The Cotswolds, part I

After leaving Bath, we headed one hour north to The Cotswolds, an area filled with rolling hills, stone cottages, and green meadows. We rented a yurt in a field owned by an organic farm to be in the midst of nature. Our days began with the sight of cows grazing on the fog-covered hills and ended around a campfire with the last bits of sunlight streaming through the trees.

We hiked through fields, spotted a fox, climbed over stone walls, cooked dinner on the campfire, and enjoyed the pubs and farmers' market in Cirencester. And we discovered the Budding Pale Ale made by the organic Stroud Brewery, one of the best drinks we've come across yet.

de krat 19 November

In this week's crate: tomatoes, bread, assorted paprikas, winter lettuce, red potatoes, broccoli, parsnips, a green pumpkin, endive, pears, a rutabaga, sausages (for the German), and rosemary olive oil.

de krat 12 november

In this week's crate: New Zealand spinach, pear juice, cherry tomatoes, bread, Granny Smith apples, organic eggs, leek, a rosemary plant, Burdock root, Brussels sprouts, potatoes, and a European plaice filet.

Did you know Brussels sprouts grew on a stalk? I had no idea.

the weekly krat

Being away the last two weekends, one of the things I was looking forward to was receiving a crate from de krat Saturday morning. Once again, this week's offering didn't fail to delight with apple berry juice, fresh bread, an assortment of cherry tomatoes, fresh spinach, a head of lettuce, fava beans, chicory, peppers, red currant berries, Romanesco broccoli, flat-leaf parsley, a Thai chicken pot pie, and lamb sausage (I'm not a meat eater, so the last two items are for ze German).

Below is an afternoon snack that Marcus prepared of fava bean and pea puree with lemon, garlic, and olive oil in a chicory leaf. Yes, it was delicious.

de krat: week two

The second week of fresh, locally produced food from de Krat (the crate) brought another loaf of bread, chanterelle mushrooms, two zucchinis, two yellow squash, two large tomatoes, two fish, a bottle of apple juice, a head of cauliflower, a bunch of fresh mint, a bag of spinach, fennel, mixed greens, and six potatoes.

First on the list to use is the zucchini for a loaf of zucchini bread. The mint will be tossed into a warm glass of water for fresh mint tea with honey. The cauliflower will go into a dish of spicy sauteed cauliflower with sesame. The rest of the items will be inspired by the recipes provided by de Krat along with the weekly crate.

de krat

On Saturday morning, we received the first box full of locally-produced, organic goods from De krat (The crate), which was stuffed full with leek, Chinese cabbage, paprika, chili peppers, tomatoes, squash, lettuce, beets, fresh baked bread, cherries, oregano- and chili-spiced sausage (not for me), and lemon-flavored mayonnaise from The Bio Bandits.

I had been thinking about signing up for a box from Odin, which has a pick up point around the corner from my apartment, but when I heard about de krat I was instantly sold. The boxes are filled with eight different types of fruits and vegetables (although I wish there had been more fruit in this one), as well as other products of the week like bread, milk, eggs, jam, nuts, or cheese. They also deliver free in Amsterdam and include recipes using the products of that week's crate.