packing in the rain...

hello there...

This mornings pack was extra fresh! The clouds gave us plenty of rain to make the produce sparkle in the sunlight when it finally arrived!!

Tea cups were extra full as some of us are lacking sleep but the sunrise made up for the blurry eyes.

While at the market this morning we noticed that the stone fruits are starting to make an appearance, but were far too hard to be eaten straight away. Here's hoping that over the coming weeks everything is just how it should be and we can pack them up for you!

This weeks boxes include:

Zucchinis

Silver Beet

Dutch Carrots

Spring Onions

Sweet Potatoes

Asparagus

Mushrooms

Kiwi

Apples

Bananas

Oranges

Cauliflower

Cabbage

Pumpkin

Herb of the Week is Rosemary.

You might like to use the Rosemary for a Cake called:
Olive Oil Apple and Rosemary Dessert Cake 
Inta, one of Abbotsford Wooden Box regulars, posted a great recipe last week for a Anchovy Rosemary Butter. 
Here's what she wrote:

I've been using a yummy rosemary recipe that I found in a Gourmet Traveller mag. Its an anchovy and rosemary butter. They have it on steak. We've done that as well as having it on toast with an egg. Once made it keeps well in the fridge.

100gm unsalted butter
5 anchovy fillets
2 shallots, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp coarsely chopped rosemary
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp red wine vinegar

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat

Add anchovy, shallot, garlic and rosemary
and saute until shallot is soft (2-3 minutes)

Remove from heat and stir through mustard and vinegar.

If you would like to share ways in which you use your produce, please leave us a comment. Thank you Inta! I'll be sure to try the Egg option!!

While exploring on the internet yesterday my friend Pip, who is the editor for this website (Pip is a super great cook and super great at many other things too. Pip always posts the nice things that she makes and finds in her day)

Pip found a great recipe for Zucchini Pasta. I also found this recipe which tells you just what you need, incase you need to know such things.

What did you think of your boxes this week?

We also wanted to thank you for your feed back on the Pears last week. We were disappointed to hear that they weren't up to scratch as they were quite pricey. Whilst we do our best to make sure everything is top quality there are times that things might slip through. We REALLY value your feedback at these times and thank you for doing so.

Check the blog over the coming days for a few favourite recipes from our home.

Thank you once again!!

xxx

Brooke and Katrina.

1,2,3...4!

Hello there,

Week 4!! 

It's quite hard for us to believe that 4 weeks has past.

We must be having too much fun because it doesn't feel like work!

Spike and Scout are managing the finances well. We count on them!!

This weeks boxes consist of:

Oranges

Bananas

Kiwi

Pears

Kipfler Potatoes

Jap Pumpkin

Broad Beans

Mushrooms 

Corn

Fennel

Spanish Onions

Kohlrabi

And this weeks Herb of the week is Oregano.

Two ingredients in the box that might seem like an unlikely pair is Orange and Fennel.

A great recipe was passed onto me by one of my favourite Chefs Shakti.  Here it is:

My favourite way for fennel would be to slice it supper thin and make a salad with it, some orange segments and shaved Parmesan. Dress it with a light lemon, garlic vinaigrette. 

You should also have a look at Shakti and her partner Daniels website called The Forgotten Vegetable.

Another new member to the box this week was the Kohlrabi. 

I (Brooke) have never cooked with it before. But with the research that I have conducted it seems that you can enjoy it roasted with a little salt and olive oil, use the leaves in salads and you can also eat it raw! How do you like to cook with Kohlrabi? 

Also we are happy to announce that we will be delivering to Clifon Hill. If you have any friends that live in our neighbouring suburb please let them know.

Check in during the week as we will post some more recipes that we have used with our produce this week.

Happy Weekend to you all.

Also what did you think of your boxes this week? We love feedback!

xxx

Brooke and Katrina

Abbotsford Wooden Box

Cooking with Carrots

Hello There...

Today, I (brooke) decided to make a childhood favourite of mine Carrot Cake. I thought this to be the perfect treat and a great way of using this weeks Carrots.

My Mum would cook from a recipe that had been handed down and handed down, you know the type that is just right and you could never dare use another due to disappoint. Well today I found one that was just as good as my childhood memory..

