Green Futures

Author: GreenFuturesGY

  • No such thing as FREE Delivery

    One of the questions we’ve been asked is why we don’t do free delivery.  The reason is simple because THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS FREE DELIVERY!  When a company puts ‘free delivery’ what they really mean is ‘the cost of the delivery is recovered from you as part of our mark up of our prices and is bundled under the heading of overheads‘.  We discussed this policy and decided it was actually better and a clearer policy to charge a stated fee for delivery.

    As a social enterprise and in the name of transparency we try to share with people how we do stuff.  We have a duty to make a profit so we survive, but we also have a duty to act in a socially responsible and clear way.   Green Futures is not like ordinary businesses.

    Any delivery service has a cost, be this the running costs of the vans including, purchase, maintenance, fuel and of course the cost to the environment.  To us Free delivery sends the wrong message as there is always a cost, no delivery is truly FREE.

    By having a clear and fixed delivery fee there is a benefit to you calling to site and you know exactly what it is costing you.  With a  delivery charge, anyone that calls to site can get the delivery fee off the price of the boxes.

    We currently charge 50p for delivery to most locations in North East Lincolnshire and £1 for areas on the edge and out of North East Lincolnshire where we only have a few customers. By having a clear and fixed delivery fee we are able to remove this charge for customers who collect their box from site.

    We hope this answers your question and helps you think about how similar projects operate.

  • Veg Box News 25.11.13

    Its Monday as I start to write this, its cold in the office and I’m wearing thermals. So the winter time is all about staying warm and tidying up. Last week the placement guys did loads of digging and helped clear out the garage of stuff that has been sat there for 3 years, amazing the things we found. As for the digging these guys are like little JCB’s and are doing a stirling job at preparing the ground of the new polytunnel.

    Last week I was in Manchester with Carol, the CEO, presenting to the Lottery about this project; they view us as a successful one, so like us to share some of the achievements we have made. We told them about the over 200 customers we have had, the hundreds of volunteer hours donated to the site, the partnership working, the 13 tons of potatoes we get through in a year or the 7 and a half tons of onions or over 800 cabbages. The amount of stuff we have grown and packed and delivered is phenomenal when you add it all up! Next year these amounts will increase too as we grow more and more ourselves, and as we gain a few more customers. Customers who are realising you can get better quality, better priced and fresher veg from local growers and producers, than you can usually find in the supermarkets. You can feel happy that you are already part of the wise crowd that already knows this and supports a great community project. Thanks and well done you!

    The long black leafy stuff is Calvero Nero or Black Kale. Don’t forget serve with a squeeze of lemon juice to help your body make best use of the nutrients and to add a really great zing to the flavour.

    In veg news this week I have been talking to wholesalers and farmers and the price of some veg has nearly doubled. This is due to flooding abroad which has pushed up the English veg price. Thankfully we have some good farmer contacts and grow some of our own, but this is indicative of things to come. We can’t stress hard enough; Grow some of your own veg! It is easier than you think and you can grow quite a lot in pots and small spaces. We are always happy to give advice and next year we will be running a few workshops and courses.

    PS – WE REUSE PLASTIC PUNNETS PLEASE WASH AND RETURN!

    Don’t forget we sell FREE RANGE Eggs from Chickens NOT fed on GM soya. Most other non organic eggs will be from GM fed chickens.

    PPS one of our customers if giving away some chickens, get in touch if you are interested.

  • Hearty Winter Soup

    This is one of my own recipes. It’s one of those that never tastes the same twice as I use up what ever veg I have at the end of the week.  It is a great one to experiment with using different veg and flavourings.  You can really spice it up by adding chilies or add a nice salty tang by using some soy sauce or liquid aminos.  The best this is be creative and taste as you go.

    Using all the ingredients in your veg box this week you can make a delicious winter soup. You only need a bit of olive oil, a stock cube and some seasoning and herbs to add some extra zing.

    Put a healthy glug of oil in a pan, Add 1 or 2 peeled and chopped onions. Cook on a low heat with the lid on so they sweat, stir occasionally so they don’t stick. While they are cooking peel and dice, a couple of potatoes, carrot s half a swede and half a celaraic.

    Put the potatoes in a separate pan and part boil so they start to cook.

    Add the carrots, celariac and swede to the onions. Season with salt and pepper. At this point you can add other herbs or spices, even curry powder; experiment to give you some interesting flavour variations!

