gas Mark 6 for 10 mins.Add 2 thinly sliced cloves of the garlic, ½ a red chilli, finely chopped and ½ a tablespoon of sesame seeds and mix through. Return to the oven for 5 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven, sprinkle with soy sauce and serve.
Leek Alllium porrum (2 head) Leeks arew used to give a creamy texture to soups. They can also be served as an accompanying vegetable, and may be boiled, braised, steamed or fried. To prepare, cut off the root base and any damaged upper leaves. Rinse in running cold water to wash away the grit that gets caught between the leaves. Boil in minimum of salted water. Whole or halved leeks need 15-20 minutes while rings and slices need about 10 minutes. Drain then return to the pan to steam off any remaining water. Serve with a knob of butter, or coated in a white sauce or cheese sauce.
Celery Apium graveolens (1 head) This biennial veg is high in Vitamin C, folic acid, potassium and fibre. The stalks are generally eaten fresh or used in soups and stews. To cook it, boil it in a little salted boiling water for 15-20 minutes or steam it for 25-30 minutes. Serve in cheese or parsley sauce or smothered in butter.
Parsley Petroselinum sp. This 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 popular in our household, cut over boiled potatoes, with a little melted butter.
posted by thewholeshebag at 3:29 PM
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