Newsletter w/c 18th april 2011

We had some extra leeks this week, so rather than let them go to waste, we’ve added them as an extra item to some of the bags, for as long as they are available. There may be substitutions for the butternut squash, as there aren’t enough at the moment to go throught the entire week. We’ll include them next week for the folk who didn’t get one this week.
We’re getting near the end of the stored potatoes now, so please keep an eye on the quality for us. We need to know if we’re sending out any substandard veg.
On the farm I had a great day on Saturday and managed to plant all the potato seed for this year, then on Sunday, Robbie and I planted ½ of the onion sets. I also planted a row of garlic and a few shallots, so we’re doing quite well. In the poly-tunnel, the first lot of seedlings got away from me. I’ve managed to do a bit of each tray but I had to waste a lot of the first batch. I’m now busysowing a second batch of brassicas and a few trays of salad.
We’re at Juniper Green farmers market on Saturday, this weekend. We’ll be in the pub car-park of the kinleith Arms from 9 on Saturday morning til 1pm. I hope to see you there.
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.

Beansprouts (1 pack) The beansprouts were very popular when we had them in the bag last month. The young sprouts of beans need very little preparation, except for a rinse. They can be added raw to mixed salads to give a crunchy texture, or served on their own as a salad with a vinaigrette or sour-cream dressing. They also make an excellent addition to soups, stews and main dishes, adding a welcome new flavour and texture.

Courgette Cucurbita pepo (1 head) Source of Vitamins A and C , calcium, iron and fibre. Prepare by wshing and trimming both ends. Courgettes can be coked whole or in slices, or they can be cut in half lengthways filled with stuffing and baked. Boil courgettes in lightly salted water for 15-20 minutes. Sliced courgettes may be steamed in butter for 10 minutes. Halved courgettes may be parboiled for 5 minutes the finished in the oven, in a well-buttered dish for 25 minutes at 190oC (375oF) Gas Mark 5.

Beetroot Beta vulgaris Contains Vitamin C, folic acid and potassium. Beetroot can be eaten fresh, cooked or pickled. Much of the beet I sell at the market is going to the juicer fresh, although I have never tried this, it is the most beneficial way to eat beetroot. Cooked it can be boiled, stewed or roasted, and of course, after boiling, can be pickled. The time for boiling depends on how big the root is. A golf ball sized beet would boil in 20 mins, while a tennis ball size may take over and hour.

Butternut Squash Cucurbita sp. (1 head) Butternut Squash is a member of the winter squash club. It is amn excellent source of Vitamins A amd C and a significant source of Vitamin B6 and Magnesium, potassium and fibre. To prepare it, simply peel the squash and chop into chunks, then roast it in a hot oven for 20 minutes. Here’s a recipe for Roasted Butternut Squash with coconut and coriander sauce. Heat the oven to 200oC/400oF/Gas 6. Cut the squash in half lengthways and remove the seeds. Make deep cuts in the flesh but not all the way through to the skin, to form a diamond pattern. Mix together 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil with1 teaspoon of tamari, 2 dashes of tabasco, a few drops of balsamic vinegar, a tablespoon of water and a crushed clove of garlic. Brush this mixture over the squash, turn the squash flesh side down on a baking sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the flesh is tender. Turn the squash flesh side up and bake for a further 10 minutes. While it’s cooking you can make the sauce. Take a 400ml can of coconut milk and pour it into a pan along with, a sliced clove of garlic, a sliced spring onion ( if you can get it), a handful of finely diced red pepper and a small handful of fresh coriander ( or half a teaspoon of dried). Simmer for 10 minutes then turn off the heat and leave it to infuse. To serve, strain the sauce and return to the pan to reheat. Add the same amount of red pepper and coriander again, spoon a little over each squash and serve the rest separately.

