Veg Box News 31st October - 3rd November, 2017

Veg Box News is a bit of a guess this week.  Mark, who sorts out ‘the recipe’ has gone away for the weekend without passing it on! But Gemma has done a bit of detective work and this is her best guess based on what he’s ordered.  So all the usual provisos apply this week, regarding last minute changes.  If I can I’ll correct this post if necessary.

A

Potatoes – Picasso, a good all rounder   1kg

Onions 500g

Carrots 600g

Celeriac (possibly two) 

A Bag of Curly Kale

A Bag of either Pak Choi or Chard (Tuesday and Wednesday)depending on what you got last week.
Or a Salad Pack (Thursday and Friday)

A Bulb of Fennel – or two depending on size.

B’s will receive a portion of Leeks in place of the potatoes

D’s will have an additional 800g Potatoes and an Aubergine

E’s will get the Leeks and Aubergine and/or possibly something else ( tbc)

L’s and M’s will probably also receive a Squash

K

Bananas 600g

Apples – Ida Red 600g

Conference Pears

Valencia Oranges

A Lemon

A Pomegranate

Q’s will also receive a portion of Globe Grapes

Lottie Shaw Prize Draw

Rachael has asked me to draw your attention to a prize draw she has organised on our facebook page, the prize being a selection of Lottie Shaw goodies – flapjacks and parkin. 
https://www.facebook.com/beanieswholefoods/

To be in with a chance of winning you just need to find, like and share her post – just scroll down the timeline, past all the pictures of delicious fruit and vegetables etc – and then for an extra chance tag someone else in the comments.  Rachael will be drawing the winner in early November.

If you are social media person then do check out our accounts on facebook, twitter @beaniessheff and Instagram @beanieswholefoods.  Follow us for news from the veg room and from the wholefoods shop etc.  We try to keep the posts relevant and interesting so help us out by liking and following us if you can.  This bumps us up the algorithm rankings and helps us to reach more potential customers.

If you are trying to contact us via the website you may find your email bouncing back – APOLOGIES!

As you may be aware we have been having a few issues with our website recently partly because the platform on which it was built is rather old fashioned now and has rather been left behind by the servers it is required to run on.  I know!  I don't rreally understand it either...

There is a page to the right of this blog named 'Contact Us' with a link to our email so feel free to use that to contact us.

Please, please, please – if you are wishing to alter your box delivery or arrange a 'box holiday' please put your name, address and delivery day in the email – it makes it so much easier for us to make sure we’ve got the right person.

Happy Hallowe’en

Apple Day at Sheffield Organic Growers

Visitors sample the freshly pressed juice

"I've been to an apple day!" I said to my father who asked what I'd done with my Sunday.
"This may be a stupid question, but what is an apple day?" was his response.

For him, and anyone else uninitiated with the joy of apple days, I thought I'd write a little review of the recent apple day at Sheffield Organic Growers.

Sheffield Organic Growers is a cluster of five independent organic growers, based on a 12-acre site in the beautiful Moss Valley on the edge of Sheffield. Part of their site is now a successful orchard producing a variety of desert and cooking apples and pears, supplying various shops across Sheffield including Beanies!
We arrived in the glorious sunshine to find the orchard already teeming with people; mainly, it turns out, from the University Conversation Club on an a day trip. There was plenty to do, including having a go at pressing apples to make fresh juice - an activity popular with the children and supervised by Beanies' own Matt West.

Hugh, another grower, gave a large group a tour of the orchard, explaining how they manage the trees in accordance with their organic principles, and dishing out tips and advice to budding apple enthusiasts in the crowd. Being allowed to pick and eat apples fresh from the tree and warm from the sun was a particular treat.

Matt pressing the apples

A mini cafe was set up selling proper coffee, homemade soup and cakes, and there was even a craft and story-time corner set up for the children. A chance to taste the different varieties such as Kidds Orange, Spartan and James Grieve produced on the orchard was well received! There was also plenty of freshly picked apples, as well as other produce from the surrounding fields available to purchase.

A delightful day all round, helped by the glorious weather and made even more special thanks to the lovely team working at the event. I'd strongly recommend future apple days and other events at this unique location in Sheffield.




At Beanies we currently have the aforementioned varieties and many more! Come visit!

Words: Rachael Eyton
Photos: Keenan Goddard-Donovan

Veg Box News: 24th - 27th October, 2017

You are no doubt very busy preparing your Hallowe'en Spectacular event so what you'll really need is a fantastic organic Carving Pumpkin as a centre piece!  We have some very large ones at just £4.98 each and some interesting White or Ghost Pumpkins for added spookiness, for £3.30 each, but you’ll need to get your name down quickly if you want one delivered before the day itself.  Just drop us an email or give the shop a ring.

(We do have a selection of Non-organic ones too...)

A

• Potatoes 1kg
• Carrots 600g
• Onions 500g
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Parsnips
• Red Cabbage

B’s will get 600g locally grown Turnips instead of potatoes

G’s will be as A’s as all produce is currently UK grown

D’s will get a further 800g Potatoes and a bag of Spinach

E’s will get the Spinach and 800g Turnips

L’s and M’s will be getting those additions and a Surprise! (ie We haven’t quite worked it out yet!)

K

• Apples 600g
• Bananas 600g
• Pears 600g
• Clementines 600g
• Avocados x 2
• A Lemon

Q’s will also get either some Oranges or a Pomegranate depending on availability.

If you’re out and about in Derbyshire on Saturday (21^st October) do drop by the Bradfield Farmers Market where Jake will be setting up his stall again.

