Crooked End Farm Organic Blog

love puppies…and veggie boxes too

Our kitchen has been very productive this week. Janet has been making beautiful Plum jelly and marmalade this week. They both look absolutely delicious and I have added them to our product list this week. They are sure to be a fine addition to your morning toast. Meanwhile, Kate is going to great lengths to ensure that her marvellous coleslaws, soups, curries, stews and panna cotta are available at all times.

We have our second green gym session here at the farm this Saturday from 10am until 1pm. Join Brenda, Lottie and James for gentle farm activities. Meanwhile on Saturday Annette will be our Monmouth representative at the market outside of the Shire Hall.

Things are gearing up for the start of planting. The planting plans have been devised, scrutinised and tweaked to ensure the best quality and yield. We are now hoping for perfect growing conditions this year. We are still waiting patiently for the ewes to begin lambing. Maybe this beautiful weather today will encourage them.

Last week’s new arrival has flown away: Mr Goose took a dislike to the lovely new home that Bruce had built for him and literally flew off. However, Manu has bought another new addition onto the farm in the form a beautiful collie pup which he’s called Jafa. I have attached a photo of Jafa who, although currently scared of the chickens, is settling into Crooked End life well (certainly better than the goose did). Jess, the original farm collie is taking to Jafa well and seems to be grateful of the company.

Well, to the veggie boxes, this week’s boxes will contain an assortment of the following (in addition to the potatoes, onions and carrots as standard)

January King Cabbage
Swede
Courgette
Flat Mushroom
Aubergine

I’m off to enjoy some (slightly unseasonal but nevertheless welcomed) sunshine.

Best wishes

Annette and all at Crooked End

Crooked End Farm Organics LLP
Crooked End Farm
Crooked End
Ruardean
GL17 9XF
01594 544482
sales
www.crookedend.co.uk

Crooked End Farm Organics LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales
Reg OC 336158

Crooked_End_Product_List_27-2-2012.pdf

Crooked_End_Product_List_27-2-2012.doc

Candlelit Suppers and grumpy ganders

There’s a goose loose, well a gander to be precise, who is now residing on the Crooked End pond (see attached photo). Gary the goose is a handsome bird but is missing his partner terribly after she mysteriously disappeared, we are hoping that Gary will help us in warding off the fox too.

No news on the ewes yet but I will keep you updated.

Supper club this weekend – have you booked your place? There are still a couple of places left for Saturday evenings’ celebration of fantastically delicious food,

Starter – Assorted crispy Eastern style vegetables served with sauces and salad

Main – Chicken casseroled in a chorizo and tomato sauce

Or

Layered vegetable gratin

Dessert – Syllabub

Afters – Homemade chocolates and coffee

And bring your own bottle to accompany you meal.

We have had some requests to supply frozen prepared veg. What are your views…? Would you be interested in prepared veg and if so, what sort of things?

And on the topic of veg, your lovely veg boxes this week will contain a combination of the following,

Celery
Calabrese
Cherry tomato
Butternut Squash
Leeks

Best wishes

Annette and all at Crooked End

Crooked End Farm Organics LLP
Crooked End Farm
Crooked End
Ruardean
GL17 9XF
01594 544482
sales
www.crookedend.co.uk

Crooked End Farm Organics LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales
Reg OC 336158

Crooked_End_Product_List_20-2-2012.doc

Crooked_End_Product_List_20-2-2012.pdf

we love organic farming!

It’s that newsletter time of week again – there is always so much to cram in!

Lambing season is fast approaching, the barn has been prepared ready for the ewes to lamb in. The sheep are about to be bought back from our rented land at Deepdean. Shirkara and Manu have been rounding up all the necessary items needed (bottles, milk powder etc), we hope to have our first lambs born after a couple of weeks.

Kate is now making our pies, ready meals etc here in the shop kitchen Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. So come in for wonderfully fresh handmade pies. For the aroma of Janet’s freshly baked cakes try Mondays and Thursdays!

Our next Supper Club is being held on the 18th February at 7:30pm and we are taking reservations. This month the menu will be:

Starter – Assorted crispy Eastern style vegetables served with sauces and salad

Main – Chicken casseroled in a chorizo and tomato sauce

Or

Layered vegetable gratin

Dessert – Syllabub

Afters – Homemade chocolates and coffee

Get in touch to book your place, and don’t forget to bring your own bottle of drink to accompany your meal.

The veg boxes this week will contain at a mixture of the following:

Savoy Cabbage
Closed Mushrooms
Parsnip
Celeriac
Red Pepper

Best wishes

Annette and all at Crooked End

Crooked End Farm Organics LLP
Crooked End Farm
Crooked End
Ruardean
GL17 9XF
01594 544482
sales
www.crookedend.co.uk

Crooked End Farm Organics LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales
Reg OC 336158

Crooked_End_Product_List_13-2-2012.doc

Crooked_End_Product_List_13-2-2012.pdf

Crooked End Farm – what’s cooking

Finally winter seems to have appeared, it was beginning to feel like a year of spring. The frozen ground has prevented fencing from taking place around the farm and the biomass boiler is consuming wood at a potentially alarming rate. But we are glad for the beautiful, clear sunny days.

New wwoofers are starting to arrive, we currently have Nicolai here who has stayed at Crooked End before and decided to come for a return visit. He is a welcome pair of hands around the farm.

Normally I attach photos of work taking place in the farm or of the animals, today however I thought you may like to see some of our tasty offerings instead. Janet’s baking in the shop kitchen fills the place with the most wonderful smell (it does make Maggie very hungry though!) and so in the photo are some of Janets delicious gluten and wheat free cakes and her banana bread, alongside some Crooked End potato salad, soup, scotch eggs and wonderful pies.

You may notice in this weeks product list that there have been a few price increases including milk and porridge oats. Most of the increases are down to increased prices by our suppliers and the increase in cost of animal feed. Increases in prices are not something we take lightly.

Attached is our weekly product list for the coming week. Please remember to get orders in for Wednesday by Monday evening, and orders for Thursday in by Tuesday evening – thanks.

The veg boxes this week will contain at least 5 of the following

Aubergine,
Calabrese,
Round tomatoes
Kohl Rabi (don’t panic, there will be a recipe card!)
Swede

Along with the potatoes onions and carrots as standard.

Best wishes

Annette and all at Crooked End

Crooked_End_Product_List_6-2-2012.doc

Crooked_End_Product_List_6-2-2012.pdf