Newsletter w/c 11th April 2011

The early part of this week is not going to run as usual this week. Tuesday deliveries will be on Monday and there are no Wednesday deliveries at all. Thursday and Friday deliveries will go ahead as usual. On the farm, the field has now been ploughed so we can get on and get everything planted, our only restrictions are weather to an extent and time. At least the days are stretching now so I can work a bit longer each day and get a bit more done. I’ve tidied up the perennial bed and transplanted a row of garlic plants. I’ve planted a row of Jerusalem artichokes and weeded round the rhubarb. I need to plant the rest of the artichokes, then plant the potatoes and onion sets and when it’s too wet to do that, prick out seedlings in the poly-tunnel. It’s a time of year when there is just never enough hours in the day to do everything. Last Saturday, our nephew, Robbie, came out to help for the weekend and on Saturday we did a big repair job on the farm road. The surface, like every other road surface in Scotland, was very pot-holed after the winter weather. I bought in some type one gravel and hired a vibrating plate and we got started. We had only been going about half an hour when both of our farming neighbours, Matthew and Alisdair had offered help with their machines. The big buckets made life a lot easier than working with the barrow. Finn worked the vibrating plate, while Keir helped drive the machine, so that kept them happy and busy too. It’s great to have a smooth-ish journey along the road now. We’re getting a bit short of net bags again, so if you’ve a stash of therm, that you’ve saved up for us – could you leave them out in the next couple of deliveries. That way I’ll know how many to buy in. Thanks 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. Leek Alllium porrum (1 head) Leeks are 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. (100g) 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. Kohl Rabi Brassica oleracea Gongylodes Group (1 head) – Excellent source of vitamin C and potassium. These swollen stem bases are great eaten raw, but can be cooked. Just peel off the outer skin and slice or dice the inner flesh. To cook, blanch for 5 minutes in boiling water with a little added lemon juice, then refresh in cold water. Cook the kohl-rabi for 10-15 minutes in a minimal amount of

Newsletter w/c 4th April 2011

I’m going to change the way we produce the newsletters from now on. Over the past couple of months, I’ve been having constant problems with our printers and ink cartridges and the compatibility of the two to an extent that has meant we have been unable to put newsletters in bags on a number of occasions. What I propose is that if you can access our website online, you will find the newsletters on there under the ‘News’ link. The last 60 newsletters are there already to browse through. If you really want to receive a hard copy of the newsletter, I’ll be delighted to send you one in your bag. Leave me a note out with your next bag letting me know you’d like to continue receiving the newsletter in your bag and I’ll take a note of it. This should cut down the number we have to produce and will cut out the ones that don’t ever get read and are wasted. Next week there will be no Wednesday run and the Tuesday deliveries will be carried out on the Monday. I am away on Tuesday and Wednesday next week. Thursday and Friday customers will be unaffected. On the farm, I’m trying to get loads of things done and feel like I’m getting nowhere. The jobs keep piling up. My main job at present is pricking out brassica seedlings. The poly-tunnel is bringing them on well, so I just need to knuckle down and get my transplanting speed up. As you’ll know it was Mothers Day on Sunday and I made a major error. I had to apologise to my Mum after sending her a birthday card instead of the Mothers Day card I intended to send. It was only when I started to write it, that I realised, so to the laughter and abuse from the rest of the family, I quickly doctored it to say what it should have said and sent it. I’ll never hear the end of it from the boys. They think it’s hilarious. 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. Swede Brassica napa. (1head). 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. Pepper Capsicum sp. (1 head) Good source of vitamin C. Wash the pepper, then slice off the top. Scoop out the seeds and membranes. Can be eaten cooked or fresh in various dishes including pasta sauces, pizza, salads. Spinach Spinacia oleracea (1 bag) Good source of vitamin C, B2, B6 and A, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, protein and phytochemicals. No wonder Popeye did so well on it. Can be used fresh in salads or cooked as a vegetable. Strip the leaves off the stalks and immerse in a basin of cold water. Lift out and repeat the process twice more with fresh water. Spinach has a high water content and does not need any water to cook in – just the water that adheres to the leave will be enough. Sprinkle lightly with salt cover with a lid and cook gently for 7-10 minutes until soft. Drain thoroughly, squeezing out the last of the water with a masher.