Newsletter w/c 29th August 2011

I’m still having problems with the van this week, but I’m hoping that it won’t affect delivery times at all. The electrics in the van obviously think it’s their turn to play up and with a little suspension problem, the van is garage-bound again. I’ve been told I should only need the hire van for one day, but I won’t hold my breath.

In the field, I still haven’t ventured out with the big machine yet, for fear of it disappearing into a marshy pit at some point down towards the loch. The tattie crop looks quite good from what I’ve dug up, nice big tubers and plenty of them so all we need now is a bit of an Indian summer, to give us the conditions to get them all lifted and stored.

We have broad beans, Kohl-rabi and a small amount of pea pods ready too (these will only reach the bags if I can hide them from the kids – old as well as young kids that is!). Carrots are a bit slow, as are the onions, but both are looking strong and I’ll probably have to put Swedes in the bags sometime soon, too thin them out enough to let the smaller ones get room to grow. Generally, things are doing well.

It’s Finn’s 10^th birthday this week, and as he fancied going camping again, we’re going to Peebles for a couple of nights with a day of mountain biking in Glentress on Saturday. We’re really going for it with our outdoor pursuits just now. Last Saturday the family walked through the Pentlands to Carlops, with our friends Anne and Charles and their children, Alistair and Alexa. We had a bar lunch in the Hotel before heading back. The rain stayed off until we were about a mile from the end, but by that time we hardly noticed it.

This is a list of the vegetables included in the standard bags this week. Substitutions may occur.

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.

Cabbage Brassica oleracea Capitata Group (1 head) – Excellent source of Vitamin C and also a decent source of Vitamin B6, folic acid, , fibre and potassium. To prepare, cut off the outer leaves. Cut the cabbage into quarters then shred it. Steam or boil it in a minimum amount of water for 10 minutes, the drain thoroughly and serve immediately with butter melting over the top of it. A wee bit of pepper and you’ve got a fantastic accompaniment to any meal. Don’t think cabbage is boring.

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. Peppers can also be stuffed with various fillings.

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

Cauliflower Brassica oleracea Botrytis Group (1 head) – Excellent source of Vitamin C and also a decent source of Vitamin B6, folic acid, pantothenic acid, fibre and potassium. To prepare, cut off the outer leaves. There is no need to remove the inner, tender leaves and the pale green base leaves. Trim the end of the stalk flush with the base of the cauliflower and cut a cross in it with a sharp knife. Boil the cauli in lightly salted boiling water for 12-15 minutes if whole or 8-10 minutes if the florets are split up.

Newsletter w/c 22nd August 2011

Last week we delivered all the Friday bags on Thursday evening, to allow us to attend Matthew and Vicky’s wedding. We decided that since the wedding was in Caithness that we’d give ourselves the extra day to get there

We left for Wick last Friday morning, driving up in perfect, bright, sunny conditions. It took us five and a half hours, so were in our hotel room by the middle of the afternoon, then out exploring the area around the centre of Wick. A lot of preservation work has been carried out on buildings and street furniture to give an educational walking tour of an area around the harbour, originally designed by Thomas Telford. Wick supported a lot of people back then, with the harbour full of boats and so many industries thriving on the services required. The town appears quite sleepy now, in comparison. The Wedding on the Saturday, was a great day. The wedding ceremony was in Canisbay Church and reception in the Mey Hall, across from the Castle of Mey. It was a late night, and a long drive back down the next day.

The start of the working week has been a bit of a rush. I have my van back from the garage now so at least I’ll be advertising again, as I drive around. We have broccoli in the bags again this week and it is going too be freshly cut for each packing night. Please use it as quickly as you can though, It won’t sit in your fridge for long without going yellow.

The weather is still preventing us getting the machine in to the field to lift potatoes. We’re still hand digging them, although, it’s been dry now for three days, so I may get started with it after my Tuesday run. We have a lot of veg that is just a week or two from being ready to pick so as usual it’s all happening at once.

This weekend we’re off on a family hike to Carlops, through the Pentlands and with the schools back, all the activities that require the parental taxi service, have started up again, so it’ll be rugby on Sunday. The hike means we won’t make the Juniper Green Farmers Market on Saturday, but we were short of veg yet. The market stall will be straining under the weight of produce in September though.

