Green Futures

Author: GreenFuturesGY

  • SQUASH SOUP (Perfect on a winters day)

     

    • 16 fresh sage leaves
    • 2 red onions, peeled and chopped
    • 2 sticks celery, trimmed and chopped
    • 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
    • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
    • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked
    • ½ – 1 fresh red chilli, to taste, deseeded and finely chopped
    • sea salt + freshly ground black pepper
    • 2 kg butternut or other firm squash, halved, peeled, de-seeded and cut into chunks
    • 2 litres organic chicken or vegetable stock
    • extra virgin olive oil

      Put a very large saucepan on a medium heat and pour in a couple of lugs of olive oil. Add the sage leaves and fry for around 30 seconds or until dark green and crisp. Quickly remove them with a slotted spoon to a bowl lined with kitchen paper – you’ll use these for sprinkling over at the end. In the pan you’ll be left with a beautifully flavoured oil, so put it back on the heat and throw in your onion, celery, carrot, garlic, rosemary leaves, chilli and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Cook gently for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are sweet and soft. Add the squash and the stock to the pan, bring to the boil and simmer for around half an hour

    • When the squash is soft and cooked through, whiz the soup with a hand blender or pour it into a liquidizer and pulse until you have a smooth purée (but you can leave it slightly chunky if you like). Most importantly, remember to taste and season it until it’s perfect. Divide the soup between your bowls. Sprinkle with a few of your crispy sage leaves and drizzle with a swirl of good-quality extra virgin olive oil.

    Recipe adapted from; http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/superb-squash-soup-with-the-best-parmesan-croutons

  • Veg Box News 15.10.13

    A mixed week of weather has seen sporadic work on the landscape. The hectic winds damaged a few items on the landscape; mainly one of the poly tunnels and one of the netted cages. It is amazing the power of the wind even through fine mesh, enough to bend steel bars! The damage is all repairable but it reminds us that Poly 1 will need a new cover in the next couple of years!

     Our stalwart volunteers still showed up and have helped us plant a big load of winter cabbages. The Leeks on the landscape are growing well and we have harvested all our own potatoes. The potatoes this week are Lincolnshire Marfonas; a great all rounder and you will probably find the amounts are over weight as the size of them made it difficult to give you exactly the weight for your box (We err on the side of overweight!)

     Hope you enjoy the unusual squashes; they are a taste of what we have planned for our squash tunnel next year!

     The carrots this week are back to the usual North Somercotes supplier of unwashed carrots. Thanks for bearing with us last week. We have given you flat mushrooms for a change They are great roasted and have put a link to a lovely Jamie Oliver recipe on our facebook page. (Email if you don’t use facebook and I can send you the link!)

     Thanks to the people that took the time to ask their neighbours and friends to try a box from us. You are helping build a community of people interested in good quality veg and that care about our area. We are meeting some lovely new people! Every new customer helps us take steps to sustainability and staying open for the longer term.

     We have ordered a few new items for the Pantry and increased the number of gluten free products. We carry a range of vegetarian and Vegan Products and now have a few essential oils for sale. If there are any products you would like to see us sell then please do let us know.

    We do have a number of ‘close to end date’ items for sale including tubes of organic tomato purée only 90p a tube!) 

  • Turnip Almond and Lentil Stew

    2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for frying the almonds

    1  carrot, chopped
    1 stalk     celery, chopped
    1      onion, chopped
    1      turnip, chopped
    2      garlic cloves, chopped
    150g baby button     mushrooms, halved
    250g      green lentils
    1.2 l  vegetable stock
    1  bay leaf
    1 sprig  rosemary
    4 sprigs  thyme
    handful  almonds
    1 tbsp ground cinnamon
    10  cherry tomatoes, quartered

    Heat the olive oil in a large pan and fry the carrot, celery, onion and turnip until softened – about five minutes.

    1. Add the garlic and mushrooms. Fry for a further five minutes.
    2. Add the lentils to the pan. Pour over the stock and add the herbs. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
    3. Just before the end of the cooking time for the stew, in another pan, fry the almonds in a splash of olive oil with the cinnamon for two minutes.
    4. Add the cherry tomatoes and warm through.
    5. Serve the lentil stew with the almonds and tomatoes.

