October 2, 2006 17:15 -

This week's newest recipes

We've been working hard over the weekend and have added 5 new recipes.

So if you've got black nero cabbage in your veg box and don't know what to do with it, you're in luck!

It seems to have been quite a cabbagey week, so we've been working with red cabbage, too.

Lots of people have told us they've had large bunches of herbs in their veg boxes lately, so we've invented a nut roast recipe to help use them up.

And if you've been swamped with red onions, there's help at hand, too.

Finally, if you've literally got pears coming out of your ears, maybe we can convince you to enjoy them spiced, with a little red wine?

Give these recipes a go and then please remember to rate them, to tell others what you think.

	Black nero (cavolo) cabbage soup Works well with black nero cabbage or with Savoy cabbage. My toddler came back for 3 helpings of this - unheard of!
	Red cabbage & apple The apple brings out the sweetness of the red cabbage and makes it tempting for even fussy eaters.
	Nut roast Far from the "after thought" veggie option on pub menus, this nut roast uses a herb filling to keep it moist and make it delicious.
	Red onion risotto A simple risotto, which is a great way of enjoying the subtle flavour of red onions.
	Spiced pears Spiced in red wine (or port, if you prefer), these pears go well with savoury dishes, or on their own with ice cream for a delicious pudding.

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What Is A Veg Box?

Did you know that over 50,000 UK households now have a veg box delivery every week?

And that number is growing rapidly.

Yet many people still don't know what a veg box is. It's the most common question we're asked, when we talk to people about Veg Box Recipes.

Wikipedia (the online, free encyclopedia) defines a veg box scheme as:

...a delivery of fresh, locally grown, seasonal organic produce, either directly to your home or to a local collection point.

The veg box scheme is usually run by the grower, so it supports the local food economy. The vegetables and fruit in the box (or bag) are normally delivered within 24 hours of harvesting, so the food is fresh and the nutritional content is still high.

Most schemes are run on a local or regional basis, delivering food direct from the producer to the consumer. Some veg box schemes offer a nationwide delivery, often with food bought in from co-operatives or wholesalers.

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We've got our first mushroom!

Are you joining in the Great Mushroom Growing Challenge?

We've been running for 3 weeks now and we've got our first mushroom!

We were away over the weekend, so this one sneaked up on us unawares. And it's huge! A whole 12 cm across!

But given that mushrooms double their size every 24 hours, it doesn't take long...

Just last week we had the first signs of life, with minute mushroom spawn visible on the surface of our compost. Then suddenly, we've got a big 'un.

This one will get harvested tonight and needs cooking soon, as the gills are starting to open up.

From the look of the rest of the compost, it could be a couple of weeks before we see the next one. But that's fine, as we'll probably still be eating our monster mushroom by then :-)

If you'd like to take part in the Great Mushroom Growing Challenge, all you need is a mushroom growing kit (from a garden centre) and a spray bottle, to water them.

Then you can send us your mushroom diaries and pictures. We'd love to see them.

Check out the Mushroom Diaries to find out more.

Happy growing!

Clare

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How Fresh Is Your Fruit & Veg?

Bought some supermarket apples lately? Think they're fresh? Think again...

Did you know that some of the fruit & veg in a supermarket is already weeks, if not months, old?

Recent research has confirmed that many seasonal items are stored for months, to extend their availability.

This might sound ok in theory, but what does this mean for the fruit and veg you're buying?

Apples are stored for up to a year in cold store and then shipped around that world. That's why apples bought out of season, say, in June, taste woolly and flavourless.

Salad crops such as lettuce and spinach may already be a few weeks old, yet they only last a few days when picked in your garden. The advent of "pre-washed, pre-packaged" salads was great for the food retailers, because it means they can seal the leaves in a bag, filled with chemicals, to make them stay looking fresh long after the nutritional value has gone.

"Packaged in a protective environment" doesn't mean they were careful to keep the factory clean. It means that your "no need to wash" salad is probably washed in diluted chlorine and a mixture of preservative gases. Doesn't sound quite as appealing...

Other fruits, such as grapes and plums, rot quickly. So they're kept in cold stores and often sprayed with anti-fungal agents, to prevent them going mouldy. So it's really essential to wash them well before eating, or you'll be eating the fungicides, too.

Fact: there are very few nutrients left in old fruit & veg.

You think you're being good by buying the stuff, but flavour and nutritional content deteriorate rapidly after picking, so the older the produce, the less value there is in eating it.

Even dried fruits can be at risk.

For example, dried apricots sound like a great idea, but how do you think they get them to stay looking so fresh and orange?

Sulphur dioxide...

The natural colour for dried apricots is dark brown, but this (apparently) looks less appetising. So sulphur dioxide is used to help them keep their colour. The only snag is that sulphur dioxide can produce asthma attacks and minor allergic reactions in susceptible people (there are a lot of them out there). So if you've ever eaten dried fruit and found your mouth and throat felt funny afterwards, or your breathing changed, now you know why.

Yet this is a perfectly legal, permissible chemical...

What can you do?

Unfortunately buying organic from a supermarket doesn't mean you avoid all this. Out-of-season organic food can still be stored for months, though the chemicals used will be more strictly controlled.

