Spring Time Boxes.

 

The weather is perfect! Not too hot or too cold and the plants are enjoying it too!

 

As our new potatoes grow bigger and bigger we suggest you move away from delicious herbed baby potatoes to a scrumtious feast of baked potatoes in there jackets.

 

 

 

Simply pierce washed large potatoes several times with a fork, wrap in foil and bake in a moderate oven for 1.5 to 2 hrs. Beetroots can also be cooked in the oven wrapped in foil but do not pierce as they will bleed. When soft to the touch they are ready.

 

 

  Serve jacket potaoeswith a generous helping of salad and tasty vinaigrette and stuff with cottage or feta cheese. Chedder cheese, cabbage coleslaw and saucy beans are also delicious fillings.

 

  Tomatoes are a favourite amongst organic vegetables, overflowing with sun-ripened flavour. We hope to supply a good number of them this season before the rains come and destroy the crop! Our cherry tomatoes have been very sucessful this year and we will continue growing them for your salads into the forseeable future.

 

  More brocolli is on the way too, another favourite organic plant. Rich in Omega 3 oils brocolli is a super food you can't afford to leave out of your diet. 

 

WINTERY DAYS

  May is over and our lettuces are growing in abundance, loving the cool temperatures. Winter heralds the time for change! Brocolli, peas, cauliflowers and lettuces thrive at this time of year so get planting. Ginger has been the new flavour of the veggie boxes this month, just in time to warm us up for winter. Added grated to salads, Thai currys, stir fries any stew soup or casserole, ginger is good for circulation and fighting off colds. It can be frozen to preserve its flavour but its firmness is lost.

 

 

Wheat grains are full of wholesome goodness. Soak and boil uncovered for one hour. In a large bowl, combine wheat berries, nuts, celery, parsley, olive oil and lemon juice. Season, to taste, with crushed sea salt and ground black pepper. Add to soups, or crush to lend whole meal bread some crunch. Green smoothies are all the rage these days as a way to boost your immune system and otherwise improve health.

Wheat grass, mild in flavour and rich in chlorophyll, makes a great addition to a banana and lemon smoothie. Try growing your own tray of wheat grass and you can get the kids involved. In a tray of soil thickly cover with wheat seeds, water to keep damp and watch. The seeds sprout quickly and in just a week the grass has already appeared. Harvest when straight, lush and green.

For those who enjoy poultry products the organic, corn fed chicken is the best way to go. Raised in our new mobile chicken houses these cheerful cluckers have fresh air, sunshine and a new patch of fresh grass/weeds to munch every day. They are also given a longer time to grow. Unlike conventional chickens whose lives are only 5 to 7 weeks long, our chickens are harvested from 9 to 12 weeks. They are allowed to grow gradually on natural food which contains no artificial growth additives ensuring superior meat texture and flavour.

  We will start selling dressed chickens at the end of June.

                                  Day old chicks are kept in a warm environment for the first crucial days.

New Year Recipe Idea's For January's Box!

Beans and Garlic Salad

Plunge green beans in boiling water and cook for six minutes. Drain and refresh in cold water and drain again. Toss in some olive oil and chopped garlic season with sea salt and ground black  pepper to taste.

Potato Gnocchi

500g potatoes

100g wholemeal  Flour

1 tsp salt

Cut potatoes into large chunks and boil in salted water until tender. Drain and rub off skins with a clean cloth, mash until smooth.  Add flour and salt and draw mixture together turn out onto a floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth.

Cut into quarters and shape into a long roll with plenty of flour 2cm thick. Cut into small equally sized rounds. Cook for 2-3 minutes in a large pan of boiling salted water or until the gnocchi floats to the top. Remove with a slotted spoon and put in a warmed dish to serve immediately with a sauce of your choice.

This can also be made with well drained butternut instead of potatoes. Add grated cheddar cheese and a little nutmeg. After the mixture is kneaded chill for 20 minutes before shaping into small balls, cook for 3-5 minutes in boiling water and serve with a creamy sauce.

Oven roasted vegetables

Butternuts are delicious halved and blanched then stuffed with a  simple mix of your choice (a combination of herbs, fried diced eggplant, mince, rice or breadcrumbs) topped with cheese and bread crumbs. Wrap in foil and bake until tender.

Also try:

Stuffed peppers with tomato sauce

Baked beetroots