July 13, 2012
Potatoes and spring onions are the principal ingredients of this traditional Northern Ireland dish. This version comes from Irish cook Ita on allrecipes.co.uk. She says: “Great on its own, served steaming hot with extra butter which will melt through it. But it’s also the perfect side dish for good quality sausages.”
Serves 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
1kg (2 1/4 lb) potatoes, peeled and halved
250ml (8 fl oz) milk
1 bunch spring onions, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
50g (2 oz) butter
freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method
Place potatoes into large pot and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to the boil and cook until tender, about 20 minutes.
Drain well. Return to very low heat and allow the potatoes to dry out for a few minutes. (It helps if you place a clean tea towel over the potatoes to absorb any remaining moisture.) Meanwhile, heat the milk and spring onions gently in a saucepan until warm.
Mash the potatoes, salt and butter until smooth. Stir in the milk and spring onion until evenly mixed. Season with black pepper. Serve piping hot in bowls. Hollow out the centre to hold a big knob of extra butter.
July 12, 2012
It may be raining cats and dogs outside (again) but the cucumbers are starting to come on in the warmth of the polytunnel, along with the carrots, French beans, spring onions and mixed salad leaves. However to get them cropping well we need more SUN!
All the boxes will have: –
potatoes (Growfair)
* cucumber (Camel CSA / Mark Norman, Bodmin)
* spring onions (Camel CSA)
* carrots (Camel CSA)
* spinach (Camel CSA)
* courgettes (Mark Norman)
* mixed salad bag (Camel CSA)
Standard boxes will also have: –
extra potatoes (Growfair
* calabrese / cabbage (Camel CSA)
* French beans (Camel CSA)
* beetroot (Camel CSA)
* = grown to organic principles
July 6, 2012
A simple way of using the wet garlic in Camel CSA’s boxes this week comes from Riverford Organic Farms in neighbouring Devon. You could also use wild garlic leaves instead.
“Wet” or green garlic is freshly-harvested garlic that hasn’t been hung up to dry. It’s sweeter, milder and less pungent at this stage. You simply slice it up – bulb, stalk, leaves and all – into salads, stir fries or risotto. Or you can roast it whole.
Usefully, this is a salad recipe for one! It’s also good made with broad beans and rocket.
Serves: 1
Preparation / cooking time: 12 minutes
Ingredients
40g cooked pasta, preferably orecchiette or another small pasta
40g cooked white beans, eg cannellini or haricot (drained, tinned beans are fine to use)
a little oil for frying
small handful finely sliced wet garlic OR large handful wild garlic leaves
large handful salad leaves or watercress
juice ½ lemon
approx 2 tbsp feta cheese, crumbled
freshly ground pepper to season
Method
In a small frying pan, heat the oil and fry the wet garlic for a couple of mins, until just softened slightly. If using wild garlic, just wilt the leaves quickly.
Remove and drain on kitchen paper, and leave to cool. Place in a bowl and toss with the pasta, beans, lemon juice, lettuce and just enough extra virgin olive oil to coat the salad.
Season with pepper and transfer to a serving bowl. Crumble over the feta cheese to serve.
It’s a gourmet’s delight – straight from our plot! During the continuing downpour, we’ve rather appropriately got homegrown “wet” garlic in Camel CSA’s weekly veg boxes. Green garlic, as it’s also known, is bulbs of fresh garlic that are harvested young and eaten whole.
All the boxes will have: –
potatoes (Growfair)
* wet garlic (Camel CSA)
* green onions (Camel CSA)
* baby carrots (Camel CSA)
* spinach (Camel CSA)
* turnips (Camel CSA)
* lettuce or mixed salad bag (Camel CSA)
Standard boxes will also have: –
extra potatoes (Growfair
* calabrese (Camel CSA)
* courgettes (Mark Norman, Bodmin)
* homemade runner bean or green tomato chutney (Camel CSA)
* = grown to organic principles
June 29, 2012
This recipe in Food Magazine comes from chef Dez Turland of the Saunton Sands Hotel in Devon. Dez says: “This fantastic light and simple summer dessert is a winner for any dinner party.”
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
PLUS: At least two hours to chill the fool in the fridge
Ingredients
450g gooseberries
120g castor sugar
60ml elderflower cordial
350ml double cream
Candied gooseberries to serve
Sprig of mint
For the gingersnaps:
175g unsalted butter
100g dark brown sugar
100g castor sugar
60ml treacle
1 vanilla pod, seeds only
2 eggs
260g plain flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
¼ tsp salt
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
200g granulated sugar, for rolling
Method
Cook the gooseberries with the sugar on the stove until soft and starting to break down, then roughly blitz. Add the cordial and allow to cool.
