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.