CAULIFLOWER CHAOS

Cauliflowers are one of the most weather-responsive vegetables I know. When its cold, they sulk annoyingly, with hearts the size of 50p pieces protectively concealed from the chill. If its hot, carefully planned progressions are thrown out of the window as they all burst simultaneously into beautiful white curds, which rapidly develop a yellowish tinge when exposed to sunshine, and then develop a "ricey" texture- The seeds can be very expensive, and as heavy feeders of organic matter, they have rightly gained the reputation for being difficult!
Lincolnshire grows some of the best caulis in the UK, and the two varieties we are cutting this week, Skegness and Wainfleet, are named after two seaside resorts well known to the Midlands.
Here are two very interesting un-Lincolnshire recipes that I have adapted from Antonio Carluccio's vegetable book- very different, unexpected, and delicious:
"REINFORCED" CAULIFLOWER ANTIPASTA
Steam cauliflower pieces until it is al dente, and place in a large bowl.
Meanwhile, crush 2 garlic cloves, and add to a dressing containing olive oil, white wine vinegar, 5 finely chopped anchoyy fillets, black pepper. Sprinkle the cauliflower with 20 capers and about 20 pitted green and black olives, add the dressing, and refrigerate.
This salad can only get better as you leave it- if you can! and you can add more cauliflower to the dressing if you've eaten it too fast.
Guaranteed to knock your socks off!
CAULIFLOWER AND PASTA
An unlikey combination to UK eyes that turns out to be fantastic.
Boil together pasta of your choice- I prefer penne or shell-shapes for this recipe- with cauliflower florets.
Meanwhile, fry until golden an onion with dried crumbled chilli, then add chopped bacon, ham, or cheating bacon if preferred, and sliced mushrooms, cook gently till soft.
Drain the pasta mix when soft, stir into the onions, and mix gently, adjusting the seasoning. Grated cheese and chopped parsley can be added here .
This has become a weekday-staple- quick to make, popular and tasty.

DRY WEATHER
The last few weeks of dry weather, while being fantastic for catching up on undone winter work, have really piled on the pressure. When I think back to last spring, continuous rain and cold, it's hard to see the pattern that everyone identifies as global warming. But after last summer we did fill our pit right up in the winter- and its reassuring to see this big expanse of water , which is already going down as we irrigate the small lettuce plants . 2 million gallons of water sounds like a lot- but without rain, it certainly won't last until autumn!

Eat your greens!

Here are the two extra greens recipes that I promosed you in this week's newsletter.
The first is from a customer, Ginny Blonde, and transforms kale into something unrecognisable- by all accounts, this could be an advantage......

KRISPY KALE

Heat up the oven to about 180*/ gas mark4. Meanwhile, thoroughly wash your kale and rip leaves into several pieces, removing any stems; large leaves work the best. Lay it on a large, very lightly greased flat metal baking tray, place in the oven and leave for about 20 minutes until the leaves have gone dry and crispy, while retaining their bright green colour. Oooh! This tasty snack lasted no time in the office, it would be great with other crispy things in a salad , or sprinkled on top of pasta or rice, or just on it’s own- no prepping time, an ideal “recipe”!

We have been eating purple sprouting broccoli for weeks now. I think it's wonderful, but just in case enthusiasm is flagging, here is an adaptation of a very simple broccoli recipe by Antonio Carluccio:

SAUTEED BROCCOLI
Very lightly steam your broccoli spears until barely soft. In a wok, sizzle 2 finely sliced garlic cloves with either a fresh chilli, or some chilli flakes, taking care not to burn the galic. Throw in your broccoli, toss around for a few seconds, then apply salt, black pepper and lemon juice to suit, and serve instantly!

GORGEOUS GIRLS AND BEETROOT

Before.........

And after.........

Here are some pictures from our gala dinner event, where the staff from the packhouse, normally dressed in old jeans, and at this time of year, scarves and hats, flaunted themselves at a champagne reception run by East Midlands Development Agency, and accepted an award as runner up in the category of "Best use of e-business" . Cameras flashed, bowties flocked around, and a great time was had by our hard-working and dedicated gang!



Sadly, glamour has now left our lives, in exchange for the usual. The lovely weather of the last week has brought a real spring feel to the countryside, although the icy wind ripping through my coat down on the fen this morning quickly dispelled any illusions I might have had. At last we are planting, and the baby veg are covered in a light fleece to protect them from the easterly blow.
The delicious creamy caulis and dark green broccoli need a good solid accompaniment, so here is a recipe for Beetroot Risotto

1 lb beetroot

olive oil

6 large cloves of garlic, peeled and halved

1 litre vegetable stock

1 onion, finely chopped

200 g arborio or other risotto rice

1 glass red wine

freshly grated parmesan-optional

Preheat oven to 180 C.

