This week everyone will be getting:
* salad bags (csa)
* parsley (csa)
leeks (Growfair, Cornwall)
cauliflower (Growfair, Cornwall)
tundra cabbage (Growfair)
carrots (Growfair)
potatoes (Buttons, Michaelstow)

Standard boxes will have extra potatoes plus:
* purple sprouting broccoli (Tom Corbishley, Trevia, Camelford)
* kohl rabi (csa)
* oriental greens (csa)

* = grown to organic principles

Camel CSA’s growers joined forces with the growing team from Trevalon CSA on our vegetable-growing site in north Cornwall to share skills, ideas and challenges.

A big thank you to the Trevalon team – Mark, Rod, Tom, Zulu, Peot and Emma for coming to visit us on one of the last bitterly cold days of our Cornish “spring”. 

In the space of three hours we managed to fork over a couple of our long, narrow growing beds, remove most of the couch grass, spread a topping of compost and sow the first of the onion sets.

We also swapped experiences, ate cake and talked a great deal!

Thanks as well to our own growers – Mark N, Jane, Mike S, Mark M and Charlotte.

It turns out that the latest casualty of the financial crisis in Cyprus may be halloumi cheese. Not withstanding, if you like halloumi this recipe is for you. It uses both the polytunnel-grown radishes and mixed salad in Camel CSA’s veg boxes this week. It’s adapted from a recipe at BBC GoodFood.

Serves: 4
Preparation/cooking time: around 30 minutes

Ingredients
juice of 1½ limes
½ tbsp wholegrain mustard
½ tbsp honey
1½ eating apples, cored and thinly sliced
1 pear, cored and sliced into matchsticks
1½ tbsp olive oil
2 x 250g packs halloumi cheese, each block sliced into three
150g radishes, thinly sliced
2 small carrots, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
50g pecans (or walnuts), roughly chopped
70g mixed salad leaves

Method
To make the dressing, whisk together the lime juice, mustard, honey, oil and some seasoning. Pour half into a large bowl, add the sliced apples and pears, then gently toss everything together so all the fruit is coated. Cover and set aside. The fruit will sit happily now for up to 3 hrs without browning.

When you’re ready to eat, warm a large frying pan over a medium heat. Season the slices of halloumi with pepper (it doesn’t need any salt as it’s quite a salty cheese), then fry in batches for 2-3 mins on each side until the cheese is golden brown and beginning to crisp. You can keep the halloumi warm in a low oven while you fry the rest.

At the last minute, scoop the apples and pears out of the dressing (it will have gone watery with the moisture of the fruit, so discard), and layer up on a large platter with the radishes, carrot sticks, pecans or walnuts and mixed salad leaves. Top with the halloumi slices, then drizzle over the remaining dressing.

Everyone’s seasonal vegetable boxes have the following:
* bunched radishes (Camel CSA)
* mixed salad – rocket, endive, assorted lettuce  (Camel CSA)
* swiss chard/perpetual spinach (Camel CSA)
potatoes (Button, Michaelstow)
leeks (Growfair, Cornwall)
swede (Growfair, Cornwall)
carrots (Growfair)

Standard boxes will have extra potatoes plus:
* kohl rabi (Camel CSA)
* parsley (Camel CSA)
cabbage (Growfair, Cornwall)

* = grown to organic principles

Camel CSA’s growing team have been digging up the winter brassicas (watch this RHS video) that have yielded so much for us over the last few months.

Top of the list are the three types of kale we’ve been growing this past winter. They are: –

• common curly kale
• gourmet cavolo nero (Tuscan kale)
• sweet-tasting red Russian kale

We’re about to start off next winter’s crop in modules.

Our new doorstep delivery scheme is boosting Camel CSA’s box numbers. This Friday our professional growers and the volunteer picking and packing team will be preparing a record 48 boxes. Amazing!

Everyone’s boxes will have:
* salad bags (Camel CSA)
* stir-fry oriental greens –  mibuna/mizuna (Camel CSA)
* swiss chard/perpetual spinach (Camel CSA)
* sprouted mung beans (Mark Norman/Camel CSA)
potatoes (Button, Michaelstow)
leeks (Growfair, Cornwall)
cauliflower (Growfair, Cornwall)

Standard boxes will have extra potatoes plus:
* kohl rabi (Camel CSA)
swede (Growfair, Cornwall)
carrots (Growfair)

* = grown to organic principles

Camel CSA’s growing team are continuing their perennial battle against the dock weed menace.

We’re weakening these tough plants by suppressing their growth underneath large sheets of black plastic.

All the docks then have to be dug out by hand. This method is extremely time consuming and labour intensive. But it does keep us fit!

We do this because we’re committed to organic growing principles and don’t use chemical sprays.

This classic mixture of greens, eggs, cream and bacon comes from Leon Family & Friends by cookery writer Kay Plunkett-Hogge and John Vincent, co-founder of the Leon chain of restaurants.

Serves 6–8
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 50-60 minute

Ingredients
For the pastry
250g plain flour
125g unsalted butter, straight from the fridge, diced
A pinch of sea salt
Small glass of iced water

For the filling
70g lardons or chopped bacon
1 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely sliced
100g chard leaves or kale, shredded
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
200ml double cream
100g gruyere cheese
1–2 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked
Salt and black pepper

Method
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Butter a 23cm non-stick tart tin with a removable base.

Measure out the flour into a large bowl and add the butter. Start rubbing the flour and butter together until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the salt. Then add the iced water, 1 tsp at a time, until the pastry just comes together. Don’t add too much water or you’ll get a hard pastry.

Roll it into a loose ball and, using your fingertips, gently push the dough into the tart tin, easing it around until it evenly covers the base and sides. Cover the whole thing with greaseproof paper and weigh it down with some baking beans, then blind bake it in the oven for 10 minutes.

Over a medium heat cook the lardons or chopped bacon in a frying pan for about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Wipe out the pan then return it to the heat and add the oil and garlic. Fry for a minute or so – don’t let it colour too much – then add the chard and a pinch of salt, and cook until just wilted. Remove from the heat, set aside and leave to drain in a colander. When cool, squeeze out any excess liquid.

Take the tart shell out of the oven. Carefully remove the greaseproof paper and the baking beans, and pop it back into the oven for another 5 minutes to crisp up.

In a clean bowl beat the eggs, egg yolk, cream, salt and pepper with an electric whisk. Stir in the gruyere and the thyme leaves and season with salt and pepper.

Remove the tart shell from the oven. Scatter the chard across the base. Sprinkle the bacon bits in then pour in the cream and egg mixture. Bake the tart in the oven for 30–40 minutes until the filling has puffed up and the pastry is a lovely golden brown.

This week everyone will have:
* radishes (Camel CSA)
* salad bags (Camel CSA)
* swiss chard/perpetual spinach (Camel CSA)
* parsley (Camel CSA)
leeks (Growfair, Cornwall)
carrots (Growfair)
potatoes (Burlerrow Farm, St Mabyn)

Standard boxes will have extra potatoes plus:
* kale (Camel CSA)
* kohl rabi (Camel CSA)
cauliflower (Growfair, Cornwall)

* = grown to organic principles

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