be nice to nettles!
VegBox Recipes reader, Carol G, contacted me yesterday, after the May newsletter went out, to let me know that May also brings with it “Be Nice to Nettles Week” (13th – 24th May).
It would have been a crime to miss an event like this, when nettles can be found and foraged in abundance without costing us a penny. So here are some nettle factoids and, more importantly, Carol G’s recipe for Nettle Pesto.
Will you be giving it a go?
something the kids can help with
The long Easter weekend is almost upon us. If you haven’t already made plans, here are some ideas:
For something to do with the kids on Friday or Saturday, how about having a go with this Easter Simnel Cake recipe, published over on ooffoo?
Making the almond paste balls and creating other decorations is a particularly fun and easy bit. You could use food colouring to dye the balls (which represent the Apostles, I’m told!) different colours.
Also, do check out this lovely article by our friends over at Small Homestead for step by step guidelines on painting Easter eggs.
Finally, if you decide to blow rather than hard boil the eggs, how about using the egg-y-ness to try Warborne Organic Farm’s Sorrel Omelette? It’s their Easter Open Day this Sunday, so if you’re in or near Boldre in Hampshire, that promises to be a great day out.
And if you have made plans, we’d love to hear what you’re looking forward to doing / cooking.
The VegBox Recipes Team
In 1969, Gladwin Hill wrote in the New York Times:
earth day
“Rising concern about the environmental crisis is sweeping the nation’s campuses with an intensity that may be on its way to eclipsing student discontent over the war in Vietnam…a national day of observance of environmental problems…is being planned for next spring…”
That national day of observance has now become an international and annual event called Earth Day. And it takes place on April 22nd.
Which gives us just over a month to plan something :O
Now, given the VBR passion for seasonal eating and for growing our own food, it seems sensible to play to our strengths. And I personally have been promising myself that one day I will organise something designed to help create a more friendly community in the street where I live. So I guess this is my chance.
But I can’t decide exactly what to do. And that’s why I need you, dear reader!
1. Please vote in the poll to help me choose between three ideas:
2. And then please use the comments box down there to share ideas on how you plan to use Earth Day to promote seasonal / local / organic eating or “victory gardening”.
We’ll pick all the events we really like, publicise them for you here, and even see if we can get a bit of radio or print publicity for you when we issue our own press releases announcing whichever event gets the most votes.
Can’t wait to hear from you!
The VegBox Team
sorrel leaves
April means no more root veggies, and a big hello to sorrel (amongst many other things). We haven’t featured sorrel before, so it seemed about time, and who better to help us out than our friends over at the award-winning Warborne Organic Farm in Hampshire.
The lovely Sophie sent us the deliciously simple recipe below for Sorrel Omelette, straight from the kitchen of one of their own box scheme customers, a self declared avid fan of sorrel.
And while Sophie was chatting with us over the virtual farm-fence, we were excited to learn that the family at Warborne are once again holding an Open Day, this time an Easter-themed one.
Still reeling slightly from the resounding success of the TV series about them (“Farm Life” on Animal Planet), the Heathcotes will be swinging the gate open from midday till 4pm on Sunday 12th April. There’s no charge for entry, and visitors can look foward to:
Address: Warborne Organic Farm, Warborne Lane, Boldre, Hants SO41 5QD
Tel: 01590 688488
sorrel omelette recipe
Ingredients
(Serves one hungry person)
1 good handful of sorrel
40 ml milk
3 organic eggs
Salt and pepper
Veg oil or butter
Method
1. Whisk 3 eggs in a large bowl, along with seasoning and milk.
2. Rinse the sorrel in clean water, and drain. Roll the leaves and roughly chop or tear the leaves.
3. Heat butter or oil in a small frying pan on a medium heat.
4. Pour the mixed eggs into the frying pan.
5. Let the bottom of the omelette cook slightly before adding the sliced sorrel.
6. Using a spatula mix the leaves slightly in to the eggy mixture.
7. Finish cooking the omelette until done as preferred.
8. Serve alongside a good crusty roll.
Time From Cupboard-To-Table
20 minutes
When Can I Cook This?
Sorrel is in its prime in the UK in April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December
Sorrel is a green leaf (very easy to grow in pots if you have limited space) that can be used raw or cooked. It is usually the young leaves, that are lemon-y and have a little kick to them, that are best in salads. Later on in the season, sorrel is better cooked, and is traditionally used in sauces for fish or in soups.
