In Your Box 17th & 18th November

Veggies-Large box

Beetroot, Broccoli, Boc choy, Celery, Cucumbers, Kale, Lettuce, Potatoes (dutch cream), Radishes, Green Cabbage, Tomatoes and Zucchini.

Medium Box- Beetroot, Broccoli, Boc choy, Cucumber, Lettuce, Potatoes (Pontiac), Radish, Green Cabbage, Tomatoes, Coriander and Zucchini.

Small Boxes- Beetroot, Broccoli, Boc choy, Cucumber, Lettuce, Potatoes (Pontiac), Green Cabbage and Tomatoes.

Fruit- All boxes contain Bananas, Oranges and Avocados.

In Season

I have to state what a tough time the fruit growers are experiencing at the moment which is why we aren’t able to offer such a variety as I would like to. The stone fruit have not come into fruition, excuse the pun and I am waiting on the cherry market to burst forth. One local farmer has assured me he has sweet potato in two weeks so this is uplifting news, also the news that basil is a week or two away from two local farms sends spurts of joy through my fingertips as I write.

Direct from the local farmers

Now that the warm weather is upon us we can embrace the season of salads. Rita will treat us with the first of her tomatoes that taste so sweet you could call them a fruit, which it officially is of course. With these lovely vine delights, she will also bring more of those amazingly crisps and fresh cucumbers along with zucchinis and some aromatic coriander. The Mamre team will deliver an enormous quantity of beetroot to add to your iron levels.

Salad Days

Originating in India cucumbers soon spread to Greece and Italy, then later to China. The Romans used cucumbers to treat scorpion bites, bad eyesight and to scare away mice. Also seen as a helpful device to have them wrapped around you if you were a woman trying to conceive. Columbus introduced them to Haiti in 1494 and a french explorer Jacques Cartier found them growing on a site that is now known as the city of Montreal.

Cucumbers are made up of 96% water which is why they are naturally hydrating and extremely healing as a topical cooler for sunburn and swollen eyes. Full of silica, which is a necessary element for healthy connective tissue and great for the complexion. Although cucumbers are classified as one of the oldest vegetables they are in fact a fruit. They are a helpful digestive aid, and have a cleansing effect on the bowel. They age faster when stored for any length of time with tomatoes, melons or apples.  Culinary ideas for cucumbers range from simply chopped into a salad or pickled. Chopped finely with coriander and mixed with yogurt for a raita to be served with a potato curry.

Some of the boxes contain radishes and these are really delicious finely sliced with the cucumbers then sprinkled with a little salt, cover with a plate and weight for pressure. Leave for an hour and then drain off the salty water and add these instant pickles to a noodle salad or a pressed cabbage salad, or put them into a sandwich. I also add radishes to miso soup instead of daikon. You could chop them into tiny pieces and sprinkle them over a potato salad or try baking the beetroot and mix in some feta and make a dressing of coriander and radish with plenty of olive oil. Radishes are native to Asia where they spread to Japan, they are also a good aid for digestion and possess significant amounts of calcium, iron and thiamine as well at being high in vitamin C.