What’s in season: August

We may be selling now just about every imaginable veg this country can produce in the summer. From humble courgettes, spring onions and potatoes, to gorgeous sweet peppers, New Zeeland spinach (it does not come from New Zeeland!) to 6-7 varieties of tomatoes, including the giant Bull’s Heart and the fleshy Quandro for cooking.

But it has not been an easy season to come by. Very cold nights in early summer slowed everything down, and we were late with French beans and the likes. Our Veg Stall customers have had to wait, while we did our best to cater for Box Scheme customers.

The Box Scheme has always had priority and we sell first and foremost our best produce to the Box Scheme, then to the veg stall, market, wholesalers, so being a Box Scheme customer has advantages!

Some may have noticed that the carrots in weekly bags are not dirty enough, and that is because they are bought in. Our two drills failed in early summer (yes, we are not perfect), but we are just about to start harvesting the new crop. Looking juicy and promising.

One of our good looking crops now is the cooking celery. The hearts are dense, of a dark green, and the stems are thin and crisp. It may not be your favourite for dips and Bloody Mary cocktails, but when cooked in soups, stews and curries it fills the kitchen with a deep homely flavour, so rich in vitamin C that you can almost taste it in the air. Do not discard the leaves, chop them thinly and dry, or freeze for flavourful dishes in the winter.

I cannot wait to get cooking with my Clover Preserves Classic Sauce, where celery is a major ingredient.