As with all other leaves, the best flavour and nutrition comes from leaves that are crisp and bright in colour. Sorrel should only be stored for a few days in the salad drawer in the fridge.
So that’s all from us on sorrel… Let us know whether you’ve used it yet, whether you try out this recipe, and, if you do head over to the Warborne Farm Open Day, let us know all about it using the comments box.
The VegBox Team
We suspect that you, dear reader, are NOT a statistic on a Government chart when it comes to cauliflowers.
Because apparently sales are declining, forcing production to fall. Which in turn has prompted the Brassica Growers’ Association to launch a campaign to Save Our Cauliflowers.
S0, to shamelessly steal a slogan, have YOU forgotten how good cauliflowers taste?
We can’t believe you have, but just in case … Let’s get recipe swapping.
Here’s our contribution for an early Spring lunch-box filler:
our recipe
Cauliflower and Chickpea Pitta Pockets
This is a lovely way of enjoying cauliflower. The chickpeas give the meal a nutty flavour and the watercress means it’s packed with nutrients. If you can get hold of tahini (sesame seed butter), it adds to the flavour and is also full of calcium and essential fatty acids.
What have you been doing with your cauliflowers then, cauliflower-eating comrades?
Well, what a night THAT was.
I couldn’t help it, I just had to stay up and watch the election results roll in.And while I watched and waited, I tried to work. I skipped back and forth between the usual array of food and eco websites and the online coverage of the votes coming in. Faster and faster I surfed, this way and that, until, mysteriously, the world of VegBox and the world of the US Presidential election had rather unexpectedly become one…
What am I talking about? I’m talking about “The White House Organic Farm Project”. In a nutshell, two major organisations (Eat the View and The White House Organic Farm Project) are running simultaneous campaigns urging the First Family to ‘be the change they want to see’ by using five acres of White House lawn for an organic fruit and vegetable garden!
Now, of all the revolutions we might expect from this particular new President, this may seem at first glance to be a frivolous one to flag on the day after US citizens voted with such passion. And yet, scratch beneath the surface, and it has substance. In his open letter to the next President in last month’s New York Times, Michael Pollen (author, columnist and activist) spoke of energy independence, climate change and the health care crisis and urged attention on the US food system. “You can’t deal with any of those three problems without dealing with the food system” was the point he was making.
And so today, Michael Pollen, the Eat the View campaign, and the White House Organic Farm Project are all hoping that President Obama will be appointing a “Farmer in Chief”, and that Barack and the family will soon enough be photographed not strolling on the lawn, but sleeves up, wellies on, picking their own… It’s not an entirely new idea, of course. According to Michael Pollen’s research, by the end of the Second World War, more than 20 million of Eleanor Roosevelt’s “Victory” Home Gardens were supplying 40 percent of produce consumed by the American people. Maybe a similar initiative today can help all of us living on what Obama describes as “a planet in peril” to reduce our dependence on fossil-fuels and help address the problems of climate change. As well as improving our own personal nutrition and helping ease the current strain on our household budgets.
So, rather unsurprisingly I’m sure, my household will be most voiciferously supporting the campaign. In fact (and yes, I know I know – but it was 4am…) I used the online petition as an opportunity to send the new Commander In Chief some very seasonal congratulations, and assure him of a constant stream of VegBox Recipes to help his farming and kitchen staff make the best use of the veg they’ll soon be growing : )
Which got me to thinking … if they were there now, ready to bring in the daily harvest, what recipe might I offer them for their first supper at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW?
After some reflection, I doubt they could do any better than a wholesome and hearty root vegetable chilli non carne, to replenish their personal energy reserves and to provide them with strength for the road ahead.
Bon appetit, Family Obama!
What seasonal recipe would YOU have sent?
Patty Pan Squash
Dear All,
Welcome to September’s newsletter!
This time, not only are we bringing you your usual round-up of what’s in season this month, plus some lovely recipe ideas, we’re also talking about chickens, whether kids should know their broccoli from their broad beans and how to be an eco-shopper!
We’ve got news of an exciting live call you can join in on with Kate Lock (author of Confessions Of An Eco Shopper) and even a competition to win a copy of her new book.
