It’s time to… tie up the broad bean plants

The heady scent of broad beans fills the polytunnel as grower Bridget and volunteer Vicky ensure the early broad bean crop is tied in securely.

Seasonal local food recipe No.381 – Madhur Jaffrey’s Punjabi-style beetroot

We grow a lot of beetroot, so I’m always on the outlook for new recipes. This is a subtly spicy side dish that goes well with dal, one of my  all-time favourite comfort foods.

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
1 pinch ground asafoetida
(or half a pinch each of onion and garlic powders)
½ tsp cumin seeds
¼ tsp fenugreek seeds
2 large beetroot (about 675g), peeled and cut into 2cm dice
2 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground turmeric
¼–½ tsp chilli powder
Salt
250ml water
2 medium tomatoes, blanched, peeled and finely chopped

Method
Put the oil in a nonstick frying pan on a medium-high heat. When hot, add the asafoetida, quickly followed by the cumin seeds, and let them sizzle for a few seconds. Add the fenugreek seeds, stir, then add the beetroot, ginger, coriander and cumin. Stir for two to three minutes. Add the turmeric and chilli powder, and stir for a few seconds.

Stir in the water and half a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, cover, lower the heat and cook gently for 20 minutes, until the beetroot is tender. Add the tomatoes and cook, uncovered, stirring over a high heat, for another two to three minutes, until the tomatoes are tender and well combined, and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Season as needed and serve.

We had a great day at Camel CSA on Open Farm Sunday

An artistic image of Camel CSA’s community veg plot

This illustration of Camel Community Supported Agriculture’s grow-our-own veg plot in Cornwall is by the very talented artist Antonina Szram Brown.

Antonina and her husband Jeremy run St Kew Harvest Farm Shop, specialising in good food and fresh produce that includes their own homemade artisan bread. They’re both deeply committed to making local food work in our part of north Cornwall.

Camel CSA rent two acres of land from the Brown family at St Kew Highway near Wadebridge. Jeremy is one of the local growers who supplies top-quality produce for our weekly veg box scheme.

Extra volunteering sessions for Camel CSA members

The spring planting rush is on. So we’re setting up some additional volunteering sessions on weekdays. 

From now until September volunteer growers can help out on our site at St Kew Highway on Mondays from 2-4 pm and on Fridays from 10-12 noon.

The Friday morning growing slot is at the same time the picking and packing team prepares the weekly veg boxes. This in addition to our all-year-round Sunday morning team sessions.

Expert grower Mark Norman will be on hand to advise and guide us on the finer art of vegetable growing.

There’s lots to get done over the next few days both inside and out. Onion sets and broad beans need sowing  and there’s spring cabbage to plant out in the newly-prepared growing beds.

And of course there’s still plenty more dock weeds to dig up.

Cornwall Farmers donates tools to Camel CSA

We’re all set up for the vegetable growing season thanks to a generous donation of equipment from the Wadebridge branch of Cornwall Farmers Ltd.

Wadebridge branch manager Julie Russell (on the left of the picture) handed over the tools to Camel CSA growing team members Jeremy B, Bridget, Bob and Mark N. They include two types of spade (digging and border), forks, edgers and hoes.

The growers will be using the tools for the first time this coming Sunday. We need to dig up the perennial docks that are starting to sprout up all over the brassicas section of our plot at St Kew Highway.

Julie praised people in Wadebridge and the surrounding area for our ability to pull together. “There’s quite a community vibe going,” she said. “Cornwall Farmers is a growing business supporting a growing community, and we’re always trying to forge new links.”

Cornwall Farmers has been a Camel CSA sponsor ever since we set up just over two years ago.

Community veg team given tools to do the job – Cornish Guardian
                                                                                                                                                                                                    Picture: Shayne House

We’ve got plenty of Cornish community spirit

Camel CSA is strong on community spirit according to the Cornish Guardian, our local weekly newspaper.

It reports that our vegetable-growing co-operative is going from strength to strength now we’ve won Lottery and ECLAG  funding. 

We’re seeking to increase our membership and welcome new members living within a 10-mile radius of St Kew Highway to join our weekly veg box scheme.

Camel CSA secretary Mike Sadler told the paper: “Over the past two years we’ve learned a lot. The first growing season was a hard lesson; we had problems with the quality of the soil and predators such as birds and rabbits.

“The second growing year has been much more successful and we’re looking forward to inviting local schools and organisations to come to the site and learn the importance of growing produce and introducing them to healthy living.”

A big community effort on our Cornish apple juicing day

Nearly 40 people came to our annual apple juicing event on our site at St Kew Highway in north Cornwall.

Everyone pitched in and helped with washing, cutting, crushing and pressing the apples. It was a big effort and we managed to produce nearly a litre of juice for every man, woman and child.

Many thanks to the kind folk who loaned us their apple crushers and presses and to those who donated vast quantities of apples from their gardens and orchards.

Our press gang on this beautiful autumn day were Aimee, Antonina, Brooke, Carla, Cat, Charlotte, Cheryl, Chris, Danny, David, Finn, Frances, Frank, Gavin, Jane I, Jane M, Jenny, Jeremy, Judy, Keira, Kitty, Lani, Leonie, Lily, Mark M, Mark N, Mike, Paul, Peter G, Peter M, Robyn, Ros, Sammy, Seth, Shayne, Sue, Teresa and Tom.

Come to Camel CSA’s Apple Day

We’re all set for our annual apple juicing event. The apples are picked and the presses prepared.

It’s all happening tomorrow – Sunday 17 October – between 10am and 12.30pm. You’ll find us on Camel CSA’s vegetable plot behind St Kew Harvest Farm Shop at St Kew Highway in north Cornwall.

Our fest follows the success of last year’s event which involved lots of families. It’s just one of many Apple Day events taking place across the country.

Everyone will be able to join in washing, cutting up, crushing and pressing the apples. You’ll also have the opportunity to taste the different varieties.

In exchange for your efforts you’ll be rewarded with a fair share of the juice, either to drink on the spot or take away with you. Please bring a plastic container if you intend to take some home, as it freezes well. 

It promises to be another warm, sunny Cornish autumn day, so do call by.

Solar energy future on our doorstep

Cornwall’s first solar farm could be right next door to us – just across the A39 from Camel CSA’s veg plot.

Our community supported agriculture scheme rents its two-acre field from the Brown family of Benbole Farm, St Kew Highway, near Wadebridge. 

The family are part of the Benbole Energy Farm consortium which plans to erect photovoltaic panels on a 15-acre site between St Kew Highway and St Mabyn. These would generate enough electricity for 600 homes.

Public consultation evenings are being held at St Kew Golf Club on Tuesday 8 June and Tuesday 15 June from 6 pm.

Cornwall’s ‘Silicon Vineyards’ aim to triple solar capacity in UK – Guardian
Massive solar farms planned to treble energy generated from sun in UK – Western Morning News