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Newsletter September 2016
“Cep”tember (we love a pun) means goodbye to BBQ’s & salads and hello to soups & stews. Menus will be shifting over to using autumn/ winter vegetables and more local suppliers are used more often. Even though its barely the end of the summer, Christmas is really only just around the corner...Starbucks are starting to advertise their pumpkin lattes! We are seeing beautiful squashes and pumpkins on the market, including our favourites the mini munchkin pumpkins. See our first page for the rundown of what will be coming up in September on the squash side of things. LIMES Storms have hit the areas where the majority of limes are produced. Unfortunately this looks set to continue through the week. Throughout this period there will be a mixture of sun and rain, the worst thing that can happen, as the fruit will be harvested but in the damp conditions are at risk of rot. Also limes are in huge demand in the US, and a lot of produce is diverted there and therefore Europe has even less shipped to us.
In This Edition 1. Squash ‘em in A selection of some of the best squash and pumpkin
2. Five ways farm For all things autumnal and deliciously British
3. What’s Up Doc? Dr. Mariana Williams gives us the low down on what produce is REALLY healthy and why.
4. purple reign All things purple in the shape of fruit and veg!
5. a plum job & Greengorgeous Beautiful Rainier cherries and greengages the pick of the month.
6. epic epping elderberries & bella italia Elderberries foraged for you and all about this seasons melons
7. Gooseberry Fool & berry interesting Something tiny but mighty for the summer, typically British
8. how d’ya like them apples UK apples from the orchards of the home counties.
How d’you like them APPLES British apples are coming into their best this season you can see information on page 7.
9. last chance to get Stoned All things sweet and juicy with a stone in the middle
10. NUTURED IN NORFOLK Introducing our wonderful source of all things micro like flowers, herbs and vegetables.
11. magic mushrooms A magical tour of the best mushrooms of the season
12. OUT OF THE GROUND A classic rundown of our heritage potatoes and chips.
13. Store cupboard A rundown of our dry-store produce and a few treats too.
Next Page: Squash ‘Em In
Gem The dark green spherical fruit, when fully ripe, is about the size of a large cricket ball. Beautiful for stuffing with all sorts of delicious fillings. Lovely autumn treat.
Spaghetti
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Next Page: 5 Ways Farm
Can range either from ivory to yellow. Its centre contains many large seeds. Its flesh is bright yellow or orange and is stringy like spaghetti, which gives an interesting texture.
There’s been lots in the news about the Junior Doctors contract. Yes Chef, support them all the way. Every month Dr. Mariana Williams (Intensive Care Doctor at Queen Alexandra Hospital-Portsmouth) gives us the nutritional low down on our seasonal fresh produce, based on the REAL scientific and medical evidence out there.
What’s up
PLUMS Plums could be of great interest as an important antioxidant source including chlorogenic acid, and it may provide health-promoting advantages to consumers by intake of this fruit or by utilization of its peels as antioxidant sources in industry. Rossato SB, Haas C, Raseira Mdo C, Moreira JC, Zuanazzi JA. Antioxidant potential of peels and fleshes of plums from different cultivars. J Med Food.2009 Oct;12(5):1119-26.
APPLES In the laboratory, apples have been found to have very strong antioxidant activity, inhibit cancer cell proliferation, decrease lipid oxidation, and lower cholesterol. Apples contain a variety of phytochemicals, including quercetin, catechin, phloridzin and chlorogenic acid, all of which are strong antioxidants. Boyer J, Liu RH. Apple phytochemicals and their health benefits. Nutr J. 2004 May 12;3:5. PubMed PMID: 15140261; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC442131
MUSHROOM Adjuvant treatment with mushrooms is associated with improvements in the immunological and hematologic parameters of breast cancer. Novaes, Maria Rita Carvalho Garbi et al. “The Effects of Dietary Supplementation with Agaricales Mushrooms and Other Medicinal Fungi on Breast Cancer: Evidence-Based Medicine.” Clinics 66.12 (2011): 2133–2139.PMC. Web. 15 June 2016.
ELDERBERRY has been used in folk medicine for centuries to treat influenza, colds and sinusitis, and has been reported to have antiviral activity against influenza and herpes simplex. We investigated the efficacy and safety of oral elderberry syrup for treating influenza A and B infections. Zakay-Rones Z, Thom E, Wollan T, Wadstein J. Randomized study of the efficacy and safety of oral elderberry extract in the treatment of influenza A and B virus infections. J Int Med Res. 2004 Mar-Apr;32 (2):132-40
see page 7 for gooseberry
GOOSEBERRY The effect on total serum cholesterol and its lipoprotein fractions of supplementation of the diet with gooseberry was studied in normal and hypercholesterolaemic men aged 35-55 years. Results are encouraging. Jacob A, Pandey M, Kapoor S, Saroja R. Effect of the Indian gooseberry (amla) on serum cholesterol levels in men aged 3555 years. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1988 Nov;42(11):939-44.