So whatever your views on the current weather and whether or not we ever had a summer this year, hopefully we’re bringing some sunshine your way!
Clare x
Although September is often seen as the start of autumn, from a fruit and veg point of view, much of the summer produce is now at its best.
You only have to smell the tomatoes to know they love September!
So this is a month of transitions, saying farewell to the summer fare and welcoming in the earliest signs of the new season in the form of the winter squashes.
Here’s a round-up of what to expect in September:
apples, aubergine, butternut squash (just in, UK), beetroot, blackberries, broccoli (tenderstem), carrots, cauliflower (miniature varieties), chillies, courgette, cucumber, fennel, french beans, globe artichoke, kohlrabi, leeks, onions, patty pan squashes, pears, peppers, potatoes, runner beans, sweetcorn, tomatoes, turban squash, turnip, watercress
And here are some of our current favourite recipes:
Beetroot and Fennel Salad With Sage Croutons
If you’ve not tried this combination, it’s well worth a go and might even convert someone who’s not sure about fennel!http://www.vegbox-recipes.co.uk/recipes/fennel-recipe-4.php
Blackberry And Apple Syrup
A delicious way of preserving a glut of blackberries – time to get picking!
http://www.vegbox-recipes.co.uk/recipes/blackberry-recipe-4.php
Caramelised Onions With Goats’ Cheese
The sweetness of the caramelised onions contrasts wonderfully with the tang of the goats’ cheese. Enjoy!
http://www.vegbox-recipes.co.uk/recipes/onion-recipe-2.php
Remember, you can find hundreds more recipes on the main website: http://www.vegbox-recipes.co.uk/recipes/recipes-index.php
Aside from the fact that my landlord is sulking with me over a rude workman he sent round – and the fact that I kind of have enough to do already – the boys and I are getting clucky.
hen
We’re thinking of getting some chickens – the egg-laying variety.
We’ve got enough space in the garden for them to run around during the day and have been doing our homework on what’s actually involved for the last few months.
But I figured there are probably plenty of people reading this who know far more than we do! So I wondered if you’d mind sharing?
The main reason I want to get hens is so that we know exactly what has gone into our eggs and also so the boys can start to learn to take responsibility for caring for animals. Is this a good idea? Are we nuts?!
I’ve started a blog on this one, to get the discussion going. If you’ve got any opinions, thoughts or ideas, please get sharing via the comments section. I’d love to hear from you! Thanks.
http://blog.vegbox-recipes.co.uk/2008/08/31/getting-clucky/
Confessions Of An Eco Shopper
I recently came across a fab new book from Kate Lock called “Confessions Of An Eco Shopper”.
Kate and I have been chatting about her experiences during the two year journey she took into the world of becoming a more eco-aware shopper.
She’s got a wonderfully down-to-earth attitude towards it all and there’s not a hint of preaching anywhere in anything she talks about, which is so refreshing! Also, she recommends Veg Box Recipes as a resource to her readers, which is very kind (warm, glowy moment coming on!).
Kate gets answers to the questions we just think about:
Are muddy carrots worth the effort? Can a natural deodorant survive a salsa class? Will clothes swapping ever beat clothes shopping?
Two years ago, shopaholic and supermarket addict Kate Lock set herself a series of ‘eco-challenges’, from kicking her Tesco habit to composting her kitchen waste.
The book shares everything she learned over those years, served with a large dollop of humour.
Kate has persuaded her publishers to run a special offer for Veg Box Recipes readers so you can get hold of your copy at a discounted price, with free P&P - very kind of them. If you’d like to find out more, go to:
http://www.pressoffers.co.uk/bsh657
And to find out how to win a copy of Kate’s book next Sunday, read on…
Live Call
On Sunday 7th September at 2pm, we’re running a live call with Kate Lock.
She’ll be tackling, head on, the mis-belief that eco-shopping has to be more expensive!
Given all the talk about the credit crunch, Kate has pulled together her top tips for saving money on whatever you’re buying, whilst also doing your bit for the planet and its inhabitants.
I will also be taking you on a whistle-stop tour of the best bits from the Soil Associations Organic Food Festival that I’m off to on Saturday. I’ll be doing interviews with loads of the businesses there, so I can bring you, hot off the press, the latest eco shopping news.