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.

Tomato Lycopersicon esculentum. Can be eaten fresh in salads or cooked into sauces, the famous soup, or for the unhealthy option fried for breakfast. A good way to store them is to go along the sun-dried tomato line. Put a tablespoon of oil in a baking tray. Cut the tomatoes in half lengthways and scoop out the seeds and pulp. Lay them on the baking tray, sprinkle over another tablespoon of oil and put in an oven at 150oC and cook for 45 minutes. Take out of oven and leave to cool. You can either eat them like this in salads or pasta, or store them in a jar filled with good quality olive oil. They can be stored like this, unrefrigerated, for up to 6 months.

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

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

Newsletter w/c 15th August 2011

The week’s deliveries didn’t go quite to plan, last week. I was sure that there was something wrong with the van and thought it felt like the brakes needed fixed. I took it in to a garage to get checked and was told that the brakes were fine and I had nothing to worry about. I was half way round the run on Wednesday when the van broke down a bit further and the garage in Glasgow said it looked like it was the drive shaft that was the problem. My breakdown cover got me a piggy-back on a tow truck, back to West Lothian. The tow truck driver said the symptoms definitely meant the gearbox was damaged. I hired a van, left mine to get fixed and got on with the remainder of the run. Unfortunately, I had to leave out the Renfrewshire, Inverclyde part of the run and the Southside part of the Glasgow run was delivered early on Thursday morning. I received word from the garage this morning that the gearbox on the van was fine and didn’t need repaired. The brakes were needing sorted and were causing the grinding sound.

Lynda and I are off to Wick for the weekend, this week, as we’ve been invited to a wedding. We need all of Friday to get up there so I’m hoping to deliver the Friday bags on Thursday night. The bags from the Clyde Valley and Hamilton, which usually get delivered on a Friday, will now be delivered on a Wednesday instead. This should give me a bit more time on Fridays to prepare for markets etc.

Last Friday, we took Finn for an early birthday treat, to see his favourite band, The Red Hot Chilli Pipers. If you’ve never heard of them, they have a bagpipe-based sound, backed-up by the snare drum and full rock band of guitars, drums and brass. They play a mixture of rock tunes and traditional piping tunes and we all really enjoyed the concert. The band members came out into the foyer as the crowd left the venue, so the boys got some autographs and talked about the gig non-stop, all the way home. The concert was part of the Piping Live Festival and was the night before the World Pipe Band Championships. Finn is a member of Boghall and Bathgate Pipe Band. They had a really good day with three bands competing in different grades and all of them in the top 6 after the final results were totalled.

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.

Garlic Allium sativum.( 1 head) Good for Vitamins A and C, calcium and iron. A crushed clove of garlic can enhance many savoury meals. May be substituted with pepper if you received garlic last week.

Cabbage Brassica oleracea Capitata Group (1 head) – Excellent source of Vitamin C and also a decent source of Vitamin B6, folic acid, , fibre and potassium. To prepare, cut off the outer leaves. Cut the cabbage into quarters then shred it. Steam or boil it in a minimum amount of water for 10 minutes, the drain thoroughly and serve immediately with butter melting over the top of it. A wee bit of pepper and you’ve got a fantastic accompaniment to any meal. Don’t think cabbage is boring.

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

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.

update 10th August 2011

Just a wee apology to make, as the Wednesday run has been disrupted this week due to van problems. The gearbox seems to have broken down while I was on the delivery run on Wednesday and by the time I had breakdown trucks and hire van organised the day had disappeared. I'll deliver Glasgow Southside veggies on Thursday morning, but I'm afraid that bags in Renfrewshire and Inverclyde will not be able to be delivered this week. We'll be back to normal for our Wednesday customers as from next week. Sorry for any inconvenience caused.

Newsletter w/c 8th August 2011

The broccoli struggled with the heat last week and I ended up discarding Thursdays lot and substituting tomatoes instead. You will get to sample plenty this week though as there’s loads.

We’ve also got spinach this week, as the next batch is ready and our mixed salad bags too. So we’ve got a lot of picking at this time of year. All the produce is picked fresh for each nights packing, so that you receive the vegetables with as little time between field and doorstep as possible.

