Hello!
There has been a lot of rain on some of the farms over the last two weeks, one of the wettest autumns in quite a while. At Bagthorpe Farm in Norfolk, they are at the point where they are so waterlogged, they are having to start restricting the amount of carrots and parsnips they harvest.
Lots of water also means the soil is heavy and all the farm work is harder. All our farmers will be glad of a few rain-free days to let everything dry out a bit.
Sprout tops, turnips, savoy cabbage in many of the bags. Lovely wintry produce!
The sprout top is the cluster of leaves that grows at the top of a stalk of sprouts. They look a bit odd, like someone sat on a cabbage, but they taste pretty great. They have quite a gentle flavour and are very nice simply sautéed in butter or oil.
Turnips look a bit like swede, but have a nice pink colour on the outside instead of yellow. Turnips were a staple crop in Europe for thousands of years, before being quickly displaced by the potato once they arrived from the New World. Potatoes are generally more versatile in cooking, as well as having more calories and nutrients than turnips, but it’s nice to appreciate turnips once in a while. My favourite way to cook them is in a soup. They are less starchy and more creamy than potatoes, and make an excellent soup.
If you’re going on holiday, you need to let us know at least one week in advance.
Don’t forget to return your coloured bags and plastic/paper packaging for re-use.
Tom Steele
What’s in the bag this week?
Small bag:
Rudolf potatoes – Ripple Farm, Kent
Turnips – Sarah Green’s, Essex
Butternut squash – Ripple Farm, Kent
Sprout top – Newfields Organics, Yorkshire
Standard bag:
Onions – Bagthorpe Farm, Norfolk
Carrots – Bagthorpe Farm, Norfolk
Kale – Ripple Farm, Kent
Chestnut mushrooms – Capel Mushrooms, Suffolk
Savoy cabbage – Newfields Organics, Yorkshire
Small/Standard fruit supplement:
Conference pears – Mole End Farms, Kent
Family bag:
Rudolf potatoes – Ripple Farm, Kent
Turnips – Sarah Green’s, Essex
Butternut squash – Ripple Farm, Kent
Sprout top – Newfields Organics, Yorkshire
Rocket – Ripple Farm, Kent
Cherry tomatoes – Langridge Organics, Gloucestershire
Family/Mega fruit supplement:
Conference pears – Mole End Farms, Kent
Spartan apples – Mole End Farms, Kent
Mega bag:
Onions – Bagthorpe Farm, Norfolk
Carrots – Bagthorpe Farm, Norfolk
Chestnut mushrooms – Capel Mushrooms, Suffolk
Sprout top – Newfields Organics, Yorkshire
Spaghetti squash – Sarah Green’s, Essex
Rocket – Ripple Farm, Kent
Cherry tomatoes – Langridge Organics, Gloucestershire
Wash all veg and fruit before eating. Store carrots, turnips, sprout top, mushrooms, kale, cabbage and rocket in the fridge. Protect potatoes from light to avoid sprouting.
Recipes: mushroom burgers
A Salma Hage recipe. Serves 4.
75g green lentils 2 garlic cloves
1 leek, sliced ½ 7-spice
½ tsp ground cumin ½ tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp chilli powder ½ dried thyme or za’atar
125g mushrooms, chopped 1 tbsp parsley, chopped
50g cashew nuts, finely chopped 2 tbsp breadcrumbs
5 dried apricots, chopped
- Put the lentils in a saucepan with a whole garlic clove and simmer for 30 minutes, or until soft.
- Drain the lentils and mash with a fork until smooth.
- Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and sautee the leek gently for 15 minutes.
- Chop 1 clove of garlic and add to the pan along with the spices. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms and parsley and sautee for 10 minutes, then set aside.
- In a bowl, mix the cashew nuts with the breadcrumbs and season with salt and pepper.
- Add the leek and mushroom mix to the bowl. Add the mashed lentils and apricots. Mix together.
- Mold the mixture into 4 patties.
- Cook them in a frying pan with a bit of oil for about 4 minutes on each side. Serve in buns.
Recipe: turnip soup
350g-400g turnip 1 tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped ½ clove garlic, chopped
50ml-100ml dry white wine 500ml good stock
salt and pepper
- Peel the turnip and cut into chunks.
- Heat the butter in a saucepan, add the onion and garlic and cook till translucent.
- Add the turnip and cook for 5-10 minutes. Add the wine, cook for a few minutes, then add the stock.
- Simmer until the turnip is soft but not mushy. Remove from heat and purée in a blender.
- Return puréed soup to pan, season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer to serve.
Recipe: creamy lemon and cabbage pasta
Serves 2.
2-3 handfuls fresh breadcrumbs 3 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, or green garlic, chopped 200g penne, or similar
1 onion, chopped 125ml white wine
zest ½ lemon 140g crème fraîche
½ head cabbage, thinly sliced
- Heat oven to 200°C / 180°C fan.
- Mix the breadcrumbs with 1½ tbsp olive oil and 1 chopped garlic clove in a bowl, and season well with salt and pepper.
- Spread the breadcrumbs out on a baking tray and bake for 8 mins, until crisp and golden.
- Remove from oven and set aside.
- Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling water till done. Add the cabbage for the last 3 minutes of cooking time.
- Meanwhile, put 1½ tbsp olive oil into a pan and cook the onion for about fifteen minutes.
- Add the white wine and lemon zest and reduce for a few minutes more.
- Remove pan from heat but keep warm. Add the crème fraîche.
- Drain the pasta and cabbage and return to the pan.
- Add the creamy sauce to the pasta mix and toss together.
- Divide between two serving bowls and top with the garlic breadcrumbs.
