It’s time to… relocate to a new site at Treraven Farm

Camel CSA is moving to a new veg growing site near Wadebridge.  But not right away!

Our lease at Benbole Farm, St Kew Highway, ends in two years’ time and we’ve secured a new base on the Treraven Farm nature reserve owned by the Gaia Trust. The move will be gradual as we relocate our polytunnels, equipment store, solar panels and packing shed and continue growing crops on the two sites simultaneously until 2020.

Where is our new site?

It’s right next to the car park at Treraven overlooking Wadebridge and the Camel estuary. You can also access it easily on foot via the public footpath from the Camel Trail at Guineaport on the edge of town.

Our new field at Treraven backs on to Gaia Trust’s ancient woodland and  community forest and is situated directly above the trust’s saltwater meadows on the tidal floodplain. The site is larger so we’ll be able to expand our growing area, create a wildflower meadow and plant an orchard. We’ll be able to deliver joint social and educational opportunities along with the Gaia Trust, which shares a similar ethos.

How are we paying for the move?

We’re incredibly grateful to the three organisations that have contributed towards our £15,000 relocation costs: Wadebridge Renewable Energy Network (WREN) St Breock Wind Farm Community Fund – £3,349; Comic Relief – £2,658.66; Cornwall Community Foundation – £1,329.34.

We’re about to submit a planning application for the two freight containers we want to convert into secure equipment and packing sheds. We intend to landscape them with sustainable green roofs and wildlife habitat walls so they blend in harmoniously with their surroundings at Treraven.

What can you do?

There’ll be numerous opportunities on special volunteer work days over the coming months to help dismantle, move and reinstate the polytunnels, convert sheds, plant Cornish hedging, install rabbit-proof fencing, prepare new no-dig vegetable beds and spread compost. If you feel you have a particular skill you could contribute just for a few hours we’d love to hear from you.

We’ll continue to post updates here and on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have any specific queries you can email us at info@camel-csa.org.uk or call/text us on 01208 420014 and we’ll get back to you straight away

Squash and wonky chillies in Camel CSA’s weekly veg boxes

Lucky standard box members have the first of this season’s chillies. Our growers Mark and Bridget assure us that so-called wonky chillies are perfectly normal, they come in all shapes and sizes. Those clever publicity people at Morrisons need to get out more often!

*squash – ‘Golden Nugget’ or ‘Uchiki Kuri’
*tomatoes – ‘Mamande’, ‘Golden Sunrise’, Gardener’s Delight’, ‘Alicante’
*green peppers
*courgettes (Mark Norman, Bodmin)
*aubergine or cucumber (CSA / Mark)
*green beans (CSA / Mark)
potatoes – ‘Malfona’ (Colwith Farm, Lanlivery)

Standard boxes also have:-
*chillies
*kohlrabi
*mixed salad leaves – lettuce, rocket, parsley

*= grown to organic principles.  Please wash all produce thoroughly.
All veg grown by Camel CSA unless stated otherwise.

Have a look at all the veg recipes on the recipes page on our website – nearly 400 to try!

Parisian carrots in Camel CSA’s weekly veg boxes

We’re savouring every mouthful of these miniature, sweet, round Parisian carrots in this week’s veg boxes! Wholesale carrot prices have leapt 80% since March and onions prices are up 40%, so they’re worth their weight in gold.

Parisian carrots are a 19th century heritage veggie that don’t need peeling, have the most amazing flavour and crunchy texture and are highly sought after by gourmet restaurants. Enjoy them raw or try this simple recipe.

In all boxes:-
*Parisian carrots
*basil
*tomatoes – ‘Mamande’, ‘Golden Sunrise’, Gardener’s Delight’, ‘Alicante’
*aubergine
*chard
*courgettes (Mark Norman, Bodmin)
*onions (Mark)
*new potatoes – ‘Malfona’ (Colwith Farm, Lanlivery)

Standard boxes also have:-
*fennel bulb
*cucumbers
*French beans  – ‘Amethyst’
*runner beans (Mark)

*= grown to organic principles.  Please wash all produce thoroughly.
All veg grown by Camel CSA unless stated otherwise.

Have a look at all the veg recipes on the recipes page on our website – nearly 400 to try!

Sweetcorn and squash in Camel CSA’s weekly veg boxes

Corn-on-the-cob, Golden Nugget squash and heritage beetroot headline our star-studded cast of celebrity summer veggies this week.

In all boxes:-
*sweetcorn
*squash – ‘Golden Nugget’
*basil
*beetroot – ‘Chioggia’
*tomatoes – ‘Mamande’, ‘Golden Sunrise’, Gardener’s Delight’
*cucumber
*courgettes (Mark Norman, Bodmin)
*new potatoes – Arrow’ (Growfair Cornwall)

Standard boxes also have:-
*aubergines
*calabrese or pointed hispi cabbage
*runner beans (Mark)

*= grown to organic principles.  Please wash all produce thoroughly.
All veg grown by Camel CSA unless stated otherwise.

