It’s time to… plant out squashes and pumpkins

We got hundreds of squash and pumpkin plants into the ground at our volunteer work morning on Sunday. Many thanks to Bob, Charlotte, Helen, Kathi, Mark M and our lead grower Mark Norman.

Crunchy bunches of celery in Camel CSA’s veg boxes

We also have another Jack o’ Lantern pumpkin in each box all ready to carve for Hallowe’en.

In all our boxes this week: –
*red onions
*turnips
*cabbage OR sprouting broccoli
*parsley
*pumpkin (Camel CSA / Mark Norman, Bodmin)
*celery (Mark Norman)
*potatoes (Burlerrow Farm, St Mabyn)

Standard boxes also have: –
extra potatoes
*mixed salad bag
*green peppers OR aubergine
*borlotti beans OR French beans*

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

Try these celery dishes on Camel CSA’s recipe page: –

Braised celery
Delia’s celery soup with blue cheese

First of the season’s pumpkins in our veg boxes

In all the boxes: –
*pumpkin
*carrots
*sweetcorn
*onions
*sprouting broccoli OR kale
*cooking apples (Mark Norman, Bodmin)
potatoes (Burlerrow Farm, St Mabyn)

Seasonal local food recipe No.248 – Mauritian pumpkin curry

The Guardian Cook supplement had the 10 best pumpkin recipes this weekend.  I am going to try this delicious-sounding curry from Ivor Peters at urbanrajah.com.

Serves 4
Preparation and cooking time: 40-45 minutes

Ingredients
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion
2 garlic cloves, grated
3cm of fresh ginger, grated
2 green finger chillies, sliced lengthways
1kg pumpkin, diced
½ tsp salt
A dash of sugar
200ml water
1 tsp ground coriander
12 fresh curry leaves
2 sprigs thyme

Method
In a large, lidded pan, heat the oil over a medium heat, fry the onion until blonde, tip in the garlic, ginger and chillies until they sizzle a little, browning at the edges.

Add the pumpkin chunks, season with salt, a touch of sugar and add the water. Cover and cook for 15 minutes until the pumpkin flesh has yielded.

Remove the lid and sprinkle in the ground coriander, curry leaves and thyme sprigs, cooking uncovered for another 10 minutes, reducing the pumpkin stew a little.

Eat with rice or a flatbread such as faratha or chapatti.

Seasonal local recipe No.203 – Nigel’s gratin of pumpkin and borlotti beans

The large amount of double cream in this Nigel Slater recipe made me wilt. So when trying it out I put in a lesser quantity of creme fraiche mixed with yoghurt, and tinned borlotti beans in the absence of fresh.

A firm and flavourful winter squash from my veg box substituted the more watery pumpkin, so I hope I got away with it! Result: still the “resoundingly satisfying family meal” that Nigel intended.

Serves 6

Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking time: one hour

3 small onions, roughly chopped
5 tbsp oil
1kg pumpkin or other yellow-fleshed  squash (peeled and seeded weight)
250g borlotti beans (weight before podding)
350g gruyere
500ml double cream
30g grated parmesan

Warm the onions in the oil in a deep pan. Cut the pumpkin into large dice, then add to the softened onions and continue cooking till the pumpkin has coloured a little at the edges. Set the oven at 180C/gas mark 4.

Pod the borlotti and boil the beans hard for 10 minutes in unsalted water then drain. Cut the gruyere into large dice and scatter in the bottom of a large baking dish. Put the onion and pumpkin on top of the cheese, add the drained borlotti beans, then season with salt and black pepper. Pour over the cream, scatter the top with grated parmesan and bake for 35-45 minutes till the cheese has melted and the cream is bubbling around the edges.