  • Dairy-free celeriac risotto with roasted hazelnuts and veg

    Serves 4

    60g raw cashews, 1 medium onion, finely diced

    1 garlic clove, crushed, 3 tbsp olive oil

    300g risotto rice, 200g celeriac, peeled and grated

    200ml white wine, 50ml apple juice

    2 tbsp bouillon powder, or 1 vegetable stock cube

    1 litre boiling water, ½ tsp ground nutmeg

    2 medium courgettes, chopped in half lengthways and cut into slices 5mm thick

    150g frozen peas, 45g hazelnuts, ½ tsp salt

    1 Place the cashews in a bowl and cover with water. Soak for at least an hour.

    2 Gently fry the onions and garlic in 2 tbsp olive oil in a large heavy‑bottomed saucepan until they go soft, but not brown.

    3 Add the rice and stir. After a minute, add the grated celeriac, the wine and apple juice. Mix the bouillon powder or stock cube with the water in a jug and pour about half into the rice.

    4 Give everything a quick stir, then pop on a lid and let it simmer gently over a medium heat for about 8 minutes while the liquid is absorbed.

    5 Meanwhile, make the cashew cream. Drain the cashews and place in a small food processor with 100ml fresh water. Blend for a couple of minutes until you have a smooth white liquid.

    6 Take a look at your rice. Once the liquid is nearly gone, pour in the rest of the stock and the nutmeg. Keep stirring. After a minute or so, tip in the cashew cream, the courgettes and the peas. Simmer for a further 8‑10 minutes with the lid off, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender and the courgettes are just cooked. Season as necessary.

    7 Roughly chop the hazelnuts. Fry with 1 tbsp olive oil and the salt for about a minute until nearly blackened. Spoon on top of each portion of risotto and serve.

     

    Recipe care of

    http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/sep/07/dairy-free-celeriac-risotto-recipe

     

  • Veg Box News 09.09.13

    In this weeks veg box we decided to give you Corn on the Cobb again. The season for them is quite short and the last lot we had were absolutely delicious. We hope you don’t mind? English sweetcorn are a lot sweeter than imported because the time from farm to fork is shorter, meaning less of the natural sugar turns to starch. English sweetcorn is not GM, unlike stuff imported from America. Always look where your food comes from. Also in the box are some of our own chillies. They aren’t very hot so hopefully you will like them. Don’t forget remove the seeds if you don’t want them too hot and remember to wash your hands well, after chopping them. They can be used in chillies, stir-fry’s and curries.

     So the unusual looking thing in your box is a Celariac, I like to use it by peeling and mixing with mash potato. It takes a little while less to cook than potatoes so either cut it into larger chunks or chop the potatoes smaller. You can boil it in the same pan. Another way to use it, is to grate it raw for a salad. It makes a great coleslaw. I also include a recipe I found on the Guardian website as in interesting Dairy Free Risotto. I will be making it at the weekend and will let you know how mine went. Incidentally you can buy most of the ingredients from us too! 🙂

     Well the weather had that first bite in the air this week, sat in the office I had to grab an extra layer of clothes. We can see the tomatoes starting to slow down in their ripening. If it is like last year we will have a load of green tomatoes at the end of the season; good for green tomato chutney if anyone is feeling creative.

     We will be running the salad boxes till the end of September, but after this they will have to most likely change as the price of salad stuff will increase due to having to buy in salad from growers with heated greenhouse or imports from abroad. We will let you know nearer the time.

     On the Landscape we have lots of squash ready. In the £10 box this week you will find a patty pan squash (or butternut if we don’t have enough). They keep really well so we will be giving you them in the other size boxes in the next couple of weeks. We also have a limited number of pumpkins growing including 2 absolute monsters, pictures will be appearing on the website and facebook soon! Talking of facebook we are nearly at 1000 likes… if you haven’t already please find us and like our page for a chance to win a free veg box.

    Thanks for your continued support!

    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.

  • Veg Box News 03.09.13

    Ok so own up, who stole August? Where did that month go? We harvested so much stuff and your boxes contained the greatest percentage of our own produce yet. The Salad boxes have often been 100% from our site. As this project continues we hope to keep up this sort of level of activity and work with more local growers so we are constantly reducing our and consequently your food miles. Every box you buy from us you can feel good that you are supporting local growers and food suppliers.