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Next Page: Purple Reign
Purple Grelot Onion an attractive deep purple -red skinned spring onion with a mild flavour and a crisp texture. The purple outer skin merges with the silver when peeled, adding a colour contrast to salads
Purple Cauliflower Gets its beautiful hue, which can vary from pale to jewel-toned, from the presence of the antioxidant anthocyanin, which is also found in red cabbage and red wine.
Blood Peaches This is the peach all the in-the-know farmers’ market junkies will be looking for in June and July. Has a has a firm texture and is sweet yet slightly tart.
Violet Baby Artichoke The baby violet artichoke is an intriguing vegetable. A delightful little gem of a veg is so delicious that you soon forge the time consuming task of preparing it.
Purple Broccoli This untidy-looking, colourful cousin of broccoli can be used in much the same way. Leafier and deeper in colour than calabrese, it adds vibrancy and crunch to vegetable dishes.
Aubergines Are delicious on the barbecue or cooked slowly in a vegetable curry or ratatouille. Get versatile with these, they’re really worth it.
Purple Carrots Purple carrots (usually orange or white inside) have even more beta carotene than their orange cousins. Delicious and nutritious.
Banana Shallots Baby Aubergines Tiny but mighty. Full of vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre and with the potential to lower cholesterol, aubergines are a great choice for salads, stews and beyond.
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The banana shallot, or echalion, is a cross between a regular shallot and an onion . It has inherited the best qualities from each side, the larger size of the onion and the mildness and sweetness of the shallot.
Next Page: Plums & Greengages
BRITISH PLUMS Our home-grown plums, are gorgeous in pies, tarts and jam, and also surprisingly good in dishes like a simple tomato salad. Don’t forget that plums (like their close relative the apricot) become more acidic as they are heated. Use this to your advantage with savoury recipes. Add a few to the tin with roast pork, say, where they will cook to a tangy purÊe to eat alongside as you would apple sauce.
Greengages are a sweet and juicy type of dessert plum that range in colour from yellow to dark-green, and can be speckled with burgundy. It is believed that they originated in Armenia, just to the east of Turkey, and spread to Europe quite late, entering this country in the early 1700s - although there are references to the greengage before that time from travellers to Italy, where it was known as verdocchia. The French called it Reine-Claude after Queen Claude, wife of Francis I, whose reign overlapped that of our own Henry VIII. We know this green-skinned plum as the greengage because, in 1724, an English Catholic priest called John Gage, who was studying in Paris, sent some young trees to his brother, Sir William Gage, who lived at Hengrave Hall just outside Bury St Edmunds. But the trees lost their labels in transit so the gardener planted them and labelled them 'green Gages' after his master. The name stuck and has endured to this day.
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Epic elderberries
The Forest covers 6000 acres stretching from Manor park to the north of Epping in the North East of London. Epping Forest is one of the largest open spaces in the city and boasts an array of wild, forageable produce. Elderberries grow in abundance here. These tiny white flowers bloom in June and July and then develop into little dark berry clusters. Primarily used to flavour different syrups, wines and cordials. Danny and Paul live on the doorstep of Epping forest and are able to forage for some of the berries themselves. Living on the edge of the Forest they have seen that apples trees are full of early fruits already. Nettles have been short on the market last week but Danny & Paul were able to forage some great bits for their customers.
We shall very soon be reinstating one of our favourite pages...BELLA ITALIA. We are very fond and proud of the amazing produce we get from our Italian friends. We go to great lengths to pick delicious produce for our clients and the Italian choice is really amazing.
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Next Page: Gooseberry Fool
THE DEATH OF THE BRITISH GOOSEBERRY
The gooseberry is a funny thing. often hairy and a little tart, it has fallen out of favour in recent years, as homely cooks favour brighter crumble contenders, such as raspberries and blackcurrants. This is a shame. With a little love and imagination gooseberries can make delicious additions to both sweet and savoury dishes. The Leveller is the green variety, and the ruby red is often called Fayberry.
berry interesting
Also known as the musk strawberries they have notes of pineapple and raspberry a combination that tastes like good ole' American bubblegum.
All things little, round and juicy...
Juicy and sweet with a highly aromatic smell, more akin to a pineapple, that inspired the name. Beautiful snow white berries really stand
These are the same variety as the above pineberries, with the same delicious pineapple flavour but with a gorgeous sunset yellow colour.
The British gooseberry is in danger of disappearing from UK grocers for good, it has emerged, as demand for the soft fruit reaches its lowest level ever. The green fruit, which had its heyday in the early 1900s, is now grown by just a handful of UK farms, down from more than 100 in 1990. Over the past two decades, farmers have invested heavily in extending the season for popular soft fruits, such as the strawberry. In addition, mainstream berries are imported from all over the world to ensure a year-round supply. "These has been no investment in gooseberries," said Mr Taylor. "Their season is extremely short: they're here and gone in the space of a month." There are just three weeks remaining of the current gooseberry season. There are two kinds of gooseberries: the tart, cooking variety typically used for crumbles, and the sweet, dessert gooseberry, which can be eaten raw.
yellowberries
A magical blend of strawberries and raspberries, and absolute triumph of imagination!
