Newsletter w/c 28th March 2011

We’re approaching the Easter holidays and it looks like I might have the boys with me on the delivery run a few times. They are only at school 6 days in April what with half-term, Easter, Royal Weddings and in-service days – I hope the weather is good for them. In two weeks time I’m away on the 12th and 13th of April. There will be no delivery on the 13th the Wednesday, and the Tuesday deliveries will be done on Monday instead. Apart from that the rest of the week will run as normal. Apologies in advance for any inconvenience this may cause.On the farm, we had the dung-spreader working here on Sunday, so there is a certain aroma hanging about the place just now. It’ll get ploughed in this week and then that’s the real beginning to the field planting season. 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. Beetroot Beta vulgaris Contains Vitamin C folic acid and potassium. Can be cooked in various ways, but don’t peel the beet until you’ve boiled it as this stops it ‘bleeding’. My recipe for you this week completely disregards this, so have a pair of rubber gloves and newspaper handy. I’m going to tell you how to make Super Boost Juice – Put on the rubber gloves, spread out a newspaper and peel your beetroot and cut it into chunks. Take 4 apples and quarter and core them. Take 4 carrots and trim and peel them. Take 1cm/1 inch of fresh ginger and peel it. This is easily done by scraping the skin off with the side of a teaspoon. Process all the ingredients through a juicer. Stir and serve immediately, adding ice if desired. Garlic Allium sativum ( 1 head) Excellent source of phytochemicals Vitamin A and C, calcium and iron. Cook a crushed clove with butter and spread it on french bread or toast. Keep a hold of this recipe, as in a months time or so there will be plenty of young nettle growth available so, here’s a recipe for Nettle Soup Take 8oz of nettle shoots. Wear rubber gloves to pick them and only pick the first two leaves and the bud. Don’t use flowering stems. Wash the nettle shoots. Melt 4oz butter in a large saucepan, then saute 1lb of sliced onions for about 10 minutes. Add 6 chopped cloves of garlic and cook for a further two minutes. Add the nettles and 2 ½ pints of chicken or vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for 5 minutes the puree. Season with salt and pepper then serve with a dollop of crème fraiche as a garnish in each bowl 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 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. Here is a recipe for Asian Coleslaw with Peanuts and Chilli: Combine the following for the dressing: a crushed garlic clove, ½ onion finely sliced, 1 chilli chopped, 1 tablespoon of thai fish sauce, 1 ½ tablespoons of brown sugar, 3 tablespoons of lemon juice and a dash of sweet chilli sauce. Whisk them together in a bowl and set aside. Mix together the following veg: ½ cabbage finely shredded, 3 carrots coarsley grated, 2 apples grated, 1 red pepper sliced, 1 tomato chopped and 2 tablespoons of crushed roasted peanuts and 100g of beansprouts if you have them. Toss the veg in the dressing sprinkle a few roasted peanuts on top and serve. Ginger This is an item we don’t have in the bag very often. Versatile and strong flavoured, garlic is used widely in oriental stir-fries and sauces. Peel the outer skin off and grate the inner flesh. As it is such a strong flavour you only need to add a small amount. It provides a ‘kick’ of spiciness to dishes. Was your hands thoroughly after preparation as if you wipe it into your eye by accident, it isn’t pleasant!! You can tell that’s from bitter experience!