Whip the cream until it reaches the ribbon stage and fold gently into the gooseberry mix, reserving a little to spoon into the bottom of each glass. Spoon the fool into each glass and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Finish with candied gooseberries, if you have them, and a sprig of mint.
To make the gingersnaps: beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the treacle, vanilla seeds and eggs, then add all of the dry ingredients. Mix until combined, cover and chill for a least an hour.
When firm, roll into 1cm balls, then roll in granulated sugar, coating thoroughly. Place onto a non stick tray and flatten with the palm of your hand until 1cm thick. Cook at 180°c/gas 4 for 15 minutes, allow to cool on a wire rack.
Serve in glass dishes with the gingersnaps on the side for dipping.
Also try: Gooseberry crumble cake
June 28, 2012
We’ve all got freshly-harvested green onions in our veg boxes, along with gooseberries from expert grower Mark Norman’s smallholding in Bodmin. Some of the standard boxes also have the first of the French beans grown in the polytunnel.
All the boxes will have: –
potatoes (Growfair)
* green onions (Camel CSA)
* baby carrots (Camel CSA)
* spring greens (Camel CSA)
* parsley (Camel CSA)
* mixed salad bag (Camel CSA)
* gooseberries (Mark Norman)
Standard boxes will also have: –
extra potatoes (Growfair
* coriander (Camel CSA)
* broad beans or French beans (Camel CSA)
* turnip bunches (Camel CSA)
UPDATE: As there aren’t many beans, standard boxes also have a bunch of red and yellow leaf beet.
* = grown to organic principles
June 22, 2012
The polytunnels are proving their worth in this inclement June weather. In spite of the cold, wet conditions outside we have another stunning selection of seasonal vegetables in this week’s boxes.
The mixed salad bag contains at least four different lettuce varieties as well as baby beet leaves.
All the boxes will have: –
potatoes (Growfair)
cauliflower (Growfair)
* baby carrots (Camel CSA)
* spring onions (Camel CSA)
* spinach (Camel CSA)
* mixed salad bag (Camel CSA)
Standard boxes will also have: –
extra potatoes
* coriander (Camel CSA)
* broad beans (Camel CSA)
* kohl rabi or turnips (Camel CSA)
* = grown to organic principles
June 21, 2012
It always helps to have lots of people on our community veg plot. So we took the opportunity to plant out squash and pumpkin seedlings and to dig up more dock weeds on Open Farm Sunday.
June 15, 2012
Photo: Shayne and Lucia House
Enter our slug spotting competition, take part in the National Farm Pollinator Survey, and help us plant hundreds of squash and pumpkin seedlings this Sunday on our plot at St Kew Highway.
There’ll be guided tours of our Big Lottery-funded vegetable plot and polytunnels. Also family fun and children’s activities, a veg box raffle, cold drinks and home-made cakes.
Entry is free to our Open Farm Sunday event this Sunday 17 June from 1.30-4.30pm – rain or shine.
Come and see: –
• What vegetables we’re growing
• What’s in our weekly vegetable boxes
• How we support other local growers
• How we promote local, seasonal food
You can find us on the A39 near Wadebridge at the St Endellion / St Mabyn crossroads, behind St Kew Harvest farm shop at St Kew Highway.
AND even if the sun’s shining bring your wellies!
We have REAL baby carrots in this week’s veg boxes – not the baby-cut carrots that are heavily marketed in supermarkets as a healthy alternative to junk food.
Real baby carrots are delectable eaten raw or lightly steamed. They are also delicious roasted, in this simple recipe from Jamie Oliver. He says: “By cooking them first covered by tinfoil, they steam and exchange flavours with the herbs and garlic. Then when you remove the foil they start to roast and sweeten.”
Serves: 4
Preparation: 5 minutes
Cooking: 40-50 minutes
Ingredients
750g/1lb 10oz young bunched carrots, different colours if possible, washed and scrubbed
olive oil
herb or red wine vinegar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
a few sprigs of fresh thyme
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
Method
Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Toss your carrots with a good glug of olive oil, a splash of vinegar, salt and pepper, the thyme sprigs and the garlic cloves.
Place in a roasting tray or earthenware dish, cover tightly with tinfoil and cook for 30 to 40 minutes until just tender. Remove the foil and cook for a further 10 minutes until the carrots have browned and caramelized nicely.
