Newsletter w/c 16th January 2012

I’m glad we didn’t have the frost last week, that we woke up to this morning. There would have been no chance of lifting enough Jerusalem artichokes for everyone. The first delivery week of the New Year went reasonably well, so we’re all back into the routine again. Ioni, our niece, is joining the packing team from Wednesday and the extra pair of hands will be welcome. She’ll be 13 next month but she’s already as tall as me so I’m sure she’ll be working as hard as everyone else in no time.

I had hoped to get some work done in the field today, but had to go for non-digging jobs, which meant I got some wood cut for the boiler and repaired the felt on the roof of the small shed. The old felt disappeared in the stormy weather while we were in Crail. I think I better batten it down securely in case this stormy weather is to become a regular thing.

Finn’s been saving up for ages to buy a new bike and eventually got it this week, so this weekend we’re going to Glentress by Peebles to enjoy the cycle routes through the wooded hillsides with some friends. Keir’s not quite ready for Glentress yet, but he’s announced he’d like to climb Ben Nevis this summer. I think I’ll maybe test his enthusiasm with something a bit smaller and closer to hand, like Tinto, and see how he feels then. I’ve never been up Ben Nevis, so if he is still keen after a few smaller trials, we’ll get it organized.

I’ll be in touch with everyone over the next few weeks as I still have a lot of gaps in contact details for my list. We are also going to have to change our bank account details to take into account the fact that we became a limited company last year. The bank wants us to open new accounts, which will mean new account numbers for direct debits and bank transfers. I’ll get in touch with each of you when it all gets sorted out.

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.

Leek Allium porrum. Leeks give a lovely creamy consistency to soups and are great in flans or quiches. Leeks are a great source of Vitamin C. Be sure to wash them very carefully though, as soil gets caught in the leaf axils as it is growing. Cut up the leek then rinse in cold running water in a colander.

Parsnip. Pastinaca sativa Good for Vitamin C, folic acid, potassium and fibre. Peel, then cut into chunks for boiling or roasting, also can be grated into soups or kept in chunks for soups or stews. Here’s a recipe for: Curried parsnip couscous. Prepare your parsnips and cut them into batons about 7cm (3inches) long, the thicker sections will need to be quartered. Mix together 1 teaspoon each of sea salt, paprika and ground cumin, a tablespoon each of sunflower oil and honey and a dash of tabasco sauce. Pour this over the parsnips and leave to marinate for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200oC/400oF/Gas 6. Cover the parsnips tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour. Turn them regularly, making sure they are tightly wrapped before returning them to the oven. Sprinkle them with water from time to time to stop sticking. Towards the end of the cooking time prepare some couscous. Serve the couscous with the parsnips, sprinkled with coriander leaves. Have mango chutney on hand, just to finish it off.

Garlic Allium sativum. (1 head) Adds another dimension of flavour to all sorts of savoury dishes. Don’t overdo it unless you like that sort of thing

Savoy 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.