It is that time of year when I start buying seeds and reflect on whether I am achieving the equilibrium I want between work and everything else. As a lapsed surfer, soon to return to the water, I've been thinking about what's known as a 'sweet spot' where you stand on your board, have complete balance and have harnessed all the power of the wave. Like all surfers, I continue to search for that sweet spot.
I have crossed some things off the list for 2022. The artichokes are in, growing well and with an unexpected first year harvest, I have established an emerging market for them. We launched our little Airbnb, which all our guests have appreciated, and the idea of offering evening meals and breakfast seemed to have struck a chord with many of them. We even had a 'Four in a bed' (TV programme) moment when one couple insisted on over-paying for their dinner! And our garden and allotment certainly look in better shape than in 2021.
So, ever onward and into planning for next year. We are going to expand artichoke production to 300 plants (3,000 heads). I have just received some new variety seeds from California. They are all F1 hybrids, some bred specifically to make processing (for customers and me) easier and some which the grower claims will produce up to 38 heads per plant - we will see! We will continue to focus on fresh sales cut from the field and sold that morning but also dip our feet into preserving in oil and selling a fresh artichoke & lemon and artichoke & truffle cream to stir into pasta or spread on bruschetta. Sales will focus on Tavistock, Tamar Valley Food Hubs and farmers' markets, where I will also wax lyrical about artichokes and prepare them ready for customers to buy and cook without any hassle. We also plan Artichoke Afternoons during the Summer harvest months. Here I will show you how to prepare artichokes and cook them in different ways, talk about varieties and how they grow. You will also of course be able to try some and buy some. You won't need to book and the venues and dates will be announced through social media and our newsletter.
We are also going to trial growing some more specialist hard-to-find regional Italian vegetables such as Scallopino (small summer squash), Chicory Barba Di Cappuccino, Carosello 'Scopatizzo o Leccese' (a small cucumber from the south with a taste of melon), Tromboncino (a curly summer squash /courgette with the flavour of artichokes as it matures) and Agretti 'Roscano', commonly known as saltwort, which can be used as a green vegetable and is often found in pasta dishes. There'll also be a small trial of loofahs in our polytunnel: I think just more for fun.
The cooks for de la Torre's have been going well and I hope to make that an Autumn/Winter staple of my mixed economy (I think they call it portfolio working in the bright lights of London). The change from January 2023 is that ordering meals and other delights will be through our own website www.birlandfeasts.co.uk with check out options to collect from de la Torre's or get free delivery on the Bere Peninsula (sorry, 'locals only'!). You'll also be able to buy through the Tamar Valley Food Hubs website which provides access to a variety of collection points and home delivery across the wider Tamar Valley and also Plymouth. We will be extending the usual weekly offering of finish at home meals with the addition of three great fresh pasta sauces, lemon polenta cake and Baci brownies. In the Summer months, our fresh artichokes, preserved artichokes and the artichoke creams will be available.
I've also recently enjoyed catering for someone's 90th birthday and am developing a 'dine out at home' three course menu for celebrating those special occasions with family and friends when you don't want to be stuck in the kitchen. This will be suitable for 8 to 16 people.
For me now, it's about small ambitions to work, grow and cook on the Bere Peninsula and not stray too far from that, both to protect the growing heritage of this wonderful little spit of land and to focus on the creation of great tasting food experiences for all our customers.
The only disappointment for me this year (apart from not getting a general election) was not getting to trial the larger Birland Feasts events. Watch out for updates on a slightly different approach for next year.
So 2022 had not been too bad: lot of ticks in boxes, some great holidays (yeah!) and now plenty to look forward to in 2023, sharing more great food experiences.
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