This call is not to be missed!
And if you’d like to take part, you can call in live, listen live on-line via the webcast, or download the MP3 recording to listen to later.
Here’s where to go to register and book your place:
http://www.vegbox-recipes.co.uk/teleclass-2008-09-07.html
Everyone who registers will be entered into a competition to win a copy of Kate’s book!
In these “post Jamie days”, we’ve pretty much all picked up on the fact that lots of children don’t even know that chips come from potatoes.
And I was wondering what the fuss is all about?
A friend of mine was recently teaching a course on health to a group of children. Of the 7-9 year olds in the room, hardly any knew that chips are made from potato and few could identify vegetables beyond carrots, peas and sweetcorn. And this wasn?t in an area that could be called in any way “deprived” – the excuse we all usually make.
Are we, as a nation, making too much of a fuss about children knowing about fruit and veg? What could we be doing differently? In these days of readily available vitamin supplements, should we care anyway?
Let?s get some discussion going via the blog comments!
http://blog.vegbox-recipes.co.uk/2008/08/24/should-kids-know-their-broccoli-from-their-broad-beans/
Thank you to everyone who has signed up for their free 28 day taster of the Veg Box Recipes Club.
We’ve been sorting out the techy side and this week are moving the main club area over to a dedicated site, away from Facebook, which we know had confused a few of us… So now you’ll get the chance to join in properly – with chat, your own page, discussion boards, posting photos and videos, getting access to your exclusive section on what’s in season in September, with loads of members-only stuff, and lots, lots more.
And we’ve also got some exciting news that the Veg Box Recipes Club has hit the radar of Gordon Ramsey’s team. We had them on the phone last week. Seriously. Club Members: we’ll be telling you more over coming weeks!
If you’ve not joined in yet, here’s how: http://www.vegbox-recipes.co.uk/subscription.html
My Zero Waste
A quick reminder from the last newsletter: if you want to get involved with Rachelle’s Zero Waste Week campaign, it starts today!
Whenever you’re reading this newsletter, it’s not too late to get going. So how about popping by her blog and letting her know how you’re going to get involved today? You could win goodies from loads of eco companies, just by cutting down your rubbish!
Anyway, that’s all for now. I hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter.
Here’s wishing you bountiful butternut squash and sparkly saucepans.
Until next time!
Clare x
The boys and I are thinking of getting some chickens – the egg-laying variety. Three or four, to be precise.
And I was wondering whether we’re mad or not?!
Getting Clucky - time for hens?
The thing is, for years, I’ve wanted to know where our eggs come from. Even buying free-range, organic eggs, I still want to know how the chickens were raised and whether they’re happy or not. Yes, Pollyanna, here I come…
I’ve spent a couple of months doing my homework and I reckon we can manage the commitment of having hens – as long as the landlord and our neighbours agree. We’ve got the space for them to roam during the day and I’ve been learning about supposed fox-proof chicken runs.
I keep hearing scare stories about mink who were released from a local mink farm last summer, who munch your hens as soon as look at them and it doesn’t matter whether you’re rurual or urban these days, there are plenty of foxes. So I know keeping them safe will be a challenge.
But despite all that, I think I’m up for it.
I’d love to know whether any of you have hens? Or opinions on the subject? Any advice? Thoughts? Suggestions? Things you wish you had known?!
If we decide to go ahead, then this will be the place to follow the Hen House Diaries. So watch this space.
And please do share via the comments!
Thanks,
Clare x
I didn’t realise how utterly heavenly my latest jam discovery was, until I caught myself absent-mindedly using a teaspoon to eat it straight from the jar…
Whole Earth Apricot Spread
Until today, my favourite jam had been my recently-stumbled-upon treat from the guys at Whole Earth. They’ve got a new range of organic spreads out, which use fruit juices instead of sugar, so they’re called “spreads” rather than jams and only last 3 weeks in the fridge, but that’s never been a problem so far 
My personal favourite is their apricot spread. It actually tastes of apricots, which is something few apricot jams bother doing. And the fact that it’s not packed with refined sugar means I’m happier about feeding it to the boys.
Anyway, today I popped out for a walk through the woods to the village (sounds very idyllic; translate as trudged through the horse poo and forgot my waterproof, despite torrential rain!) and spotted a stall I had never seen before in the pub car park.