    Add a little more oil if needed. Stir occasionally. Keep on a low heat. Peel and cube a beetroot and a Parsnip. (for extra flavour roast them in the in the oven with a little olive oil for about 45 mins before adding to the soup)

    Add a few chopped leaves of the cabbage and a handful of halved mushrooms. Stir.

    Add the potatoes and mix up half a pint of hot water with a stock cube or bouillon powder. Pour over the veg in the pan. Bring to the boil and allow to simmer until all the veg is tender, add more water if needed. Season with Salt and pepper to taste.

     

  • Veg Box News 18.11.13

    On site this week the Princes Trust volunteers have been helping out with a variety of jobs and proving once again that the media images of the youth of today are far from the truth. They have helped plant trees, and a new hedge plus helped with load of general tidying jobs. Their dedication and perseverance, working in all weathers, is inspirational.

    This week we have kindly had donated a large number of old scaffolding boards, very useful for our garden building projects. Recycling old industrial materials like this is another way we can demonstrate practical sustainability. Nothing in nature is thrown away, it all gets used, only humans have rubbish, we should all learn from this.

    On site more work has gone on the poly tunnel. Planting out brassicas and lots of bulbs ready for spring. We have been double fleecing and bringing into the poly tunnels some of our delicate plants ready for the harsh frosts that are forecast.

    This week in the veg box is a healthy selection of root veg. The parsnips and carrots are from North Somercotes and the potatoes are from Kirton. They are a different variety; Melody, and are very good as mash and Baked potatoes. We have harvested some of our celariac and golden beets although we have had to add to our own harvest as we didn’t have enough ourselves for everyone’s box. The weird knobbly veg, incase you didn’t know, is a celariac. To use, simply peel and grate and used raw in salads of coleslaw. Or you can chop it into chunks and roast it or use like a potatoes. It is great mixed with potatoes to make an interesting mash. The Candy beetroot are really interesting; stripy red and white when you slice through them. Enjoy!!

    Thanks Sean and Kylie

     PS – WE REUSE PLASTIC PUNNETS PLEASE WASH AND RETURN!

    Don’t forget we sell FREE RANGE Eggs from Chickens NOT fed on GM soya. Most other non organic eggs will be from GM fed chickens.

    PPS one of our customers if giving away some chickens, get in touch if you are interested.

  • Oven Roasted Brussel Sprouts

     

    It may sound strange, but these are really good and very easy to make. The Brussels sprouts should be brown with a bit of black on the outside when done. Any leftovers can be reheated or even just eaten cold from the fridge. I don’t know how, but they taste sweet and salty at the same time!”

    800g Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and yellow leaves removed.

    4 Tblspoons Olive Oil

    Sea Salt/Black Pepper

    Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).

    1. Place trimmed Brussels sprouts, olive oil, sea salt, and pepper in a large resealable plastic bag. Seal tightly, and shake to coat. Pour onto a baking sheet, and place on center oven rack.
    2. Roast in the preheated oven for 30 to 45 minutes, shaking pan every 5 to 7 minutes for even browning. Reduce heat when necessary to prevent burning. Brussels sprouts should be darkest brown, almost black, when done. Adjust seasoning with sea salt, if necessary. Serve immediately.

     

  • Veg Box News 11.11.13

    That purple sprouting broccoli last week was delicious! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. This week its back to one of our favourites; kale. We have supplied 2 types so you will either be getting a red kale or a green kale, we didn’t grow enough to give all the boxes the same type so there is a difference between the individual boxes. You will see also in the £8 boxes a lemon, remember serve the kale with a healthy squeeze of lemon juice after cooking; the vitamin c gives a delicious zing to the kale but also helps your body make better use of the nutrients. (Individual lemons for sale 35p or 3 for £1) We have also given you a taste of the season; sprouts. We will be giving you a stick of these with our Christmas Dinner box on the 24th December. Last year a stick of our sprouts was about half the price of what the supermarkets were charging. Keep looking out for our announcement at the beginning of December when we start to take orders for the Christmas Dinner boxes

    Talking of Christmas, Kylie has been busy with making up some lovely looking gift food hampers; a great idea for an unusual present. Please do check out the pictures on our facebook and website. This year we will also have a limited number of fresh Christmas wreaths and some tables decorations. Again more details to follow.

    On site we have had a a new raft of volunteers helping clear the weeds and do more of the tidying up. It’s interesting to watch volunteers over their time here; you see them go from slightly unsure sometimes with no ideas about plants and wild life. Slowly they get more confident and become part of the team, joining in with the tea break laughs, some even go onto start to grow their own veg at home. It is something we really encourage, grow your own, even if it a just a few windowsill herbs and some living salad. This year I grew some beetroot in plant pots as well as some radish, herbs and salad stuff in an old guttering. Its good to grow! We do sell plants as well as veg so you might even be able to buy some plants from us. We are currently selling winter hanging basket for £5.50 and also £3 for the hanging planter ‘socks’

    PS – WE REUSE PLASTIC PUNNETS PLEASE WASH AND RETURN!

