The Online Veg Box Shop is Open!
The Online Veg Box Shop is open for deliveries next week! We have two very exciting items on the shop this week only: fresh bay leaves and young ginger.
Bay leaves are a staple, but when talking to people you often hear the suspicion that they don’t really taste of anything. It’s true that dry bay leaves sometimes don’t, but if you haven’t had the benefit of cooking with fresh bay leaves you’re missing out. We had some fresh bay leaves in the veg boxes around this time last year, and it was a revelation. Suddenly it all made sense, and I couldn’t get enough: bay leaf custard (use your favourite custard recipe but infuse the milk with one or two leaves while warming it), bread sauce, cauliflower cheese, stews, soups, roasts: bay leaves became a feature of almost everything I cooked. I calmed down a little, and now have some moderation in bay leaf usage, but nonetheless I’m very excited to buy more. I dried the leftovers from last year- they’re better than shop-bought- and am just coming to the end of my supplies. What’s in the cards for me? Bay-leaf and apple ice cream, bay-leaf scented roast potatoes, bay leaf marmalade.
I haven’t tried young ginger before, but I’m very excited to. Delicate and pink-tipped, this ginger comes with the stem. Its scent is a little more floral and aromatic than its older cousin’s vigorous heat. I think I’ll infuse some simple syrup for cocktails, make some tea, and maybe grate into shortbread for a milder take on gingerbread.
Remember the deadline to get your orders in is now 11pm Monday for everyone!
Headlines
Covid-19
Cases of Covid-19 are, sadly, on the rise in Scotland. As such we will continue to do out part to keep all our wonderful staff and customers safe. This means we’ll be continuing to practise contactless deliveries, so please keep half an ear out for your veg box on your delivery day. Remember that if you’re worried about the box being left on your doorstep, you can always leave a large plastic box for veg, milk, eggs, and whatnot to be left in to keep it sheltered and hidden.
We’re also sorry to say we won’t be able to reintroduce our opt-out lists any time soon. We know you’re missing them- we are too. Unfortunately, they require a full staff in our packing shed, which would make socially distanced working for our packers impossible. We’re looking at ways to adapt for the future, but for the next month or two at least I’m afraid opt-out lists will still be suspended.
All that said, it’s important to note that we don’t expect to see any issues with supply lines over the next months, so please don’t worry. We usually have boxes full to the brim with tasty local root veg and squash over the autumn and winter months, and while the pandemic may continue to have an impact on veg prices we think this is unlikely to matter much to our veg boxes. We thank you for your patience with us as we’ve learned how to deliver veg boxes through a pandemic.
You can read about changes made to our service due to the pandemic here.
Christmas!
We’ve published all the info you need about how veg boxes will work over the festive season this year. It’s worth giving it a look whether you’re celebrating or not. You can see the dates, deadlines, and the box contents here.
Phone Hours
If you need to get in touch with us, the best way is generally to email us at this address. We now also have a phone helpline during limited hours: 9am-12pm Monday-Friday and 2pm-4pm Wednesday-Friday. Please note that as we’re working from home we aren’t able to answer the phone at other times. Unfortunately, our colleagues in the Locavore shop aren’t generally able to help with veg box enquiries, so if you can’t get through to us, the quickest way to hear back is usually to email.
Recycling and Reusing Packaging: Corrections
Just a reminder of what we collect from your door each week:
Veg Boxes– we reuse these
Mossgiel Milk bottles – we return these to the dairy for reuse
Ed’s Bees jars – we return these to Ed (and his bees) for reuse
Plastic bottle lids – we recycle these
Plant pots from Locavore potted herbs- our farm reuses these
Locavore hummus Vegware pots – we return these to vegware to be biodegraded
Ella’s Kitchen baby food pouches – we recycle these
We aren’t able to accept glass bottles, egg boxes, or any other items for recycling, I’m afraid. Please dispose of these as you choose
I have to add an apology here, as I’ve made two errors in this section in previous weeks: I said egg boxes would be recycled by Glasgow City Council, when this is not the case, and I said we collected toothbrushes and toothpaste, when this is no longer the case. I’m very sorry for these errors.
In the Veg Boxes This Week
Subject to last minute changes
Check out storage guidance for helpful tips and tricks on how to prolong the life of your fresh produce. If you’re wondering where your veg comes from, have a look at these maps. You can also join your fellow subscribers over in the Facebook group for lots of tips, tricks, and recipe ideas!
To contact us, ring 0141 378 1672 or email us at subscribers@glasgowlocavore.org
Click here for Veg Box Contents
The Nice Bit
There’s mooli- or daikon radish- in all the veg boxes but the small next week! UK mooli is a rare sight, so we had to snap it up. It may be a little unfamiliar, but it’s wonderful. Here are some ideas for what you might like to do with yours:
- pickle it with carrot and add this to banh mi
- make a salad with prawns
- for a lunch that’s also a lot of fun, make summer rolls– I think kids would also love having a go at this (or just eating them). They’re sort of like spring rolls but not fried and full of herbs and veg.
- make a salad with papaya and cucumber
- get some kimchi fermenting for use in bibimbaps or fried rice
- a rajasthani daal
- a salad with fennel and mint
- roast ir with curry powder
- make a curry with chickpeas
- roast them for spicy, glazed “daikon fries”
- braise with chicken and yuzu
This is surely the tip of iceberg! I can’t wait to see what you do with yours, so be sure to post in our Facebook group or tag us on Instagram.