Curious as to why anyone would stand under a gazebo with a table full of brightly-coloured jars in the pouring rain, I took a detour.
Blackcurrant & Sloe Gin Jam
And that’s where I met Gary Kitson from “Seriously Saucy”. It turns out he’s there (Queen’s Head Car Park, Burley) every 2nd, 3rd & 4th Sunday of the month. Guess I haven’t been going to the pub often enough for Sunday lunch!
Anyway, a jar of seriously deep purple jam caught my eye and the label meant I couldn’t resist Gary’s offer of a free taste. And it was out of this world.
Blackcurrant and sloe gin extra jam from The Cherry Tree.
Made in Dorset (just down the road from me), it’s the first blackcurrant jam I’ve tasted in years where you could actually taste the blackcurrants, rather than the sugar. And the sloe gin is a simply inspired addition.
Blackcurrant & Sloe Gin Jam
So while the Whole Earth Apricot Jam still wins my “everyday treat” prize, today’s jam of the century has to be blackcurrant and sloe gin.
I’m off to grab a couple of bagels out of the freezer, give them a quick toast and spend a quiet evening, trying to deal with my new-found addiction!
If you have a favourite jam recipe you’d like to share, I’d love to hear from you.
Thanks,
Clare
http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2008/aug/11/foodanddrink
*#!VBR just in time to avert Pak Choi disaster!#*
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7389351.stm
Number One Fan claims crown…
After a flurry of activity on the VBR Fan Page
http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/Veg-Box-Recipescouk/21587731425
Cherise Richardson in Nottingham has earned herself the title of Number One VBR fan, with her amazing contributions to the “This week I’m mostly eating…” discussion. There’s a secret treat in it for anyone who steals her crown!
And finally…
Finally, we’ve just opened a new discussion topic, “Being Green?!“, which we’re inviting you to join in on. This week we’re asking you how you find ways to be a greener consumer, and what, if any, obstacles you encounter.
Sending you all our best summer veggie wishes, and looking forward to seeing you on the Fan Page soon,
Claire & Clare
Spring is here and it’s time to drag ourselves out from under our winter duvets, as we hope for sunshine and warmer weather.
If you’re anything like me, the daffodils’ sunny colour helps get you feeling more motivated about the year. I literally come out of hibernation!
So, how about trying something new? My challenge for you in March is to pop along to our “Rogues’ Gallery” section, check out what’s in season and try something you’ve not eaten before.
Maybe you don’t realy hate spinach, after all? Perhaps turnips aren’t as bad as they seem? Or could it be that shallots are actually worth the effort?
Whatever you try, please share your experiences via the comments.
Thank you!
Clare x
I’m confused…
It doesn’t take much these days.
But I was wondering whether any of you could help me on this one???
I have a pressure cooker. Got it for Christmas in 2006 and have since used it for a myriad of soups and for cooking slow-to-cook veggies like beetroot. I love it. Despite the fact I can’t stir the contents, nothing ever burns in it and it halves the traditional time taken to cook most of the recipes I use it for. I have to be a bit careful if I’m using lentils, but otherwise it’s just bung in the ingredients (with an optional saute stage), add some stock and go for it.
I also have a slow cooker – since Christmas 2007 – and I’m discovering lots of great recipes for that, too. Just saute stuff, bung it in and pretty much leave it for anywhere from 4 to 10 hours. Really useful in our house because the boys are usually in their “sweetest mood” around breakfast time, which gives me time to prepare the meals ready for dinner. Ask anyone with little ones whether it’s worth trying to chop vegetables during the pre-bedtime “witching hour” and they’ll tell you to cook toast instead…
So far so good. So why am I confused?
Because the proponents of both pressure cookers and slow cookers claim their method is the best way of cooking food. Both claim that their method preserves the highest number of nutrients and gives maximum flavour.
Can they both be right? I can see that cooking food in its own juices means you’re getting all the water soluble vitamins, which we normally throw away if we boil stuff. But is there a difference in taste / nutrition between cooking quickly, in a small amount of liquid, at high pressure, versus cooking slowly at low heat?
Though I’m an engineer by training, my logical brain is stumped on this one! Is there anybody out there who can help me?
Thank you!
