October 7, 2010
Contents are from Benbole Farm, Mark Norman, Jeremy Brown of St Kew Harvest, and Camel CSA’s own plot.
Small boxes will have:
potatoes (Benbole Farm)
* carrots (Camel CSA)
* beetroot (Camel CSA)
* mixed beet leaves (Camel CSA)
* tomatoes (Jeremy)
* leeks (Mark)
In addition to this, standard boxes will have extra potatoes plus:
* parsnip (Mark)
* squash (uchiki kuri, pumpkin or butternut) (Mark)
* swede (Jeremy)
* = grown to organic principles
October 1, 2010
Our veg box picking and packing team got soaked through this morning as they dug carrots and harvested sweetcorn in torrential Cornish rain.
The carrots were so muddy they had to be washed by hand under the outside tap. No fun in such a steady downpour!
Grateful thanks to volunteer picking and packing supremo Trish and her team – Anne, Mike S, Penny and Robert. They deserve the celebratory drink we’re all planning in the St Kew Inn tonight.
The growing team has been busy sowing winter salad seed. So far we’ve planted corn salad and rocket, as well as two varieties of both mustard and mizuna. They’ll go into the new polytunnel we’re about to construct on our full two-acre site at St Kew Highway.
From Sarah Raven’s Garden Cookbook. Good with slow-roasted belly of pork – or just as a first course with rocket or young spinach leaves. Another excellent recipe to try with your borlotti beans is Borlotti bean tagliatelle.
Serves: 6 as a starter, 8 as a side dish
Preparation and cooking: 40 minutes
Ingredients
500g fresh borlotti beans
1 garlic clove, peeled
10g sage leaves, chopped, plus plenty extra for scattering
3 tbsp olive oil, plus a little extra for drizzling
100g pancetta (or streaky bacon), chopped
slurp of red wine vinegar
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
salt and black pepper
3 handfuls of rocket or young spinach leaves (optional)
Method
Put the beans, garlic and chopped sage into a pan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 30 minutes or so, until the beans are soft. Drain them and, while still warm, add 1 tbsp oil and put aside.
Meanwhile, fry the pancetta in a very little olive oil until crisp and add to the beans. Mix together the vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper, and slowly add the rest of the olive oil to give a very creamy dressing. Pour this over the still-warm beans, keeping a third back if you are using the salad leaves. Scatter plenty of chopped sage leaves over the top.
If using the salad leaves, dress them and divide between the plates, and spoon the beans over the leaves. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil.
September 30, 2010
Borlotti beans from Jeremy Brown at St Kew Harvest are making an appearance in this week’s veg boxes. The rest of the contents are supplied by Jeremy, Benbole Farm and Camel CSA’s own plot.
Small boxes will have:
potatoes (Benbole Farm)
* carrots (Camel CSA)
* sweetcorn (Camel CSA)
* garlic (Camel CSA)
* leeks (Jeremy)
* borlotti beans (Jeremy)
* mixed kale (Jeremy)
Standard boxes will have the same with extra potatoes plus:
* red cabbage (Jeremy)
* harlequin squash (Jeremy)
* parsley (Jeremy)
* = grown to organic principles
September 25, 2010
Our local food initiative in north Cornwall is entering a very exciting new development phase. So watch this space closely over the next few weeks!
We’ve been busy tidying up the plot at St Kew Highway in anticipation of our big expansion on to the full two acres of land.
All the ragwort’s been pulled up, dock leaves removed and ground levelled to make way for our first very own poly tunnel.
Much of the rest of the area has been ploughed and sown with green manure to help improve the soil fertility over the winter months.
This Sunday our volunteer growing team will be sowing winter salad crops to go in the new poly tunnel as soon as it’s up.
If you’d like to get involved, please meet outside our packing shed at 10am. We’ll be there until 12 – 12.30pm. Wear stout boots, bring gloves and don’t forget to include a waterproof (just in case).
From Jamie Oliver’s The Naked Chef. Good to add to a risotto, in a bread, or just to have as a really tasty vegetable.
Serves 6
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking: 30 minutes
Ingredients
1 medium/large butternut or other squash
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp fennel seeds
2 small dried red chillies (or to taste)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 clove of garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
Method
Wash the squash, then cut in half. (If the skin on your squash seems very tough, it might be best to peel it.) With a large spoon, remove the seeds from the squash (try roasting these with a little touch of oil and some sea salt and have them with drinks – they’re really nice!). Cut the squash lengthways into quarters and then cut the quarters in half – you should have approximately 2.5cm thick, boat shaped wedges of squash. Put them in a bowl.
