The extremely rainy winter has become a pretty rainy spring. When you chat to farmers, you hear a lot about the weather! Growing veg is completely determined by the ups and downs of the weather. Every year our farmers make growing plans based on the patterns of previous years, but the weather pays little heed to plans. It’s these extremes of weather that are challenging. Britain has always had highly variable weather, but each year now we tend to see a record or two broken. October 2023 was the standout month last year, being the wettest October since 1870.
The rainy spring means that the ground has been too wet to plant out the spring crops on many of our farms, so we may see some delays with things like spring onions, broad beans and new potatoes. But there’s still time to catch up!
Tundra cabbage in the Small bags this week. It’s name may be evocative of blasted winters on the Siberian plains, but it’s actually quite a tasty member of the cabbage family! It is a bit like a cross between savoy and white cabbage, but surprisingly crisp and sweet, good enough to enjoy raw. It grows very well over the winter, sitting happily in the ground through freezing weather till it is harvested.
RSVP for our Spring Party on Saturday if you haven’t already: https://dandelion.events/e/z85vu
Don’t forget to return your re-usable Vegbox bags and packaging.
When you want to take a holiday from Vegbox, please let us know a week in advance.
Tom Steele
What’s in the bag this week?
Small bag:
Carolus potatoes – Newfields Organics, Yorkshire
Tundra cabbage – Nash Nursery, Kent
Crown Prince squash – Ripple Farm, Kent
Land cress – Wild Country Organics, Cambridgeshire
Standard bag:
Leeks – Ripple Farm, Kent
Carrots – RB Organic, Norfolk
Parsnips – Langridge Organics, Lincolnshire
Chestnut mushrooms – Capel Mushrooms, Suffolk
Kale – Ripple Farm, Kent
Fruit supplement:
Blood oranges – Langridge Organics, Italy
Family bag:
Carolus potatoes – Newfields Organics, Yorkshire
Savoy cabbage – Sarah Green’s, Essex
Land cress – Wild Country Organics, Cambridgeshire
Cauliflower – Nash Nursery, Kent
Spinach – Wild Country Organics, Cambridgeshire
Wild garlic – Ripple Farm, Kent
Mega bag:
Leeks – Ripple Farm, Kent
Carrots – RB Organic, Norfolk
Parsnips – Langridge Organics, Lincolnshire
Chestnut mushrooms – Capel Mushrooms, Suffolk
Kale – Ripple Farm, Kent
Spinach – Wild Country Organics, Cambridgeshire
Wild garlic – Ripple Farm, Kent
Wash all veg and fruit before eating. Store carrots, leeks, cut squash, parsnips, salad leaves, cauliflower, kale, wild garlic, spinach and mushrooms in the fridge. Protect potatoes from light to avoid sprouting.
Recipe: charred cabbage with mint and chilli dressing
This recipe is from Leon: Fast Vegetarian. Serves 6.
1 tundra cabbage 3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar 1 red chilli, chopped
2 tsp honey 1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tbsp chopped mint
- Cut the cabbage into wedges lengthways.
- Toss the wedges in a little olive oil and grill under a hot grill so they are slightly charred.
- Mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl to make the dressing.
- Transfer the leaves to the bowl while they are hot. Toss and serve.
Recipe: kale crisps with lemon and cumin
A Nicholas Balfe recipe.
1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp sea salt flakes
bunch of kale, washed and dried thoroughly rapeseed oil, for drizzling
zest of 1 lemon
- Preheat the oven to 160C / gas mark 3.
- Toast the cumin seeds in a dry frying pan, until the seeds start to darken.
- Remove from the pan and blend with the salt, either in a spice grinder or a pestle and mortar.
- Strip the kale leaves from the stalks, taking care to keep them in large pieces, ideally a few centimetres wide.
- Toss in a large bowl with a good drizzle of rapeseed oil, making sure every leaf is just coated with the slightest sheen of oil.
- Place in a single layer on a flat baking tray and cook for 6 minutes.
- You will find that they crisp up as they cool, so they may come out of the oven a little soft.
- Season with the cumin salt and a grating of fresh lemon zest, and serve.
Recipe: nourishing potato and cabbage soup
This is a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory recipe: simple cabbage soup! It’s good though.
500g potatoes, peeled and chopped 1 leek, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, peeled 1 tsp paprika or smoked paprika
200g cabbage, shredded or cut finely into strips 1 litre good stock
- Cook the sliced leek and cloves of garlic in plenty of olive oil in a large saucepan until the leeks are soft. Add the paprika.
- Add the chopped potatoes, cook them for a minute or two, then pour in the stock. You can use seasoned water if you don’t have any stock.
- Simmer for 15 minutes, until the potato is soft.
- Stir the shredded cabbage into the hot soup and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Drizzle a small amount of olive oil into each bowl of soup to serve.
