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.