Church FarmYour Weekly Newsletter

Friday 16th March 2012

A Note from the Grower

Stage three of our planting in the soft fruit orchard is the establishment of a totally new planting of blackcurrant bushes. About one hundred and thirty bushes will be planted in total, with ten or so more fitting into the Forest Garden at Beard’s Oak. However, a lot of preparatory work is necessary before any planting can take place. As I write, our team is working hard clearing one-metre-wide strips of land of turf and perennial weeds, and forking in generous quantities of well rotted Church Farm manure. To begin with, these strips were marked out using string and canes, with five feet (1.5 metres) between strips. The strips will then be covered with sheets of a tough, woven polypropylene mulching fabric, firmly pegged down. Once this weed-suppressing fabric is in place the planting can begin. Slits will be made in the fabric and the blackcurrants planted through into the soil beneath, at five-foot spacings. Then the plants are cut down to just 2 inches (5cm) above soil level. This may seem drastic to the first time planter, but it is necessary to encourage new growth both above and below ground, and to help the new plant establish a healthy root system before beginning to yield fruit for us in its second year. It has been very pleasing indeed to see the gaps in the established plantings filled up with new plants, but I have to say this brand new planting is a still more exciting project.

Rik

This week we’re launching our Little Farmer’s Club. It’s a great new benefit for our younger farm box members.

Each week we’ll be putting a Little Farmer activity sheet in your box. These will get kids more engaged with the outdoors and with Church Farm as well. You’ll find crafts, recipes, competitions and more.

If you don’t have any children in the house, you can either pass the Little Farmer sheets onto someone your know, or tell us that you don’t want to receive them in your box (email info@churchfarmardeley.co.uk). Or better yet, you can unleash your inner child and use them yourself (we won’t tell).

This week you’ll find instructions on making pine cone birdfeeders. We’ve even got the craft started by giving every box member a pine cone gathered from the Church Farm woods. If your little ones (or you) make a birdfeeder, we’d love to see a picture, email it in and you might even see it in the newsletter.

Little Farmer’s Club

Don’t forget it’s Mother’s Day this Sunday. If you still need to pick up a gift, we have some lovely flowering plants. We have a few spaces left for lunch at the cafe and dinner in the pub, so it’s not too late to book.

Mother’s Day

Tomatoes should not be stored in the fridge, unless they have already been cut. It’s the usual cool, dark place that tomatoes love. The dark will actually work to ripen any tomatoes that are a little firm. Bananas work too - keep tomatoes in a bag at room temperature with bananas and they’ll soon soften up. If you’ve got too many tomatoes, they can be frozen whole and then run under a tap to thaw out, though you lose some nutrients this way.If you’ve got lovely firm tomatoes, simply lay slices out on a plate, sprinkle with salt and plenty of pepper, drizzle with a little olive oil, and you have a beautiful and simple summer dish. Alternatively lay mozzarella and basil on top of the slices and you have a Caprese salad.Tomatoes contain lycopene (it’s what makes them red), which is thought to have cancer-fighting properties. The levels available for digestion actually increase upon cooking unlike with many other nutrients. A great, healthy way to use them is simply to halve and bake them (around 180C for 30-40 minutes). Or you can stuff the insides with something substantial to make a meal out of this. Try couscous and mozzarella, or cooked rice and lentils mixed with Mediterranean veg and goat’s cheese.

Getting the Best from your Box

Church Farm, Ardeley, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG2 7AH, T: 01438 861 447E: info@churchfarmardeley.co.uk www.churchfarmardeley.co.uk

What’s in my box next week?

MEAT (small boxes)

Farm VarietySausages, whole chicken, gammon steaks, beef mince, back bacon

Lean Cuts (NEW FOR 2012)Skinny sausages, skinless chicken fillets, extra lean minced beef, lean gammon steak

Old English CutsChicken liver, whole chicken, gammon steaks, stock pot bag

Premium SelectionSausages, whole chicken/breasts, back bacon

VEGETABLESExtra Small (6 varieties)Baking potato (sante), carrot, onion, butternut squash, celery, parsnip

Small (8 varieties)Fennel, swede

Medium (10 varieties)Calabrese, red kale

Large (12 varieties)Purple sprouting broccoli, green cabbage

Extra Large (15 varieties)Spinach, salad, kale

FRUIT (extra large box)Mangoes, clementines, kiwi, apples (spartan), pears (worcest), bananas

Please note that these are standard items and are subject to change. If you have asked not to be supplied with a particular item, a substitute will be provided in your box.

Real Ales: Real Food : Warm Welcome at the

Jolly Waggoner

Now taking bookings for Mother’s Day. Book a table today

to avoid disappointment! Call 01438 861 350

www.thejollywaggoner.co.uk

Method1. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a frying pan, add the pork steaks and fry quickly until browned on both sides (the steaks will still be underdone in the middle at this point). Remove from the pan, add the remaining oil, then fry the mushrooms until softened.2. Return the pork to the pan, sprinkle in the paprika and stir in the redcurrant jelly and clementine juice. Bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the jelly. Simmer for about 5 mins, turning the pork halfway through, until the meat and mushrooms are tender.

Clementine Pork Steaks

Serves 4

Ingredients2 tbsp sunflower oil4 lean pork steaks , about 100g/4oz each200g mushrooms , sliced2 tsp paprika2 tbsp redcurrant jelly50ml clementines juice (from about 2 clementines)1 tbsp red wine vinegar

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/reci-pes/5070/clementine-pork-steaks

In recent weeks our regular volunteer, Kevin, has been working with residents from a nearby home for people with enduring mental health issues, building some wooden planters (pictured right) suitable for use by wheelchair users. This has provided the home’s residents with a chance to learn some carpentry skills, and Rural Care have benefitted from 6 new planters which can be used by all of our co-farmers. We now have to decide what to plant in them! This is just one of many improvements we have been making to ensure the Rural Care project is more accessible to wheelchair users. A patio was laid to replace the gravel in our working areas and we now have movable ramps for our sheds and to access the chick shed for viewing and working in. If you wish to support our plans for further improvements then we are holding a fundraising night at the Jolly Waggoner pub, across the road from Church Farm, to raise money for such work at Rural Care. This Saturday (St Patrick’s) there will be Irish music from 7.30pm and Jazz from 10pm, as well as a chance to meet staff and co-farmers. All donations will be welcomed on the night.

Fundraising Night for Rural Care

Method1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut cauliflower into florets and put in a single layer in an oven-proof baking dish. Toss in the garlic. Sprinkle lemon juice over cauliflower and drizzle each piece with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. If the oven hasn’t reached 400°F yet, set aside until it has.2. Place casserole in the hot oven, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is lightly brown. Test with a fork for desired doneness. Fork tines should be able to easily pierce the cauliflower. Remove from oven and sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Roasted Cauliflower

Serves 4

Ingredients1 head of cauliflower2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and coarsely mincedLemon juice from half a lemonOlive oilCoarse salt and freshly ground black pepperParmesan cheese

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/roasted_cauliflower/

This Saturday (17th) we’re celebrating St Patrick’s Day with live music from 7.30pm at the Jolly Waggoner. We’ve stocked up on Guinness and whiskey, come and join us for a good night.

St Patrick’s at the Pub