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!
Showing posts with label wild garlic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wild garlic. Show all posts
Wednesday, 21 March 2012
Shokoh's Menu - Fish Pie, Lemon Loaf Cakes & Pesto
This week sees the return of Shokoh's Cornish fish pie, made using our white fish from Kernowsashimi - serves 2 or 4.Her pastry offering this week is Chicken & Leek pie, using our Label Anglais Chicken and our Wild Fields leeks (they are at their sweetest at this time of year) - serves 2 or 4.
Of course we have Swedish meatballs (serving 1 or 2) as well as side dishes of Swedish new potato salad and beetroot salad (best served with our smoked mackerel - simply divine!).
For those with a sweet tooth, try Shokoh's lemon and thyme loaf cake.
Wednesday, 7 March 2012
This Week At Farm Direct....
This morning's rain caps off a great week for Farm Direct, both for our new produce and for next seasons crops.
There has been a verdant revival on our farms, with our over-wintered greens lurching back into life and wild salad leaves creeping out over our shaded woodland.
Meanwhile, our farmers have been hard at work planting for the summer ahead and today's downpour has been perfect for bedding our new crops.
This week sees the second coming of last seasons spinach, it's final spurt of growth before being ploughed back into the fields ready to make way for our squashes and cabbage.
Our watercress from Chalke Valley returns, adding a peppery, yet smooth edge to dishes, as does our slightly subtler salad rocket
We also have the first wild garlic of the year, picked from a wood on Burscome Cliff Organic Farm in Kent. It is paid for by Martin from Ripple Farm using left-over spuds to feed Burscome's livestock. Whoever said bartering was dead?
The frustratingly short white sprouting broccoli season begins this week. Delicately charming, it is less cabbage-like than it mauve-tipped agnate and deserves to be treated accordingly. I like to think of white sprouting broccoli as a spring asparagus - it responds to the same sauces (holendaise, butter, lemon) and also appreciates gentle cooking.
Our featured slow cook cut this week is Ox Tail from Sacombe Hill Farm. Cooked on the bone it is sweet and succulent, possibly the most flavoursome cut of beef - try it stewed or braised for a classic, warming one-pot meal. Oh, and don't forget to dig out the marrow, it's a privilege not to be missed.
And finally, ever place your order, only to realise that you've forgotten something? Haven't we all! Well now you can add items to your completed order. Just locate your current order in the 'accounts' section and select 'add to order'. Simple.
There has been a verdant revival on our farms, with our over-wintered greens lurching back into life and wild salad leaves creeping out over our shaded woodland.
Meanwhile, our farmers have been hard at work planting for the summer ahead and today's downpour has been perfect for bedding our new crops.
This week sees the second coming of last seasons spinach, it's final spurt of growth before being ploughed back into the fields ready to make way for our squashes and cabbage.
Our watercress from Chalke Valley returns, adding a peppery, yet smooth edge to dishes, as does our slightly subtler salad rocket
We also have the first wild garlic of the year, picked from a wood on Burscome Cliff Organic Farm in Kent. It is paid for by Martin from Ripple Farm using left-over spuds to feed Burscome's livestock. Whoever said bartering was dead?
The frustratingly short white sprouting broccoli season begins this week. Delicately charming, it is less cabbage-like than it mauve-tipped agnate and deserves to be treated accordingly. I like to think of white sprouting broccoli as a spring asparagus - it responds to the same sauces (holendaise, butter, lemon) and also appreciates gentle cooking.
Our featured slow cook cut this week is Ox Tail from Sacombe Hill Farm. Cooked on the bone it is sweet and succulent, possibly the most flavoursome cut of beef - try it stewed or braised for a classic, warming one-pot meal. Oh, and don't forget to dig out the marrow, it's a privilege not to be missed.
And finally, ever place your order, only to realise that you've forgotten something? Haven't we all! Well now you can add items to your completed order. Just locate your current order in the 'accounts' section and select 'add to order'. Simple.
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