We’re pleased to have Mooreville Gardens’ model code eggs back again from July – but this week’s box actually includes one of a range of vegetables also grown by Peter and Lisa on their Burnie property – oca, also known as yams. Despite being sometimes known as New Zealand yam, the root vegetable comes originally from the Andes region of South America, but was introduced in Europe (and in New Zealand) in the 19th century. They’re a naturally sweet starchy tuber, eaten cooked – there’s no need to peel them, just scrub/wash then stir-fry, bake, boil, mash or whatever you like! They go well with acidic flavours, and traditionally South Americans ate some varieties raw with lemon, chilli and salt.
This week’s box also features produce from quite a few of our certified organic growers – quinoa from Kindred Organics, apples from Duggan Brand apples, and rocket, tatsoi and baby silverbeet from York Town Organics. Organic isn’t a word that should be used lightly – certified organic growers are required to follow a strict set of growing protocols and are regularly audited by one of a few organic certifiers to ensure that these are being followed. Unfortunately the word is often used loosely to describe home-grown produce and other “chemical free” produce, and sometimes also used completely fraudulently to increase the sale value of products that aren’t grown organically at all. Growing organic produce poses significant challenges, and only the most passionately committed growers go through the process of certification; for this reason it’s a word that we’ll only ever use to describe certified organic produce.
