Newsletter w/c 25th July 2011

With a lot of help from the Hamilton family, we finally removed the last of the structure of the old barn last week. The view from the house has completely changed and with the beautiful weather we’ve had over the past few days, is looking fantastic. We’ve still got a lot of clearing up to do as there was a lot of rubbish in the barn that was never going to be needed again, but just seemed to accumulate. We can then look at transforming the area left into a garden. I’ve been looking forward to that for a few years now. It’ll be an enjoyable Winter job, planning and designing. It’ll take a few years to implement.

I attended the farmers market at Juniper Green on Saturday. Again, it was a lovely day, which always makes for a better market day. The sunshine brings people out and makes for happier stall-holders too.

In the field, we’re switching from maintenance mode to harvesting mode now. Potatoes and salads are taking up most time now, as the potatoes are being hand-dug as the tubers are still too small to be harvested mechanically. The major bonus for you is, that with our own tatties, the quantities in the bags go back to normal again, so the standard bag will go back to 2Kg of potatoes. If you have recently joined the box scheme and find this is too many potatoes for you, let me know and we can reduce the amount for you.

We have a fine mix of salad leaves this year and they will appear in the bags regularly over the next couple of months. Again, if you have plenty of home-grown salad of your own, let me know and I’ll substitute the salad for something else.

The boys are really enjoying the summer holidays so far. The inflatable paddling pool was out in the courtyard yesterday with about 7 children running riot round the courtyard having water fights and splashing about. Good weather makes such a difference. If the weather holds, we’re going to try out a tent I received as a birthday present, at the weekend. I’m not sure how far we’ll venture and I expect we won’t get a lot of sleep, but I’m sure it’ll be fun. We’re also planning a cycle along the canal path from Ratho at some point as well.

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. We’re onto our own new potatoes now. The variety for the most part is Pentland Javelin. If I came across any ‘volunteer’ plants (potatoes left in the ground from last years crop) I dug them too so there may be one or two different tatties in your bag. 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.

Cucumber Cucumis sativus. Good source of vitamin C and A. Also, a good source of potassium. Wash thoroughly, dry, then slice up to use in salads. Occasionally used in soups.

Pointed Cabbage Brassica oleracea Capitata Group. (1 head) This is the first of the real spring cabbages. They are a little bit soft yet but still have enough of a heart to work with. Treat as Spring greens if the heart is soft. To cook, simply wash in cold running water, removing any marked outer leaves. Quarter the cabbage, then cut out the core. Shred the leaves, then boil or steam for about 8 – 10 minutes until the leaves start to wilt. You want to retain a bit of a crunch! Drain thoroughly and tip into a warmed serving dish with butter melting over the top

Mixed salad various –Excellent source of phytochemicals and a good source of Vitamins A, B and C, calcium, fibre and potassium. The ground was pretty wet when we picked the salad so some grit may be mixed in. Rinse it well. To store, it is best to rehydrate the lettuce. Rinse well, two or three times, renewing the water with each rinse, then drain thoroughly in a colander or salad spinner. Store in the fridge and you should get it to last all week

Spring Onion They’re excellent cut into salads or cut into stir-fries. Often used in Chinese recipes. Please use them up quite quickly as the leaves will start to yellow.