Whilst trawling the net for inspiration of how to cook leeks, with recipes, the British Leek Association popped up! They have lots of new recipes for cooking leeks.
Leeks are a truly versatile vegetable:
- milder, sweeter flavour than onions
- smooth texture similar to asparagus
prizewinner-leeks
Our leeks will see us through the winter- we have several months supply left in the ground. They seem particularly delicious this year, and the hard, frosty weather has not hurt them at all.
close-spaced-leeks
A recipe for leek soup:
Ingredients
- 2 leeks – washed & sliced (about 10oz)
- 2 potatoes – peeled & sliced (about 10oz)
- 3 rashers lean & chopped bacon (about 5oz)
- 1 pint stock
- 1/2 pint milk
- freshly ground pepper
cooking-leek-soup
Method:
- gently cook the bacon, leeks and potatoes until the leeks are soft, but not coloured
- add the stock and simmer until the potatoes are tender
- liquidise
- return to the pan and add the milk
- serve when hot
Click this link for recipes showing how to cook leeks.
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The recently launched potato variety Accord is a first early.
Accord potatoes are:
- first early
- disease resistant – Double eelworm resistant
- high yielding
- creamy fleshed
- very tasty
- easy to grow
- ideal for containers, patio planters, a sunny balcony or roof terrace
Click this link to order some Accord seed potatoes, which are a first early variety.
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The potato variety Premiere is a first early potato.
Premiere potatoes are:
- first early
- pale yellow-skinned
- yellow fleshed
- oval shape
- firm and dry texture
- good for chips, boiling, New Potatoes, & Salad Potato
- golden eelworm resistant
Click this link to buy some seed poatoes, variety Premiere.
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Carrot City is a new website that emerged from an exhibition in Toronto on urban agriculture and design. Carrot City shows how the design of buildings in cities can enable the production of food in the city.
“Carrot City is a collection of ideas, both conceptual and realized, that use design to enable sustainable food production, helping to reintroduce urban agriculture to our cities.”
Carrot City illustrates urban food production on four different scales:
- the city
- the community
- home and work
- the products that make all of this possible
There are many examples of each category on the new website. Carrot City is a great source of inspiration for vegetable gardeners thinking about designing their plots.
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- grown only in Britain
- stores well – ours are keeping particularly well this year
- the best apple for cooking
- versatile – good with pork as apple sauce, or with brambles as a pudding. We are enjoying stewed Bramleys with porridge during this cold snap!
Nutritional Value of Bramley apples
Bramley apples contain:
- antioxidants, including polyphenols,
- flavonoids
- vitamins C & A
- potassium, calcium & iron
- fibre
Bramley Apple Week 2010 is a reminder that an apple a day is the road to good health.
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Sign up for the free Potato Growers’ Newsletter and have the latest TopVeg news, growing tips & product updates delivered directly to your inbox throughout the season. Click this link to sign up now to the TopVeg Potato Growers’ Newsletter.
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Sara from farmingfriends has asked what seeds can be planted in her raised bed, on Veg Questions?
Hi Topveg, What can I plant in a raised bed after potatoes that I can plant in February? Thanks Sara from farmingfriends
TopVeg replied:
Hi Sara, thanks for your question. There are several aspects to consider:
- anything can be planted after potatoes except tomatoes, eggplants, chillies or peppers
- only a limited selection of seeds can be sown outside in February, although the raised bed will be slightly warmer than the ground
- have you covered your raised bed to keep the rain off? If not the soil will probably be too wet. I would cover it now, but take the cover off on dry days to allow it to dry off – but cover it again at night, in case it rains or snows
- the list of seeds for sowing outside in February is:
We prefer to grow smaller, fast growing vegetables (like lettuce & beetroot) in our raised beds to get more production per square meter! Carrot seed also does well in raised beds as they are out of carrot flies range!
We have been covering the soil to keep it dry before potato planting.
- At the end of November we put an old plastic sheet over the bed which was coming potatoes. We held it down with bricks, old pallets & a few strategically placed stakes. The idea was to keep the rain off, so that it did not become too wet to dig in the spring
- Over the last few weeks we have rolled the sheet back to do a bit of digging – & have just finished the job.
digging potato ground
- On sunny or windy days we rolled the sheet back to let the soil dry. Yesterday was the first good drying day we had had for ages – warm sun & a drying wind.
cover-rolled-back
- Luckily, we remembered to put the cover back on in the evening
sun-drying-soil
- Today the sheet was covered in snow! If the sheet had not been on, the snow would have wet the soil, which would have delayed potato planting. Before the potatoes are planted the soil needs to be dry & warm, otherwise they will not start to grow & will rot.
snow-on-sheet-cover
Covering the soil before potato planting will mean that we can be more in control of the dates we plant potato seed.
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