Broad beans and Cornish asparagus in Camel CSA’s weekly veg boxes

So much tasty young spring produce to share this week in our vegetable boxes from north Cornwall.

In all the boxes:-
*broad beans
*mixed salad leaves
*spring greens
*turnips
Cornish asparagus (St Enodoc Asparagus)
potatoes (Burlerrow Farm, St Mabyn)

Standard boxes also have:-
*peas in pod
*rhubarb
*Swiss chard

Rainbow chard in Camel CSA’s veg boxes

Standard box members have new-season rainbow chard, carrots and turnips this week. All boxes have new potatoes from our head grower Mark Norman’s organic smallholding on the outskirts of Bodmin.

In all the boxes:-
*mangetout OR podded peas
*beansprouts
*new potatoes (Mark Norman, Bodmin
Cornish asparagus (Lower Croan, Sladesbridge)
strawberries (Mitchell Fruit Garden)
cauliflower (Growfair, Cornwall)

Standard boxes also have:-
extra new potatoes
*rainbow chard
*new carrots
*new turnips

* = grown to organic principles
Please wash all vegetables and fruit. All produce grown by Camel CSA unless otherwise indicated

Try these winning ways with new potatoes on Camel CSA’s recipes page: –
New potatoes baked in parchment
Roast Cornish new potatoes with garlic and  lemon

Mangetout and podded peas in Camel CSA’s veg boxes

The beautiful weather in Cornwall is bringing on the summer crops fast. As well as peas, we all have more strawberries and asparagus in the boxes this week.

In all the boxes:-
*mangetout OR podded peas
*beetroot
*herb bag – rosemary, parsley and chives
Cornish asparagus (Lower Croan, Sladesbridge)
strawberries (Mitchell Fruit Garden)
new potatoes (Growfair, Cornwall)

Standard boxes also have:-
extra new potatoes
*Swiss chard
*mixed salad leaves – assorted lettuce, baby chard
cauliflower (Growfair)

* = grown to organic principles
Please wash all vegetables and fruit. All produce grown by Camel CSA unless otherwise indicated

Try these mangetout and pea dishes on Camel CSA’s recipes page: –
Frank’s mangetout and shitake mushroom stir-fry    
Hugh’s risoni with baby peas (or broad beans), bacon and garlic

Broad beans in Camel CSA’s veg boxes

In all the boxes this week:-
*broad beans
*sprouted mung beans
*mixed salad leaves – assorted lettuce, rocket, baby chard
Cornish asparagus (Lower Croan, Sladesbridge)
Cornish strawberries (Mitchell Fruit Garden)
potatoes (St Lawrence Farm, Bodmin)

Standard boxes also have:-
extra potatoes
*chives/parsley bag
*Swiss/rainbow chard
*mangetout peas OR purple sprouting broccoli OR turnip bunch

* = grown to organic principles

Please wash all vegetables and fruit. All produce grown by Camel CSA unless otherwise indicated

Try these broad bean dishes on Camel CSA’s recipes page: –
Simple ways with broad beans
Broad bean and feta frittata

Cornish asparagus and rhubarb in our veg boxes

At last! Freshly-picked Cornish asparagus from Roger and Gill Derryman and rhubarb from Jeremy and Claudia Best are back in our boxes this week.

In all the veg boxes:-
Cornish asparagus (Lower Croan, Sladesbridge)
rhubarb (Mitchell Fruit Garden)
*broad beans
*turnip bunch
*mixed salad leaves – assorted lettuce, rocket, baby chard
potatoes (St Lawrence Farm, Bodmin)

Standard boxes also have:-
extra potatoes
*purple sprouting broccoli
*Swiss/rainbow chard
cauliflower (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)

* = grown to organic principles

Please wash all vegetables and fruit. All produce grown by Camel CSA unless otherwise indicated

Try these asparagus dishes on Camel CSA’s recipes page: –
Simply delicious Cornish asparagus
Shaved asparagus and goat’s cheese salad Read the rest of this entry »

Cornish new potatoes in Camel CSA’s veg boxes

Lots more yummy summer veg plus strawberries in the boxes this week.

In all the boxes:-
*peas OR broad beans OR mangetout
*parsley
*new potatoes (Mark Norman, Bodmin)
Cornish asparagus (Lower Croan, Sladesbridge)
*spring greens (Camel CSA/Mark Norman)
punnet of strawberries (Growfair)
cauliflower (Growfair)

Standard boxes also have
‘old’ potatoes ‘Wilja’ (Burlerrow Farm, St Mabyn)
*mixed salad bag
extra punnet of strawberries
*turnips

* = grown to organic principles. All produce grown by Camel CSA unless otherwise indicated. Please wash all vegetables and fruit carefully.

