Hello Folks,
You settle into winter like wheels into well-worn grooves. You get used to the thermals and the woolies, the thick socks and hot drinks. Once you fall into its pattern, there’s a comfort to be found there, and it’s the same with veg. It’s all brassicas and root veg from here til the hungry gap. It can seem limiting. We miss tomatoes, lettuces, broad beans, all the splendour of the warmer months. And yet the comfort of the cauliflower, the beetroot, the carrot, and the cabbage is very real. We stew and curry and mash and that gets us through the long dark nights.
What are your go-to comforting recipes for cold nights? I love anything with pasta, so will be cooking my mushrooms into a silky cream sauce with lots of garlic and tossing that with Locavore linguini. Or maybe I’ll roast some beetroot and stir crispy fried chickpeas and feta through for a tasty winter salad.
I love clementines, and the ones in the fruit bag have leaves- nutritionally useless, perhaps, but so pretty in the bowl. The sight of a bowl of leafy clementines, the smell when you peel them, it all makes me start thinking about:
Christmas!
It might be a little early for these christmassy feelings, but it’s never too early to start preparing, and we have all the info you’ll need. First up, the Christmas veg box timetable:
| Week commencing |
|
| 16th December | Last veg boxes before Christmas. Optional bumper boxes. |
| 23rd December | No veg boxes |
| 30th December | No veg boxes |
| 6th January | We’re back for the new year! Veg boxes resume |
You’ll have the option of a bumper veg box the week before Christmas, with double as much veg. We’ll have more info about that and how to sign up for it soon.
Locavore is supplying Christmas trees again this year! Unlike previous years, we’re unable to collect and replant them as we’ve run out of room on the farm- we’ve got to save some space there for growing veg, after all! You can order your trees here. Also avaliable at that address are beautiful wreaths made by Kim, who did our bouquets through the summer, plus Christmassy treats from the Locavore kitchen, organic Scottish meat, hampers, and so on. Please note that most of these things need to be collected from our Victoria Road shop.
You can also get started on buying presents- why not get someone a veg box subscription? If you love yours, I’m sure you know someone who would love one too. Again, you can buy that at the link above. You’ve heard of the gift that keeps on giving- a subscription to our tasty, organic veg gives to your friend all through Janurary, and gives to the planet to boot.
If you’re looking to make Christmas, which is sometimes a very wasteful time, even more eco-friendly, it might interest you to know that we are running workshops every Saturday evening in the lead up to Christmas to inspire a more sustainable approach to the festive season. Book here!
Workshops
23rd November
6.30-7.30pm
Make your own Christmas Decorations
Using old paperbacks, magazines and waste paper we will craft sustainable, recyclable decorations for Christmas. Learn how to transform an old paperback book into a folded Christmas tree, snip intricate snowflakes and make beautiful paperchains.
£10
30th November and 1st December
6-7.30pm
Christmas Wreaths
Our in house florist and flower grower Kim will teach you how to make your own wreath made entirely of natural materials. We will weave the base from dogwood and then decorate with an assortment of textures which have been foraged locally.
£40
7th December
6.30-7.30pm
Print your own Wrapping Paper
Print your own cards and gift wrap using carved vegetables & hammered leaves.
£15
14th December
6.30-7.30pm
Make your own decorations with fruit and spices
Craft your own decorations with scented oranges and exotic spices.
£18
Monthly Specials
This week, our treat box subscribers will have their days much improved by boxes boasting hot chocolate powder, truffles, and gooey toffee almond butter, or, in the savoury boxes, crispbread, grissini, and cashew pate to dip them in. If you’d like to join them in their joy in Janurary, send us an email and we’ll set you up.
Next week is the meat boxes, featuring organic meat from local farms. Due to ordering timelines, it’s too late to order one for this month, but we can sort you out for meat boxes in the new year if you’re not yet signed up.