Love,
Clare x
Today sees the start of Fair Trade Fortnight.
Coordinated by the Fairtrade Foundation, it’s 2 weeks of show-casing Fair Trade products and raising public awareness of the importance of fair pricing, contracts and working conditions for producers in developing countries.
The Fairtrade Foundation expects there to be over 10,000 events over the next two weeks, ranging from coffee mornings and wine tasting to film screenings and talks with farmers. Find out if there’s an event near you.
Certified Fair Trade products carry the Fairtrade Foundation mark. Many people think this also means the product is organic – but it doesn’t. The two classifications are independent, though extra income from fairly traded products allows many producers to invest in the growing of crops in a more sustainable way, often eventually moving to organic production.
The big dilemma faced when buying is if you have to choose between Fair Trade and organic. Not many products are both.
And I was wondering what you think. If it’s a choice between Fair Trade coffee / tea / cocoa / bananas / whatever takes your fancy, or organic versions, which would you pick? And why?
Clare x
Totally off-topic, but this is soooo gorgeous, I just had to share it with you!
C x
“Feeling Good”
Birds flying high you know how I feel
Sun in the sky you know how I feel
Breeze driftin’ on by you know how I feel
It’s a new dawn
It’s a new day
It’s a new life
For me
And I’m feeling good
Fish in the sea you know how I feel
River running free you know how I feel
Blossom on the tree you know how I feel
It’s a new dawn
It’s a new day
It’s a new life
For me
And I’m feeling good
Dragonfly out in the sun you know what I mean, don’t you
know
Butterflies all havin’ fun you know what I mean
Sleep in peace when day is done
And this old world is a new world
And a bold world
For me
Stars when you shine you know how I feel
Scent of the pine you know how I feel
Oh freedom is mine
And I know how I feel
It’s a new dawn
It’s a new day
It’s a new life
For me
And I’m feeling good
It has to be said that, whatever you’re doing to be “green”, gas bills are going a bit mad!
I’ve just heard that British Gas put up their prices by a whopping 15% on Friday – yet they don’t even bother writing to tell us these days.
If I think about when I’ve worked with clients / customers, I can’t imagine being able to offer a service where I can change the price at will, without even having to let them know, and they don’t find out until I send them the next invoice…
So I gave British Gas a call today and, having thanked them heartily for their price increase, found out something they’re (officially) not publicising.
You can get their cheapest prices via an internet sign-up, which is available to existing customers, as well as new ones. It takes nearly 20% off the new prices! No wonder they’re not making a big fuss about it.
It’s officially being “passively marketed” – in other words it relies on you going to their website to find out about prices.
I’d like to share this little bit of abundance with you.
If you go to their website, simply click on “Click Energy 4″ and see if it could save you money.
I’m not a fan of British Gas, but if you’re already a customer and don’t want to move suppliers, you should at least make sure you’re on their lowest tarrif!
Love,
Clare x
Just in case you need a bit of a chuckle, here’s an old joke I found whilst clearing out my email backlog today. I thought I’d share it with you. Apologies to the original author, but I guess it’s been round the block a few times now!
Here goes:
Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road?
George W Bush: We don’t care why. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road or not. There is no middle ground.
Tony Blair: I agree with George.
John Lennon: Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together – n peace and love.
Hans Blix: We have reason to believe that there is a chicken, but we have ot yet been allowed access to the other side of the road.
Grandpa: In my day, we didn’t ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody old us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.
Aristotle: It is in the nature of chickens to cross the road.
Karl Marx: It was an historic inevitability.
Sigmund Freud: The fact that you are all concerned that the chicken crossed he road reveals your underlying insecurity.
Bill Gates: echicken2008 will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file our important documents, balance your cheque book – and internet explorer is an integral part of echicken2008.
Albert Einstein: Did the chicken really cross the road or did the road move beneath the chicken?
Bill Clinton: I-Did-Not-Have-******-Relations-With-That-Chicken.
Colonel sanders: Did I miss one?
Keep smiling!
Clare x
Do you have any top tips for surviving Christmas stress? We’re after ideas from peeling the sprouts on Christmas Eve and storing them in a bag in the fridge through to keeping relatives under control.
Please share now! Your country needs you!
Here are our top 5 tips:
Care to share?