The only real options are:

1. Only buy in-season, locally-produced food
   That way you know it's not been hanging around for months.



2. Buy direct from the grower
   Hunt out your local farm shop, farmers' market or box scheme, so you can ask the grower how their produce has been stored



3. Avoid pre-packed fruit & veg and brightly-coloured dried fruit
   Chances are it may have been chemically treated. Avoid it and you'll be avoiding the nasties, too.

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How Much Fruit & Veg Do You Eat?

Our recent survey revealed shocking results on the nation's fruit & veg habits. Find out how you score...

It can be tough to eat a "balanced diet" these days, when you're always on the move and there's little time available for cooking. So we thought we'd find out how much fruit and vegetables people are actually eating.

We surveyed a large group of "responsible adults" (!) this week to find out how they score on the "5-a-day" rule for fruit and veg.

We didn't expect saintly dietary behaviour, but we were pretty shocked by the results.

Nearly 30% eat 2 or less portions per day.

That's not good.

But then we got into the discussion over "what's a portion?" and the results got even worse!

The problem is that even the govenment, World Health Organisation and medical bodies can't agree on what a portion is. In the absence of guidance, it's best to use common sense. So we're talking a few tablespoons of cooked vegetables, a reasonably large apple, a large helping of lettuce...

When you factor this in, having a lettuce garnish with your lunch or 2 slices of tomato in your sandwich doesn't make it into the "portion" category...

A lot of people were honest enough to confess to often eating no fruit or vegetables on a daily basis.

Whilst at the other end of the scale, 20% claim to eat 6+ portions daily.

But why should we care? Do you really need all those veggies, or is it just hype?

We'd like to know what you think.

How much fruit & veg do you eat each day?
What would have to happen to make you eat more?
Do you feel "vegged out"?
Or can't you get enough of the stuff?!
Should potatoes count as vegetables...?

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Is Winter Here? Time For Soup!

Is it just me, or does it feel like winter has finally arrived today?

This morning was grey, foggy and, quite frankly, freezing.

What happened to the wonderful Indian Summer we've been having?

I'm not being a pessimist - it could be December and I'll still be hoping for sunshine - but it's definitely time to get the soup pan out.

There's something so wonderfully warming about home-made soup. And I love making it, because it's so easy. Soup might take half an hour, but you only need to be involved for the first 5 minutes.

Usually it's a case of scrub and chop the veggies, maybe a little fyring, then shove it all in a pan with the stock and leave it until it's cooked. You just need to pop in every now and then to give it a stir.

Soups really are a great way of cooking vegetables. All the water soluble vitamins that leach out during cooking stay in the stock, so you still get the full nutritional value of the veggies.

They are also a great way of using up leftover vegetables at the end of your veg box week. Almost everything works in a soup. Time to get experimenting!

We've pulled together our favourite soup recipes from Veg Box Recipes, to help you get started.

So if you're feeling in need of a little winter warming, why not try these delicious soup recipes today?

Enjoy!

Clare

P.S. If you've got a soup recipe you'd like to share, please send it to us. Thank you!

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Looking For A Farm Shop?

Maybe you don't want to go the whole hog with a veg box scheme. After all, it's a big commitment.

But you're still looking for ways to buy local, seasonal food?

What can you do?

If waiting for a fortnightly farmers' market doesn't suit your shopping style, then it's worth hunting out your local farm shop.

But what is a farm shop?

Strictly speaking, a farm shop is run by the grower of the produce, based at their farm, as a means of selling their fruit and vegetables (and often milk, eggs and meat) direct to consumers.

But nowadays, they're springing up everywhere from garden centres to High Streets. And that's ok, as long as they are still selling stuff that's as local as possible.

It's dangerous to assume - there's a garden centre near us that sells "farm shop" produce, but most of the veggies are currently from Argentina and China...

Also, don't assume that everything from a farm shop is organic. If that's important to you, ask. Make sure you understand about organic certification, so you don't get fobbed off!

The first thing that strikes me when I visit my local farm shop is the visual feast. Every colour of the rainbow is there on display - and all grown within 50 or so miles. At this time of year, you've got the vibrant orange of pumpkins, the purple-black of cabbage and beetroot, the yellow of squashes and swedes, the green and white of leeks, the red of apples...

The next thing that always hits me is the smell. And it's great. You can smell the vegetables! Tomatoes smell like tomatoes. Mushrooms smell like mushrooms. Everything is so fresh, you can see the staff wiping the mud off their boots as they bring in crates of veggies that they've literally just picked.

People often assume that farm shops are pricey, compared to supermarkets. But that's not usually the case. Yes, if you buy imported, out-of-season products, you'll pay a premium. But if you're after stuff that's in-season and locally grown, I find it's almost always cheaper. I wanted some beetroot for pickling last week and the farm shop was selling it for half the price of the supermarket.

The other bonus about farm shops is the staff are a great source of information. Not only can they help you work out what the occasional mystery vegetable is, but they're full of advice on how to cook everything from romanesco to celeriac.

How do I find my nearest farm shop?

I'm compiling a directory of UK farm shops, to make it easy for everyone to find their nearest one.

The thing is, I need your help!

Yes, I could go through the phone book and find farm shops, but I'd rather list those that people recommend.

Do you use a local farm shop that you'd like to tell other people about?

Can you spare a minute to register it on our site, so I can add it to the directory?

The more farm shops I can include, the easier it will be for people to find local, seasonal food when they want it.

Thank you for your help!

Clare

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