All our farms are racing to catch up with the new season planting. The wet weather has delayed lots of plans, but dry and occasionally warm days are beginning to help. We could all do with the temperatures rising again, it has to be said!
It‘s come to that time of year again when we start talking about The Hungry Gap! One of the tricky things about growing veg and fruit in the northern hemisphere is that even as the weather warms up and the days grow longer in April and May, most of the new year’s produce is still months away from harvest. This is the Hungry Gap, and it usually runs from April to June.
During this period, we are still using the crops stored over the winter – last season’s potatoes, carrots and squash – and harvesting some veg that has lasted through the winter like leeks, while we wait for the first new potatoes, spring onions and bunched carrots to arrive in late May or June. At this time of year, we rely a lot on quick growing new leafy greens to fill the veg bags, which get correspondingly lighter.
Our box scheme has a UK-only buying policy when it comes to veg, so we’re committed to doing our best with what is seasonally available in this country. Depending on how scarce UK crops get, we do occasionally buy from the continent to supplement what we have, usually from the Netherlands. In the last two years, we got through the Hungry Gap without having to buy from overseas though.
We recently relaxed our UK-only rule on fruit though, to buy citrus fruit from the continent. Sustaining a UK-only policy is trickier with fruit. Britain imports 84% of its fresh fruit. Much of the reason for that is the climate – except for a few summer months it is too cold to grow fruit for much of the year.
Tom Steele
What’s in the bag this week?
Small bag:
Leeks – Ripple Farm, Kent
Carrots – RB Organic, Norfolk
Purple sprouting broccoli – Newfields Organics, Yorkshire
Spinach – Wild Country Organics, Cambridgeshire
Standard bag:
Manitou potatoes – Newfields Organics, Yorkshire
Spring greens – Langridge Organics, Lincolnshire
Crown Prince squash – Ripple Farm, Kent
Radish – Langridge Organics, Suffolk
Coriander – Wild Country Organics, Cambridgeshire
Family bag:
Leeks – Ripple Farm, Kent
Carrots – RB Organic, Norfolk
Purple sprouting broccoli – Newfields Organics, Yorkshire
Spinach – Wild Country Organics, Cambridgeshire
Wild garlic – Ripple Farm, Kent
Asparagus – Bedlam Farms, Cambridgeshire
Mega bag:
Manitou potatoes – Newfields Organics, Yorkshire
Spring greens – Langridge Organics, Lincolnshire
Crown Prince squash – Ripple Farm, Kent
Radish – Langridge Organics, Suffolk
Coriander – Wild Country Organics, Cambridgeshire
Wild garlic – Ripple Farm, Kent
Asparagus – Bedlam Farms, Cambridgeshire
Fruit supplement:
Grapefruit – Langridge Organics, Corsica
Wash all veg and fruit before eating. Store carrots, leeks, wild garlic, coriander, cut squash, spring greens, spinach and radish in the fridge. Protect potatoes from light to avoid sprouting.
Recipe: squash soup
Serves 4. Use squash on its own, or squash and carrot. Red lentils also goes well in this soup.
500g squash ½ leek, sliced
2 carrots, peeled and chopped 1 inch ginger, peeled, chopped
700ml vegetable stock
- Preheat the oven to 200C / 180C fan / gas 6.
- Put squash on a baking tray and roast for about 20 minutes.
- Take out of the oven and leave to cool.
- Peel the squash and cut into bite sized chunks, discarding the seeds and skin.
- Heat a saucepan, add 2 tbsp oil, and sautee the leek, ginger and carrot for about 20 minutes.
- Add the squash chunks, then add the stock.
- Simmer till all the veg are soft, then puree till smooth.
Recipe: potato curry
This was the dish of my student years. Simple and comforting. Good for our strangely wintery weather this week.
2 tbsp light oil 1 leek, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 inch ginger, chopped
2 tsp garam masala 2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 chilli powder 600g potatoes
400g yoghurt or 400ml coconut milk Bunch coriander, finely chopped
- Peel the potatoes and cut into bite sized chunks.
- Boil in well salted water for 15 minutes, till tender. Drain and put to one side.
- Meanwhile, sautee the sliced leek in the oil on medium heat for about 15 minutes.
- Add the chopped ginger, garlic, spices and chilli powder and cook, stirring, for another 5 minutes.
- Add the potatoes and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Stir through the yoghurt or coconut milk, cook for a few minutes more.
- Take off the heat and serve topped with the chopped coriander.
Recipe: wild garlic pesto
40g wild garlic, chopped 10g parsley, chopped
25g pine nuts, lightly toasted 20g parmesan, finely grated
3-4 tbsp olive oil lemon juice (optional)
- You can do this in a mortar with a pestle or a small food processor.
- Whizz or pound the wild garlic, parsley, pine nuts, parmesan and olive oil.
- Add a good pinch of salt and some pepper, taste and adjust any seasonings to taste.
- Try a squeeze of lemon juice just before serving.
