You can no longer order via this website. In order to do so, please visit our new web portal: Bridgefoot Organic 

You can no longer order via this website. In order to do so, please visit our new web portal: Bridgefoot Organic 

 

 

Should you wish to place an order for January, you can do so by visiting our shop.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

We're heading out of summer and into autumn now, and it means we're saying goodbye to lots of summer veggies, including our courgettes and beans. 

We are looking at possibly reducing the amount of courgettes we grow as they always seem to do extremely well and we end up with a huge glut, meaning difficult decisions about what goes into the boxes.  This summer has been no exception!

Beautiful green summer courgettes

I'm sure plenty of you will be looking forward to the change of season, and the change in your boxes as we move into cabbage and cauliflower season! 

Once again, the weather has caused huge problems for us, with significant damage being caused on the farm. Lots of trees have been uprooted taking the telephone pole with it and snapping it in half. We've lost power as well. The polythene covering two of the polytunnels have been completely destroyed, although, I haven't seen all of the tunnels. Thankfully, the frames appear to be ok and our propagation tunnel seem to have taken little or no damage. An engineer will be on site within the next hour to assess the damage, but as we will need a new pole it is going to take some time. Obviously as there is no power, delays to service should be expected as it will be more difficult for staff to sort, count and pack veg. I will work from home, which will also cause some delays but we will try to minimise disruption as much as possible and I'll keep everyone posted as best I can.

We are currently closed and won't re-open until 10th January. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

We now have electricity and water on the farm and BT put a temporary line in place until we can get a replacement pole. Sadly, however, the phone line is running on the ground and the phone service is pretty awful. We've been without internet all afternoon and the phone line is pretty bad. There's a lot of interference on the line, make it very crackly and the line cuts out constantly. Therefore, we'd ask people not to phone the office. Please continue to email. They'll be checked at home periodically, and they'll be answered as soon as possible. We apologise for any incovenience. 

SERVICE INTERRUPTION - Monday 29th November 2021

Due to the storms over the weekend, we lost all access to the farm with trees being felled with both entrances being blocked. Lucikly, Colin and Barbara were able to get someone to remove them from the roads and access was available yesterday. To our complete astonishment, the polytunnels all survived. 

However, the telephone pole was also brought down and we're without phone or internet access. This may take some time to fix. 

It was discovered this morning that there is no electricity on the farm, which makes working there impossible for me, so Matthew brought the computer from the office to my home so I'm working from my 'office'. I'm able to get a good amount done, but there are some limitations and there are logistical issues that arise from this. We have no idea when this will be fixed, but we're trying to get an estimate. 

We hope to have our eggs delivered this afternoon or tomorrow morning and we're also waiting to hear if there have been difficulties getting our European produce and whether they'll be on time or if they'll be delayed. 

If there's a delay this may impact deliveries, but we'll inform everyone by email. In the meantime, all we can do is keep our fingers crossed!

This week we started harvesting our broad beans. It’s always exciting to see these coming through as it is a true sign that summer has arrived and that the winter roots are behind us…for now! These broad beans are growing in our polytunnel, which means a smaller crop than last year when we had a massive bounty due to them growing in the fields.

Broad beans are quite versatile and can be used in soups – lovely in a courgette, lemon and thyme soup. They can also be used steamed, in salads, stir-fries and curries and also in dips. They are the main ingredient in ful medammes, considered the national dish of Egypt. Dried, they are used in falafel too. A recipe for macco di fave can be found on our recipes page.

The flowers of broad beans are beautiful and are perfectly edible. They make an eye-catching addition to any salad or as a topper on a zesty lemon and broad beans pasta.

Cultural and historical significance

The broad bean has a long tradition going back at least 8000 years and is one of the oldest plants in cultivation. In ancient Greece they were used in voting – white ones for yes, black one for no. This is where the term bean counter originates.