    In the box this week are Lincolnshire Daisy potatoes and a load of veg that is great for roasting. (See side panel) This makes for a great dinner that is easy and so tasty.

    On the landscape we have been busy with the usual round of weeding and watering and planting out. The rather interesting looking purple sprouts are taking shape; should have these ready for the Christmas boxes. Arrgh, did I say that word! Yes, already when growing things, we have had to be thinking about Christmas! We will be offering our usual boxes plus a special larger Christmas dinner box and possibly a deluxe Christmas hamper too! More details to follow.

    One good thing to come out of the on site burglary was the news coverage got us 2 news customers! Other than that its been a night mare of logistics and apologies, particularly for our garden round customers. We finally got the vans back close of business on Tuesday, so slowly we will get back to speed. Thanks for your patience and the best help you can be is to keep buying our veg and tell your neighbours about our service!

    We have quite a few jams and preserves for sale, some made by our customers, some made by a local small business. I am slowly trying to try them all, to check for quality purposes you understand 🙂

    Thanks for your continued support!

    Reminder

    We work with Specialist Health Promotion and they are running a cookery session, Wednesday 18th

    September. 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. For more information please contact: Steven Markham (01472) 326241

    Steven.Markham@nelincs.gov.uk

  • Health Benefits of Vegetables; Onions and Shallots

    Onions and shallots are full of nutrients including, Vitamins A, B, C, magnesium, potassium, sulphur compounds, bioflavonoids, essential oils (mono or sesquiterpenoids) and natural sugars.
    They are great vegetables to add to your diet to support bones and joints especially if you experience rheumatoid arthritis or gout.  They support the blood and circulation and are beneficial for people who have arteriosclerosis, onions and shallots help to support the immune system especially if you are coming down with a cold or the flu and they are also beneficial for period pains in women,
    Onions have antibiotic and anti-fungal properties and can block tumour formation, reduce cholesterol levels and prevent blood clots from forming.  They help to ease water retention and promote the elimination of urea.  Onions are beneficial to both the digestive and circulatory systems.  They can be juiced or used in a decoction for the treatment of digestive problems, diarrhora, coughs, colds and flu.  You can even make an onion syrup by layering sliced raw onion with brown sugar or molasses which will eventually turn into an onion syrup and require the onions to be strained after 4 weeks.
    Onions can be eaten raw – macerating them in olive oil makes them more palatable.  Onion juice can be drunk mixed in water or carrot juice and can also be applied neat to insect stings, warts and boils.
    Info courtesy of;
    Emma Warrener
    Western Medicinal Herbalist within Grimsby and Cleethorpes
    Check out my website at: www.herbsforhealthandwellbeing.co.uk
    Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/GrimsbyHerbalUK