Thanks,
Clare x
It’s that time of year again – Christmas is upon us. Where did it come from? I don’t know about you, but each year it seems to sneak up on me without me realising…
And it got me wondering – each of us has our own family traditions at Christmas – some of them sensible, others more amusing. From my childhood, there was the year that mum was so sozzled on sherry that she dropped the turkey; a fact she was reminded of for at least the following 2 decades.
With our little ones, we’re trying to create the tradition that we go for a walk Christmas morning, all help to make lunch and only open presents afterwards. That way mum (i.e. me) doesn’t get stuck in the kitchen on her own while everyone else plays with their new toys. Hopefully it means the boys will also learn that Christmas is about more than presents???
Then comes the food. How many Brussel sprouts can you force down? Do you go the whole hog with cranberry sauce and bread sauce? Roast parsnips? Turkey or goose? Christmas Pudding? (We’re doing Stilton & walnut en croute this year). Then there’s my husband’s family, who has a thing about Melton Mowberry pork pies at Christmas. And my mum cooks enough (delicious) mince pies to sink a small sleigh of elves and my secret addiction to fluffy, crunchy roast potatoes…
Do you do anything unusual each Christmas? What’s your favourite Christmas fare? What are your top Christmas survival tips? Our Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without…
Time to show and tell!
Theo has finally reached the age where I can’t stop him stealing food from my plate and shoving it in his mouth, so it’s time to start weaning.
Louis was a winter baby, so weaning started with summer fruit and veg. With Theo being a summer baby, he’ll start weaning on winter delights. So it’s time to invent a whole new set of weaning recipes – and to dig out the jumbo-sized ice cube trays and industrial-strength bibs!
I was wondering whether any of you are weaning babies at the moment?
How is it going? Are you going for it with root vegetables or sticking with pears and apples? What are you doing to make swede or turnip more palatable to a little one? Or are you avoiding the issue?
I’d love to hear your experiences and maybe share some recipes.
We’re still at the pear and apple stage, but will soon move on to squashes and more adventurous vegetables.
I have a friend of a friend whose baby loved butternut squash so much, she fed it to her baby every day for months. Allegedly the baby took on a worrying orange hue… 
Ok, it’s not often I give in and ask for help… but we’re at the end of our tether!
Louis (nearly 3) has decided bed time is for wimps and won’t go to sleep. At least, not until past 9 pm.
With both parents being engineers by training, we’ve obviously tried various experiments – changing what he eats, different bed time routines, trying to spot how we’re contributing. We think we’ve tried the lot.
But we know we haven’t.
We’d love him to go down for the night at his previous 7:30 bed time. With the exclusion of controlled crying or shutting him in his room, has anyone else been through this? We’re getting desperate! It might not sound bad that a not-long-past-toddler won’t go to sleep till 9 or 10, but it means he’s exhausted and ratty the next day and I (Clare) am getting very tired, as I’m also looking after Theo, the 4-month-old, as well as running Veg Box Recipes!!!
Can you help?
Are you the secret solution to our problem with your wonderful magic wand?!?
Seriously, most suggestions (humane and ethical!) would now be considered.
Hugs,
Clare x
P.S. It’s ironic, but on Thursdays (one of his 2 child minder days) Louis goes to a play group called Little Angels. Pity it only lasts for the afternoon.
Did you know…? I’m now writing a seasonal recipes column each month for Tastes of Britain magazine.
Tastes of Britain is all about British regional specialities, the producers, food heroes, and the stories behind the best food that Britain has to offer.
As their marketing spiel says: “From Land’s End to John O’ Groats; from pheasant to fish and chips; pumpkins to puddings – if it’s available on British shores it can be found in Tastes of Britain. “
And I’m doing the veggies!
Clare x
The pumpkin and squash section of VegBox-Recipes is going bonkers.
No great surprise.
After all, once you’ve lovingly carved out the innards of this year’s Hallowe’en pumpkin, you’ve got to find something to do with them.
Here’s some info about pumpkins and a few favourite recipes: http://www.vegbox-recipes.co.uk/ingredients/pumpkin.php
I still have memories of mum telling us about Hallowe’en in her childhood, when they had to carve swedes, rather than pumpkins (I’m a bit nervous around sharp knives, so I think I’ll stick with the pumpkins…). And I also remember the amazing Hallowe’en party we had at school the year we lived in Texas.
