Deliveries this week and next will be on the same days as usual. Then we’re going to have a holiday for a week at the beginning of 2012 with deliveries recommencing again from the 9th January.
The festive weather hasn’t caused us too much trouble over the past week, apart from frozen fingers when we’re picking the veg. Deliveries were hampered a bit by me overloading the van at one point and breaking both the rear springs. That meant an overnight stay in the garage for the van and a very late delivery on Wednesday. I hope it didn’t cause too many problems for any of you. I eventually got back to Cobbinshaw at midnight.
The boys are both fighting fit again and seem to have Christmas Parties or services to go to every day. When they haven’t been at that, they’ve been out playing in the snow, so they’re having a great time and getting more and more wound-up at the prospect of Santa’s arrival.
This week, we’ve given you the veg we thought would be most appropriate for a Christmas meal with parsnips and sprouts the items most customers seem to want, I’ve also included red cabbage as it is a favourite with most people at this time of year too.
As I’ve already noted, we’re off for a week after next weeks delivery, so if anyone would like an bag or a larger bag to tide them over til our return, please just let me know.
Finally, we’d just like to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and hope that you have a great time over the holidays.
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. 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.

Red Cabbage Brassica oleracea Capitata Group..(1 head) Excellent source of Vitamin C and phytochemicals and also contains Vitamin B6, potassium, fibre and calcium. Here’s a recipe for Braised red cabbage which uses apples rather than the orange based gravy I gave you last time. Braised Red Cabbage: Remove the outer coarse leaves and cut the cabbage into quarters. Remove the tough coresand shred the cabbage finely. Peel core and grate 2 cooking apples and mix with the cabbage. Melt 2oz.(50g) of butter in a pan, add 5fl.oz.(150ml) white wine vinegar and mix in the cabbage; coat thoroughly; then cover with a tight fitting lid and simmer over a gentle heat for 1 hour. Add a little more vinegar or water if the cabbage threatens to stick. Stir in 5fl.oz. (150ml) of red wine or blackcurrant juice, season to taste with sugar. The cabbage will have a fairly sharp flavour. Cover with a lid and simmer until tender.
the flesh. Boil in lightly salted water for 30 minutes na dmash with cream and butter.

Brussels Sprouts Brassica oleracea Gemmifera Group.. Excellent source of Vitamin C and phytochemicals and also contains Vitamins A and B6, potassium, fibre and calcium. Wash the sprouts in cold water and peel off any ragged or marked leaves then cut an X into the base of the sprout. Cook in a minimum of boiling salted water for 8 – 10 minutes, NO LONGER, or they’ll go soggy.

Parsnips Pastinaca sativa ( 300g) Roots are boiled or added to soups , stews and casseroles. Traditionally roasted for Christmas. Peel then slice to the desired size. Parboil in slightly salted water for 5-10 minutes then place around your turkey for the last ½ hour of cooking time, basting with the juices in the roasting tin.

Leek Allium porrum ( 1 head) Leeks can be used in many ways, however, with just one leek, they are best used in soups to give a creamy texture. Also good in quiches.

Newsletter w/c 12th December 2011

When I heard that the forecasted storm was on it’s way last Thursday, I decided it was probably best to stay off the roads and to do what I could to protect things at Cobbinshaw. The poor polytunnel looks like it has gone ten rounds with Mike Tyson, but the polythene is still in one piece, although the structure is a little bent and broken in places. I’m confident I can fix it. I delivered both the Thursday and Friday deliveries on Friday last week, but, weather permitting, we’ll be back to normal this week.

Finn is still recovering from his bout of illness, but has managed to get back to school today for the first time in a couple of weeks. Hopefully, he’ll get back to his old boisterous self by Christmas.

During the festive season, delivery days will not need to be changed. We’ll deliver as normal on the week before Christmas and the week between Christmas and New Year. We’ll take our customary festive week off over the first week of the New Year, so there will be no deliveries on the week beginning 2^nd January with deliveries starting again on the 9^th January 2012.

There’s a flyer in the bag this week to let you know that we have gift vouchers available for sale. Just let us know by e-mail, how much you’d like the voucher to be made out for and I’ll drop it off to you. Anyone would enjoy fresh organic veg and fruit as a present. The delivery can be made anytime over the next few months.

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. 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.

