Shillingford Organics - organic local veg box delivery in Exeter and Teign Valley

Latest News
Notice Board
Our Goal
The Farms
Box Scheme
Markets & Outlets
Salad Bags
Facilities
Gallery
Recipes
Veg Glossary
The Team
Links
Contact
Home Page

Vegetable Glossary

In this Vegetable Glossary you can find out information about any of the items you might have in your organic vegetable box. You can also click on the vegetable name to go directly to our recipe section, where you can find recipes that make use of that vegetable.

This Glossary will be updated as soon as possible, we are sorry if the item you are interested in is not currently completed.

A B C D F G J K L M O P R S T W

Apples

AKA: (Malus domestica)
Season: Winter (September-October)
Cooking Tips: There are many varieties of apples that can be eaten raw and as many varieties of cooking apple, which should be baked until soft or boiled and mashed to make apple sauce.
Notes: The word apple comes from the Old English word aeppel, which may be one of the most ancient Indo-European words to come down to English in a recognisable form.

Aubergine

AKA: Brinjal or Eggplant (Solanum melongena)
Season: Summer: July - August
Cooking Tips: Both the seeds and the flesh can be eaten but, when raw, aubergine has a somewhat disagreeable taste. Cooked aubergine becomes tender and develops a rich, complex flavour and firm texture. Salting and then rinsing the sliced aubergine helps remove much of the bitterness.
Thinly sliced aubergine can be fried or grilled (until soft) and chunks of aubergine can be added to casseroles.

Basil

AKA: Albahaca, St. Joseph's Wort or Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
Season: Summer: June-October
Cooking Tips: Basil is most usually used fresh, however where cooked, it is generally added at the last moment, since cooking quickly destroys the flavour. Fresh basil can be kept for a short time in plastic bags in the refrigerator, or for a longer period in the freezer, after being blanched quickly in boiling water.
Notes: We usually pack basil leaves in with our bags of tomateos.

Beetroot

AKA: Blood Turnip (Beta vulgaris vulgaris)
Season: Summer and Winter varieties
Cooking Tips: Beetroot can be cooked, peeled and eaten warm with butter; cooked, peeled, pickled and eaten cold as a condiment; or peeled raw, shredded and eaten as a salad. The leaves and stems of young beetroot can be steamed and these and older leaves and stems can be sliced and stir-fried.
Notes: We may occasionally supply different varieties of beetroot such as Golden or Chioggia which has red and white concentric rings.

Black Cabbage

AKA: Dinosaur Kale, Lacinato, Nero di Toscana or Tuscan Kale (Brassica oleracea - Acephala Group: Cavolo nero)
Season: Winter: September-March
Cooking Tips: Kale freezes well and actually tastes sweeter and tastier after being exposed to a frost. Tender shoots can provide an intense addition to salads, particularly when combined with other such strongly-flavored ingredients such as dry-roasted peanuts or tamari-roasted almonds. Kale can also be added to soups and stews and the flavour can be enhances with garlic, olive oil, fresh lemon juice, cinnamon, caraway seeds, or toasted pine nuts.
Traditional ways to prepare kale call for long boiling, about 40 minutes, until it is very soft. However, kale can also be boiled quickly, for about 5 to 8 minutes, until it is just slightly crunchy. Kale can also be sauted in oil with onions and garlic for about five minutes (after boiling for 5 minutes to enhance its flavor).
Notes: All kales are a good source of iron, calcium, vitamin C, Folic Acid, vitamin K and Carotenoids (which provide vitamin A).

Black Radish

AKA: Black Winter Radish, Black Spanish Round (Raphanus sativus niger)
Season: Winter: September-October
Cooking Tips: Winter Radish can be eaten raw in salads either sliced or grated, cooked like turnips or steamed.

Broad Beans

AKA: Butter Beans, English Beans, Fava Beans, Field Beans, Horse Beans, Pigeon Beans, Tick Beans or Windsor Beans (Vicia Fava)
Season: Summer: June-July
Cooking Tips: Broad beans, taken out of the pod, can be eaten raw while still young and tender. They can be fried, causing the skin to split open, and then salted to produce a crunchy snack. To cook fresh broad beans, simply blanche for about 3-4 minutes. Mature beans should be peeled to rid them of a waxy skin that surrounds each bean. The best way to do this is to blanch the shelled beans for a minute in boiling water, then plunge them into cold water, and then pull off the skins.