Peel the beetroot, and chop into 1.5 cm pieces. Toss with some olive oil in a baking dish, then place in the oven. After about 15 minutes, add the garlic pieces, then continue to cook until the beetroot is soft and the garlic is turning golden and sweet, about another 20 minutes or so. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Make a risotto in the usual way. In a large pan, heat a splash of olive oil. Saute the chopped onion until it is soft and translucent. Add the rice, and toast for two minutes. Tip in the red wine, and stir till it is absorbed. Add a ladle of hot stock, stir until it is completely absorbed and the rice is on the verge of sticking, then add the next ladle, and continue in this fashion for about 18-20 minutes, until the rice is about 5 minutes away from being done. Add the roasted beetroot and garlic, and stir, adding stock as before, for a further 4-5 minutes. Taste for seasoning

. Remove the pan from the heat, add a handful of grated parmesan and a final ladle of stock, stir well, then put the lid on the pan and leave it to rest for 1 - 2 minutes, then serve. Dairy –free or vegan customers could add soya yoghurt or cream cheese as a topping.

Serves 2 generously.

Send in more beetroot recipes, please!!

PURPLE EVERYTHING!

First, my nose and toes have been purple all week- its freezing out here on the farm. With all the terrifying predictions of snow, I envisaged ruined vegetables buried under mountains of snow. In fact, we have got off with a very light covering, and some really sharp frosts. The chief sufferers have been the gang down the farm; the wind seems to penetrate any number of layers, and fingers needed to be agile feel like immobile blocks of ice. A huge thanks to some of the unsung heroes of the food industry, doggedly and good-naturedly battling on in conditions that most people no longer experience.
Next week is PURPLE LOVE WEEK. What is it? check www.purplelove.co.uk
Its an opportunity to support local independent suppliers such as Eden Farms during Valentine's week. Just another marketing hype? Maybe, but it has a serious side.
Vegetables are not very romantic , certainly not in February, and we always miss out on any fun at Valentines day- so this certainly appeals. We have carefully planned our veg boxes for the week to be full of seasonal purple vegetables! And we are giving a 10% discount on all purple vegetables purchased from out farmer's markets during this period!
Purple Love Week is a bit of a giggle for independent suppliers only: its here to draw consumer's attention to us. Lacking the marketing resources of larger companies, a small farm such as Eden Farms can struggle to compete in the battle to relieve consumers of their cash! Purple Love Week is to remind everyone out there that small suppliers have something different and unique to offer shoppers. We have not gone down the corporate route adopted by many box schemes, and we are dedicated not only to our customers, but also to ourselves, our vision, our farm and our staff! We're worth it! Eat Purple!

e- business award finalist!

Eden Farms is somehow a finalist in this years East midlands Development Agency e- commerce awards! see www.ebusinessclub.biz Great excitement all round to discover that we have been chosen out of all these hi-tech businesses as a bit of alright!
I tend to think of Eden Farms growing our organic vegetables in a sort of time warp compared to most of the cities like Nottingham and Leicester, that we deliver to. So it was all the more thrilling to be acknowledged as an e-business contender!
Apart from the recognition, and the award, there is a big Gala dinner, which 5 of our girls, dressed to kill in evening gowns ( watch this space for pictures), will be attending, champagne will flow, and I have to say, they certainly know how to party!! As in,- Eden Farms- the noisy table....
Part of the ceremony involves a 30- second video of our operation, and yesterday, a lone camera man braved the rural depth of Lincolnshire to film our tiny office, and staff muffled up in scarves and gloves packing vegetables; and of course, the organic vegetables themselves.
Apparently, there is also going to be a video of the Gala event, and , as unfortunately, I will be unable to attend, I look forward to a second-hand view of any outrageous behaviour....

Sunny Saturday

Last night was the first truly cold frost for some time, coming just as we are cutting the first tunnel organic lettuce. If the weather is cold enough to freeze the leaves, particularly when they have hearts, the morning sun will rupture the cell walls( ice expands- remember physics GCSE?), and a week later, that nasty brown slime we all hate!
But a careful examination when the frost had burned away in a brilliant sun so hot that I was in my T shirt, looks like they have got away with it, last night, at least...
Down the farm, the row upon row of different green vegetables gleamed and grew; organic vegetables are dependent for their nitrogen( the stuff that keeps leaves green and shiney) on bacterial soil activity, which in turn, depends on temperature. This winter our greens are beautiful, none of that blue-around-the-mouth-and pallid-with-it look that we sometimes see. It has to be said that the skill of the farmer has a lot to do with it! but the mild winter so far has been a great help.

MEXICAN MADNESS!

This week on our farm we are pulling organic spring onions. This is pretty unusual for the time of year- usually Eden Farms grows overwintered salads in tunnels, but until this week, they were quite happy ourside.
So how come that my local Somerfields is air- freighting spring onions in from MEXICO this week?! Is there any possible excuse for transporting such an easy, british salad crop so many thousands of miles.
I also saw the usual beans from Guatemala and Kenya, and even some butternut squash from far-flung Australia.
What are we doing?! Theres plenty of local variety to be had 12 months of the year. In Eden Farms organic vegetable box this week I had: Cara potatoes, crunchy carrots, onions, chestnut mushrooms, bunched beetroot (sweet!), coriander leaf, swede, sprout top, spring onion and a savoy. Look no further than www.edenfarms.co.uk- just down the road!