Cornish strawberries in Camel CSA’s veg boxes

Another treat from Cornwall this week – strawberries from Mitchell Fruit Garden.

In all the boxes this week:
Cornish strawberries (Mitchell Fruit Garden)
Cornish asparagus (Lower Croan, Sladesbridge)
*mixed salad bag
*sprouted mung beans
cauliflower (Growfair)
swede (Growfair)
potatoes ‘Wilja’ (Burlerrow Farm, St Mabyn)

Our standard boxes also have:
extra potatoes

*Swiss chard/spinach
*parsley (Camel CSA) or red onions (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)
extra punnet of strawberries

* = grown to organic principles.  All produce grown by Camel CSA unless otherwise indicated.  Please wash all vegetables carefully.

This week’s recommended recipes from our website archive:
Nigel’s asparagus and lemon risotto      Shaved asparagus and goat’s cheese salad

Cornish asparagus back in Camel CSA’s veg boxes

What a treat! Freshly-picked Cornish asparagus from Roger and Jill Derryman at Lower Croan near Egloshayle is back in season over the next few weeks.

In all the boxes this week:
Cornish asparagus (Lower Croan, Sladesbridge)
*mixed salad bag
*bay leaves
cauliflower (CSA/Growfair)
leeks (Growfair)
spring greens (Growfair)
potatoes ‘Wilja’ (Burlerrow Farm, St Mabyn)

Our standard boxes also have:
extra potatoes
*Swiss chard/spinach
red onions (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)
swede (Growfair)

* = grown to organic principles.  All produce grown by Camel CSA unless otherwise indicated.  Please wash all vegetables carefully.

This week’s recommended recipes from our website archive:
Simply delicious Cornish asparagus     Roasted asparagus with balsamic vinegar

Seasonal local food recipe No.227 – Yotam’s baked asparagus with parmesan and poppy seeds

This makes a lovely dish for a special occasion. It’s from chef Yotam Ottolenghi’s weekly series in the Guardian. You’ll need thick asparagus stems – like the Cornish asparagus we all had in last week’s vegetable boxes.

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 18 minutes

Ingredients
2 large (24cm x 48cm) sheets filo pastry
2-3 tbsp olive oil
16 thick stemmed asparagus spears, woody stems trimmed
1 egg, whisked
30g parmesan, finely grated
1½ tsp poppy seeds
1 tsp coarse sea salt

Method
Heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas mark 6. Put both sheets of filo on top of each other and cut widthways across the middle. Arrange the filo into one pile, then cut the pile into four squares so you end up with 16 filo pastry squares in total.

You will now need to work fast, otherwise the filo will dry out. Lay one filo square on a work surface and brush with plenty of olive oil. Place one asparagus spear at the bottom edge of each square, with the florets exposed, then roll in the pastry to wrap up securely – you’re aiming for a cigar shape with the asparagus head sticking out. Brush each asparagus parcel with egg and sprinkle over some parmesan, poppy seeds and salt. Place the parcel on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, and repeat with the remaining filo and asparagus.

Bake for 18 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and the asparagus cooked through. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Seasonal local food recipe No.226 – Nigel’s asparagus and lemon risotto

The lemon juice gives this risotto a lovely fresh taste.  It’s from Nigel Slater’s The Kitchen Diaries.  The original recipe uses chicken stock but I am sure vegetable stock will be just as good.

Serves 2

Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 25-30 minutes

Ingredients
50 g butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
200g arborio rice
1 glass white wine or Noilly Prat
400g asparagus chopped into short lengths
1 litre hot stock
Grated rind and juice of 2 lemons
salt and pepper
3 tbs parmesan cheese, grated

Method
Melt the butter in a wide, high-sided pan over a low heat.  Add the onion and let it soften in the butter, stirring occasionally, until it is translucent and silky.  Stir in the rice then add the wine and let it bubble down until the liquid has pretty much disappeared.  Add a ladleful of stock, turn the heat up a bit, then let the liquid almost disappear before adding the asparagus and a second ladle of stock.  Continue adding the stock as it boils down to almost nothing, stirring the rice frequently. Season with salt, pepper, the lemon zest and juice to taste and continue cooking until the rice is creamy but has a little bite left in it.  Stir in the cheese and eat immediately.