Bean feast in veg boxes

Borlotti beans from Jeremy Brown at St Kew Harvest are making an appearance in this week’s veg boxes. The rest of the contents are supplied by Jeremy, Benbole Farm and Camel CSA’s own plot.

Small boxes will have:
potatoes (Benbole Farm)
* carrots (Camel CSA)
* sweetcorn (Camel CSA)
* garlic (Camel CSA)
* leeks (Jeremy)
* borlotti beans (Jeremy)
* mixed kale (Jeremy)

Standard boxes will have the same with extra potatoes plus:
* red cabbage (Jeremy)
* harlequin squash (Jeremy)
* parsley (Jeremy)

* = grown to organic principles

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Exciting times for Camel CSA’s grow-our-own veg project

Our local food initiative in north Cornwall is entering a very exciting new development phase. So watch this space closely over the next few weeks!

We’ve been busy tidying up the plot at St Kew Highway in anticipation of our big expansion on to the full two acres of land.

All the ragwort’s been pulled up, dock leaves removed and ground levelled to make way for our first very own poly tunnel. 

Much of the rest of the area has been ploughed and sown with green manure to help improve the soil fertility over the winter months.

This Sunday our volunteer growing team will be sowing winter salad crops to go in the new poly tunnel as soon as it’s up.

If you’d like to get involved, please meet outside our packing shed at 10am. We’ll be there until 12 – 12.30pm. Wear stout boots, bring gloves and don’t forget to include a waterproof (just in case).

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Seasonal local food recipe No 63: Spicy roasted squash

From Jamie Oliver’s The Naked Chef.  Good to add to a risotto, in a bread, or just to have as a really tasty vegetable.

Serves 6

Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking: 30 minutes

Ingredients
1 medium/large butternut or other squash
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp fennel seeds
2 small dried red chillies (or to taste)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 clove of garlic
1 tbsp olive oil

Method
Wash the squash, then cut in half. (If the skin on your squash seems very tough, it might be best to peel it.) With a large spoon, remove the seeds from the squash (try roasting these with a little touch of oil and some sea salt and have them with drinks – they’re really nice!). Cut the squash lengthways into quarters and then cut the quarters in half – you should have approximately 2.5cm thick, boat shaped wedges of squash. Put them in a bowl.

Put all the dried herbs and spices in a pestle and mortar and pound them up with the salt and pepper to make a fine powder. Once you’ve done this, add the garlic clove and pound it into the spices. Scrape out the contents into the bowl and add 1 tbsp olive oil. Toss the squash thoroughly in the herb and spice mixture, making sure that all the pieces are well coated.

Place the squash pieces in a line, skin side down, on a baking tray. Roast them in the oven at 200C/gas 6 for about 30 minutes, or until tender. The spicy flavour will cook into the squash and the squash will crisp slightly, the skin becoming caramelised and chewy.

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Beetroot in our Cornish veg boxes …

… is from the Camel CSA’s own plot, as are the carrots, garlic and chard. This week’s other contents come from Benbole Farm and expert grower Mark Norman.

Small boxes will have:
potatoes
* carrots (Camel CSA)
* garlic (Camel CSA)
* beetroot (Camel CSA)
* ‘uchiki kuru’ squash (Mark)
* sweetcorn (Mark)
* coriander (Camel CSA)

In addition to this, standard boxes will also have extra potatoes and sweetcorn plus:
* chard (Camel CSA)
* celery (Mark)

* = grown to organic principles

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Seasonal recipe No 62: Spaghetti with beans and tomatoes

In her Garden Cookbook, Sarah Raven credits this recipe to the River Cafe. She says it’s an ’incredibly fresh-tasting and yet comforting pasta dish’. Good now when there are beans and tomatoes aplenty.

Serves 6

Preparation and cooking: 25 minutes

Ingredients
1kg tomatoes, ideally plum or small beefsteak
300g french beans, topped and tailed
salt
150ml double cream
1 garlic clove, whole and peeled
handful of basil leaves
400g spaghetti
50g grated parmesan cheese to serve

Method
Skin the tomatoes, deseed with a teaspoon and chop them coarsely. Cook the beans in plenty of salted boiling water for 3 minutes until they are just tender. Cool them quickly in a bowl of cold water and drain.

Bring the cream to the boil and add the garlic. Take the pan off the heat and leave the cream to steep for 5 minutes before removing the garlic. Then add the beans, tomatoes and torn-up basil, and toss just for a minute to warm the veg through.

Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente, drain and mix with the tomatoes and beans. Serve with freshly grated parmesan.

