There is a saying regarding being careful what you wish for, and after such a dry summer, it seems that today there may have been a few too many of us wishing for rain! On the plus side, the parched earth is ever so grateful, but on the minus side it has had a bit of an impact on produce this week. Luckily I had been thinking on focusing on our staples of which we have plenty, and mighty pretty it is looking too.
Rain always takes me to my favourite cooking and eating staple which is a
hot bowl of steaming soup. In fact, as I write this the delicious aroma of
borscht, a vegetable soup of Polish/Russian origins, made from the most
magnificent organic beetroot, celery, carrots, garlic and ginger, is making my
mouth water in excited anticipation of tonight's dinner. Served with hot crusty
bread and a generous dollop of sour cream, this easy to prepare soup was my
grandmother's speciality, and I like to think that I do her proud with my own
version, that has the added advantage of being based on a rich vegetable stock,
made from the organic vegetable left overs that I dutifully freeze to make sure
that nothing is ever wasted.
Whilst we are on the subject of food of Eastern European origin, this week
we are spoilt for choice in the potato department with Dutch Creams, Sebagoes,
Desiree, Melody and tiny Ruby Lous. Whether you are into simple boiled potatoes
served with lashings of butter and fresh farm herbs, the old comfort food a la
mashed potatoes, potato salad with sweet red onions and sour cream or good old
potatoes baked in their jackets with grated Barambah cheddar and more of that
sour cream or yoghurt, there is no denying that the humble potato is a vegetable
whose versatility is limited only by your imagination.
Once again this week, we have a wonderful trio of colourful orange, yellow
and purple carrots that will brighten up your dinner table with a splash of
healthy colour and the rich orange of the sweet butternut pumpkins, is just
begging to be combined with creamy Meredith Farm's marinated goat's cheese
sprinkled with sunflower seeds and fresh basil and popped onto one of our
margherita or 4 cheese pizzas to make a quick and easy meal guaranteed to
delight both the big as well as the little kids in the family.
In the fruit department, those spicy Mutsu apples are back for a brief
visit - so please get in quick as after this week they surely will be gone. We
also have beautiful Cavendish and Lady Finger Bananas, a last hurrah from the
Torpedo Watermelons, sweet kisses from the modest honey dew melon and more of
those incredible crimson seedless grapes that literally flew off the fruit
display at last week's market. Williams pears are always perfect for snacktime,
Sunshine pineapples are in full sweet swing, and why buy orange juice, when you
can squeeze organic Valencias daily, for a wonderful hit of Vitamin C?!
As always, if you wish to pre-order a box of organic goodness prior to
Saturday's market, just send your order through no later than midday on Friday
to:
or text us on 0476 000 996
and we will happily create you a box of organic food love.
One final note before I go, just a reminder that you are warmly invited to
come and share High Tea this Sunday afternoon between 3 and 5pm, to celebrate
the opening of The Healing Room at the Organic Farm with island naturopath Mary,
along with island homeopath me, Camilla. It will be wonderful to see you
there.
Until then, stay dry and don't forget to eat more soup!
Bye for now from Camilla and all at the Organic Market on Macleay
