We wanted to let you know about another event we’re holding in the early autumn:
Vegbox Apple Pressing & Mulling @ London School of Mosaic & Mother Canteen
12pm-4pm, Saturday 28th September 2024
Join us for an Apple Pressing & Mulling event at the London School of Mosaic & Mother Canteen in Gospel Oak! Celebrate the autumn season by pressing apples collected from local London apple trees, helping to reduce waste and create delicious, fresh apple juice.
There’s the option of having lunch as well as enjoying the apple pressing from Mother Canteen. Mother is a vibrant community cafe serving up flavours from around the world alongside cake, coffee and good vibes to the Gospel Oak community and beyond.
https://dandelion.events/e/vegboxapplepress2024
Update from the farm:
The produce is finally becoming more plentiful as August pours sun and warmth on to the fields.
It’s actually quite a relaxed time of year for our farms though, as so many of their London market take their holidays away at this time of year and there is less picking and packing to do as a result. This year it feels like more people than usual have left the capital for summer, perhaps urged on by the wet, cold spring we all endured! However, everyone returns for September, which is also a lovely month of plenty for seasonal veg and fruit, so things will get busy again.
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 by Tuesday of the week before, i.e. today!
Tom Steele
What’s in the bag this week?
Small bag:
Maris Peer potatoes – Sarah Green’s, Essex
Courgettes – Ripple Farm, Kent
Lettuce – Bore Place, Kent
Sweetcorn – Foskett’s, Sussex
Standard bag:
Onions – Bagthorpe Farm, Norfolk
Carrots – Bagthorpe Farm, Norfolk
French beans – Wye Orchard Farm, Kent
Aubergine – Wye Orchard Farm, Kent
Spinach – Ripple Farm, Kent
Fruit supplement:
Blueberries – Blueberry Bob, Sussex
Family bag:
Maris Peer potatoes – Sarah Green’s, Essex
Courgettes – Ripple Farm, Kent
Sweetcorn – Foskett’s, Sussex
Mini cucumber – Nash Nursery, Kent
Sunburst squash – Ripple Farm, Kent
Lettuce – Sarah Green’s, Essex
Mega bag:
Onions – Bagthorpe Farm, Norfolk
Carrots – Bagthorpe Farm, Norfolk
Aubergine – Wye Orchard Farm, Kent
French beans – Wye Orchard Farm, Kent
Spinach – Ripple Farm, Kent
Mini cucumber – Nash Nursery, Kent
Sunburst squash – Ripple Farm, Kent
Wash all veg and fruit before eating. Store carrots, courgettes, lettuce, corn on the cob, beans, spinach and aubergine in the fridge. Protect potatoes from light to avoid sprouting.
Recipe: chermoula aubergine
Serves 1-2.
1 garlic clove, sliced 1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander ½ tsp chilli flakes
½ tsp sweet paprika 1 tbsp chopped preserved lemon skin
70ml olive oil, plus extra to finish 1 medium aubergine
75g fine bulgar wheat 50g sultanas
5g fresh coriander, chopped 5g fresh mint, chopped
25g green olives, halved 15g flaked almonds, toasted
1 tbsp lemon juice 60g yoghurt
- Preheat the oven to 180°C / gas mark 4.
- To make the chermoula, mix together the green garlic, cumin, coriander, chilli, paprika, preserved lemon, 50ml of the olive oil, and ¼ tsp of salt.
- Cut the aubergine in half lengthways and score the flesh of each half with quite deep, diagonal, crisscross lines, making sure not to pierce the skin below.
- Spoon the chermoula over each half, spreading it evenly, and place on a baking sheet. Roast for 40 minutes, or until the aubergine halves are very soft.
- Place the bulgar wheat in a bowl and cover with 70ml boiling water.
- Soak sultanas in 25ml of warm water for 10 mins, drain and add to the bulgar, along with the remaining oil.
- Stir in the herbs, olives, almonds, lemon juice and salt; check seasoning.
- Place one half-aubergine per portion on a serving plate, spoon bulgar on top, spoon over a little yoghurt, sprinkle with chopped coriander, and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.
Recipe: courgette and tomato pasta
Serves 2.
2 tbsp olive oil 200g courgette, sliced diagonally
200g tomatoes 200g penne
1 garlic clove, crushed pinch of sugar
2 tbsp crème fraîche handful of basil, torn
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the courgettes for 4-5 mins until softened.
- You may need to do this in 2 batches. Remove and set aside.
- Chop the tomatoes, then add the tomatoes and garlic to the courgette pan.
- Cook on a high heat until the tomatoes start to break down.
- Taste and season, adding the sugar if it needs it.
- Drain the pasta, reserving some of the water, and tip it back into the pan.
- Add the tomatoes and courgettes, crème fraîche and basil, adding a little of the pasta water if necessary to moisten.
Recipe: carrot and orange soup
Serves 2.
25g butter 1 onion, chopped
250g carrots, peeled and sliced 600ml stock
rind and juice of 1 orange 1/3 tsp grated nutmeg
80ml plain yoghurt
- Melt the butter in a pan and add the onion and carrots. Cover and cook for about ten minutes till the vegetables are beginning to soften.
- Pour in the stock and the orange rind and juice, add the nutmeg and season with salt and pepper, cover and simmer for about 40 minutes.
- Leave to cool a little, then purée the soup in a food processor or blender.
- Reheat gently. To serve put a swirl of yoghurt in the centre of each bowl of soup.