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This week’s veg boxes from Cornwall …

Contents are from Benbole Farm, Jeremy Brown of St Kew Harvest, and the Camel CSA’s own plot.

Small boxes will have:
potatoes (Benbole Farm)
* carrots (Camel CSA)
* salad bags (Camel CSA)
* french beans (Jeremy)
* leeks (Jeremy)
* baby leaf cabbage (red, primo and savoy) (Jeremy)

Standard boxes will have the same with extra potatoes and:
* swede (Jeremy)
* tomatoes (Jeremy)
* ‘uchiki kuru’ squash (Jeremy)

NOTE: When preparing a pumpkin or squash, save the seeds which can be washed, dried and then roasted. They are high in proteins and minerals so make a great little healthy snack.

Read more at Suite101: Pumpkin Seeds, Soup and Roast Pumpkin Recipes: How to Use Pumpkins and Squashes, Store Them and Dry the Seeds

 * = grown to organic principles

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Seasonal recipe No 61: Courgette gratin

An excellent, tasty recipe from Jamie Oliver’s Jamie Does book.

Serves 6-8 as a side
(half quantities makes a generous main for 2)

Preparation: 35 minutes
Cooking in oven: 40 minutes

Ingredients
2 tbsp duck fat or olive oil
3 onions, peeled and very finely sliced
180g basmati rice
7 medium courgettes, finely sliced
500ml hot chicken or vegetable stock
4 heaped tbsp crème fraîche
150g emmental or cheddar cheese, finely grated
salt and black pepper
olive oil

Method
Preheat the oven to 190C/gas 5. Get a large frying pan on a low heat and add the fat or oil and a splash of water. Once melted and hot, add the sliced onions and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until soft and sticky. Meanwhile, rinse your rice under cold running water until the water runs clear.

When the onions look ready, add the sliced courgettes to the pan along with the rice. Mix them up, then pour in the hot stock. Turn the heat up and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want the mixture to stay quite loose and oozy, so add a little more stock if needed. Take the pan off the heat and gently stir in the crème fraîche and 100g of your grated cheese. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper, then taste and adjust the seasoning if need be.

Lightly oil a roasting tray, gratin dish or casserole-type pan, approx 25cm x 25cm. Tip everything into the prepared tray, making sure the rice is evenly distributed. Roughly flatten it out and try to get most of the courgettes on top to help keep the moisture as it cooks. Sprinkle over the rest of the grated cheese.

Bake in the hot oven for 40 minutes, or until the top is golden and bubbling and the rice has absorbed most of the liquid. Serve next to grilled meat or fish and a lovely fresh salad.

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Tomato allsorts this week in our Cornish veg boxes

The contents of this week’s veg boxes are produced by Mark Norman, Jeremy Brown of St Kew Harvest, Benbole Farm and the Camel CSA’s own plot.

Small boxes have:
potatoes (Benbole Farm)
* courgettes (Mark)
* runner beans (Mark)
* sweetcorn (Mark)
* tomatoes (Jeremy)
* carrots (Camel CSA)

Standard boxes will have extra potatoes and:
* celery (Mark)
salad leaves (Camel CSA)

* = grown to organic principles

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Seasonal recipe No 60: Beetroot with fresh mint

Thanks to Henrietta Danvers for this recipe, a salad that can be served as an appetiser or as part of a selection of salads, or as an accompaniment to grilled or roasted pork or lamb.

Serves 4
Preparation: 60 minutes cooking, 10 minutes preparation, 1 hour chilling

Ingredients
4-6 cooked beetroot
1-2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 bunch fresh mint, leaves stripped and thinly shredded
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and black pepper

Method
Slice the beetroot and cut into dice, put in a bowl and add the balsamic vinegar, olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Combine. Add half the thinly shredded fresh mint to the salad and chill in the fridge for an hour. Serve garnished with the remaining shredded mint leaves.

More ideas for eating beetroot from our Camel CSA members

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Our own crunchy carrots this week in veg boxes

This year’s been a good growing season for carrots as you can see from our vegetable boxes – remember last year’s tiddlers? This week’s produce is mostly from Jeremy Brown at St Kew Harvest and from our own Camel CSA plot.

Small boxes have:
potatoes (Benbole Farm)
* carrots (Camel CSA)
* chard (Camel CSA)
* beetroot (St Kew Harvest)
* french beans (St Kew Harvest)
* red cabbage (St Kew Harvest)

Standard boxes have extra potatoes plus:
* salad bags (Camel CSA)
* leeks (St Kew Harvest)
* kale (St Kew Harvest)

* = grown to organic principles

Carrot recipe ideas from Camel CSA members

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