So what am I doing with my little ones this year? Well, Theo is far too young to understand it all, but with Louis I’m following the child minder’s lead. She’s been teaching the kids all about skeletons – and the importance of eating calcium to keep your bones strong! And I’m giving her my pumpkin soup recipe…
And for “trick or treat” I’m making mini carrot cakes.
What are you doing for Hallowe’en?
11 months on and I’m still ploughing through last winter’s pickled beetroot.
I really love the pickled beetroot recipe we have on the main VegBox-Recipes.co.uk site. But why haven’t I eaten it all yet???
Because I made a quadruple batch. At least.
I was pregnant with Theo at the time and remembered that, in my pre-veg-box-not-quite-so-organic days, when I was expecting Louis, I craved up to a kilo of supermarket pickled beetroot a week. Not having found a reliable organic source of what beetroot purists would consider a travesty to their favourite vegetable, I set about making my own.
Aside: Any idea how big a canvas shopping bag you need for 10 kilos of raw beetroot…?
Anyway, my pickling operation was highly productive and I proudly stowed my army of purple-filled jars in the designated cool, dark place, expecting them to fly off the shelves when the cravings returned.
But this time I craved ginger.
In fact, I couldn’t face pickled beetroot for most of the pregnancy and it’s only now that Theo is nearly four months old that I’m rediscovering the stuff.
So the moral of the story is… isn’t it great that pickled beetroot lasts so long!
Anyone for a pickled beetroot sandwich?!?
Ok, I’m finally going to take the hint…
I don’t know if you have this problem, but it doesn’t seem to matter how much I tidy up, within a few minutes, the house is a tip again. I can’t find anything… (Maybe a slight exaggeration, but you know what I mean!).
It doesn’t help having a baby and a toddler, but I have to admit there’s simply too much “stuff” here.
I’ve had “declutter” sliding down the slippery slope of oblivion to the bottom of my “to do” list for some time… But today might be the day.
The final straw was stumbling across an old, familiar quote, that felt like it was talking just to me:
Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful……William Morris 1834-96
Ok William. I’m finally listening.
It’s time to get ruthless. No time for sentimentality – that’s why I’ve got too much stuff in the first place, hanging on to memories, things I feel guilty about giving away or things that “might just come in useful one day”.
So armed with a free-cycle account and a pile of charity bags, I’m going to do it, one room at a time!
Wish me luck!
Clare
P.S. Any advice would be much appreciated!
As part of September’s Organic Fortnight, the Soil Association wants to raise awareness of the fact that growing food organically uses 30% less energy than intensive farming, with the use of chemicals.
The Government knows this fact, but despite telling everyone to save the planet from climate change by switching to low-energy light bulbs or using their car less, it isn’t encouraging people to take the simple, everyday action of choosing organic food.
The Soil Association seems to think that Gordon Brown is looking a little skinny since his rise to the prime ministerial office, so they’re asking us to give him some brekkie!
Actually, it’s a fun game, with a serious point. Pop along to their website to give Gordon his grub and they’ll count your vote towards their campaign to persuade Gordon Brown to ‘Wake Up!’ to the benefits of organic food and farming.
Feed Gordon Brown Now – http://www.soilassociation.org/wakeupgordon
Have Fun!
Clare
My parents are off on holiday this week. They’re taking the caravan to Italy and tootling round their favourite parts of the country for 5 whole weeks. So, as you can imagine, mum has been frantically packing for ages, to make sure they’ve got all their creature comforts, while they’re away.
But why should you be interested in my parents’ holiday plans? Because we have an ongoing family joke. Every year, when mum and dad go to Italy, there’s one ingredient my mum never fails to pack.
Sainsbury’s gravy powder.
Yes, Italy. The land of culinary excellence. And mum can’t make it through the holiday without her gravy powder. “Old habits die hard,” as she said, when I was winding her up about it this week.
And it got me thinking.
Which food can’t you do without? If you were off camping somewhere, what would you have to make sure you had packed?
I had to think long and hard. But for me, it’s got to be Marmite. If not for me, then for the toddler, who can’t seem to get through the day without a serving of the infamous love-it / hate-it spread.
What’s your emergency holiday food?
I’d love to hear from you!
Thanks
Clare
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