    Don’t forget we sell FREE RANGE Eggs from Chickens NOT fed on GM soya. Most other non organic eggs will be from GM fed chickens.

    NEW STOCK FOR THE PANTRY ARRIVED THIS WEEK. COME AND VISIT OUR PANTRY AND SEE THE TASTY TREATS!

  • Practical Cookery Session Wed 13th Nov

     
    Practical Cookery Session
    Wednesday 13th
    November, 2013.
    Participants can take part in a practical cookery demonstration
    and eat the fruits of their labour in a session held at
    Second Avenue Resource Centre with Vicki Hall.
    Preference will be given to
    people who pledge to ‘pass it on’
    – to share the practical skills they
    have learnt with family and/or
    friends.
    For more information please contact:
    Steven Markham
    (01472) 326241
    Steven.Markham@nelincs.gov.uk

    Using a ‘Veggie Box’ from us. 🙂
    The course is high value,
    but no charge will be made
    to participants.

     

     

    2013_11_13_Veggie Box Cookery Scheme

  • Veg Box News 28.10.13

    The British always talk about the weather and looking at the news this week, that has been all the news has seemed to be about! Everywhere it has been about the doom of storms. Thankfully we escaped the worst of it. It was good to see a couple of stories highlighting the good that comes from being outdoors and how much benefit it is for children to be playing in the park being allowed to explore nature. It appears that gardening, whether you are old or young, gives benefits for both physical and mental health. Obviously we know this already and is part of our raison d’etre. Grow food, eat food, stay healthy.

    In this weeks box we have again the delicious Marfona spuds; I’ve tried roasting, boiling, mashing and making hash browns and they have been great for them all, Lincolnshire grown too. Excellent. The unusual item this week is our own home grown Fennel. Its use goes back a long way, I even read that it is one of the nine plants invoked in the pagan Anglo-Saxon Nine Herbs Charm, recorded in the 10th century! (See Wikipedia). It has a range of culinary and medicinal uses and is reportedly good for digestive disorders and the eyes.

    On the land this week we have been busy removing the last of the tomato plants and now have quite a few kilo of green tomatoes left. We will probably be able to give you one last flush of toms before we totally move to the winter veg. We have also harvested our butternut squashes, there is a recipe on our website for squash soup.

    I think we have sold all but one of the pumpkins and we had a winner for the guess the weight of the massive pumpkin competition. We still do have a few plants for sale and Kylie has been busy making up some beautiful house plant baskets. Ask on the van to see them or have a look at our facebook.

    Thanks to those customers that have placed regular orders for eggs. It really helps for our sustainability and again you can be happy that you are supporting not only us, but also a small local farm. You are being the change most people want to see!

    We had our first Christmas enquiry today!… and yes we will be supplying a special Christmas Dinner box….. details to follow Early November.

    PS – WE REUSE PLASTIC PUNNETS PLEASE WASH AND RETURN!

    Don’t forget we sell FREE RANGE Eggs from Chickens NOT fed on GM soya. Most other non organic eggs will be from GM fed chickens.

  • Caramelised Fennel

     

    Cooking time; 20 minutes
    Ingredients:
    1 Large fennel bulbs
    3 tblspns olive oil
    Sea salt
    Black pepper
    ½ Lemon

    Method

    Using a very sharp knife, cut the top and bottom from the fennel bulbs and then remove tough or bruised outer layers. You will end up with a bulb about the size of your fist.

    Slice the bulbs in half and then remove the cores from the fennel. Then cut the fennel lengthwise into 1/8 inch slices (it is ok if a little thicker).

    Heat a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the olive oil and then the fennel slices. Spread the fennel out in the pan to encourage browning.

    Cook for 10-12 minutes, flipping the fennel slices every few minutes, until golden brown.

    Remove the fennel from the pan and drain off any excess oil. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice, to taste. Serve.

  • giant pumpkins get your bids in!

    we  are taking bids for our giant pumkins, reserve is £20…. we will close the bidding friday 25th Oct at 15:00 at which point the winner(s) will be called to collect the monster!!!!

    Simply email your bid to orders at greenfuturesgrimsby.co.uk or message our facebook page

    thanks

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