We’re very excited this week to be able to include – for the first time in BB history – Tasmanian grown lentils in our boxes! Gareth and Tonia started growing grains on Tonia’s parents dairy farm (Elgaar), as part of an integrated organic system – cows fertilise the soil, lentils fix nitrogen in the soil, grains and pulses are turned into hay after harvest to feed the cows – rotating crops and animals in a time-honoured tradition dating back to the earliest human agriculture. Their goal is not to produce industrial quantities of grains and legumes – so sadly we won’t be able to include their produce in boxes on anything like a regular basis – but to grow sustainable and nourishing food with a sense of place, grounded in natural processes.
As we enter the hunger gap (don’t forget to enter your pumpkin creations into our Hunger Gap Games!) we’ll start to transition out of winter produce and into spring produce. This week will be the last week we have Brussels sprouts and parsnips in our boxes for this season (and root crops in general will be a less prominent inclusion in boxes through spring), but we’re looking forward to asparagus in October, and the imminent return of tomatoes.
To accompany what’s a fairly wintery box this week, we’ve opted to include sage from Hills Hydroponics – this herb has a earthy flavour well suited to root vegetables like parsnip, and would also go rather nicely in a fennel and lentil braise with some roasted hazelnuts if you’re one of our $40 box customers! Herbs are a welcome hit of flavour to winter and spring meals during the break in seasonal supply of garlic – whilst cured garlic is a long way off, spring garlic shoots and scapes are only a month or so away…
