Monday, February 15, 2016

Newsletter w/c 15th February 2016

Its been a bit nippy outside today, so I'm glad to say we've been making the most of the half-term break, and got ourselves down to Peebles for the long weekend. This also means I haven't got very far with the list of jobs I had lined up for the colder weather, but I think there will be plenty of time for those yet.
It was Keir's 12th birthday last Friday and the celebration of that continued right through the weekend too, with the snow an added bonus.
The cold snap will cause us a wee problem with the bananas in the fruit bags. they dont like the cold temps and the skins tend to darken quite quickly if they get affected. If you get a fruit bag from us this week I would recommend using the bananas within the first couple of days. Even if the skins are affected the fruit inside should be fine. if it isn't and you end up throwing them out - let me know and I'll compensate you for the disappointment with your next delivery.
The standard bags this week contain; potatoes, carrots, onion, swede, red cabbage, leek and garlic
The large bags contain the above plus, broccoli, beetroot and savoy.
We've had a bit of a glut of cabbages, of one sort or another, over the last few weeks, so I'll try to avoid them in the standard bags for the next couple of weeks.

Potato Solanum tuberosum.. The variety for the most part is Valor. Some of you may get washed potatoes. These have been washed to check for blemishes and disease. Soil acts as a natural preservative, so the washed tatties may not keep quite as long as the dirty ones. 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.

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.

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

Swede  Brassica napa (1 head) The staple of the Scottish winter vegetable garden. Just peel the tough skin off and chop up and boil the sweet, crunchy, orange root. Best served mashed with a dribble of cream and a dod of butter through it. A spoonful of this will partner mashed tatties wherever they’re used and, of course, you can’t have haggis without it.

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.

Please remember to return the net bags




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