The Pythagorians were forbidden from eating, mentioning or even looking at them. In fact, it was reported that Pythagoras once persuaded a bull not to eat them! Perhaps this was because Pythagoras believed that they came from the same source as humans and because they looked like a foetus, or because they caused flatulence! Either way, both are hilarious.

In European folklore it is claimed that planting broad beans on Good Friday or during the night brings good luck but since there are 365 nights in a year, the chances of good luck at least once must be pretty high.

Nutrition

Broad beans are very high in protein, coming in at 26g per 100g. They are also very high in folate, meeting your entire recommended daily intake. They are also high in minerals such as manganese, magnesium, phosphorus and iron – between 50% to around 80% of the recommended amount. For best iron absorption, you should take them with vitamin C. Broad beans and lemon go very well together.

Wildlife

While in the tunnel I spotted this little fellow. I don’t know what type of butterfly it is, but my app tells me it’s an orange-tip butterfly. Clearly it has no orange tips, but it does resemble it in all other ways and is likely to be part of the whites, yellows and sulphurs family. It’s really great to see the various wildlife on the farm.

As the lockdown is starting to ease we are now taking on new orders.

Please note that we are taking longer than usual to reply as demand is still very high and the volume of emails means that we can't get to everyone within the specified time of 24-48 hours. However, please be assured that someone will be in touch within 7 days.

All signs so far is that deliveries will proceed as normal and I believe there should be no issues with produce. We have a large volume of phone calls and emails and it's only been been possible to reply to some of the mail today. We're still trying to get through yesterday's. So please bear with us. The office is closed tomorrow but I'll be answering as many emails as I can from home. Please understand there will likely be delays of a few days in responding to some emails. These are uncertain and unprecedented times for many of us, so your continued patience is appreciated.

We would like to update you on the situation with the Coronavirus. As we all know, no one is immune to the effects that it is having, not only on the health and well-being of the public but also on the supply of goods. There has been an increase in purchased produce from Europe and many countries are experiencing a staff shortage due to self-isolation. This means that there may be delays in receiving produce and we are unclear as to what effect this will have on us. As demand increases and produce available reduces, we may have to adjust our prices. Our suppliers are seeking to find alternatives in order to fulfill orders as well as to keep prices down. As it stands, Bridgefoot is doing all it can to ensure people get their deliveries. It may be that we increase the staples in boxes with produce grown on the farm or from local producers, but we will assess this as the situation evolves.

For all who've emailed us with requests, orders or changes to orders, we ask that you please be patient while we get through them. Our priority is to ensure all of our customers get their orders with as little interruption as possible. We are not taking orders or making further changes for this week. We understand that people have had their holidays cancelled and we are doing our best to ensure that none of you are without a box. We will be in touch with everyone in due course. The situation is fluid and there may be further changes, of which we'll update you as and when we can. Your patience is greatly appreciated.

We are absolutely delighted to have teamed up with Mungoswells Malt & Milling to bring you fantastic flour that is not only organic but is grown, milled and packaged in East Lothian.

The mill is run by the McDowall family, with Major Andrew McDowall inventing the world's first electric tractor in the 1920s! Some of the early wheat seeds from the 1800s are being multiplied at the moment to give us a flavour of the past, which it is hoped we will get a taste of once they are ready for milling!

The McDowall fields

Their flour has dark flecks in it coming from the bran, and which you won't see in commercial flours, but which is more wholesome than processed white flours. If you wish to read more information, please visit their website at https://www.mungoswells.co.uk/.

Alison (miller) and Michael (trainee miller)

If you wish to purchase flour, it is available upon request for the moment, but will shortly be added as an extra on the order form page.

FLOUR

1.5kg Plain White Organic Flour £3.45
1.5kg Self-Raising Organic Flour £3.55
1.5kg Strong White Bread Flour £3.45
1.5kg Strong Wholemeal Bread Flour £3.20

16kg sacks can also be provided, please ask for details.