About the size of a grape, kiwi berries are a small variety of kiwi fruit that have a smooth, edible skin. The fuzz-free exterior makes it easy to pop this berry-like fruit into your mouth as a quick and delicious snack
Next Page: Them Apples
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Research in the early part of the 21st century indicated that all sweet apples arose originally in a small area of Tian Shan on Kazakhstan's border with China. It is likely that they gradually spread into Europe through the Middle East and several manuscripts from ancient Greece, including Homer's Odyssey, refer to apples and describe apple orchards. There is evidence that apples grew wild in Britain in the Neolithic period but it was the Romans who first introduced varieties with sweeter and greater taste. The earliest known mention of 8 apples in England was by King Alfred in about 885 AD. Next Page: Stone Fruit
FLAT MOUNTAIN PEACHES
LAST CHANCE FOR EUROPEAN CROP
Every season these get more and more popular. Also known as Saturn or Doughnut peaches, they can be used in just the same way as their rounder counterparts.
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APRICOTS A relative of the peach, nectarine, plum and cherry, apricots are fragrant, with a soft, velvety skin that ranges from pale yellow to deep orange. Inside there's a large kernel that will fall out easily if the flesh is ripe.
NECTARINES Nectarines are a smooth-skinned variety of peach and can be white- or yellow-fleshed, free-stoned, or cling-stoned (where the firmtextured flesh clings to the stone). White nectarines have a more delicate, sweeter flavour than yellow ones.
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Next Page: Nurtured in Norfolk
Nurtured In Norfolk are specialist growers of edible flowers and leaves as well as micro shoots and vegetables. Used by chefs around the country including Michelin starred chefs in some of the UK’s most famous restaurants. Nurtured in Norfolk believes in delivering the highest quality and consistency in their products.
Micro Veg Baby Fennel Baby Leek Micro Carrots Micro Leeks Micro Onions
Edible Flowers
Micro Turnips
Amaranth Flowers
Micro Rainbow Carrots
Apple Blossom
Baby Courgettes
Blackcurrant Sage
Baby Aubergines
Borage Flowers
Cucamelons
Butterfly Sorrel
Baby Beetroot
Buzz Buttons
and many more...
Calendula Nasturtium Flowers Impatiens Lavender Flowers
and many more..
Edible Leaves Apple Mint Aztec Mint Banana Mint Bronze Fennel Ice Plant Large Nasturtium Leaves Lavender Mint Salicornia Sea Beet Sea Purslane Strawberry Mint Wild Garlic Wormwood
and many more..
Micro Shoots Golden Pea Shoots Salad Pea Shoots Sunflower Shoots Tendril Pea Shoots Golden Pea Shoots Salad Pea Shoots Sunflower Shoots Tendril Pea Shoots
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and many more...
Next Page: Mushrooms
PAGE 11 Next Page: Out of the Ground
OUT
of the
Ground
Please state when ordering whether you need the potatoes for shipping or mashing, we can guide you to the best for your needs.
Chippies Choice potatoes are available in 25kg sacks, and were the first chipping potatoes to give storage, preparation and frying instructions in six languages, allowing best practices to be observed in restaurants of different nationalities.
Possibly the best specialist chipping potato brand in the UK, our exclusive Chippies Choice potatoes are a firm favourite of the fish and chip shop trade. Guaranteeing a light, golden, fluffy but firm textured chip, Chippies Choice ensures consistent production of the perfect chip. To achieve this, potatoes are always selected using strict variety, dry matter and fry colour criteria.
Available washed in 5 or 10kg boxes and in 1kg nets.
A very old variety dating back to 1850 which has made an astonishing comeback in recent years .This variety is a long potato pink in colour with a butter yellow middle. It is suitable for boiling, steaming or roasting whole
This white root is the cream of the winter crop. It’s a ubiquitous part of a Sunday roast or a Christmas dinner but also over the years has been a part of the sweet course. Cakes, creams and even ice-creams have used this surprising little root to great effect.
Albert Bartlett Red Roosters
The appearance of Rooster potatoes makes them stand out from the crowd– the deep red skin and beautifully shallow eyes. And they taste as good as they look. They are in high demand as Britain’s favourite brand!
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Available washed in 5 or 10kg boxes and in 1kg nets.
Jazzy is the all new small potato. It’s a waxy, setskinned potato which is great value, versatile and good looking. Jazzy is grown in Britain, by a group of 5 friendly farmers who are based in Cornwall, Norfolk and Lancashire.
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Available washed in 5 or 10kg boxes and in 1kg nets.
Available in 25kg sacks washed or unwashed
This is a rare version of the King Edward and is oval in shape with red skin and a white flush. It has a floury texture suitable with the same cooking properties as a King Edward so good for roasting, chipping and Next Page: Store Cupboard mashing.
Eleusi Oil comes from a family run farm on the South tip of Italy. The farm’s operations began in the 1960s when Giuseppe Giovazzini planted the first 150 olive trees. The main business was local olive oil cultivation, production and marketing. During the 1980s, Giuseppe’s son, Pietro, increased cultivation.
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