veg box schemes

That sounds lovely thanks
I have put it with my other recipes and might have to change my meal plan to include it this month

[quote="froogs"]Just an update on my feelings on my first box scheme delivery.

I love it! I hope to goodness I can afford to keep it up because I'm hooked on taste and quality. I also feel quite happy in the feeling that I'm supporting a north yorkshire farmer wholly and paying a good price for what I have purchased. There;s something about the pitiful amount the farmers get for their efforts when I buy cheap. If I'm paying Aldi 69p for an item and Aldi are making a profi on it - how much is the farmer receiving??? Anyway. At the minute I can afford to think about this but as soon as money gets tight i'll be back to the 69p produce and my morals will go out the window.

Too true farmers have lost out and supermarkets squeeze them all the time.

If you want to eat more veggie it's a fantastic cookbook and being Italian loads of it is really fresh, simple, hearty flavours and quite a lot of the dishes are quick to make. We eat loads of pasta in this house, my mum thinks I'm mad as I has another 8 kg delivered with the supermarket shop (after having 8 kg delivered last week too) but it's dead cheap at the moment so I'm stocking up.

Thanks for the recipe i'll store it to try too.

Stiltwalker, will you tell us what comes in your veg box? Do you get a little bit excited at the prospect of it arriving? I did at the weekend and looking forward to this weekend's delivery.

Again, it's only here where I would dare say that!

Omg stiltwalker i have done exactly the same over the last couple of weeks i must have about 15kg of the stuff it never goes wrong tho as everyone is quite happy to sit down to a bowl of pasta
I have just checked amazon for the book....it is an absolute fortune, will have to check the library instead

OMG - I didn't pay that for mine!!!!! Hope the library has it. Still if I'm ever really desperate for cash I can copy out my fave recipes and flog the cookery books.

we used to get an abel and cole veg box. good stuff, but it never lasted the whole week, and i didnt want to go up a size 'cos that would have bee too big AND too expensive. also hubby never really embraced the idea.

Thanks for the recipe stiltwalker, don't know if I could cope with all that cream but I might get away with a little glob of it, I'll give it a go. Inspired by this yesterday I went hunting for a few cauli recipes. I'll share them if they're any good.

I don't think I put anywhere near that much in actually as it was before the shopping arrived so it just got the last bit out of the tub! How are you with creme fraiche - any better for you? as I think that would work just as well, it just needs something to make it a bit creamy and opaque rather than just tomatoey.

Creme fraiche is worse, that just tastes like something that's off to me. I just don't really like creamy stuff, but a small amount of cream would probably be ok -as you say, just to make it distinct from just a tomatoey sauce. Cheers.

alex, have you thought of cream cheese like phildelphia?

Thanks, I know normal people would go for the cheese option but I can't stand it. When I talk about food I realise I sound really fussy but really I'll eat anything as long as it's not meat, fish or cheese... or olives. Which can make eating out stressful unless I want a jacket potato with beans

ok I see now!!!
ummmm. you could make a little white sauce with a roux and use a little of that to give the creaminess?

That's a really good idea, I'll try that. Thanks, you're so sweet for coming up with all these ideas!

awww shucks!

back onto veg boxes, I was thinking of starting having one again. I like the look of riveford and they're cheaper than abel and cole, but with abel and cole i can choose stuff not to have; for instance apricots, corguettes and cherry tomatoes; i am allergic to apricots and uncooked tomato seeds, and nobody here likes corguettes. not even pigglie...

so, abel and cole? rying to convince husby will be a different matter though.

I remembered why we stopped the scheme now. buying from asda and tescos and sainsbury's is cheaper. and i get to choose our stuff .and if i want anything interestingly wierd i can always hitch a lift with my friend to the local farm shop.

Picked up the box earlier and got

4 onions (1red)
3 big potatoes
1 leek
2 courgettes
4 good sized carrots
1 good sized parsnip
3 beautiful elongated turnips - purple almost all the way down
fine green beans
runner beans
a cauli
a good amount of jerusalem fartichokes (sorry but that's what they do although some asofotieda helps)
2 big flat mushrooms

So not bad for a tenner, and it's all as fresh as can be. Just need to decide what to do with it all now! Think I might do a vegetable tagine with those lovely root veg and some chick peas tomorrow (but eat it on Friday as it will have matured nicely by then and I made OH have veggie tonight so better give him some meat tomorrow )

Oh lurvelly!

I stuffed my portobello mushrooms with bacon, leek and grated cheese on top and popped them in the oven. They were really tasty

Just have to tell you all that courgette cake is absolutely deeeeeeevine! DH doesn't like courgettes but was tucking into his portion like no tomorrow. I didn't tell him what was in it till he'd finished.. haha

Good news! Might be tempted to make one myself, haven't had courgette cake for yonks.

froogs did your meat box arrive and what was it like?

yes, I forgot to say. It arrived on Friday morning. In big polystyrene containers padded with bubble wrap and icepacks. Really well packaged but worried about what the heck to do with this polystyrene. My green antenna went sky high at the site of them. DH said put them in the garage. He's a fisheries bailiff in his spare time and sai they might come in handy when they have to move the fish stocks. The icepacks will definately be very handy.

Just I cannot get hem every month. I cannot recycle or dispose.

The meat is actually really tasty but small portions. We've had some nice red onion and sage sausages and stewing steak.

I don't know if I'm going to order from them again but the meat so far has been nice.

thats good then.

They might take the polystyrene packs back for reuse.

If not you could use them for things in the garden. My dad uses loads of the stuff for young plants and to use as lightweight drainage in pots, stuff like that.

I had an email from my veg box scheme farm to invite our family to their Pumpkin Day at the farm on Halloween Sunday. My two are so enthusiastic! There's face painting, pumpkin carving, pumpkin cookery shows and tasting, Spooky painting etc and a trip on the tractor to see where the veg is grown. Can only be a good thing and although it's free entry we'll no doubt have to pay for the activities but I'm fine with that - a welly day halloween party - right up my street!

Sis and her little one is going then all back to mine for some halloween craft, broth, gingerbread men with icing skeletons, home made toffee apples and some pumpkin tart for the grown ups. I have my pumpkin and pleased to say it's not a bright orange clean one from tesco this year, it's been grown in a wheelbarrow by my friend

That sounds great, have a fab time!