Wotcha Peeps! Well it seems as though Spring may have sprung at Wren Towers! Daffy Dillies are popping up, things are sprouting in the seed trays and the spuds are chitting nicely. So...what delights can I conjure up for you this month?

Well, with the popularity of veg boxes, particularly during the winter months, when allotments tend to resemble primeval swamps, I thought I'd have a look and see just what you get in a medium sized veg box, and give you some hints on what you can do with all that lovely veg. This is a sample from one supplier Riverford (although there are many operating around the country: visit the BigBarn website for information about local suppliers and box schemes in your area) and is a medium sized veg box.

It contains:

Sante potatoes
Nigel carrots
shallots
purple sprouting broccoli
green/savoy cabbage
cauliflower
leeks
Jerusalem artichokes

So now you have all this lovely grub, what will you do with it? Well, whatever you like, but here are some recipes I enjoy making.

Crispy Garlic Artichokes

The Jerusalem artichokes are fab peeled, cubed, parboiled and fried till crisp and browned in a little butter and garlic. You can have them on their own with some crusty bread for a light lunch or use them as a side vegetable for a main meal. If you're a carnivore, adding some crisp bacon lardons to them is scrummy.

Jerusalem Hash

Jerusalem artichokes
2 onions, thinly sliced
tin of corned beef
Mashed potato
110g (4oz) mature cheese, grated

Peel, parboil and then slice the Jerusalem artichokes and layer in an ovenproof dish with the onion and corned beef. Mix the grated cheese into the mashed potato and spread over the top of the artichoke layers. Pop in the oven, Gas 4/350°F/180°C for around 20 minutes or until browned and crisp.

You can then serve with the lightly boiled savoy cabbage and broccoli.

OK, so what else then? How about:

Leek and Potato Bake
(serves 4)

8 leeks (about 2 per person)
1-2 shallots
225g (8oz) peeled potatoes
110g (4oz) fresh breadcrumbs
grated cheese

Wash and slice the leeks, finely dice the shallots and boil the potatoes.

Fry off the leeks and shallots in a little oil, and sweat them down until soft. Now, layer the leeks in a medium sized (approximately 3" deep, 18" by 10" dish), cover with the grated cheese, and then a layer of mashed potato. Layer like this until they are all used up, making the final layer mash. Then sprinkle the breadcrumbs on the top, and pop straight into the oven, Gas 4/350°F/180°C for around 20 minutes or until browned and crisp. Simple.

‘Ah,' you say, ‘but what about the carrots and cauliflower Wren?'

The first thing that always springs to mind is cauliflower cheese isn't it? Well how about something a little different then?

Vegetable Crème Fraiche Delight

This recipe is straight out of my head, has never been written down until now, so there are no fixed quantities, but as a rough guide:

1 cauliflower
4-6 medium sized carrots
1 medium onion, diced
150ml crème fraiche
½ pint veg stock
1 teaspoon of caster sugar

Cook the cauliflower and carrots until al dente. Drain and place in a shallow ovenproof dish - the size of course depends on how much veg you have cooked. I use a lasagne dish which works well and will hold enough to serve 4.

Now for the magic bit. Fry off the onions, gently, on a medium heat until soft and just starting to brown, then add the teaspoon of sugar and cook for a further 2 minutes or so, until the onions begin to caramelise. Then still over a low heat, add the stock, and stir in the crème fraiche. Once this is all combined smoothly, pop it over the veg and into the oven, Gas 3/325°F/160-170°C for around 15-20 minutes. Serve with fresh crusty bread.

Wren's Tip: you can actually replace the stock with a dry cider as well, which adds a different dimension to the dish.

Whichever you choose, enjoy those veg boxes! Experiment if you have new or unusual things in them, play with herbs and spices and different combinations. Don't just boil veg, it's worth so much more than a quick dunk in boiling water and you'll discover a whole new world of vegetables!

Wren x

Veg Box photo (c) GTM 2009

Carrots photo (c) Salena Walker 2009