Newsletter w/c 4th February 2013

Just like a fortnight ago, we’ve woken to a white world of drifting snow and high winds. This means I’ll have problems getting out of the farm so delivery times may be altered. I won’t really know how bad it is until I try, so hopefully conditions aren’t as tricky as they look. I’ll try to keep you updated on here if there are delays.

Although it was cold at the weekend, the weather did seem to be picking up a bit. The boys managed to get a Sunday at rugby for the first time in a few weeks. The pitch has either been frozen or waterlogged for what seems like ages, so it was good to see the two of them shaking off the rustiness and getting stuck into the games.

The short days and poor conditions have made it difficult for me to keep my training going for the marathon I want to run this summer, but I’ve managed to get out at least twice a week since the middle of December, so I’m feeling quite fit. I’ve entered the Scottish National Cross-country Championships in 2 or 3 weeks time so will be able to get some measure of how well I’m doing from that, as long as I don’t pick up another injury before it.

Finn and Keir were needing a bit of extra pocket money at the weekend, so we took them busking into Edinburgh after rugby on Sunday. There didn’t seem to be very many people about, but it’s amazing how people gather at the sound of the pipes and drum. They played for about half an hour and came away quite happy. Finn’s been asked to play for at a Burns Night in a local school this week and they’re both trying to practice for their first solo competition at the beginning of next month. The band opens a lot of avenues of opportunity for them. If any of you have children that fancy taking up the chanter, which leads on to the pipes, or the drum, we’d be delighted to hear from them. We have a real shortage of young pipers in particular, at the moment.

Potato Solanum tuberosum.. The variety for the most part 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.

Red Cabbage Brassica oleracea Capitata Group..(1 head) Excellent source of Vitamin C and phytochemicals and also contains Vitamin B6, potassium, fibre and calcium. Here’s a recipe for Braised red cabbage which uses apples rather than the orange based gravy I gave you last time. Braised Red Cabbage: Remove the outer coarse leaves and cut the cabbage into quarters. Remove the  has contiutough coresand shred the cabbage finely. Peel core and grate 2 cooking apples and mix with the cabbage. Melt 2oz.(50g) of butter in a pan, add 5fl.oz.(150ml) white wine vinegar and mix in the cabbage; coat thoroughly; then cover with a tight fitting lid and simmer over a gentle heat for 1 hour. Add a little more vinegar or water if the cabbage threatens to stick. Stir in 5fl.oz. (150ml) of red wine or blackcurrant juice, season to taste with sugar. The cabbage will have a fairly sharp flavour. Cover with a lid and simmer

Beetroot Beta vulgaris  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’. My recipe for you  this week completely disregards this, so have a pair of rubber gloves and newspaper handy. I’m going to tell you how to make 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.  Can be eaten fresh in salads or cooked into sauces, the famous soup, or for the unhealthy option fried for breakfast.

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.

Garlic  (1head). Use a clove of garlic to flavour savoury dishes. Split a clove off of the bulb, peel off the skin and crush or chop finely. Mix with butter and spread on bread or  toast to make a tasty snack.

Fruit and Vegetables
Organic Vegetables	£13.50 per standard bag
	£16.50 per Large bag
Organic Fruit	£4.00 per Small Bag
	£7.50 per Large Bag
Organic Pasteurised Milk ( full cream/semi skimmed)	£1.20per  litre
Organic Single cream ( 250ml)	£1.00/£1.60
Organic Double cream ( 250ml)	£1.30/£1.70
Eggs
Organic Free Range Eggs	£1.80 per Half Dozen Box