The Good Food Fund
A big thank you to our customers who donate to the Good Food Fund. In October we sent out a total of £1796 worth of fruit and veg to our partners, all of whom are small projects that work with people living in food poverty. If you would like to add a small monthly donation to your subscription, just send us an email! Unlike supermarkets we don’t make a profit on customer donations.
Check out storage guidance here 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 and check out our Veggiepedia!
In the veg boxes this week:
Subject to last minute changes
| Small veg box | Farm | Organic Certifier |
| Robinta Potatoes | Chapel Farm | Soil Association |
| Onions | Chapel Farm | Soil Association |
| Carrots | Chapel Farm | Soil Assocation |
| Golden beetroot | Chapel Farm | Soil Association |
| Mushrooms (chestnut) | Orchard Organics | Soil Association |
| Kale (chapel) | Chapel Farm | Soil Association |
| Standard veg box | Farm | Organic Certifier |
| Robinta Potatoes | Chapel Farm | Soil Association |
| Onions | Chapel Farm | Soil Association |
| Carrots | Chapel Farm | Soil Assocation |
| Golden beetroot | Chapel Farm | Soil Association |
| Celeriac | Royal Oak, Scarisbrick | Soil Association |
| Mushrooms (chestnut) | Orchard Organics | Soil Association |
| Kale (chapel) | Chapel Farm | Soil Association |
| Red cabbage | Chapel Farm | Soil Association |
| Large veg box | Farm | Organic Certifier |
| Robinta Potatoes | Chapel Farm | Soil Association |
| Onions | Chapel Farm | Soil Association |
| Carrots | Chapel Farm | Soil Assocation |
| Golden beetroot | Chapel Farm | Soil Association |
| Celeriac | Royal Oak, Scarisbrick | Soil Association |
| Mushrooms | Orchard Organics | Soil Association |
| Kale | Locavore Left Field | Soil Association |
| Red cabbage | Chapel Farm | Soil Association |
| Extra Large veg box | Farm | Organic Certifier |
| Robinta Potatoes | Chapel Farm | Soil Association |
| Onions | Chapel Farm | Soil Association |
| Carrots | Chapel Farm | Soil Assocation |
| Golden beetroot | Chapel Farm | Soil Association |
| Celeriac | Royal Oak, Scarisbrick | Soil Association |
| Butternut squash | Bedlam Farms, Cambridgeshire | Soil Association |
| Mushrooms | Orchard Organics | Soil Association |
| Kale | Locavore Left Field | Soil Association |
| Red cabbage | Chapel Farm | Soil Association |
| Small fruit bag | Farm / Origin | Organic Certifier |
| Cornish Gilliflower Apples | Oakwood, East Sussex | Soil Association |
| Clementines | Italy | CCPB |
| Medium fruit bag | Farm / Origin | Organic Certifier |
| Cornish Gilliflower Apples | Oakwood, East Sussex | Soil Association |
| Clementines | Italy | CCPB |
| Grapefruit | Italy | CCPB |
| Large fruit bag | Farm / Origin | Organic Certifier |
| Cornish Gilliflower Apples | Oakwood, East Sussex | Soil Association |
| Clementines | Italy | CCPB |
| Grapefruit | Italy | CCPB |
| Extra large fruit bag | Farm / Origin | Organic Certifier |
| Cornish Gilliflower Apples | Oakwood, East Sussex | Soil Association |
| Clementines | Italy | CCPB |
| Grapefruit | Italy | CCPB |
| Feijoa | France | Ecocert |
| Small supplementary veg | Origin | Organic Certifier |
| Aubergines | Spain | Caae |
| Flat helda beans | Spain | Caae |
| Standard supplementary veg | Origin | Organic Certifier |
| Aubergines | Spain | Caae |
| Flat helda beans | Spain | Caae |
| Garlic | Spain | Demeter |
| Coriander | Locavore Left Field | Soil Association |
Enjoy!
The Locavore Team