Sweet autumn squashes or pumpkins in our veg boxes

This week both standard and small boxes have: –
* Uchiki kuri or Bon Bon squash, or Jack o’ Lantern pumpkin (Camel CSA)
* small mixed salad bag (Camel CSA)**
* bunched carrots (Camel CSA)
* chillies (Camel CSA)
leeks (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)
parsnips (Restharrow)
potatoes ‘Wilja‘ (Restharrow)

Standard boxes also have: –
extra potatoes
* purple sprouting broccoli (Camel CSA)
* radicchio (Camel CSA)
* beetroot (Camel CSA)

* = grown to organic principles
** salad bag – lettuce, mibuna, mizuma, baby leaf beet, rocket

Beautiful Hallowe’en pumpkins in our veg boxes

All Camel CSA members have a large Jack o’ Lantern pumpkin in their vegetable box. We’ll be carving lots more into lanterns at this Sunday’s apple juicing event – 10am-3pm on our community veg-growing plot.

Both small and standard boxes have: –
* pumpkin (Camel CSA)
* red Russian or black Tuscan (cavalo nero) kale (Camel CSA)
* flat-leaved parsley (Camel CSA)
* cucumber (Camel CSA)
* garlic (Camel CSA)
* small bag tomatoes (Camel CSA)
* small mixed salad bag (Camel CSA)**
potatoes (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)

Standard boxes have in addition: –
* radishes (Camel CSA)
* green pepper (Camel CSA)
* calabrese (Camel CSA)

Perfect Hallowe’en pumpkins in this week’s veg boxes

Camel CSA’s head grower Mark Norman is providing some large Hallowe’en pumpkins for our Cornish veg boxes this week. So get carving your lantern and, as the weather is getting colder, use the flesh for soup!

Everyone will be having:
* pumpkin (Mark Norman)
* onions (Camel CSA)
* peppers(Camel CSA)
* salad (Camel CSA)
* french beans or carrots or broccoli (Camel CSA)
* tomatoes (Camel CSA)
* kale (Camel CSA)
potatoes (Burlerrow Farm, St Mabyn)

Standard boxes will have extra potatoes plus:
* swiss chard/spinach (Camel CSA)
* radicchio (Camel CSA)
* sprouts (Camel CSA)

* = grown to organic principles

Seasonal local food recipe No.127: Spiced squash (or pumpkin) soup

This warming, spicy soup is a great antidote to rich, Christmas food. It’s an adaptation of a couple of classic recipes, using the squash or pumpkin as well as chillies, carrots, onions, garlic and parsley from this week’s Christmas vegetable boxes.

Serves: 4

Preparation: 20 mins
Cooking time: 35 mins

Ingredients
750g squash or pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and diced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander 
1 fresh red or green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
2 onions, peeled and chopped
2 carrots peeled and chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
1.25 litres vegetable or chicken stock
Lemon juice
Flat-leaf parsley or chopped chives

Method
Preheat the oven to 180°c/gas 4.

Peel the squash or pumpkin, remove the stringy bits and seeds and discard them. Chop it into cubes and put in a roasting tray mixed with 1 tbsp of the olive oil, the garlic and the spices. Cook in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until soft and brown at the edges.

Place a pan on a medium heat with the remaining olive oil. Add the carrot, onion, celery and chilli and sweat until softened but not coloured. Then mix in the roasted squash or pumpkin and the stock.

Bring to the boil, then simmer for about 10 minutes until all the vegetables are soft and cooked through.

Blitz with a hand blender or in a food processor until smooth. Taste and season with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice, then sprinkle with some chopped parsley or chives.

Serve with a swirl of creme fraiche and a scattering of toasted pumpkin seeds or crispy bacon pieces.

Hallowe’en pumpkins in this week’s bumper veg boxes

This week everyone will have:
potatoes (Burlerrow Farm, St Mabyn)
* pumpkin (Mark Norman)
* onions (Camel CSA)
* salad leaves (Camel CSA)
* tomatoes (Camel CSA)
* sweetcorn (Camel CSA)
* chillies (Camel CSA)
* calabrese/purple sprouting broccoli (Camel CSA)
* fennel bulb (Camel CSA)
* carrots (Camel CSA)
* kale (Camel CSA)

Standard boxes will also have:
* cauliflower (Camel CSA)
* radicchio (Camel CSA)
* turnips (Camel CSA)
* leeks (Camel CSA)

* = grown to organic principles