Newsletter w/c 25th June 2012

At long last we’ve managed to sort out our holiday dates. We’ll be away in the Lake District for a week in July. There won’t be a delivery during week commencing 16^th July 2012. We don’t cancel the deliveries for the week, they’re just postponed til the following one. This means everyone skips one week of veg bags whether they are due a bag that week or not.

Our Lake District trip is our main family holiday for the year, but Lynda and the boys are getting an extra trip in August with the 6^th Scots Pipes and Drums. The band has been invited to take part in a music festival in Brittany which lasts a whole week. Don’t worry though. You’ll still get all the veg deliveries that week. The Whole Shebag will be delivering as usual that week and will also have to cover any holiday let changeovers as well, so there will be plenty to do to keep us occupied.

Thanks to everyone who donated to Lynda’s ‘Race for Life’ sponsor page. You’ll be glad to hear she managed to get round the 5K course, and even plans to do some more runs in the future, so the experience can’t have been too bad. Her sponsor page is going to remain open for a little while yet, so if you would like to donate to Cancer Relief and haven’t done so already – have a look at her page. The link to her sponsor page is: www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/lyndamavor .

We spent Saturday at the Royal Highland Show and when we woke up and looked out at the stormy weather, if we hadn’t already bought our tickets, we’d have hibernated for the day. However, we had, so we ventured out to Ingleston. It was a good thing we went early as we got a car-parking space near a hard surface which meant we didn’t need towed out by tractor later on. Once in the site we passed a lot of stall-holders rushing to get at the wood-chip pile to cover the base of the stands with the chips so that customers wouldn’t get too muddy. We spent the first 2 hours in the food hall, dry and warm and very well fed with all the tasters and samples on offer. I was driving so avoided the nips of whiskey, but I’m not sure I could have faced them at 9.30am anyway. It was the same story with the wine tasting, however the sausage stall was very welcome as were the people dishing out haggis. Lynda had baked and cooked all Friday afternoon to provide us with a 5-star picnic which we ate in the comfort of the main stand as we watched the bull judging. It dried up a little in the afternoon and we managed to get around the outer fringes of the show and left in the early evening having had a great day. The car park was a complete churned-up mess but we managed to drive out with no problems and no need of help. It can’t get as bad as this again I’m sure – we’ll be geared up to go again next year.

Here’s a list of whats 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.

Fennel (1 head) This stem base can be chopped raw into salads or simmered in a stock. Here’s a recipe for Buttered Fennel: Trim the root base and cut in half lengthways and rinse in cold water. Put the fennel in a pan with a minmal amount of boiling, lightly salted water and simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes or until just tender. Overcooking reduces the sweet aniseed flavour. Drain thoroughly in a colander and keep warm on a serving dish. Now, melt the butter. Season the fennel with pepper, then pour the melted butter over the top and serve. Your cress would be a fine garnish for this dish. Goes particularly well with grilled fish or roast

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

Kohl-rabi Brassica oleracea Gongylodes Group (1 head) Excellent source of Vitamin C and of potassium. Peel the outer skin off of the swollen bulb then eat either raw or cooked. Here’s a recipe for Sugar-browned kohl-rabi Peel the kohl-rabi and cut into finger-wide strips. Blanch for 5 minutes then refresh in cold water. Return the kohl-rabi to the pan with a small amount of boiling lightly salted water. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Drain and allow to cool slightly. Melt 1oz (25g) sugar in a heavy based frying pan without stirring, until it bubbles and is pale brown. Add 1oz (25g) of butter and stir until blended. Stir in the kohl-rabi strips and shake the pan frequently to coat all the strips evenly with caramel.