Kale Brassica oleracea Acephela Group..(1 bag) Excellent source of Vitamins A and C. Also a source of Calcium and copper. One of cooking is to rinse the kale in cold water, drain well and cut off and discard the tough stems. Cut the leaves into ¼ inch strips. In a well seasoned wok or frying pan, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over a moderatley high heat, add a crushed clove of garlic and cook, stirring for 30 seconds. Add half of the kale and cook, stirring for 1 minute, until they begin to wilt. Add the remaining kale and cook stirring for 6 – 8 minutes until the greens darken slightly and are fairly tender. Season with salt pepper and lemon juice.

Celeriac (1head). To prepare celeriac, treat it much as you would a swede. Peel it thickly and slice. As you slice the flesh drop it into a pan of cold water with a couple of drops of lemon juice to avoid discolouration. Here’s a recipe for Celeriac with mushroom stuffing: Prepare as above but slice crossways into discs 1 inch thick. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Drain and keep the celeriac warm under a dry cloth. Meanwhile, take 250g (1/2lb) mushrooms, keep whole if small and slice thickly if large. Fry the mushrooms in 50g (2oz) butter for 5 minutes until golden. Arrange the celeriac slices on individual plates, top with the fried mushrooms and sprinkle with paprika. Serve as an appetiser.

Pumpkin Cucurbita sp. (1 head) An excellent source of phytochemicals and vitamins A and C. Also a significant source of fibre and potassium. Pumpkins are very versatile and can make excellent soup, peeled, de-seeded and cut into chunks, with chicken or vegetable stock and an onion, carrots and a clove of garlic. Simmer it til tender then liquidise for a hearty soup. Also good roasted. You can either cut it up and remove the seeds and roast it around a joint or chicken, or you can roast it whole, just make sure you cut a hole right through to the seed core first or it could blow up in the oven. Some mess!

Newsletter w/c 5th December 2011

It’s been a tiring week, as Finn has been suffering from the flu and needing a bit of attention through the night to keep his temperature from getting too high. It seems like weeks since we had a full nights sleep. Thankfully, today, he’s starting to show an improvement, so hopefully he’ll be back to his old self again quickly and get back to school and enjoy the run-up to Christmas.

During the festive season, delivery days will not need to be changed. We’ll deliver as normal on the week before Christmas and the week between Christmas and New Year. We’ll take our customary festive week off over the first week of the New Year, so there will be no deliveries on the week beginning 2^nd January with deliveries starting again on the 9^th January 2012.

There’s a flyer in the bag this week to let you know that we have gift vouchers available for sale. Just let us know by e-mail, how much you’d like the voucher to be made out for and I’ll drop it off to you. Anyone would enjoy fresh organic veg and fruit as a present. The delivery can be made anytime over the next few months.

The snow has arrived a Cobbinshaw, but in less quantity than we experienced last year. I don’t foresee it causing any disruption to deliveries this week, however, the van is off the road as I write this. A new alternator was fitted 3 weeks ago and is faulty so I’m waiting on it getting replaced before I leave with deliveries tomorrow, so I may be a little later than usual.

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. 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.

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.

Leek Allium porrum Excellent source of Vitamin C. Particularly used to give soups a lovely creamy texture. As leeks grow they tend to lock soil into their leaf axils, so be sure to rinse them well after slicing them up. A nice idea for cooking leeks is to sweat finely sliced leeks in butter for 5 minutes, pour in a glass of red wine and simmer until reduced. Season and serve as an accompaniment to grilled fish or roast meat.

Tundra 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. This recipe is quite close to the traditional bubble and squeak:- Prepare the cabbage as above and put in a pan of lightly saltd boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain thoroughly. Remove the rind and gristle from 6oz ( 175g) of bacon, chop crossways into narrow strips and put in a heavy based pan. Fry the bacon until crisp, and the fat begin to run then add a finely chopped onion and cook until soft. Add the drained cabbage, stirring continuously until well coated. Season to taste with salt, pepper and cook through.

Swede Brassica napa. (1head). Swedes are one of Scotlands Winter staple veggies. It is completely frost resistant so needs only to harvested as required rather than having to be stored. The only problem is lifting when the ground is frozen I’ve seen us lifting them with pick axes in frosty weather. Cut off the top and bottom of the swede then peel thickly. Cut into cubes or big chunks and boil for 30-40 minutes or alternatively, parboil then set around a roast in the oven for the last 30 minutes of cooking time. Excellent boiled, then mashed with butter and cream.