Well, Labour is investing in the economy. It’s certainly not the Green New Deal that was promised while they were in opposition, but it is something. A mild boost to renewable energy and household energy efficiency, but no radical action on food or farming, such as mandating higher environmental or animal welfare standards, or regulating supermarkets and large agribusinesses. The announcement that farmland worth more than £1m will be subject to inheritance tax has annoyed a lot of farmers. As a policy it is clearly aimed at wealthy individuals and companies who are holding and investing in land as a way to avoid taxation; there may need to be further work to protect farmers who are actually using land productively and providing food and public goods.
Take comfort in the fact that you’re supporting a better farming system already, every week! The farms we buy from are organic, small-scale mixed farms. That not only means they reduce water pollution, sustain the soil, and preserve biodiversity, it also means supporting better jobs, and more of them. Why is that?
One reason is that they are mixed, small-scale ‘family farms’. Unlike large farms which tend to specialise in one crop and rely on migrant labour during harvest season, they grow a mix of crops on their land and therefore have a consistent level of work throughout the year. This allows for year-round long-term jobs that are interesting, and compatible with family life.
Another reason is because organic growing employs more people than conventional farming, mainly due to the increased labour requirements of growing, weeding, and managing pests without fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides. It is much more skilled work to run circular economy farms that nurture the soil.
Tom Steele
What’s in the bag this week?
Small bag:
Gatsby potatoes – Nash Nursery, Kent
Parsnips – Bagthorpe Farm, Norfolk
Kale – Ripple Farm, Kent / Sarah Green’s, Essex
Sweetheart cabbage – Nash Nursery, Kent
Standard bag:
Onions – Bagthorpe Farm, Norfolk
Carrots – Bagthorpe Farm, Norfolk
Jack Be Little squash – Sarah Green’s, Essex
Beetroot – Sarah Green’s, Essex
Red cabbage – Newfields Organics, Yorkshire
Family bag:
Gatsby potatoes – Nash Nursery, Kent
Leeks – Sarah Green’s, Essex
Parsnips – Bagthorpe Farm, Norfolk
Kale – Ripple Farm, Kent / Sarah Green’s, Essex
Sweetheart cabbage – Nash Nursery, Kent
Clementine cauliflower – Langridge Organics, Lancashire
Pea shoots – Forty Hall, London
Mega bag:
Onions – Bagthorpe Farm, Norfolk
Carrots – Bagthorpe Farm, Norfolk
Jack Be Little squash – Sarah Green’s, Essex
Beetroot – Sarah Green’s, Essex
Red cabbage – Newfields Organics, Yorkshire
Clementine cauliflower – Langridge Organics, Lancashire
Pea shoots – Forty Hall, London
Fruit supplement:
Conference pears – Mole End Farms, Kent
Wash all veg and fruit before eating. Store carrots, beetroot, kale, cabbage, parsnips, cauliflower, leeks, pea shoots and cut squash in the fridge. Protect potatoes from light to avoid sprouting.
Recipe: simple sweet and sour red cabbage
2 tbsp olive oil ½ red cabbage, sliced
2 tbsp sugar 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- Sauté the cabbage in the oil in a pan over medium heat and season well.
- After 5 minutes, add the sugar and vinegar, reduce the heat to low.
- Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or so, till the cabbage is tender.
Recipe: sweetheart cabbage with a fried egg
Serves 2.
1 sweetheart cabbage, sliced thinly 1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tbsp light soy sauce 2 tbsp light oil
1/2 tsp miso paste 35g butter
2 eggs chilli oil (optional)
- In a large frying pan, heat 1 tbsp oil on medium heat.
- Add the garlic and cabbage and sautee till it wilts down and softens.
- Add the miso paste, soy sauce and butter, mix all together.
- Transfer the cabbage to two serving bowls.
- Turn up the heat, add another 1 tbsp light oil, then fry the two eggs.
- Put one fried egg on each bowl of cabbage, sprinkle with chilli oil, and serve.
Recipe: red cabbage and carrot salad
Serves 4.
350g finely shredded red cabbage 1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
handful mint leaves, finely chopped 2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil
- Combine the cabbage and carrot in a bowl.
- Mix the mint, lemon and olive oil together with salt and pepper in a cup.
- Pour the dressing on the veg and toss to combine.
Recipe: orzo with beetroot
500g beetroot, peeled and grated 300g orzo pasta
a small bunch of thyme, leaves picked 2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for finishing
1⁄2 vegetable stock cube / 2 tsp stock powder handful nuts (e.g. walnuts, almonds)
zest of an orange or clementine
- Put the grated beetroot, orzo pasta, thyme leaves, garlic and vinegar into a medium lidded pan with 1 tsp of sea salt, 2 tbsp of oil and 850ml water.
- Crumble in the stock cube or add the powder.
- Place the pan over a high heat, cover with a lid and bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes until the pasta is cooked and all the water has been absorbed.
- Stir it every minute or so to make sure that the pasta doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan.
- If the orzo looks a little thick (you want it to be the consistency of risotto) add a little more hot water.
- Serve with toasted nuts, orange zest, and a drizzle of olive oil on top.
