Well here we are in autumn. It’s all woolly jumpers, thick socks and waterproofs here at Christmas Farm. I can’t say any of us are pleased to wave the fabulous summer goodbye but the changing seasons is one thing you can rely on and as I get older the time passes so much more quickly. It doesn’t seem very long ago that I was picking tomatoes in the tunnel and complaining about the sweat going in my eyes at over 40C. Now I’m rubbing my hands together looking for gloves to keep my fingers warm.I don’t know about you but I always find the change from summer cooking to more wintery cooking a bit of a challenge. It does take me a few weeks to get myself into the swing of more hot and comforting meals. I can’t stress enough the time spend prepping the box of goodies we deliver to you will give you so much more time back. Prep it all in one go. Pop all the produce, ready to cook, into Tupperware in the fridge and it’s there waiting for you when you need it or put it in the freezer if you think you won’t get to it. Even a little tub full of grated, frozen carrot is useful in a stew or soup later on.
Organic carrots and a lot of other roots don’t even need to be peeled because the skin is edible and it isn’t storing lots of chemical in the skin like conventional fruit and veg. Just scrub them and they are ready to use. This way you get a lot more carrot/veg for your efforts.
Making a meal planner based on what you have is a good way to save time and money.
Keep some basics in the store cupboard to help with what you like to cook and eat. I always have a good organic stock powder and some dried herbs, some rice and flour etc. Get in touch with Lara@thechristmasfarm.co.uk if you’d like an extras list of things we can deliver with your box.Menu ideas for the weekBeef stroganoff. Using the stir fry strips, mushrooms and onions from the boxToad in the hole with the thick pork sausages. Make an onion gravy and some root veg mash to serve it with.A quick sweet and sour pork with the pork mince. Make it hot and spicy if you like or mild and more sweet. A great way to use up lots of veg too. Make thin ribbons with the potato peeler or thin batons if you like a little more crunch.Baked Potatoes ( we’ll be serving these at the Potato Day on Sunday)With lots of different fillings. Or use them to eat up the leftoversThick and creamy veg soup with crusty bread or croutons ( croutons are a fab way to use up bread that is going stale. Make them if you already have the oven on. If you make a batch you can store them in an airtight container)Plum tarte tatin. Make or buy some flaky pastry. I put some star anise into the pan with the butter and sugar too give them a bit more seasonal flavour.Apple crumble or fritters, add a little cinnamon to change things up. Stewed apple is a nice addition to a homemade rice pudding or use in overnight oats for a quick breakfast.
If, like me your doing a bit of extra cooking to get ahead for the festive season or just to get ahead and fill up your freezer with home cooked ready meals and you like some extra meat, like the stir fry strips for example to make a few batches of stroganoff or diced beef to make some goulash, please drop us a message or phone the office and we can deliver your order with your box.
Extra eggs, potato bags etc are also available. We’ve got some fab produce and we’d love it if you cooked with it.
We will also be running some cookery classes, demos and hands on classes, so if you’re interested in that drop us a line.
Hope to see you over the weekend
Beth
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