Volunteers are the backbone of Camel CSA’s community veg-growing enterprise in Cornwall

Our picking and packing team did a grand job on Friday picking veg and lifting more than 50kg of potatoes for our weekly vegetable boxes. Many thanks to Bridget, Charlotte, Mark M, Mark N, Ness, Toby and Trish.

Like to join us and get a weekly share of the harvest? Click here to arrange a month’s veg box trial. We’re a non-profit-making community enterprise.

In all the vegetable boxes this week:- *cucumbers, *basil, *new carrots, *spring greens, *beetroot, *new potatoes, *blackcurrants (Mark Norman, Bodmin), raspberries (Mitchell Fruit Garden)
Standard boxes also have:- extra potatoes, *French beans, salad leaves, *courgettes (Mark Norman)

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

Try out lots of ways of preparing vegetables on Camel CSA’s recipe page – more than 380 recipes for you to browse.

Seasonal local food recipe No.364 – Asparagus frittata with soft cheese and chives

This recipe was featured in The Guardian‘s 10 best asparagus recipes. It made for a very tasty meal on Friday evening accompanied by a green salad.

Serves 2

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients
200 g asparagus, trimmed
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and cayenne pepper
nutmeg, freshly grated
3 large eggs, beaten
125g soft cream cheese
30g parmesan, finely grated
2 tsp chives, chopped
butter, for frying

Method
Thinly slice the asparagus spears on the diagonal.  Warm the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan, add the asparagus and season with salt, cayenne pepper and a pinch of nutmeg.  Cook gently over a low heat until the asparagus is tender and lightly coloured.  Tip out on to a plate, set aside and wipe out the frying pan.

In a mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, cream cheese, parmesan and chives until smooth.  Return the frying pan to a moderate heat, add a little slice of butter and heat until it is just beginning to froth.  Pour in the egg mixture, turn down the heat to low and begin bringing in the frothing edges to the liquid centre of the pan using a spatula.

Tip the cooked asparagus into the pan and disperse evenly.  Continue to gently lift the more cooked parts of the frittata, allowing the liquid egg to slip underneath them until a happy, soft and curd-like medium has evolved.  This should take around 2 minutes.  Slide the frittata on to a plate and allow to cool a little before serving.

French beans and cucumbers in our Cornish veg boxes

In all the vegetable boxes this week:-
*cucumbers
*spring onions
*salad leaves – ‘Freckles’, oak leaf lettuce, baby chard
asparagus (Tregassow Farm, Truro)
strawberries (Mitchell Fruit Garden)
Cornish early potatoes (Growfair)

Standard boxes also have:-
extra potatoes
*basil
*French beans – purple
*turnips

* = grown to organic principles

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

Try out our recipes on Camel CSA’s recipe page – more than 350 ideas for you to browse.

Cornish early potatoes in Camel CSA’s weekly veg boxes

No more old potatoes! At long last we’ve got Cornish earlies in the veg boxes AND more of that delicious asparagus from Tregassow Farm, Truro. We also have newly-harvested baby turnips, broad beans and peas from our own polytunnels.

In all the vegetable boxes this week:-
*broad beans OR peas in the pod
*turnips
asparagus (Tregassow Farm, Truro)
rhubarb (Mitchell Fruit Garden)
spring greens (Growfair)
Cornish early potatoes (Growfair)

Standard boxes also have:-
extra potatoes
*salad bag
golden beetroot (Growfair)
cauliflower (Growfair)

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

Try out these ways of preparing asparagus on Camel CSA’s recipe page – more than 350 vegetable recipes for you to browse:-
Hugh’s roast new potatoes and asparagus with baked eggs
Nigel’s asparagus and lemon risotto

Broad beans and Cornish asparagus in our veg boxes

In all the vegetable boxes this week:-
*broad beans
*salad bag (Mr Green’s Market Garden, Newquay)
asparagus (Tregassow Farm, Truro)
spring greens (Growfair)
cauliflower (Growfair)
potatoes ‘Wilja’ (St Lawrence Farm, Bodmin)

Standard boxes also have:-
extra potatoes
*turnips
*radishes (Mr Green’s Market Garden)
onions (Growfair)

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

Try more than 350 vegetable recipes on Camel CSA’s recipe page

New season broad beans in Camel CSA’s veg boxes

Our three polytunnels help extend the vegetable-growing season in Cornwall. This week’s standard veg boxes have the first of the broad beans, soon to be followed by mangetout and peas.