Brussel Sprouts

AKA: Brussels Sprouts (Brassica oleracea - Gemmifera Group)
Season: Winter:
Cooking Tips: Brussel Sprouts are usually boiled or steamed for 5 to 8 minutes but they can also be stir-fried or made into soup. Overcooking sprouts releases sulphur compounds in the vegetables that give them an unpleasant smell.
Many poeple cut a cross in the base of each sprout, to give more even cooking, however, many sprout connoisseurs believe that this 'crossing' leads to a leaching of flavours and that it should be avoided.
Notes: Brussel Sprouts contain high amounts of vitamin A, vitamin C, folic acid and dietary fibre.

Bulb Fennel

AKA: (Foeniculum vulgare - Azorium Group)
Season: Summer: August-October
Cooking Tips: To prepare fresh fennel for cooking, cut off the top green stalks and, if necessary, peel away the tough outer leaves until the almost white heart is exposed. Cut the bulb in half and remove the core. Slice the halves according to your needs, either lengthwise or widthwise. The slices can be as thin or thick as you like, but this entire bulb area can be used. These can the be breaded and fried; sauted with garlic; roasted with garlic and tomatoes; braised (with chicken stock then topped with Parmesan); grilled or even eaten raw with a drizzle of olive oil.

Calabrese

AKA: Green Broccoli (Brassica oleracea - Italica Group)
Season: Summer: June-November
Cooking Tips: Calabrese are usually boiled or steamed (about 5-6mins) but may be eaten raw and have become popular as a raw vegetable in hors-d'oeuvre trays.

Carrots

AKA: Daucus carota
Season: All Year
Cooking Tips: Carrots can be eaten raw, whole, chopped or grated into salads and are also often chopped and cooked in soups and stews.
Carrots are traditionally eaten boiled; simply chop the carrot into slices or sticks and boil for 15-20 mins until desired texture is reached (crunchy or soft).

Cauliflower

AKA: (Brassica Oleracea - Botrytis Group)
Season: Winter
Cooking Tips: Cauliflower is most commonly eaten cooked, but it may also be eaten raw or pickled. When cooking, remove the the outer leaves and thick stalks so only the flourets remain. These should be broken into similar-sized pieces so they cook evenly. Steam for eight or boil for five minuted and the florets should be soft, but not mushy. For a simple serving suggestion, try with a cheese sauce (this tastes even better if placed in a dish, sprinkled with breadcrumbs and lightly grilled for a few minutes).
Note: Three florets of raw cauliflower a day will provide you with 67% of your daily vitamin C requirement.

Celeriac

AKA: Turnip-Rooted Celery, Knob Celery (Apium graveolens)
Season: Winter
Cooking Tips: Celeriac may be used raw or fresh. It is best to peel celeriac before use, since the outer skin is tough and stringy. It has the celery flavor, so it is often used as a flavoring in soups and stews; it can also be mashed or used in casseroles and baked dishes.

Chard

AKA: Silverbeet, Perpetual Spinach or Mangold (Beta vulgaris cicla)
Varieties: Red, Rhubarb & Swiss
Season: All Year
Cooking Tips: The leaves are generally treated in the same way as spinach and the stems like asparagus. Fresh young chard can also be used raw in salads.

Bear in mind that the stalks take longer to cook than the leaves. So to cook chard you should: Wash the leaves well, to remove grit; Cut off the stems and slice them finely; Chop the leaves; Heat a little oil or butter in a pan and add the stems. Cook for 2-3 minutes; Add the leaves and stir well. Cover for 2 minutes on a gentle heat. The leaves will wilt like spinach.

Delicious with a little grated nutmeg, or you can add 2 cloves of crushed garlic add the same time as the stems. Swiss Chard can be used in place of spinach in many recipes, though it has a stronger, more earthy flavour.

Chervil

AKA: Gourmet's Parsley (Anthriscus cerefolium)
Season: Summer
Cooking Tips: Chervil is a delicate herb, usually used to season mild-flavoured foods such as poultry, some seafoods, and young vegetables.

Chives

AKA: (Allium schoenoprasum)
Season: All Year
Cooking Tips: Chives (referred to only in the plural, because they grow in clumps rather than as individual plants), is the smallest species of the onion family and its uses involve shredding its leaves (straws) as condiment for fish, potatoes and soups.

Garlic chives (Allium tuberosum) (on right in image) have thicker, flatter leaves than chives (on left) and have a mild garlic flavour.

