Newsletter w/c 23rd April 2012

Sunshine and showers all week – I think that’s what we’re supposed to expect for April. It’s nice to get the weather we expect for a change, although with the droughts in East England it’s obviously not the norm throughout Britain. It’s still just a wee bit chilly to be great growing conditions, but we can get out and do a little bit in the field between showers, getting the ground cleared in preparation for the new season. The potatoes are planted and Jerusalem artichokes are almost all sorted out. In the next couple of weeks I hope to start sowing direct into the field. Most of the crops will be successively sown throughout the next couple of months.

My marathon training started last week as well. With the wet conditions running shoes hardly had time to dry out after one run before I had to pull them on again. Conditions will improve soon I’m sure. My first month of training is very easy, just to get my body back into the idea of training regularly. I don’t want to rush things and strain my old body!

On that subject, it was my birthday last Saturday and coincidently Boghall and Bathgate Caledonia Pipe Band held a concert at Bathgate Academy. The band has three separate bands at different grades. Our son Finn plays the bagpipes in the Novice/Juvenile Band and they put on a great performance along with contributions from the Grade 1 Band and the Juveniles. We wish all the bands well for the coming competition season. It starts in about three weeks at Dunbar. My Mum and Dad came over to watch the performance too so we all went out for a birthday tea and then back home. I wasn’t the only one celebrating on Saturday. My Aunt Margaret and Uncle Deryck were celebrating their Golden wedding anniversary on the same day, at their home in Toronto, and today (23^rd April) my Aunt Anne, in Boise, Idaho is 60 years old. So a lot of the clan are in party mood at the moment.

I meant to put kale in all the bags this week, for the last time this year, however, there wasn’t quite as much left to pick as I thought, so I’ve put the kale in the large bags only and substituted 3 or 4 different veggies into the place where I had kale before. This shouldn’t have a major impact this week but you may receive a repition in the veg selection you receive in the next two or three weeks. I’ll try to avoid the same veg two weeks running where I can.

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.

Cucumber Cucumis sativus (1/2 head) Source of Vitamins A and C and also a source of potassium. Cucumbers are generally eaten fresh in salads. Just give them a wipe over and slice or cut into chunks. For an alternative to this, try peeling the cucumbers thinly, then slice crossways into slices 0.5cm thick. Cut the seeds in the centre out to form a ring. Melt some butter in a frying pan and add a little salt and the cucumber rings. Saute for about 10 minutes or until the cucumber is tender but still crisp. Serve hot.

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.

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.