This Week At Farm Direct......

The 'hungry gap' begins in earnest this week - that traditional lull between the end of the winter crops and the start of the summer veg.

Our sprouting broccoli has now been ploughed back into the fields, making way for new summer crops (how we will will miss it!), while over-wintered spinach, chard and our kales will only be with us for a couple more weeks.

The uniquely mild winter has, however, meant that we have a plethora of salad leaves and accompaniments available in their stead - our organic radishes begin this week, as does the crispy cos lettuce and the chefs favourite red veined sorrel.

While our veg offering might be slightly leaner for the next few weeks, please stick with us. This is a true experience of British seasonal food and you wont catch us compensating with veg from the continent (like many box schemes).

Elsewhere on our farms, Andy is still reducing the size of his greedy flock of ducks. We have breasts for £5.49 2x legs for £3.99 and smoked breasts for £5.99

Now the season is in full swing, Jersey Royals have come down in price £1.99 for 500g. They are a little bigger than earlier in the month, but still have that distinct sweet, earthy flavour.

After several requests from customers, 'real' tomato ketchup from Stokes is back. You bacon sandwiches are once again complete! Try it for £2.60 this week.

And finally, a special thanks this week to Rohan from The Garden Classroom. Robert and Rohan have been on a whistle-stop tour of Islington primary schools talking about sustainable rearing, growing, catching and eating. Robert even got the kids munching on our Ripple Farm wild garlic!

This Week At Farm Direct....

Another beautiful spring day in North London, but the lack of rain is still a cause for concern on our farms.

Drought continues in the South East and with newly bedded plants in desperate need of water our harvest later in the year could well suffer.

The last few spring crops are trickling in before the hungry-gap begins (usually about Easter time), we have spring greens from Wild Fields Farm as well as kohlrabi from Perry Court in Kent.

Our over wintered greens are also coming along nicely (rainbow chard should be back next week), and given a bit of rain we may well see a few more crops ready a little early this year.

The price of our Jersey Royals have started to drop (down £1/kg from last week) and will continue to do so as supply increases.

Wild nettles on Wild Fields Farm are now big enough to pick. Last year we harvested them slightly too late (they were very stringy and tough!), but this year we've got it right - these nettles are young, tender and add a delicate flavour to soups, pasta and rice dishes.

Andrew at Gill Wing Farm has been hunting down rabbits for us this week - the perfect summer take on game. They are in such abundance at this time of year that even he can't miss!

We have a gap in our mutton season - lambing has begun and Nicola's sheep are busy tending to their offspring, while all the barren sheep have already been culled. Expect the return of mutton in a couple of months.

And finally, with the end of lent now approaching, it's time to feast and enjoy the English sunshine. Our service next week will be a day early (delivery slots run from Thursday to Sunday) and we will also be running a special Saturday evening delivery slot. Take a look at our Easter section for a bit of inspiration.

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This Week At Farm Direct....

The leap year means that spring has started a day earlier this year (yesterday), but the recent warm weather has meant that many of our late crops are already way ahead of schedule.

We have the first of the Jersey Royal potatoes this week - the earliest they have been ready in over an century - as well as outdoor rhubarb, which we don't usually expect until April.

The addition of pink beefsteak tomatoes now means we have 4 different varieties this week: incredible for April, a time when British tomatoes are traditionally very hard to come by.

Our over-wintered spinach and chard has spurted back to life for one final hurrah (before they die an are ploughed through) and our organic celeriac and Jerusalem artichokes return after a gap in the crop.

Matthew has been planting our summer pea's, radish, spring onion and spinach, while our carrots and parsnips are due to be sown today and tomorrow. His latest blog entry is also live.

Ripple Farm Organics have been busy foraging for as much wild garlic as they can get their hands on - Shokoh is using it to make wild garlic pesto for us this week. Full of gutsy flavour, stir it into soups or sauces, drizzle over salads or add to a steaming bowl of fresh pasta. Delicious!

Our slow cook cut of the week is the humble pig's cheek. This tasty morsel needs long, slow cooking, but is incredibly flavoursome and when properly cooked, capable of melting into delicately silken strands. I prefer mine braised or stewed.

And finally, we have improvements to our repeat ordering service. Repeat orders will now be processed at the beginning of the week and can then be edited by you in the 'my account' section. Click here for a full explanation on how this service works. Happy shopping!

Jersey Royal Potatoes - A True Seasonal Gem

Jersey Royals are renowned for their fantastically sweet, yet earthy flavour and it is the island's growing conditions that are responsible for this. Jersey slopes from north to south and so benefits from a large level of sunlight, while the soil is well-drained and nutrient-rich thanks to the vraic (locally collected seaweed) that is used as a fertiliser - there is no mistaking the unique deep flavour of the Jersey Royal.
Given that it is the first week of the season, prices are at their highest, but should fall dramatically over the next few weeks.
Enjoy your Jerseys simply boiled with a knob of butter.