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.