Have a look at all the veg recipes on the recipes page on our website – we recommend nearly 400!

Beefsteak tomatoes and candy-striped beetroot in Camel CSA’s veg boxes

Wonderful wonky veg in Camel CSA’s weekly vegetable boxes

We love our wonky veg! Our veggies taste delicious even if some of them don’t always look perfect and it means we reduce food waste. They’re grown to organic principles and our volunteer picking and packing team harvest them for our weekly veg boxes every Friday morning.

In all boxes:-
*bunched carrots – ‘Early Nantes’
*cucumber
*beetroot
*courgettes (Mark Norman, Bodmin)
*pointed ‘Hispi’ cabbage or calabrese (CSA / Mark)
*green onions (Mark)
*new potatoes – ‘Rocket’ or ‘Estima’ (CSA / Mark)

Standard boxes also have:-
*aubergines
*tomatoes
*runner beans (Mark)

*= grown to organic principles.  Please wash all produce thoroughly.
All veg grown by Camel CSA unless stated otherwise.

Have a look at the veg recipes on the recipes page on our website – we have nearly 400 for you to try.

Seasonal local food recipe No.386 – River Cafe’s spaghetti with lemon

In hot weather I never feel like cooking. But we have to eat! This couldn’t be easier, and uses basil from Camel CSA’s weekly veg boxes. It’s another summer dish from the Observer Food Monthly‘s 20 Best Recipes and is taken from River Café 30 by Ruth Rogers, Rose Gray, Sian Wyn Owen and Joseph Trivelli.

Serves: 6 (as a starter or light lunch)
Preparation and cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients
250g spaghetti
juice of 3-4 unwaxed lemons
150ml olive oil
150g parmesan, freshly grated
2 handfuls fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
finely grated lemon zest, optional

Method
Cook the spaghetti in a generous amount of boiling salted water, then drain thoroughly and return to the saucepan.

Meanwhile, whisk the lemon juice with the olive oil, then stir in the parmesan – it will melt into the mixture, making it thick and creamy. Season with sea salt and black pepper and add more lemon juice to taste.

Add the sauce to the spaghetti and shake the pan so that each strand of pasta is coated with the cheese. Finally, stir in the chopped basil and, ideally, some lemon zest.

Sweet aromatic basil in Camel CSA’s weekly veg boxes

What a treat! Beautiful basil and elephant garlic in this week’s vegetable boxes from north Cornwall.

In all boxes:-
*basil
*elephant garlic
*carrots – ‘Early Nantes’
*cucumber
*young turnips or kohlrabi or beetroot
*runner beans (Mark Norman, Bodmin)
*courgettes (Mark)
*new potatoes – ‘Rocket’ or ‘Estima’ (CSA / Mark)

Standard boxes also have:-
*aubergine
*salad leaves
*spring onions

Hand-dug new potatoes in Camel CSA’s veg boxes

Some of the vegetables in our weekly veg boxes are grown for us by Mark Norman on his smallholding on the outskirts of Bodmin. Mark also works two days a week as lead grower at Camel CSA, alongside our other grower Bridget Gould and our seasonal worker Ann Smith.

In all boxes:-
*carrots – ‘Early Nantes’ or ‘Amsterdam Forcing’
*Swiss chard
*salad leaves
*spring onions
*courgettes (Mark Norman, Bodmin)
*new beetroot (CSA / Mark)
*new potatoes – ‘Rocket’ or ‘Estima’ (CSA / Mark)

Standard boxes also have:-
*cucumbers
*French beans – ‘Amethyst’
*calabrese (Mark)

Seasonal local food recipe No. 384 – New potato & green bean salad

This has to be one of the best and easiest salad combos I’ve tried for a while. The lovely purple French beans in Camel CSA’s weekly veg boxes turn green when cooked. They look and taste beautiful in this healthy recipe from BBC Good Food magazine.

Serves: 6

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 8 minutes

Ingredients
500g medium new potatoes, thickly sliced
200g green bean, trimmed

For the dressing
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp clear honey
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
3 tbsp olive oil
4 spring onions, thinly sliced

Method
Boil potatoes in salted water for 8 mins until just tender, then drain and keep warm (they will absorb the dressing better than cold potatoes). Meanwhile, steam the beans in a steamer over the potatoes for 4 mins. Keep a close eye on them as you want them to be just tender rather than soft. Cool the beans under the cold tap to keep their colour.

Mix the dressing ingredients in a bowl. Add the warm potatoes and beans, and toss really well to coat in the dressing.