How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds

The big orange pumpkins or white ones that people tend to use for carving are not particularly good eating - they have a high water content which makes them relatively easy to carve but means they lose out on flavour.  If you are wanting to cook one then it is highly recommended that you cut it into wedges, no need to peel, and roast it first.  This drives off much of the water and intensifies the flavour.  Scrape the roasted flesh from the rind and use in soup or pumpkin pie etc...

The seeds are usually discarded, but hold it right there! Jamie Oliver has a suggestion for you...

How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds

Veg Box News 17th - 20th, October, 2017

A mixture of roots and leaves grace the boxes next week – although broccoli of course is actually a flower head, so…

Next week we will be taking part in the Bradfield Farmers Market again so if you’re out that way come and pay us a visit.

Here are the lists for next week…

A

Potatoes 1kg
Carrots 600g
Onions 500g
Broccoli 400g
Pointy Cabbage

Leeks 600g
Beetroot 600g

B's will get a Lettuce in place of the potatoes

G's will be as A or B

D's will get a further 800g Potatoes and a Lettuce

E's will get 400g Peppers and a Lettuce

L's and M's will get the Peppers, Lettuce and a Squash.

K

• Apples 600g
• Banana 600g
• A Grapefruit
• Avocados 300g
• A Mango
• Mandarins 500g

Q's will also get a portion of Kiwis


With the wetter weather coming we would appreciate it if you could keep empty boxes dry when leaving them our for us to collect - just fold them flat and pop them into a binbag if you haven't got anywhere undercover to store them.  No expense has been spared to bring you this stunning tutorial video...

Veg Box News - 10th - 13th October, 2017

Autumn is well and truly here now and over the next few weeks Box customers can look forward to delicious English root crops for hearty stews and roasts, but just before we get there we’ll be taking a last few shots of greens, this week Kale, Broccoli and Chard.  If you’re thinking: ‘What? Three types of greens?’ I’ve included some links to recipes below which would offer a range of different options.

Boxes will also all receive a squash this week.  It’s always best to roast squash to bring out

the nutty flavour.  Cut into slices or chunks dress with a little olive oil and salt and roast in a moderate oven for 40 – 50 mins.  You can eat just like that as a side vegetable or incorporate the roast squash into other dishes – soups or stews or mash.

A

• Potatoes 1kg
• Onions 500g
• Carrots 600g
• A Bag of Kale
• A Head of Broccoli
• A Squash
• A Pack of Rainbow Chard

G’s will be the same

B’s will receive a Swede instead of the potatoes

D’s will receive a further 800g Potatoes and a Portion of Mushrooms

E’s will receive a Swede and a Portion of Tomatoes

L’s and M’s will get the above additions and a Lettuce.

 

K

• Apples – Rajka 600g
• Pears – Conference 600g
• Bananas 600g
• Oranges 600g
• Grapes 400g
• A Lemon

Q’s will also get a portion of fresh Figs.

Kale

Kale is a versatile vegetable and can be finely shredded and eaten raw; steamed, stir-fried or added to soups.  Try shredding it and then roasting in the oven with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt.  Roast until dry and crisp for delicious healthy Kale Crisps

Other ideas:

From the Hemsley sisters: Kale and Quinoa Sauté 

Broccoli

Broccoli has of course long been a family favourite but have you tried roasting it?

Break into florets and split any thicker stalks.  Peel and quarter the thick stem – it really is the best part especially for children who don’t like the flowery bits of the head…(speaking from experience) Preheat the oven to about 180°C.  Toss the florets into a roasting tin with some salt and olive oil and place in the oven for about 40 mins but do check for doneness from about 30 mins because cooking time will vary according to how small you’ve cut the florets.

I find stir-frying broccoli can work providing it is either blanched first or cut very finely.

Tempura is also a tasty way of preparing this vegetable (and many others).

It is easier than you might think to make tempura and I find it is mental preparation which is the key – prepare ahead of time and think about timings of the meal before embarking.  Ideally tempura is served straight from the wok so it becomes an eat-it-as-it-comes meal.  There’s a sense of drama though which can be a great ingredient to tempt younger eaters!!
From www.MaryMakesGood.com:  Kickass Vegan Tempura

Chard

Of the three chard is the lightest leaf and requires shortest cooking time.  Try shredding and adding at the last minute to pasta, or simply briefly sauté with a chopped onion in a little butter or olive oil.  It behaves and tastes similar to spinach so you could substitute it in any of your favourite spinach dishes.

Sautéed Chard with Garlic 

If you try any of these recipes or have any that you would like to share please add a comment below.

Veg Box News: 3rd - 6th October, 2017

Bit late this week with the posting so just a skeleton Veg Box news today.
So here are the box lists for the first week in October....


A

• Potatoes 1kg
• Onions 500g
• Carrots 600g
• Savoy Cabbage
• Sweetcorn x 2
• Salad Pack
• Celery

Rainbow Chard

B's will get Red Peppers (approx 300g) instead of the potatoes

D's will get a further 800g Potatoes and a Bag of Rainbow Chard

E's will get Rainbow Chard and Red Peppers

G's will be the same as the Standard boxes as all produce is UK grown

L's and M's will receive Rainbow Chard, Red Peppers and a Squash

K

• Apples - Windsors 600g
• Bananas 600g
• Pears 600g
• Pomegranates x 2
• Oranges 600g
• A Lemon

Q's will also get a portion of Grapes 400g