In Your Box

Monday Update:

Due to last minute changes between the paddock and your plate, the following changes have been made:

• Mandarins instead of apples

In your box this Monday:

FRUIT: Bananas, Apples, Kiwifruit and Limes

VEGGIES: Silverbeet, Cucumbers, Shallots, Broccoli, Parsley, Baby Cos Lettuce, Eggplant, and Japanese Pumpkin. Mint and Potatoes for the medium and large boxes and extra special Heirloom Tomatoes for the large boxes.

I can see many different possibilities for food ideas with this box. With Silverbeet I often end up making a saag (spinach curry) or the old faithful spinach pie with Ricotta and fetta. As a side dish you have cucumber and shallots ready to accompany either of these dishes in the way of raita or tatziki. Eggplant, always great as babaganoush with freshly toasted  ground cumin,add the lime for a sweeter zing, unless you still have leftover lemons from last week. I also make eggplant and tomato curry.. yum!

Farmer Rita….

One of my favorite farmers is Rita Kelman who grows a whole range of wonderful asian greens, herbs, mushrooms, cucumbers even the lemons of last week are from her property nestled in Kemps Creek just near Penrith, making her only 30 minutes away from our warehouse, how local is that!  Recently Rita has been growing the heirloom varieties of pumpkin and tomatoes.

She began growing when her children were small and she needed something else to do, this is Rita alright, even now she doesn’t stop when I have suggested she put her feet up on the weekend she’s never too sure she has the time for this luxury.

Due to a shoulder injury Rita took a break but hasn’t stopped for 6 or 7 years.

She decided not to use any chemicals 3 years ago as a result of having a family and wanting to feed them only the best quality. Her decision was based on her knowledge of the toxic levels of chemicals in conventional farming, and she  didn’t want her children to be exposed to the effects of these chemicals. To use her words, ‘family comes first’.  So.. by protecting her family we are reaping the benefits.

The only obstacle she finds with this method of farming is that her workers complain about the amount of weeds they have to attend to, also that they have to peel the worms off of the Kale. Her response to them is  ” it’s good for you, you’ll live longer”.

Rita was featured in last weeks Sunday Telegraph with her husband George holding up an organic pumpkin.