The biggest news last week was that after all these years, we’ve actually had a van properly sign-written. It looks great and hopefully will catch people’s attention, and maybe earn us a few new customers. We did have a van with magnetic signs on it, 2 or 3 years ago, but they blew off somewhere and were never to be seen again. Give me a wave if you see the van.

At the weekend Lynda and Keir went to see a few shows at the festival, while I went to watch the rugby at Murrayfield.

Finn was a way with his friend, Rory, who was drumming at Bridgend Gala Day. In Glasgow, the Piping Live festival has started that leads up to the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow Green on Saturday. Finn played in George Square on Monday afternoon with Boghall and Bathgate’s Novice Juvenile Band. After a very wet weekend, they were really lucky to get sunshine for the whole set. The Championships are well worth a visit if you’re free on Saturday.

This week we’ll not get much done except harvesting all the leaves for the bags, but any spare time we do have will be spent lifting potatoes.

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.

Garlic Allium sativum.( 1 head) Good for Vitamins A and C, calcium and iron. A crushed clove of garlic can enhance many savoury meals. May be substituted with pepper if you received garlic last week.

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.

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

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. The leaves are lovely thick and wholesome, this is definitely the variety that grows best with us.

Newsletter w/c 2nd August 2011

The weather held and we did get away camping at the weekend. We only ventured as far as Peebles though. The new tent performed well and everyone seems to be keen to try it out again, which is a good sign. We even managed camp cooking both nights and didn’t get tempted to the chippy. Keir woke up needing the toilet at about 4am on the first night and by the time we’d pointed out to him that the tent didn’t have solid walls, he had woken up all the occupants of 5 tents round about us – the joys of camping!

We had a rush on the Sunday morning. We woke and struck camp by 10am and then got home, cleaned the holiday let and got Finn into his kilt. The Thistles Coffee Shop has just opened today on the Main Street in West Calder. There was a preview afternoon on Sunday and Mari and Bobby had asked Finn to play the pipes with their son, Rory, who’s brilliant on the drums. The boys did a good job and there wasn’t a seat to be had in the café. The spread of food was excellent, and a wee glass of sparkly went down a treat. If you’re in the area please have a look in and relax with a coffee or a bite of lunch. Should you like a bit more information about the café or the outside catering side of the business, go to www.thistlescoffeeshop.co.uk . We’re supplying whatever veg we have in season and Bobby’s transforming them into soups and dishes on the spot. You won’t get a much quicker field to plate time anywhere else. Please give them any support you can.

Our friends’ son Sam is over from Glasgow, working with us for a week. He’s never done anything like this before and isn’t quite sure what to expect. He hasn’t found much excitement in digging tatties or picking salads yet, but I think he appreciates being out of the city for a while. Peace and tranquility isn’t quite what a 15 yr old is looking for, I think the landrover and tractor have much more appeal.

The veg in the field is really coming on well now, and you’ll notice the difference in the bags you receive. We’re out of the ‘hungry gap’ part of the year and coming into the the season of plenty. The bag is quite green this week with both salad and kale in all the bags. The radishes took a real jump over the weekend and jumped straight into all the bags. I think they may be the best radishes I’ve ever grown. The hot weather has deterred the slugs that damaged most of the first batch a month ago. There is hardly a mark or blemish on any of the roots and they’re a perfect size. I’m hoping to have spinach in the bags next week and also broccoli again. It’s one of those crops, that when it’s ready, it has to be picked or it just goes to waste. I don’t like having the same items in the bag two weeks running, but maybe broccoli is one of the ones that most of our customers can cope with.

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.

Kale Brassica oleracea Acephala Group – Excellent source of Vitamin C and A and also a decent source of calcium, copper, potassium and fibre. To prepare, wash thoroughly in clean cold water. Young leaves can be added to salads while more mature leaves can be stripped from their stem and cooked like spinach or added to soup.

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.

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

Radish They’re excellent cut into salads. They add a hot spicy crunch to a salad and the vivid red skins add an eye-catching burst of colour. Just scrub and cut to desired size.