  • Health Benefits of Vegetables

    Parsnips:
    Parsnips belong to the same family as carrots and parsley.  They contain small quantities of essential oils (mostly terpenes) that have anti-cancer properties and therefore are a healthy addition to anyones diet.  They are also full of health giving nutrients including: Vitamin C, Folic acid, phosphorus, potassium, carbohydrates and fibre.
    Turnips:
    Did you know that both the root and the young leaves od the turnip can be eaten?  Also the root can be eaten raw and when grated makes a delicious addition to salads.  Turnips contain Vitamins A, B and C, folic acid, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sulphur and natural sugars.
    Understanding the nutrients  listed:
    Vitamin A: Vitamin A is important for maintaining healthy skin. It also helps prevent frequent infections of the upper respiratory tract such as colds and sore throats and improves night vision (carrots make you see in the dark – contain beta carotene which is a precursor to Vitamin A). Retinol is the scientific name for Vitamin A and is found in animal products as well as in vegetables.
    Vitamin C: This is an under-rated vitamin – most people are aware that it prevents scurvy and rickets but is also promotes tissue repair and wound healing and is important for the general health of the immune system – eating high vitamin C foods can prevent infections such as colds and coughs and can dramatically reduce the time you have one too!  Vitamin C is an antioxidant meaning that it protects the body from damage caused by free-radicals which causes mutations, signs of aging etc.  It also plays a major role in the absorption of iron and the formation of antibodies and collagen.
    Folic Acid: This vitamin is crucial for the health of our DNA and for making red blood cells too.  During pregnancy folic acid is important as the development of the baby is a process of making and developing genetic material from the mum and dad to make the little one 🙂
    Phosphorus: This nutrient regulates protein activity and is essential for the release of energy in the bodys cells. It also helps to form and maintain healthy bones and teeth and is necessary for the absorption of many nutrients.
    Potassium: It regulated body fluids, is essential for correct functioning of the cells and the transmission of nerve impulses, it keeps the heartbeat regular and maintains normal blood pressure.
    Calcium: We are all aware that calcium benefits our bones and teeth but did you know that it is also important for nerve transmission (communication), blood clotting and muscle function?  Calcium also regulates the heartbeat and helps to maintain a proper acid-alkaline balance within the body.  Calcium is also important for healthy skin.
    Iron: This is essential for the production of red blood cells (haemoglobin) which transports oxygen to every cell within the body.  Iron also boosts energy levels, prevents anaemia and increases the body’s resistance to disease.
    Magnesium: An important constituent of bones and teeth but also important for muscle contraction. Magnesium also calms the nervous system and regulates the heartbeat.  Women who crave chocolate at that time of the month may actually be craving magnesium.
    Sulphur: This is an anti-fungal and anti-bacterial agent and is used in creams for treating skin disorders such as acne.  Eating foods with this in will also benefit.  sulphur helps to form proteins within the body and is present in every cell.
    info. provided by
    Emma Warrener
    Western Medicinal Herbalist within Grimsby and Cleethorpes
    Check out my website at: www.herbsforhealthandwellbeing.co.uk
    Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/GrimsbyHerbalUK

  • Veg Box News 27.08.13

    So the Kale last week was a resounding success; mine kept well all weekend in the fridge and ate some on Friday with lemon juice and then had some more with a stir fry on Monday. Delicious both ways.

     In the box this week you will find sweetcorn, English grown and guaranteed not from GMO seed. We have grown some ourselves not enough for all the boxes. Personally I love sweetcorn, hope you enjoy them as much as I do. We also have included red onions for a change and sorry if you were expecting carrots but again not enough ready for all the boxes, you will; get them next week.

     On site this week we have had to deal with a break in. It happened over the bank holiday. They smashed a window and door, stole some keys, including all the van keys and also a camera and a small amount of change. They did try to get into the safe and just succeeded in breaking the electronic key pad. The most annoying thing is the van keys, as this will mean we have to spend £200 on the excess fee and we are without our vans for most of the week. If you got your box late this week, you now know why. On the bright side we have really had some of our customers pulling together to help; one young couple came on site,during their holidays, to help tidy up and we have had 2 kind offers of donations to pay towards the excess fee. As we said to them, we feel we can’t take your money, the best way to help is to keep ordering veg boxes and stuff from our shop. We really have a desire to survive through our own endeavours and service. Please spread the word and its particularly useful when people can get neighbours or other people in their street to sign up.

     The Pantry took delivery of a load of interesting new stock including coconut oil and some other super foods and supplements. There is actually too much to even fit on the back of this sheet and we advise you have a look at our website, or even better, pop to site between 9 and 4 Mon to Fri. Thanks for your continued support!

     We work with Specialist Health Promotion and they are running a cookery session, Wednesday 18th

    September. 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. For more information please contact: Steven Markham (01472) 326241

    Steven.Markham@nelincs.gov.uk

    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.

  • Roasted Swede with Parmesan

    1 large swede (approx 750g/1lb 10oz), peeled and cut into chips

    • 1 tbsp olive oil, plus some for greasing
    • 50g parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), grated
    • 1 tbsp rosemary leaves
    • knob of butter
    • 2 garlic cloves, peeled

       

    Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Tip the swede, olive oil, 40g of the Parmesan and the rosemary leaves into a shallow roasting tin. Season and toss well, arranging in one layer.

    Sprinkle over the remaining Parmesan, dot with butter, then add the garlic cloves. Roast for 30-35 mins, turning halfway through cooking, until crisp and golden.

    Recipe from Good Food magazine, April 2008