Newsletter w/c 19th September 2011

Our nephews, Robbie and Alistair, are in New Zealand watching the rugby World cup. We got a message from them with some pictures they’d had taken with some of the England rugby team when they met them in one of the bars. It wasn’t until a day or two later that the CCTV pics came out, which some areas of the media thought were very newsworthy. We were told to watch them closely as Ali and Robbie were in the video 2 or 3 times. It was nice to see them having such a good time. They were completely oblivious to all the alleged goings-on. I hope Scotland manage to pull out a big performance on Sunday against Argentina.

The rain is still holding up our major tattie digging efforts. We just can’t get started at all. Everything has to be hand-dug – as the ground is too wet to allow the machine access. We’re badly needing 2 or 3 days of dry weather, then we should be able to make a proper start.

We’ll be at Juniper Green Market on Saturday from 9am til 1 pm. The market is held in the car-park of the Kinleith Arms. If you time it right, you could take a walk round the market then pop-in and have a nice pub-lunch.

We’re always looking for ways to improve the service we provide. If you have any suggestions as to how the box scheme could work better for you, please call me or e-mail to discuss it. Sometimes things aren’t as insurmountable as they first appear.

We’re always on the look-out for new customers too, so please spread the word about the box scheme and what we can offer. I’m constantly amazed by how many people don’t even realize that such a service.

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.

Swede Brassica napa (1 head) It’s been a while since we had swede in the veg bags, but, as we needed to thin out some of the rows, this seemed an ideal opportunity. It’s obviously the veg of choice to have with haggis, but is also a superb veg to puree for babies. To prepare it just peel it thickly and chop off the top and base of the root. Cut it up or dice it and boil for about half an hour in slightly salted water, ort until tender. Mash it with cream and a little butter.

Courgette Cucurbita pepo . Good for Vitamins A and C, calcium, fibre and iron. The courgettes may be green or yellow this week. Courgettes can be eaten raw or cooked in butter or stirfried or even roasted, so very versatile. Just give the skin a good wash first and drain it off then prepare.

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. The salad is starting to get a bit thin on the ground at the moment so we may need to have a week gap and put a replacement item in the bag.

January King Cabbage Brassica oleracea Capitata Group..(1 head) Excellent source of Vitamins B6 and C and also a source of potassium and fibre and phytochemicals. To cook, cut into quarters, cut out the hard core shred and wash under running cold water, then boil or steam for 7-10 minutes. The heart of the cabbage has a crisp texture and slightly nutty flavour which makes it ideal to shred or grate for use raw in salads or homemade coleslaw.