Put all the dried herbs and spices in a pestle and mortar and pound them up with the salt and pepper to make a fine powder. Once you’ve done this, add the garlic clove and pound it into the spices. Scrape out the contents into the bowl and add 1 tbsp olive oil. Toss the squash thoroughly in the herb and spice mixture, making sure that all the pieces are well coated.
Place the squash pieces in a line, skin side down, on a baking tray. Roast them in the oven at 200C/gas 6 for about 30 minutes, or until tender. The spicy flavour will cook into the squash and the squash will crisp slightly, the skin becoming caramelised and chewy.
September 24, 2010
… is from the Camel CSA’s own plot, as are the carrots, garlic and chard. This week’s other contents come from Benbole Farm and expert grower Mark Norman.
Small boxes will have:
potatoes
* carrots (Camel CSA)
* garlic (Camel CSA)
* beetroot (Camel CSA)
* ‘uchiki kuru’ squash (Mark)
* sweetcorn (Mark)
* coriander (Camel CSA)
In addition to this, standard boxes will also have extra potatoes and sweetcorn plus:
* chard (Camel CSA)
* celery (Mark)
* = grown to organic principles
September 17, 2010
In her Garden Cookbook, Sarah Raven credits this recipe to the River Cafe. She says it’s an ‘incredibly fresh-tasting and yet comforting pasta dish’. Good now when there are beans and tomatoes aplenty.
Serves 6
Preparation and cooking: 25 minutes
Ingredients
1kg tomatoes, ideally plum or small beefsteak
300g french beans, topped and tailed
salt
150ml double cream
1 garlic clove, whole and peeled
handful of basil leaves
400g spaghetti
50g grated parmesan cheese to serve
Method
Skin the tomatoes, deseed with a teaspoon and chop them coarsely. Cook the beans in plenty of salted boiling water for 3 minutes until they are just tender. Cool them quickly in a bowl of cold water and drain.
Bring the cream to the boil and add the garlic. Take the pan off the heat and leave the cream to steep for 5 minutes before removing the garlic. Then add the beans, tomatoes and torn-up basil, and toss just for a minute to warm the veg through.
Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente, drain and mix with the tomatoes and beans. Serve with freshly grated parmesan.
Contents are from Benbole Farm, Jeremy Brown of St Kew Harvest, and the Camel CSA’s own plot.
Small boxes will have:
potatoes (Benbole Farm)
* carrots (Camel CSA)
* salad bags (Camel CSA)
* french beans (Jeremy)
* leeks (Jeremy)
* baby leaf cabbage (red, primo and savoy) (Jeremy)
Standard boxes will have the same with extra potatoes and:
* swede (Jeremy)
* tomatoes (Jeremy)
* ‘uchiki kuru’ squash (Jeremy)
NOTE: When preparing a pumpkin or squash, save the seeds which can be washed, dried and then roasted. They are high in proteins and minerals so make a great little healthy snack.
Read more at Suite101: Pumpkin Seeds, Soup and Roast Pumpkin Recipes: How to Use Pumpkins and Squashes, Store Them and Dry the Seeds
* = grown to organic principles
September 10, 2010
An excellent, tasty recipe from Jamie Oliver’s Jamie Does book.
Serves 6-8 as a side
(half quantities makes a generous main for 2)
Preparation: 35 minutes
Cooking in oven: 40 minutes
Ingredients
2 tbsp duck fat or olive oil
3 onions, peeled and very finely sliced
180g basmati rice
7 medium courgettes, finely sliced
500ml hot chicken or vegetable stock
4 heaped tbsp crème fraîche
150g emmental or cheddar cheese, finely grated
salt and black pepper
olive oil
Method
Preheat the oven to 190C/gas 5. Get a large frying pan on a low heat and add the fat or oil and a splash of water. Once melted and hot, add the sliced onions and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until soft and sticky. Meanwhile, rinse your rice under cold running water until the water runs clear.
When the onions look ready, add the sliced courgettes to the pan along with the rice. Mix them up, then pour in the hot stock. Turn the heat up and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want the mixture to stay quite loose and oozy, so add a little more stock if needed. Take the pan off the heat and gently stir in the crème fraîche and 100g of your grated cheese. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper, then taste and adjust the seasoning if need be.
Lightly oil a roasting tray, gratin dish or casserole-type pan, approx 25cm x 25cm. Tip everything into the prepared tray, making sure the rice is evenly distributed. Roughly flatten it out and try to get most of the courgettes on top to help keep the moisture as it cooks. Sprinkle over the rest of the grated cheese.
Bake in the hot oven for 40 minutes, or until the top is golden and bubbling and the rice has absorbed most of the liquid. Serve next to grilled meat or fish and a lovely fresh salad.
