Artisan food - The on-line magazine for lovers of food in the Lake District and Cumbria - Tickled onions, fruit share and goodbye to Christmas...

Location: Blogs On the farm at Howbarrow
Posted by: Paul Hughes	1/21/2007
The daily routine on the farm slowed over Christmas. Somehow the days went quickly by, daytime reading in front of a blazing fire, getting up late………..eating too much, some goods walks (sadly never on crisp, clear, frosty days), not answering an email for 8 days! I spent a day surrounded by the smell of freshly split cedar, after finally getting to cut timber harvested last summer for our wood burning range. Suddenly it was 2nd January and Jo on her first day back was ordering organic seed and finalising plans for the start of the growing season. Watering systems to install, fruit bushes to plant….. Thankyou for all the cards thanking us for our service in 2006, We have already had one customer order their Turkey for Xmas 2007 - “the best turkey we ever tasted” ;we hope you enjoyed yours too. Fruit Share - for the 5th year we are able to offer a share of the produce of La Jimena. Run by Mathis Rosenbusch and his wife, this organic smallholding in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada produces its own olives, olive oil nuts and citrus fruit. The Olive Oil is being pressed this month and the citrus (oranges, clementines and lemons ) are often only picked a few days before Mathis sets off from Spain to deliver them direct to us. The feed back from customers who have brought a share has been fantastic, The Olive Oil has a distinctive nutty aroma , the citrus bursts with the scent and flavour that only comes from freshly picked fruit. “ It is the nearest you can get to having your own Olive/Citrus Grove and going and picking them yourself” says Dominic.There is more choice this year, and we will carry a stock of oil in the Farm shop so when you run out and can’t wait until winter 2008 you can replenish! Visit the holding www.lajimena.de You can also go there and take a holiday, we keep promising ourselves we will go and have yet to make it but I know from friends who have visited that it is simply lovely. Fruitshare maxi with 5l oil, 1,5 l olives (in brine) and 10 kg of fruit… £70 Fruitshare mini with 3l oil , 1,5 l olives (in brine) and 5 kg of fruit…… £48.50 5l Single Estate Extra Virgin oil ……….£41.40 3l Single Estate Extra Virgin oil ……….£27.60 We need your order by the 10TH February and delivery will be at the end of February. Mathis ran out of produce last year (and some customers who ordered too late missed out!) so order early. Recipe - Beetroot, Parsnip and Horseradish Soup inspired by Sheila who is one of the team at Howbarrow. Chop a small onion, small potato, fry until soft add 450g beetroot and 450g of parsnips (you can make less but just keep the proportion 50/50) cover with some vegetable stock and simmer all together until soft. Blend and stir in creamed horseradish approx 1 tablespoon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Tastes great, a real winter warmer soup, a deep purple colour. Like most soups it even better on the second day after the tastes have had time to develop. Have you tried making your own root vegetable crisps,? Cut wafer thin slices of parsnip, beetroot, carrot, deep fry them until brown and crispy, drain on kitchen paper ad season. Very easy to do and so much cheaper/tastier than the packet ones.– Ok, now for the jokes. What’s smelly, round and laughs? A tickled onion. Why did the baby strawberry cry? Because his mother was in a Jam. And finally – Old farmers never die, they just go to seed! - Paul

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