The tomatoes and peppers are still going strong, but we’re having to dig out the basil. The recent cooler, intensely humid weather in Cornwall is encouraging powdery mildew, which can spread quickly in the polytunnels. So it’s got to come out. Oriental pak choi is going in instead for winter salads and stir-fries.

Small and standard boxes have: –
*tomatoes (Camel CSA)
*mixed salad (Camel CSA)**
*turnips (Camel CSA)
*cucumber (Camel CSA)
*sweetcorn (Camel CSA)
*red curly or red Russian kale (Camel CSA)
potatoes (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)

Standard boxes also have: –
extra potatoes
*calabrese (Camel CSA)
*aubergine (Camel CSA)
*basil (Camel CSA)
*peppers (Camel CSA)

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

It’s a bit of a lottery this week as Camel CSA box members randomly get one of three broccoli varieties grown on our site in Cornwall. Both small and standard boxes have:-

* calabrese or sprouting or tenderstem broccoli (Camel CSA)
* sweetcorn (Camel CSA)
* tomatoes (Camel CSA)
* cucumbers (Camel CSA)
* beetroot (Camel CSA)
* red Russian or red curly kale (Camel CSA)
* potatoes (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)

Standard boxes also get extra potatoes plus:
* aubergines (Camel CSA)
* spring onions (Camel CSA)
* mixed salad bag (Camel CSA) **

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

The bountiful autumn harvest continues! Both small and standard boxes have: –

* sweetcorn (Camel CSA)
* tomatoes (Camel CSA)
* curly or black Tuscan kale/cavalo nero (Camel CSA)
* basil (Camel CSA)
* mixed salad bag (Camel CSA) **
* bunched turnips (Camel CSA)
* potatoes (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)

Standard boxes also have extra potatoes plus:
* aubergines (Camel CSA)
* peppers (Camel CSA)
* cucumbers (Camel CSA)

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

Camel CSA’s kale harvest is about a month early this year. Both small and standard boxes have: –
* red Russian or black Tuscan kale (Camel CSA)
* tomatoes (Camel CSA)
* cucumbers (Camel CSA / Mark Norman, Bodmin)
* flat-leaved parsley (Camel CSA)
* salad bag (Camel CSA) **
* runner beans (Camel CSA / Mark Norman)
* potatoes (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)

Standard boxes also have extra potatoes plus:
* green peppers (Camel CSA)
* courgettes (Mark Norman)
* radishes (Camel CSA)

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

Camel CSA’s growing skills don’t quite extend to melons, but there are some beautiful ones on sale at the moment at The Vine in Wadebridge. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall in The Guardian suggests partnering them with cucumbers and courgettes in this side dish. Luckily we’ve got plenty of those.

He says: “All that delicate, juicy flesh is pointed up beautifully by the assertive flavours of olives and onion.”

Serves: 4
Preparation time: 5-10 minutes

Ingredients
½ large cucumber (about 200g)
1 medium courgette (about 200g)
¼ small charentais or galia melon (about 200g)
50g pitted black olives, such as kalamata
½ medium red onion, peeled and finely chopped
Juice of ½ small lemon
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method
Quarter the cucumber lengthways, scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon and slice into thin quarter-moons about 2mm thick. Put the slices in a large bowl. Top and tail the courgette, quarter it lengthways and cut into pieces the same thickness as the cucumber. Add to the bowl.

Scoop the seeds out of the melon. Carefully slice the melon off its skin, then cut it first lengthways into two to three slender wedges, then crosswise, as with the cucumber and courgette, and add to the bowl.

Roughly chop the olives and add to the salad with the onion. Squeeze over the lemon juice, trickle over the oil, give it a good seasoning and stir together gently. Taste, add more salt, pepper or lemon juice if needed, and serve straight away.

What an amazing selection of freshly-picked herbs and vegetables! Small and standard boxes have: –
* tomatoes (Camel CSA)
* cucumber (Camel CSA)
* basil bag (Camel CSA)
* mixed salad bag (Camel CSA) **
* Swiss chard (Camel CSA / Mark Norman, Bodmin)
* onions (Camel CSA)
* potatoes (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)

Standard boxes also have extra potatoes plus:
* red Russian kale (Camel CSA)
* sweetcorn (Camel CSA)
* courgettes (Mark Norman)
* aubergines (Camel CSA)

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

We’re harvesting a glut of tomatoes (again) and have lots of ideas for using them up. One traditional favourite is tomato and apple chutney. Any split, unripe or green tomatoes are put into a preserving pan with apples from my old Cornish orchard. The jars will go into Camel CSA’s veg boxes at Christmas.

