September 20, 2018
Camel CSA is moving to a new veg growing site near Wadebridge. But not right away!
We’ve secured a new permanent base on the Treraven Farm nature reserve owned by the Gaia Trust when our lease at Benbole Farm, St Kew Highway, ends in two years’ time. The move will be gradual as we start to relocate our polytunnels, equipment store, solar panels and packing shed and continue growing crops on 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 so far towards our £15,000 relocation costs: Wadebridge Renewable Energy Network (WREN) St Breock Wind Farm Community Fund – £3,349; WREN Middle Treworder Solar Farm Community Fund – £2,000; Cornwall Community Foundation – £1,329.34; Comic Relief – £2,658.66.
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
September 2, 2018
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!
August 27, 2018
We’ve got so many tomatoes in our weekly veg boxes at the moment. They’re incredibly flavoursome as they come freshly picked straight from the vine and unlike supermarket tomatoes haven’t been been kept in cold storage.
Catalan pan con tomate and Italian bruschetta al pomodoro are gorgeous, garlicky versions of tomatoes on toast. They bring out the full flavour of these delectable fruits and are a doddle to put together. Great for a starter or a snack at any time of the day.
Both these recipes serve one (just scale the ingredients up as many times as you like) and take barely 5-10 minutes to prepare. Easy!
Bruschetta al pomodoro
1 slice of toasted sourdough or ciabatta
1 tomato
1 garlic clove
sea salt
good-quality olive oil
basil leaves
Cut the garlic clove in half and rub the cut side on the rough surface of the toast. Chop the tomato into a bowl, tear in some basil leaves, sprinkle with salt, add a glug of olive oil, then let it rest for a few minutes before piling it on to the garlicky toast.
Pan con tomate
1 slice toasted sourdough bread or pan de cristal
1 tomato
1 garlic clove
sea salt
good-quality olive oil
Cut the garlic clove in half and rub the cut side on the rough surface of the toast. Grate the tomato on the coarse-toothed side of a grater into a bowl. Stir in a good glug of olive oil and some salt, then spoon the tomato mixture over the garlicky toast.
August 26, 2018
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!
August 12, 2018
We have such tasty tomatoes and basil in our weekly veg boxes. It’s important to keep both out of the fridge to conserve their full flavour.
Originally from the Italian island of Capri, this salad needs to be made with the best ingredients and kept very, very simple. We recommend this version from Felicity Cloake in the The Guardian.
Serves 4 (with bread)
Preparation time: 5 minutes + 15 minutes resting time
Ingredients
About 600g tomatoes of different shapes and sizes, including some slightly under-ripe or more acidic varieties
Extra virgin olive oil
250g buffalo mozzarella
Small bunch of basil, preferably with smallish leaves
Method
Cut the tomatoes into different sized slices and chunks depending on their size and shape – large craggy fruit often looks better cut into cross sections. Cut out the core if it looks chewy. Put into a bowl and sprinkle with sea salt, leave to sit for 10 minutes, then add 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and gently toss with a couple of spoons.
Arrange the tomatoes on a platter, spooning over their juices. Tear the mozzarella over the top, and scatter with torn basil leaves. Drizzle with more oil and season with a little more salt. Serve.
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!
August 6, 2018
We have some of those candy-striped ‘Chioggia’ heritage beetroot in this week’s veg boxes. They have a sweet and tender flesh which is more fun eaten raw, as cooking eradicates the stripes. This salad, made with lemon, is recommended by Shillingford Organics near Exeter in Devon. It’s also good if you add a little orange juice and honey as well.
Unless you’re unable to slice the beets extremely thinly, cut them into matchsticks or grate them instead. Unlike conventional beetroot, they won’t bleed!
Serves: 4
Preparation: 10 minutes
Ingredients
2-3 Chioggia beets, depending on their size
salt and freshly cracked pepper
juice from 1 small lemon, about 2-3 tbsp
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp mustard (grainy is good)
Method
Scrub the beets really well. Slice off the tops and trim the roots. Slice the beets as thin as possible. This is easiest if you use a mandoline.
Arrange the slices into a serving bowl, lightly seasoning them with salt and pepper as you go along. Combine the lemon juice, oil and mustard in a small jar with lid and shake well. Drizzle over the beet slices and serve.
August 5, 2018
What colours! There are lovely ripe tomatoes in different shapes and sizes in this week’s veg boxes including a sweet, tender-skinned yellow variety and the giant beefsteak ‘Mamande‘. We also have stripy pink-and-white ‘Chioggia’ beetroot that’s delicious eaten raw in a salad.
In all boxes:-
*tomatoes – red and yellow
*aubergines
*cucumbers
*new potatoes – ‘Rocket’ or ‘Charlotte’
*courgettes (Mark Norman, Bodmin)
*beetroot – ‘Chioggia’ (CSA / Mark)
*chard (CSA / Mark)
Standard boxes also have:-
*green peppers
*French beans ‘Amethyst’ or mangetout ‘Shiraz’
*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 recommend nearly 400!
July 30, 2018
Want something different to make with the glut of courgettes in your weekly veg box? This simple sponge loaf is recommended by Camel CSA expert grower Bridget Gould. It’s taken from BBC Good Food, which says: “The hidden veg keeps it moist and walnuts add crunch.”
Serves: 8
Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking: one hour
Ingredients
butter, for the tin
2 large eggs
125ml vegetable oil
85g soft brown sugar
350g courgettes, coarsely grated
1 tsp vanilla extract
300g plain flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
85g walnuts, roughly chopped
140g sultanas
Method
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter and line a 2lb loaf tin with baking parchment. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, oil and sugar, then add the courgettes and vanilla.
In another bowl, combine the remaining ingredients with a pinch of salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, then pour into the tin. Bake for 1 hr, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool, then serve, or freeze for up to 1 month.
July 29, 2018
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.
