Local Food News - 27th Feb 2010

News from our East Anglian suppliers: Hughes Organics
The persistent cold means little changes with the winter crops holding on well. Most lines look secure for another month or so but it is the subsequent Spring crops that look vulnerable with more Cauliflower abandoned this week. Purple Sprouting Broccoli also looks increasingly unlikely but there are still some protected Spring Greens to hope for. Usually the first cultivations and sowings are made outside now of Carrots and soon Potatoes as well as early Summer Brassicas but this still looks some way off with the ground extremely waterlogged. But the seasons inevitably change of course and with a fair wind the situation can turn around quite rapidly.
Sooner or later the sun will shine and then there will be more optimistic reports.
Best wishes for the coming week
Grahame and Lizzie Hughes

Love Food – Hate Waste
I’m sure many of you will by now be experts at using leftovers creatively, and have probably heard about the Love Food Hate Waste campaign.  The Hornbeam Café now has copies of a free recipe book with ideas aplenty for using extra veg or leftovers from meals, one of them contributed by the café’s very own chef AJ. There are also tips, recipes, details of workshops and other ways to get involved on the North London Love Food Hate Waste website - http://www.nlwa.gov.uk/lfhw/  

Coffee extravaganza!
What better way for the Hornbeam café to mark Fairtrade Fortnight than with a new coffee machine! You can now get a fairtrade, organic espresso, latte or cappuccino or hot chocolate – made with organic dairy or soya milk  - to enjoy in the café or to take away (in a compostable paper cup, or it’s fine to bring your own reusable mug). Enjoy the froth!

Kale with ginger, garlic and chilli
The King of Greens is seeing us through the winter admirably!!  Keep eating – it will really keep those sniffles and temperatures away!
For 2 people:
200g kale
2cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
4 spring onions, cut to 3cm lengths
2 tbsp oil
Half a red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
Large clove garlic, peeled and finely sliced
Squeeze of fresh lime (optional)
Place the kale in a large pan, cover with water, bring to the boil and simmer for 4 mins. Drain well.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok. Add the prepared chilli, garlic, ginger and spring onions and cook over a medium heat for 2 minutes until the garlic is just turning golden. Add the drained kale to the pan and cook for another 2 minutes, constantly tossing the kale to heat it through. This also allows it to take on the flavours of the other ingredients. Season with salt and pepper, add a squeeze of fresh lime and serve immediately.