Christmas veg boxes brimming with local seasonal produce

Our double-value Christmas boxes will all have:
potatoes (Burlerrow Farm, St Mabyn)
* onions (Camel CSA)
* garlic (Camel CSA)
sprout stalk (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)
* salad bag (Camel CSA)
* carrots (Camel CSA)
* parsnips (Camel CSA)
* squash (Camel CSA)
* savoy cabbage (Camel CSA)
* swede (Camel CSA)
* chilli string (Camel CSA)
green tomato and apple chutney (Camel CSA)
tomato marmalade (Camel CSA)
* parsley (Camel CSA)

Standard boxes will have additional potatoes plus
* leeks (Camel CSA)
* red cabbage (Camel CSA)
* beetroot (Camel CSA)
jar of St Mabyn honey

NB next veg box day is Friday 6 January 2012

* = grown to organic principles

Veg boxes are overflowing with fresh, seasonal produce

Friday’s veg boxes are yet again full to the brim with Camel CSA’s bountiful Cornish autumn harvest.

This week everyone will have: -
* potatoes (Burlerrow Farm, St Mabyn)
* broccoli (Camel CSA)
* Swiss chard (Camel CSA)
* cabbage (Camel CSA)
* French beans or peas (Camel CSA)
* tomatoes (Camel CSA)
* carrots (Camel CSA)
* onions (Camel CSA)
* rocket (Camel CSA)
* chillies (Camel CSA)

Standard boxes will also have: -
*aubergines (Camel CSA)
* peppers (Camel CSA)
* turnips (Camel CSA)
* parsley (Camel CSA)

* = grown to organic principles

Local Cornish veg in this week’s boxes

As Camel CSA expert grower Jane Mellowship says, ‘Lots of lovely veg to harvest this week, making the boxes fit to burst!’ As always at this time of year, contents subject to change.

This week everyone will have:
potatoes (Burlerrow Farm, St Mabyn)
* french beans (Camel CSA)
* spinach (Camel CSA)
* beetroot (Camel CSA)
* cucumber (Camel CSA)
* tomatoes (Camel CSA)
* onions (Camel CSA)
* garlic (Camel CSA)
* chillies (Camel CSA)

Standard boxes will also have:
* peppers (Camel CSA)
* aubergines (Camel CSA)
* turnips (Camel CSA)
* kohlrabi (Camel CSA)

* = grown to organic principles

Seasonal Cornish veg in our boxes this week

These are the planned contents for this week’s boxes, but subject to change or, more likely, extras depending on what’s available as we pick and pack tomorrow.

Everyone will have:
potatoes (Burlerrow Farm, St Mabyn)
* runner beans (Mark Norman)
* carrots (Camel CSA)
* calabrese/sprouting broccoli (Camel CSA)
* tomatoes (Camel CSA)
* kohlrabi (Camel CSA)
* radish (Camel CSA)
* onions (Camel CSA)

Standard boxes will also have:
* peas (Camel CSA)
* kale (Camel CSA)
* cucumber (Camel CSA)

* = grown to organic principles

This week’s Cornish seasonal local veg in our boxes

As you’ll have been finding over the last few weeks, what’s in your box doesn’t necessarily exactly match Camel CSA’s weekly list published here on the blog.

This is because we’re having to harvest and share out crops, such as peas or beans, before they go over even if they’ve not been listed. Other veg promised for the week might not be quite ready when it comes to picking them on Fridays, so we’ve left them to grow on for another week.

So, here’s this week’s proposed list with the warning that it is subject to change. You might also find the appearance of the occasional sweet pepper (green and dark purple versions), aubergine or chilli.

Rest assured, the picking/packing team will be trying to ensure that the distribution of extras is as fair as it can be. Herbs, too, will be unpredicted extras. So – enjoy the abundance while it lasts!

This week expert grower Jane Mellowship says that boxes will be ‘full to the brim’ with the bonus of early cooking apples from Charlotte’s orchard in St Mabyn. Apparently these cook to a fluff and need very little sugar. Lovely with the blackberries growing so abundantly this year in our Cornish hedges.