I cooked Gluten Free Carrot Muffins. This recipe is for a Cake but I decided to make Muffins. They worked just as good and only took 20-25mins to cook rather than 55min ( super great if you always find it hard to wait, I sure do)

Scout and Katrina pop in, perfect timing if you ask me, and the next minute I had both Scout and Spike wanting to be held at the same time, or was it that they knew how to reach those freshly baked Carrot Muffins?!

How have you used your carrots this week? Or the other produce in the box? We would love to know!

xxx

Brooke.

Week Three...Cargo Bike

Hello there...

This week has seen Brooke and Spike's Cargo Bike out and about on the streets of Abbotsford running errands.  

Katrina tried out Bertha (the name we have given the cargo) collecting boxes, getting the children from A to B and also dropping off your boxes today. 

We are really enjoying our Friday morning routiune of sipping tea and listening to PBS. Scout spends the morning with her Dad Tim until Tim heads off to work, then Scout gets dropped off to help with packing. Spike watches us while being fed his breakfast from the freest hand.

Grace is still on holidays and had the job of weighing the mushrooms and bagging up the Bay Leaves.

In the box this week:

Corn

Carrots

Mushrooms

Bok Choy

Avocado

Cauliflower

Broccoli 

Leek

Potatoes

Apples

Bananas

Oranges

Shanaka (Spike's dad) had the pleasure of dropping off most of your produce on Bertha. 

How are you enjoying your Herb of the week?

How are you enjoying the selection of Produce?

Also a thank you to Penny, Justin and Digby for there link to a recipe that they tried out last week with their cabbage. Check out the link in week twos comments.

Until next week,

Brooke, Katrina, Shanaka, Tim, Grace, Scout and Spike.

p.s our cat had kittens this week and two are looking for a home.

xxx

Abbotsford Wooden Box

Week Two

Hello there,

Well yes here we are at week two! It really is so nice to know that we are supported within the community!!

This week while chatting in the streets we have been offered a Ute to help with deliveries, houses and shops as drop off locations, friends from our mothers groups sticking up notes to spread the word...hurrah for nice folk!!

This week Grace 7 (Spikes sister) headed to the market at 4 in the morning to help with selecting this week produce. Grace selected the Oranges and commented while eating one that "they aren't just good they are delicious" I would have to agree! Have you tasted yours? 

In the Box this week:

Carrots

Kiwi

Cabbage

Pumpkin

Apple

Banana

Avocados

Beetroot

Celery

Tomatoes

Oranges

Each week we also add a herb for you to be creative with. This week we added Thyme. How do you like to cook with Thyme.

We would also like to send out an invitation to you to come and join "The Patch" a little community garden that we have started with the residents at the corner of Park and Stafford Streets. You may have noticed the Scarecrow and Scarebaby in your travels.

We would love for Abbotsford Wooden Box folk to come and join us in the Garden. Send us and email if you are keen to meet and perhaps we could make a time for everyone to get together so that we can then put a face to a name and get planting!!

For this week thank you!

We feel very happpy indeed.

Love

Brooke and Katrina.

xxx

Our First Day

Hello there...

What an exciting day it was for us.

We were up early and off to the market to buy the first produce to go into our very first delivery of Abbotsford Wooden Boxes. 

All of our produce is purchased from the Organic Wholesale Market

It's quite an amazing space. 750 forklifts zooming around moving kgs and kgs of produce while we are asleep.

After connecting with the growers we headed back fed the babies and got to work.

We sipped dandelion tea while we packed the boxes and added some personal touches such as Herb of the Week and also some Receipe ideas for a not so well know vegetable, the Jerusalem Artichoke.

This weeks boxes were filled with:

Leeks

Mushrooms

Potatoes

Jerusalem Artichokes

Fennel

Silver Beet

Pumpkin

Cauliflower

Purple Cabbage

Apples

Kiwi

Strawberries

and Bananas

Katrina delivered the boxes this week while Scout played with Blinks the Cat and Spike slept soundly.

Once all jobs were complete we headed to Lakmi (a Sri Lankan restaurant) and were treated to a surprise Crab Curry from Asanka.

We would like to thank you all for supporting us and for your feedback so far. We have taken them on board and aim to make some changes. 

Watch this space as we will have weekly updates (maybe more) about what the sun and soil sprout for the community.

But for now THANK YOU! It's a great feeling in knowing that we have begun connecting with our community.

xxx Brooke Katrina Scout and Spike.