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.