The weather keeps alternating between warm and cold spells, rainy showers and sunny days. What a British summer! It’s slowed down the crops a bit compared to last year, but things are still coming along.
And the farms are abuzz with the birds of summer now, darting about nesting and raising their young. Sparrows, collard doves, swallows and starlings. Not to mention all the ladybirds and butterflies.
One of the great things about organic farms is that they are full of wildlife. It’s strange sometimes when you visit a “conventional” farm as they can be eerily quiet, with fewer insects and wildlife than you can find even in central London. The culprit? Pesticides. These are chemicals that are widely used in in domestic gardens, in city parks, on housing estates, on our pavements and roadsides, but most of all, on farms. These toxic chemicals are aimed at unwanted insects and plants, but they also kill the microorganisms that give our soil its life and they move up the food chain too. Butterfly populations have declined precipitously over the last 30 years, so have amphibians, small mammals and birds. And yet, pesticide use on conventional farms continues to increase.
This is why every piece of organic produce you buy really makes a difference. It helps to support a system where wildlife isn’t being routinely poisoned in the name of growing food at the lowest possible price for the greatest possible profit.
Tom Steele
What’s in the bag this week?
| Small bag: Green onions – Ripple Farm, Kent Carrots – Bagthorpe Farm, Norfolk Courgettes – Sarah Green’s, Essex Broccoli – Pollybell Farm, York
Standard bag: New potatoes – Sarah Green’s, Essex Beetroot – Sarah Green’s, Essex Cucumber – Wild Country Organics, Cambridgeshire Kale – Ripple Farm, Kent Rocket – Wild Country Organics, Cambridgeshire
Fruit supplement: Strawberries – Hugh Lowe Farms, Kent Family bag: Green onions – Ripple Farm, Kent Carrots – Bagthorpe Farm, Norfolk Courgettes – Sarah Green’s, Essex Broccoli – Pollybell Farm, York Spinach – Bore Place, Kent Little Gem lettuce – Sarah Green’s, Essex
Mega bag: New potatoes – Sarah Green’s, Essex Beetroot – Sarah Green’s, Essex Cucumber – Wild Country Organics, Cambridgeshire Spinach – Bore Place, Kent Little Gem lettuce – Sarah Green’s, Essex Kale – Ripple Farm, Kent Rocket – Wild Country Organics, Cambridgeshire |
Wash all veg and fruit before eating. Store carrots, lettuce, beetroot, courgettes, spinach, kale, rocket and broccoli in the fridge. Protect potatoes from light to avoid sprouting.
Recipe: fried beetroot and potato cakes
Use any mixture of root veg for these. Serves 4.
900g potato, beetroot 30g parsley, finely chopped
2 eggs, beaten 2 tbsp cornflour
- Peel the potatoes, grate them into a colander.
- Make sure you’ve got clean hands and squeeze the grated potato, to get out as much of the water as you can.
- Put the potatoes into a large bowl.
- Next peel and grate the parsnips, celeriac or other root veg into the bowl.
- Add the eggs, parsley and cornflour. Mix together well with your hands.
- Get a large frying pan and add a good amount of olive oil.
- Take a golf ball sized piece of the mixture, squeeze into a ball, place on the hot pan, and flatten using a fish slice or spatula.
- Cook until golden brown and crispy, about 4 minutes, then flip over and brown the other side.
- Keep them on layers of kitchen roll or tea towel to drain off some of the oil before serving.
Recipe: slow cooked courgette
2 courgettes 6 tbsp olive oil
½ garlic bulb, chopped
- Trim the courgettes and slice them into smallish chunks.
- Put a heavy-based pan over medium heat and add the olive oil.
- Add the courgette pieces and stir well. Add the chopped garlic and a good pinch of salt.
- Now turn the heat down to its lowest possible setting and put a lid on the pan.
- Cook for 40 minutes, stirring every so often.
- As the courgettes cook they will soften and their flavour will deepen.
- Eventually they will begin to disintegrate, turning into a mushy jam. At this point, remove from the heat and season.
Recipe: salad of beetroot and lentils
400g beetroots 125g puy lentils
1 tbsp lime juice ½ tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp maple syrup or honey 25ml olive oil, plus extra to finish
- Put the beetroots in a large saucepan and cover with plenty of water.
- Bring to a boil, turn down the heat and cook on a gentle simmer for about an hour.
- To check they’re ready, stick a knife into the largest beetroot: it should go in smoothly.
- Lift the beetroots from the water and leave to cool.
- Put the lentils in a saucepan and cover with three times their volume in stock or water.
- Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 mins, until the lentils are cooked but still firm to bite.
- Peel and halve the beetroots, and cut into bite sized wedges.
- Make a dressing by whisking up the lime juice, lemon juice, maple syrup/honey and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Toss together the beetroot and puy lentils with the dressing.
- Drizzle on some extra olive oil to finish.