In all the boxes this week:-
*Swiss chard
*herb bag
rhubarb (Mitchell Fruit Garden)
beetroot (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)
onions (Restharrow)
cauliflower (Growfair Cornwall)
potatoes ‘Wilja’ (St Lawrence Farm, Bodmin)

Standard boxes also have:-
extra potatoes
*broad beans
*radishes
*mixed salad leaves (golden mustard, lettuce)

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

Try more than 350 vegetable recipes on Camel CSA’s recipe page

Radishes and purple sprouting broccoli in Camel CSA’s veg boxes from Cornwall

Spring has definitely sprung!

In all the boxes this week:-
*radishes
*sprouted mung beans
rhubarb (Camel CSA / Mark Norman, Bodmin)
leeks (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)
beetroot (Restharrow)
cauliflower (Growfair)
potatoes ‘Wilja’ (Restharrow)

Standard boxes also have:-
extra potatoes
*purple sprouting broccoli
onions (Restharrow)
Jerusalem artichokes (Restharrow)

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

Try more than 350 vegetable recipes on Camel CSA’s recipe page

Radishes, rainbow chard and rhubarb in Camel CSA’s weekly veg boxes

The vibrant reds and greens of spring are in our vegetable boxes from Cornwall this week.

In all the boxes this week:-
*radishes
*sprouted mung beans
rhubarb (Mitchell Fruit Garden)
leeks (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)
beetroot (Restharrow)
cauliflower (Restharrow)
potatoes ‘Wilja’ (Restharrow)

Standard boxes also have:-
extra potatoes
*rainbow chard
*mixed salad leaves
*parsley

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

Try these ways with radishes on Camel CSA’s recipe page (more than 350 recipes for you to try):-
Warm halloumi with radish, apple and pecan salad
Radish and mint tzatziki

Seasonal local food recipe No.357 – Jerusalem artichoke soup

This recipe is from one of the first cookery books I ever bought – the classic Penguin Cookery Book by Bee Nilson.

Serves 4-5

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30-45 minutes

Ingredients
750 g Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
25 g butter
900 ml vegetable stock
300 ml milk
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method
Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the vegetables.  Cover and cook gently for about 15 minutes without browning. Shake the pan occasionally to prevent sticking.

Add the stock and seasoning and simmer until the vegetable are tender.  Liquidise the mixture (I use a stick blender in the pan), add the milk and reheat.  Taste for seasoning.  Serve with a swirl of cream and some chopped parsley.

Seasonal local food recipe No.356 – Wild garlic and cheese muffins

Camel CSA’s chair Diana Barry recommends this River Cottage Handbook No.8 Pam Corbin recipe for wild garlic. Pam says: “It’s heady, yet sweet aroma combines beautifully with strong Cheddar to make moreishly good muffins.”

Makes 10 large muffins

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients
250g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp English mustard powder or 1/2 rsp cayenne pepper (optional)
125ml milk
125ml plain yogurt
1 egg
100ml sunflower or rapeseed oil
2 level tbsp finely chopped wild garlic leaves (about 20 leaves)
100-150g strong Cheddar cheese, grated
5 cherry tomatoes, halved (optional)

Method
Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas Mark 6. Sift the first five ingredients into a medium mixing bowl, making sure they are evenly blended together.

Put the milk, yogurt, egg, oil, chopped garlic leaves and three-quarters of the cheese into a large mixing bowl. Beat together until well combined and the mture is like a very thick batter. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir very lightly, scraping son the sides, until just combined, with no clumps of dried flour lurking in the bottom of the bowl.

Place 10 muffin cases in a muffin tray with holes 2cm deep / 6.5cm diameter. Divide the mixture between the cases, filling each 3/4 full. Place half a tomato, if using, on top of each muffin and sprinkle with the remaining sheese.

Bake in the oven until well risen and golden on top.They should spring back into shape when touched lightly.