Newsletter w/c 3rd April 2012

There’s been a bit of a break in the newsletter writing regime lately, apologies for that, I just seem to be a bit out of my normal routine at the moment. The weather is obviously pushing me off my stride. Now that we’re back to snow for the first week of April, quite normal around here, I feel like I’m back to normal. The first wee lambs in the fields around Cobbinshaw, regularly seem to have a snowfall to deal with.

The weather didn’t kid me on enough to start trying to sow veg that I shouldn’t have been. I managed to hold myself back and have contented myself, getting some garden tasks sorted out in the summer temperatures. Lynda and I have invested in a wee trailer recently too, so we spend our Friday afternoons sourcing likely trees to cut up and carry home and process for the boiler. It’s very satisfying to find an old dead tree, cut it up, get it in the boiler and a few hours later, sit in a nice hot bath, heated purely by those logs.

Easter holidays have really kicked-in now, so the delivery runs are a bit shorter due to holidays. I may be a wee bit earlier to your door for the next couple of weeks because of this. Finn was booked on a three day mountain biking course at Glentress, but it’s been cancelled due to the weather, so there’s major disappointment to deal with there. He may get to go on Thursday if the weather allows the course to go ahead.

It’s getting towards the gap time of year for veg, when we’re waiting for the new Scottish crop to grow. Over the next couple of months, we’ll need to buy in a bit more veg from further afield, to keep up a decent variety for you. I’ll keep buying as close to home as I can though. Recently, we’ve been clearing the last of the crops out of the field, so sometimes if the cabbages or Swedes haven’t been as big as we wanted them to be, we’ve put two in the bag just to make sure you had enough of a portion to work with. Please let us know if the amounts of veg you receive is wrong for you quantity-wise, in either direction. We can tailor you’re bag to the correct amounts of veg for you.

This weekend, we’re all going to watch the Edinburgh rugby team play Toulouse. Hopefully there will be a big crowd and we can cheer Edinburgh to victory.

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 is Valor. 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 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.

Beetroot Beta vulgaris (400g ) Contains Vitamin C folic acid and potassium. Can be cooked in various ways, but don’t peel the beet until you’ve boiled it as this stops it ‘bleeding’. Super Boost Juice – Put on the rubber gloves, spread out a newspaper and peel your beetroot and cut it into chunks. Take 4 apples and quarter and core them. Take 4 carrots and trim and peel them. Take 1cm/1 inch of fresh ginger and peel it. This is easily done by scraping the skin off with the side of a teaspoon. Process all the ingredients through a juicer. Stir and serve immediately, adding ice if desired.

Tomato Lycopersicon esculentum. Tomatoes are a good source of Vitamins A and C, potassium and iron. This is the first of the British organic tomatoes for this year. They are eaten in many different ways, both fresh or cooked.

Celery Apium graveolens (1 head) This biennial veg is high in Vitamin C, folic acid, potassium and fibre. The stalks are generally eaten fresh or used in soups and stews. To cook it, boil it in a little salted boiling water for 15-20 minutes or steam it for 25-30 minutes. Serve in cheese or parsley sauce or smothered in butter.