The bumper crop continues in this week’s veg boxes

This week everyone will have:
potatoes (Burlerrow Farm, St Mabyn)
* onions (Camel CSA)
* parsnips (Camel CSA)
* squash (Camel CSA)
* savoy cabbage (Camel CSA)
* carrots (Camel CSA)
* salad leaves (Camel CSA)
* turnips (Camel CSA)
* chillies (Camel CSA)
* apples (Camel CSA)

Standard boxes will also have:
* purple sprouting broccoli/calabrese (Camel CSA)
* florence fennel (Camel CSA)
* swiss chard (Camel CSA)
* beetroot (Camel CSA)

* = grown to organic principles

Camel CSA’s veg boxes just keep on growing …

Once again, apart from the potatoes and bay leaves, all of this week’s contents come from the CSA’s plot. Everyone will have:

1kg potatoes ((Burlerrow Farm, St Mabyn)
* sweetcorn
* florence fennel
* swiss chard
* tomatoes
* chillies
* bay leaves (Trish) (part dried but need further drying out in warm airy place before storing in airtight containers)
* aubergine
* onions
* calabrese/purple sprouting broccoli
* carrots
* salad leaves

Standard boxes will also have:
* borlotti beans
* radicchio
* leeks
* parsley

* = grown to organic principles

FRIDAY UPDATE – no borlotti beans afte all, I’m afraid, as there weren’t enough to go round

Seasonal local food recipe No 117: Radicchio and lemon pasta

A member of the chicory family sometimes known as red chicory, radicchio has distinctive pink-red leaves with white veins. Its firm, cup-shaped leaves have a strongly bitter taste. It is generally used in salads mixed with other salad leaves. In its native Italy it is often served shredded. Alternatively, tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces. But there are also a number of recipes that make use of it cooked.

Yotam Ottolenghi cooks it lightly and mixes it with walnuts, lentils and honey for a tasty dish. And Sarah Raven has this recipe for Radicchio and lemon pasta in her Garden Cookbook which she says is quick to prepare and delicious cold the next day.

Serves 4
Preparation and cooking: about 15 minutes

Ingredients
100g chopped pancetta
2-3 tbsp olive oil
½ onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
200g dried egg tagliatelle
200g radicchio
3 tbsp dry white wine
50g butter
grated zest of 1 lemon
100ml double cream
handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
grated parmesan, to serve
salt and black pepper

Method
Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Put the chopped pancetta into a wide shallow pan over a moderate heat with half the olive oil. When the fat begins to run, add the chopped onion and garlic, and then cook with the pancetta for about 3-4 minutes, until the onion has softened.

Put the pasta into the pan of salted boiling water and cook until al dente.

Slice the radicchio into thin strips and add to the onion mixture with the wine and sauté until the radicchio begins to wilt. Add the butter and lemon zest; pour in the cream and season well. Add this to the drained pasta with the remaining olive oil and the chopped flat-leaf parsley. Finish with a generous topping of parmesan.

And the veg box bumper harvest continues …

Once again, apart from the potatoes, everything’s from Camel CSA’s own plot in north Cornwall.

Everyone will have:
potatoes (Burlerrow Farm, St Mabyn)
* onions
* calabrese/purple sprouting broccoli
* tuscan/curly kale
* borlotti beans (these need podding; there’s a pasta recipe here and a herby one here)
* carrots
* sweetcorn
* tomatoes
* aubergine
* radicchio
* chillies

Standard boxes will also have:
* leeks
* beetroot
* sweet peppers
* turnips

* = 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

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

We’re enjoying a glut of fresh, seasonal vegetables

Camel CSA’s weekly veg boxes are overflowing with a bumper harvest from our community vegetable plot in north Cornwall.

We can hardly keep up with the pace of growth. The cucumbers, basil, coriander and rocket in our first new polytunnel are racing ahead.

The tomatoes in the second polytunnel, grown by the lasagne gardening method, are almost ready to harvest.

There are over 100 tomato plants in there, flanked by aubergines, sweet peppers and about 40 chilli plants.

On the field the peas are swelling by the minute, while the first of the outdoor french beans and mange tout peas will be available in the boxes this Friday.

We’ve at long last picked all the broad beans.

The brassicas are also doing brilliantly – calabrese, summer sprouting broccoli and purple kale. We’ve even managed to grow some mouth-watering kohlrabi!

Unfortunately the alternate sunshine and showery weather means it’s a good year for weeds as well - and it’s proving difficult to keep up wth the weeding as so many of our regular volunteers are away on holiday.

Next year we’re determined instigate a strict mulching regime to enable us to manage the growth and keep them at bay.

 But at least we’ve been able to start drying out our vast crop of onions.

Watch the video: How Camel CSA is helping make local food work

Seasonal local veg in this week’s boxes

Everyone will have:
* onions (Camel CSA)
* cucumber (Camel CSA)
* calabrese (Camel CSA)
* broad beans or peas (Camel CSA)
* kale (Camel CSA)
* lettuce/rocket (Camel CSA)
* potatoes (St Kew Harvest)

Medium boxes will also have:
* extra potatoes
* radishes (Camel CSA)
* chard (Camel CSA)
* garlic (Camel CSA)
* courgettes (Mark Norman)

Large boxes will have:
an extra kilo of potatoes
extra onions, broad beans, kale, calabrese, radishes, chard, cucumber, rocket
* a large bunch of beetroot (Mark)

* = grown to organic principles

Watch this video: How Camel Community Supported Agriculture is helping make local food work

Camel CSA’s contribution in Cornwall to Making Local Food Work is featured in a new YouTube video commissioned by the Plunkett Foundation, made by eclips film.

We turned our grow-your-own dream into reality with the support and guidance of the Soil Association via Making Local Food Work. We have £60,000 funding from the Big Lottery’s Local  Food programme and the East Cornwall Local Action Group (part of the South West Regional Development Agency).

Watch all Camel CSA videos

Read all the stories behind Camel CSA’s latest videos

All our own! Seasonal local veg in this week’s boxes

The contents of this week’s boxes come from Camel CSA’s own plot at St Kew Highway and from our own expert grower Mark Norman’s smallholding on the outskirts of Bodmin.

We’ve all sharing a bumper French bean harvest. This early crop is growing really well in our first polytunnel.

Everyone will have:
* French beans (Camel CSA)
* round cabbage (Camel CSA)
* salad bags (Camel CSA)
* new potatoes (Mark Norman)
* carrots (Mark)
* gooseberries (Mark)

Standard boxes will have extra potatoes as well as:
* turnips (Camel CSA)
* kale (Camel CSA)
* calabrese (Mark)

* = grown to organic principles