Newsletter w/c 23rd July 2012

That’s us back from our summer holidays so deliveries will now continue as usual for the foreseeable future. The weather stayed mainly dry for our week in the Lake District and we did a fair amount of walking, sightseeing and had a relaxing time. My Mum and Dad came down to visit for the last few days of our stay and probably got the best of the weather. It was good to be able to spend some time with them and the boys really enjoyed it. We learned quite quickly that you can avoid the real tourist traps around Windermere and find equally scenic villages with as much to interest the visitor, without the traffic jams or heaving pavements. The countryside and architecture around the area is fantastic and the farms are generally hard work with a lot of fields at odd angles which must cause a few anxious moments for tractor drivers. They’re having as much trouble with the wet weather causing havoc with the silage crops as the farmers up here are.

While we were away, the boys got word from their band that they had been asked to play at the Olympic football matches this week during the half-time breaks and between the matches. The whole band are really excited about the prospect of being involved at an Olympic event. To cap it all, STV have got wind of it and want to meet the band tomorrow to interview them for the news tomorrow (Tuesday) night. Next week, they’re involved with the Piping Live week in Glasgow’s George Square, with a workshop to encourage more people to take up piping and drumming. Incidentally, if anyone would like to try their hand at the pipes or the drums, let me know and i’ll give you details of our tuition nights. It’s a really relaxed organization. If you would like to learn more about them their website is http://www.6scotspipeband.co.uk/. The week after Piping Live, the band are off to France for 10 days to a music festival. Never a dull moment!

And to cap the weekend off in fine style, my brother Brian won the Whiting Bay Open Golf, something he has dreamt of doing for years and Nephew, Scott was pipped into second place in the Junior Open. We’re all really pleased for them and proud of them.

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.

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

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.

Broad Beans Vicia faba (400g) As well as be3ing an excellent source of phytochemicals, beans are also a good source of Vitamins A, B1, B8 and C. They are also good for phosphorus and iron. Basically, all you need to do with them is shell the pods and mix the beans into salads or cook them into any sauces or soups.

Newsletter w/c 2nd July 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.

Well, the school holidays have started, and a lot of you are away on holiday so the delivery run is slightly shorter than usual. I may start a little earlier in the morning as there is no school run to cover, so basically, what I’m saying is the delivery times will probably be a bit different over the next few weeks. I’ve been roped into helping out with the summer project, which is turning our old caravan, which had had a change of use into a storage shed, into a cool, clean, cosy, childrens’ den. At least it was a good job to do to take my mind off all the jobs I would be doing if it wasn’t raining all the time. I can’t believe how much rubbish we managed to hoard in such a relatively short space of time. There were a lot of re-useable toys books and clothes that went to the charity shop too.

My marathon training has hit a snag at the moment. The painful niggles have escalated to the point where I couldn’t ignore them any longer, and I’ve had to rest. I’ll give it til the weekend, then try and resurrect my training schedule again. I’m trying to be fit enough to run the 10k over the Forth Road Bridge in August, but that is starting to look doubtful.

Here’s a list of whats in the Standard bags this week. Substitutions may occur.

Potatoes Solanum tuberosum New potatoes now. The variety is Maris Peer. They are double the cost of the old ones, so you’ll get half the amount for the next few weeks. If you’d like your normal amount and would prefer reduce the number of types of veg in the bag, let me know. 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 source of vitamin C and A, calcium and iron. Adds heightened flavour to any savoury dish and crushed and sauted in a pan with butter, is an excellent base in which to cook the mushrooms for a simple Garlic Mushrooms.

Brocolli Brassica oleracea Italica Group Excellent source of Vitamin C and folic acid. Also contains Vitamins A, B2, B6 and phosphorus, fibre, calcium and iron. It is best eaten steamed or quickly blanched in boiling, lightly salted water, as an accompanying veg and is also good in stir-fries. Please use as quickly as possible as it doesn’t keep well..

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

Tomato Lycopersicon esculentum. Can be eaten fresh in salads or cooked into sauces, the famous soup, or for the unhealthy option fried for breakfast. A good way to store them is to go along the sun-dried tomato line. Put a tablespoon of oil in a baking tray. Cut the tomatoes in half lengthways and scoop out the seeds and pulp. Lay them on the baking tray, sprinkle over another tablespoon of oil and put in an oven at 150oC and cook for 45 minutes. Take out of oven and leave to cool. You can either eat them like this in salads or pasta, or store them in a jar filled with good quality olive oil. They can be stored like this, unrefrigerated, for up to 6 months.