Everyone can be reasonably sure of getting:
potatoes (Burlerrow Farm, St Mabyn)
* Emneth Early cooking apples, aka Early Victoria (Camel CSA)
* broccoli (Camel CSA)
* spring onions (Camel CSA)
* tomatoes (Camel CSA)
* cucumber (Camel CSA)
* swiss chard (Camel CSA)
* radish (Camel CSA)
* coriander (Camel CSA)

Standard boxes will also have:
* peppers (Camel CSA)
* beetroot (Camel CSA)
* rocket (Camel CSA)

* = grown to organic principles

• Want to bake a Bank Holiday cake? Try our recipe from Cornwall for Westcountry apple cake

Seasonal local food recipe No 109: Braised peas, rocket and spring onions

Recommended by Camel CSA member and expert grower Bridget Gould, a recipe from Delia Smith that would work as well with french beans as with peas. It’s a good recipe for slightly older peas which perhaps have more flavour than younger ones.

Serves 6

Preparation/cooking: 15 minutes

Ingredients
3 lb (1.35 kg) peas (unshelled weight), freshly shelled
2½ oz (60 g) fresh rocket
12 bulbous spring onions
1½ oz (40g) butter
pinch golden caster sugar
1 rounded tsp Maldon sea salt

Method
First trim the spring onions: you need only the white bulbs (the rest can be chopped and saved for something such as a stir fry).

Pull off any thick, stalky bits from the rocket and tear the larger leaves in half. Now all you do is put all the ingredients in a large saucepan, together with 3 tablespoons of water, cover with a lid, bring them up to simmering point and simmer gently for 8-15 minutes, depending on the age of the peas.

Seasonal local veg in this week’s boxes

First, a plea from the packers: if you have any of those small plastic containers such as tomatoes, peaches etc are often sold in, it would be great if you could bring them in to the shed. Many thanks.

This week everyone will have:
* potatoes (St Kew Harvest)
* onions (csa)
* french beans (csa)
* kohlrabi (csa)
* tuscan kale (csa)
* sugar snap/podding peas (csa)
* spring onion (csa)
* basil (csa)

Standard boxes will also have:
* tomatoes (csa)
* cucumber (csa)
* sprouting broccoli (csa)

* = grown to organic principles

Seasonal local food recipe No 104: Warmed salmon and pickled cucumber salad with broccoli

This week’s offering from Angela Hartnett’s ‘Midweek Suppers’ in the Guardian is ‘the ideal quick meal’. The other main ingredient is calabrese/broccoli.

Serves 4

Preparation and cooking: 20 minutes

Ingredients1 cucumber
25ml soy sauce
75ml sesame oil
10ml white wine vinegar
2 heads of broccoli cut into florets
2 tbsp olive oil
4 salmon fillets, skin removed, 120g each
½ bunch of dill, chopped
salt and pepper
horseradish cream, to serve

Method
Leaving the skin on, cut the cucumber into 8cm long strips, discarding any seeds. Place in a bowl and add the soy sauce, sesame oil and white wine vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper and allow to marinate.

Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil, add the broccoli and cook for five minutes until just cooked. Drain and allow to cool.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and cook the salmon for two minutes on each side, depending on the thickness (up to a maximum of five minutes in total). Remove from the pan and allow to cool until it is cold enough to handle. Then break it into flakes.

In a large bowl, mix the salmon, broccoli and marinated cucumber, tipping in as much of the marinade as you like. Finish with the chopped dill, mix well and check the seasoning.

Serve on a large plate with spoons of horseradish cream or grated fresh horseradish. Serve immediately.

Seasonal local veg in this week’s boxes

This week sees the first courgettes from expert grower Mark Norman and the last of the french beans from the CSA’s polytunnel. Also potatoes from Jeremy Brown at St Kew Harvest. Everyone will have:

* courgettes (Mark)
* swiss chard (Camel CSA)
* french beans (Camel CSA)
* basil (Camel CSA)
* turnips (Camel CSA)
* cucumber (Camel CSA)
* potatoes (St Kew Harvest)

Standard boxes will also have:
* red kale (Camel CSA)
* peas (Camel CSA)
* beetroot (Camel CSA)

* = grown to organic principles

UPDATE: The peas aren’t quite ready despite the recent heavy rain. So, instead, all the boxes have a bunch of freshly-picked radishes and extra kale (lots of it!)

Seasonal local Cornish veg in this week’s boxes

Another good harvest from Camel CSA’s own plot this week – including the first of the french beans and sweet-scented basil from the polytunnel. Everyone will be getting:
* spring cabbage (Camel CSA)
* salad leaves (Camel CSA)
* radish (Camel CSA)
* french beans (Camel CSA)
* broad beans (Mark Norman)
* green onions (Mark)
new potatoes (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)

Standard boxes will also have:
* beetroot (Camel CSA)
* carrots (Camel CSA)
* basil (Camel CSA)

* = grown to organic principles