Newsletter w/c 7th February 2011
After the snow and heavy rain over the weekend and the beginning of the week, the texture of the soil in the field is similar to that of porridge. It’s not so much a case of digging artichokes as squeezing them out of the mud – not very pleasant. Please forgive the fact that they may be even dirtier than you’ve had before, if that’s possible. They are only in the large bags this week, so I didn’t have to lift all that many. We’re coming towards the end of the swede crop as well. There are a few smaller swede left in the field but the cold and wet is starting to make the neck rot which will eventually effect the whole plant. We’ve had the best crop of swede we’ve ever grown, this year. I can’t believe , considering the weather we’ve had, that it could be the best year for anything.
We’re off the Crail for the long weekend, for a wee break. The schools are off for half-term and it’s our big birthday weekend where we have 4 Cobbinshaw birthdays in 4 days. It’s always a good time. The only down-side is that I’ll miss the Balerno market on Saturday. I haven’t been there now since October, for one reason or another, but hopefully March will see us back there as usual.
On the farm-work side of things, I’ve bought in the first of my seed compost for this year and hope to get some seeds sown when we get back from our break. It’s our first year with the poly-tunnel and hopefully it’ll give us a good early start. My main concern was, that the structure couldn’t survive our weather up here. We’re really exposed to winds from any direction, but, so far, it has survived .
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.
Chard Chard is great nutritionally. It contains Vitamins A, C, B2 and B6, folic acid, iron, magnesium, potassium, calcium, phytochemicals and protein. Most of you will get one giant leaf, but it will cook into curries and other dishes. To cook it, treat it much the same way as spinach for the leaf and like celery for the stem,although the flavour is quite different Immerse the chard in a large bowl of cold clean water, lift them out and repeat the process with fresh water, two or three times more. Chard has a high water content , so it is sufficient to cook it only with the water adhering to the leaves from the last rinsing. Sprinkle lightly with salt, cover with a lid and cook gently for 7 – 10 minutes until soft. Drain the chard thoroughly, squeezing out as much water as possible with a potato masher.
Pepper Capsicum sp.. ( 1 head) Cut off the top and scoop out the membranes and seeds. The flesh can be eaten fresh or cooked. There are also various recipes for stuffing peppers for which you need to retain the sliced off top.
Parsnip. Pastinaca sativa Good for Vitamin C, folic acid, potassium and fibre. Peel, then cut into chunks for boiling or roasting, also can be grated into soups or kept in chunks for soups or stews. Here’s a recipe for: Curried parsnip couscous. Prepare your parsnips and cut them into batons about 7cm (3inches) long, the thicker sections will need to be quartered. Mix together 1 teaspoon each of sea salt, paprika and ground cumin, a tablespoon each of sunflower oil and honey and a dash of tabasco sauce. Pour this over the parsnips and leave to marinate for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200oC/400oF/Gas 6. Cover the parsnips tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour. Turn them regularly, making sure they are tightly wrapped before returning them to the oven. Sprinkle them with water from time to time to stop sticking. Towards the end of the cooking time prepare some couscous. Serve the couscous with the parsnips, sprinkled with coriander leaves. Have mango chutney on hand, just to finish it off.
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.
We’re off the Crail for the long weekend, for a wee break. The schools are off for half-term and it’s our big birthday weekend where we have 4 Cobbinshaw birthdays in 4 days. It’s always a good time. The only down-side is that I’ll miss the Balerno market on Saturday. I haven’t been there now since October, for one reason or another, but hopefully March will see us back there as usual.
On the farm-work side of things, I’ve bought in the first of my seed compost for this year and hope to get some seeds sown when we get back from our break. It’s our first year with the poly-tunnel and hopefully it’ll give us a good early start. My main concern was, that the structure couldn’t survive our weather up here. We’re really exposed to winds from any direction, but, so far, it has survived .
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.
Chard Chard is great nutritionally. It contains Vitamins A, C, B2 and B6, folic acid, iron, magnesium, potassium, calcium, phytochemicals and protein. Most of you will get one giant leaf, but it will cook into curries and other dishes. To cook it, treat it much the same way as spinach for the leaf and like celery for the stem,although the flavour is quite different Immerse the chard in a large bowl of cold clean water, lift them out and repeat the process with fresh water, two or three times more. Chard has a high water content , so it is sufficient to cook it only with the water adhering to the leaves from the last rinsing. Sprinkle lightly with salt, cover with a lid and cook gently for 7 – 10 minutes until soft. Drain the chard thoroughly, squeezing out as much water as possible with a potato masher.
Pepper Capsicum sp.. ( 1 head) Cut off the top and scoop out the membranes and seeds. The flesh can be eaten fresh or cooked. There are also various recipes for stuffing peppers for which you need to retain the sliced off top.
Parsnip. Pastinaca sativa Good for Vitamin C, folic acid, potassium and fibre. Peel, then cut into chunks for boiling or roasting, also can be grated into soups or kept in chunks for soups or stews. Here’s a recipe for: Curried parsnip couscous. Prepare your parsnips and cut them into batons about 7cm (3inches) long, the thicker sections will need to be quartered. Mix together 1 teaspoon each of sea salt, paprika and ground cumin, a tablespoon each of sunflower oil and honey and a dash of tabasco sauce. Pour this over the parsnips and leave to marinate for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200oC/400oF/Gas 6. Cover the parsnips tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour. Turn them regularly, making sure they are tightly wrapped before returning them to the oven. Sprinkle them with water from time to time to stop sticking. Towards the end of the cooking time prepare some couscous. Serve the couscous with the parsnips, sprinkled with coriander leaves. Have mango chutney on hand, just to finish it off.
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.
posted by thewholeshebag at 2:49 PM
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