Photo: Harriet Smith

What do you do with a glut of cucumbers? One caller to BBC radio suggested always taking a cucumber on holiday in case it’s needed to replace a missing bath plug!

For those of us who’ve spent the summer at home in Cornwall, here’s a quick cucumber relish from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall via the Guardian and an easy cucumber pickle from Simon Hulstone of The Elephant Restaurant in Torquay. Both are delicious with barbecued or roasted meat and fish, or patés.

Hugh’s marinated cucumber with mint
1 medium-large cucumber (350-400g)
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
2 tbsp finely chopped mint
Pinch of sugar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Peel the cucumber (or leave the skin on, if you prefer), halve it lengthways and scoop out the seeds. Slice into thick half-moons. Put in a dish with the vinegar, oil, mint and a pinch each of sugar, salt and pepper. Toss together thoroughly, then set aside in a cool place (but not the fridge) for 15-30 minutes. Toss again before serving.

Simon’s cucumber pickle
1 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
600ml water
2 cloves
1 cardamon pod
4 black peppercorns
½tsp caraway seeds, toasted
½tsp mustard seeds
small bay leaf
1 sprig tarragon
30g salt
50g chardonnay (or white wine) vinegar

Heat the water up to boiling point with all the ingredients except the cucumber and vinegar. As soon as it boils, remove from the heat and allow to cool. Once the liquor is cold, add the vinegar. Put the sliced cucumber into a kilner jar and cover with the vinegar mix. Leave until required, keeping longer will improve the taste.

We have such a glut of tomatoes at the moment to add to the cucumber mountain, the parsley lake…

This week both small and standard boxes have: –
* tomatoes (Camel CSA)
* onions (Camel CSA /Mark Norman, Bodmin)
* potatoes (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)
* carrots (Restharrow Farm)
* salad bag – mixed lettuce, baby spinach, mizuma, mibuna (Camel CSA)
* cucumber (Camel CSA)
* aubergine (Camel CSA)
* runner beans (Camel CSA / Mark Norman)
* courgette (Mark Norman)
* rosemary sprig (Janet Hulme, Wadebridge)

Standard boxes also have extra potatoes and salad leaves as well as more cucumbers / courgettes / tomatoes plus:
* calabrese (Camel CSA)
* green pepper (Camel CSA)

* = grown to organic principles

Try: Felicity’s perfect tomato soup

A conversation on Facebook reminds me of this delicious method of making tomato soup from Felicity Cloake in the Guardian. Roasting the tomatoes first gives it an exquisite, deep flavour. Best made with the freshly-harvested tomatoes, basil and onions from Camel CSA’s veg boxes. Excellent warm or cold.

Serves: 4
Preparation/cooking time (mostly roasting): 1½ hours

Ingredients
1kg ripe tomatoes
4 tbsp olive oil
Pinch of sugar
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Small bunch basil, separated into leaves and stalks
600ml chicken stock
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (optional)
2 tbsp creme fraiche
Extra virgin olive oil, to serve

Method
Preheat the oven to 190C and cut the tomatoes in half horizontally. Arrange, cut-side up, in a baking dish, drizzle with half the oil and season with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar. Bake for about an hour, until softened and beginning to char around the edges.
Heat the remaining oil in a large, heavy-based pan over a medium heat and add the onion, carrot and garlic. Cook, stirring regularly, for about 7 minutes until softened. Meanwhile, chop the basil stalks, and then add to the pan and cook for another minute.
Add the tomatoes, plus any juices from the dish, to the pan along with the stock. Stir and bring to the boil, then turn the heat down, cover and leave to simmer for 25 minutes, until all the vegetables are soft. Leave to cool slightly.
Use a blender to purée the soup, then stir in the vinegar and creme fraiche, and season to taste. Reheat gently, while you tear the basil leaves into pieces, then serve with these and a drizzle of olive oil on top.

« Previous Page — Next Page »