Newsletter w/c 18th July 2011

With the weather being so poor, we’ve spent little time in the field. It gave us time to continue with some of the other wee jobs around the farm. We’re finally removing the old barn which has half collapsed under the winter snow, then has been blown apart by the gales in the Spring. It’s becoming a safety concern, so it’s a great job to get out of the way. My friend and neighbour, Matthew, is apparently very experienced in shed demolition. I think he’s even meant to do it a couple of times. Anyway, he’s coming up to give me help and advice tomorrow, so by tomorrow night we could be well on the way to getting garden design under way.

We’ll be back at Juniper green market this Saturday at 9am until 1pm. Come along and see us if you have the time. The Gorgie market has been suspended due to lack of interest but will continue on a one-off basis for special occasions. I’ll let you know when these are happening as soon as I know.

The boys are very excited this week as our family car broke down on our way to Livingston last week and had to be taken to the garage on the back of a breakdown truck. We’ve been informed that it’s going to cost double the amount to fix it than the car is currently worth. The decision to go out and look for another car was academic and that’s what we spent the weekend doing. It’s very hard to choose a car when you’ve no confidence in your mechanical ability. The boys seemed to get over the fact that most of the sporty cars they liked were about 5 times our budget and completely impractical as family cars. They’re happy with the final choice and hopefully it’ll be ready for the road on Friday.

I haven’t mentioned them for a while, but we still have our holiday cottages for rent for minimum three night stays. You can get all the information about them at www.cobbinshawlochcottages.com .

Here’s a list of thein the veg that should appear in the standard bags this week, if substitutions haven’t been required:

Potato Solanum tuberosum. We’re onto new potatoes now. Colleen is the variety. It’s such a nice change when we move to new potatoes from the previous season’s stored ones. 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. 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.

Courgette Cucurbita pepo . Good for Vitamins A and C, calcium, fibre and iron. The courgettes may be green or yellow this week. Courgettes can be eaten raw or cooked in butter or stirfried or even roasted, so very versatile. Just give the skin a good wash first and drain it off then prepare.

Broccoli Brassica oleracea Italica Group (1 head) Excellent source of Vitamin C, folic acid and phytochemicals and good for Vitamn.B6. Also contains Vitamins A, B2, B6 and phosphorus, fibre, calcium and iron. It is best eaten raw or quickly blanched in boiling , lightly salted water. Broccoli is also good in stir-fries as it has a lovely crunch to it if you don’t cook it for too long.

Spinach Spinacia oleracea Good source of vitamin C, B2, B6 and A, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, protein and phytochemicals. No wonder Popeye did so well on it. This size of leaf will be best used as a salad item though could be cooked if you really want. Rinse it well, as the rain last week was heavy enough to spatter soil onto the lower leaves. This variety is a bit more prone to bolting (running to seed), maybe the weather conditions have affected it too. Whatever it is, the leaves just aren’t as meaty this time as they were a month ago, when we had the previous sowing in the bag. It’s still tasty and nutritious though.

Beetroot Beta vulgaris Beetroot can be eaten fresh, cooked or pickled. The least messy way to cook them is to wash them but boil them before you peel them. After boiling the skin rubs off very easily and the flesh doesn’t bleed all over the place. The small beetroot we have this week will cook in only half an hour. They can be used for soup, grated into risottos, boiled and eaten as an accompanying veg, pickled or roasted. Very versatile indeed.