Here we are in September. I love September! Even as the days grow shorter, it is often such a sunny month, when the early evening light casts a wistful glow in the parks as people soak up the last days of warmth before the proper autumn weather kicks in.
September is the crowning glory of the British agricultural calendar. The crops have benefited from the long days and warm temperatures of summer and the volume and diversity of homegrown produce is at its peak. This is why the Soil Association designates this month as Organic September, a celebration of organic farming and the dedication of growers who work with nature rather than against it.
Talking of the growers, I think the “fair trade” part of Vegbox’s mission is as important as the “organic” part. In fact, the two are intertwined. Right relations between people and planet. On average, producers receive just 10% of every pound you spend in the supermarket, while they receive 60% of every pound with Vegbox.
Lots of sunburst squash, or patty pan squash, in the bags this week. These are a late summer squash – little bursts of yellow fun! You can eat the whole squash, rind and all. They can be roasted, whole or in chunks, or sliced and sauteed. In terms of how long to sautee them, they are very similar to courgettes. Patty pans also lend themselves to being stuffed.
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:
Onions – Bagthorpe Farm, Norfolk
Carrots – Foskett’s, Suffolk
Broccoli – Newfields Organics, Yorkshire
Courgettes / sunburst squash – Ripple Farm, Kent
Standard bag:
New potatoes – Sarah Green’s, Essex
Spinach – Ripple Farm, Kent
Aubergine – Wye Orchard Farm, Kent
Rocket – Wild Country Organics, Cambridgeshire
Sunburst squash – Ripple Farm, Kent
Family bag:
Onions – Bagthorpe Farm, Norfolk
Carrots – Foskett’s, Suffolk
Broccoli – Newfields Organics, Yorkshire
Courgettes / sunburst squash – Ripple Farm, Kent
Tomatoes – Sitopia, London
Cos lettuce – Sarah Green’s, Essex
Mega bag:
New potatoes – Sarah Green’s, Essex
Spinach – Ripple Farm, Kent
Aubergine – Wye Orchard Farm, Kent
Rocket – Wild Country Organics, Cambridgeshire
Rocket – Wild Country Organics, Cambridgeshire
Tomatoes – Sitopia, London
Sweetcorn – Langridge Organics, Suffolk
Fruit supplement:
Strawberries – Hugh Lowe Farms, Kent
Wash all veg and fruit before eating. Store carrots, sweetcorn, broccoli, aubergine, spinach, courgettes, rocket and lettuce in the fridge.
Protect potatoes from light to avoid sprouting.
Recipe: sunburst squash with basil
1-2 sunburst squash, sliced into 1cm slices 1 bunch fresh basil, chopped
4 tbsp olive oil
- Turn your oven to 170 degrees C.
- Lay the squash slices at the bottom of a baking dish and lightly drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil.
- Scatter some chopped basil on top and sprinkle with salt.
- Continuing layering squash, oil, basil and salt till all of it is in the baking dish.
- Cover the dish and bake it in the oven for 30 minutes, or until the squash is tender.
Recipe: spinach soup
1 onion, finely sliced 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 potato, peeled and chopped into chunks 450ml stock
600ml almond milk 200g spinach, washed, chopped
finely grated zest of half a lemon freshly grated nutmeg
- Head 1 tbsp of oil in a saucepan, add the onion and garlic and fry gently for 10 minutes or so.
- Stir in the potato and continue to cook gently for 1 minute.
- Pour in the stock and simmer for 8-10 minutes until the potato starts to cook.
- Pour in the milk and lemon zest.
- Stir in most of the spinach. Add all the stalks. Retain about half the leaves to add later.
- Simmer for 15 minutes until the spinach has wilted down. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes.
- Puree the soup, adding the other half of the fresh spinach.
- Taste and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Stuffed pattypan squash
2 pattypan squashes 1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion 50g rice
1 tbsp dried cranberries 1 tbsp sunflower seeds, roasted
handful breadcrumbs 1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese (optional)
- Boil the rice for about 20 minutes in salted water, until cooked. Drain.
- Put the squash in a pan, cover with water, then bring to the boil for five minutes, just to soften the squash a bit.
- In a pan, heat the oil and sautee the onion for 15 minutes.
- Slice off the top of the pattypans and carefully remove the flesh and seeds from the inside.
- Chop the pattypan flesh and seeds.
- Add the pattypan flesh and seeds, cooked rice, cranberries and sunflower seeds to the onions and stir together.
- Take off the heat and scoop the mixture into the hollowed pattypans.
- Roast them in a baking tin for 10 minutes at 210 centigrade.
- Top each pattypan with parmesan if using, before serving.