Coriander

AKA: Cilantro, Dhania, Chinese or Mexican Parsley (Coriandrum sativum)
Season: All Year
Cooking Tips: Chopped coriander leaves are most often used as a garnish on cooked dishes such as dal and other curries. Heat quickly diminishes the flavour of the leaves so they are usually used raw or added to the dish right before serving. Fresh coriander is best stored in airtight containers and kept in the fridge, (chop off the roots first). Leaves do not keep so well and should be eaten quickly, as they lose their aroma when dried or frozen.

Courgettes

AKA: Zucchini, Italian Squash (Curcurbita pepo)
Season: Summer
Cooking Tips: Due to their high water content, courgettes are best steamed or cooked as quickly as possible with a minimum of water added. Over cooked Courgettes will turn to mush, young courgettes can be eaten raw in salads. The flowers of the courgette plant can also be eaten raw or cooked and their flavour is best enjoyed when stuffed.

Cucumber

AKA: Cucumis sativus
Season: Summer
Cooking Tips: Cucumber is most often eaten raw and sliced as part of a salad or in sandwiches. Fresh cucumber is a source of vitamin C, vitamin K, and potassium as well as a number of other minerals. Carrot and cucmber sticks with homous or salsa makes a good party snack. To de-seed a cucumber, slice it in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with a spoon.

Dill

AKA: Dillby or Shubit (Anethum graveolens)
Season: Summer
Cooking Tips: Dill leaves must be used fresh, as they lose their flavour rapidly if dried; even freeze-dried dill leaves have very little flavour.

French Beans

AKA: (Phaseolus coccineus)
Season: Summer
Cooking Tips: French beans require careful cooking and for best results, should be Blanched quickly in lots of rapidly boiling salted water until just cooked (preparing them this way ensures they should retain their crunch). A pinch of bicarbonate of soda will help to preserve the colour but overcooking will not. The beans are delicious hot with butter and black pepper or cold in a salad with good olive oil. Best known in their youngest form (pencil-like when the actual bean has yet to be formed) French beans grow on to form a larger bean called a flageolet before it's final fully-grown and dried state, known as the haricot bean. (Kidney beans are a type of French bean).
Notes: French beans are a good source of vitamin A and K.

French Climbing Beans

AKA: (Phaseolus coccineus)
Season: Summer
Cooking Tips: When the weather is changeable, or very hot, making the growing conditions difficult, climbing French beans will often crop better than runner beans. They should be treated as runner beans for cooking.

Garlic

AKA: (Allium sativum)
Season: Summer
Cooking Tips: Garlic has a characteristic pungent, spicy flavor that mellows and sweetens considerably with cooking. Most commonly the cloves are used to flavour a range of dishes but the leaves, stems and flowers are also edible and most often consumed while immature and still tender. Whole cloves can be coated in oil and roasted for an excellent accompaniment to main meals or a salad. When used in other dishes, garlic cloves can be slices, diced or crushed and gently fried in oil, often with onions but before other ingredients are added.
Note:Garlic has a long history of medicinal use in cultures across the world and there is also much folklore and mysticism surrounding the plant.

Green Cabbage

AKA: Variety of Brassica oleracea
Season: Winter
Cooking Tips: Cabbage can be eaten raw (typically in this slices or shredded in salads or coleslaw or pickled in vinegar) or cooked in stews or soups. Boiling cabbage takes 15-20 mins (or until soft) in slightly salted water and releases sugars causing cabbage's characteristic aroma.
Note: Cabbage is an excellent source of Vitamin C.

Green Kale

AKA: Variety of Brassica oleracea
Season: Winter
Cooking Tips: Kale can be cooked in the same manner as its close relative, Green Cabbage. Tender kale greens can provide an delicious addition to salads, particularly when combined with strongly-flavored ingredients such as dry-roasted peanuts, tamari-roasted almonds, or red pepper flakes.
Note: Kale is a good source of iron, calcium and vitamins A, C and K.

Green Leaves

AKA: Oriental Greens or Oriental Salad
Season: Winter: December-March
Contains: Mizuna, Rocket, Tat Soi, Pac Choi, Tai Sai and more, depending on availability
Cooking Tips: This selection of delicious leaves often contains a variety or two with a strong peppery or mustard taste and are eaten raw. Oriental Greens make an excellent addition to any salad and can spice up your traditional sandwiches.

Green Peppers

AKA: Bell Pepper, Capsicum (Capsicum annuum)
Season: Summer
Cooking Tips: Green peppers are unripe peppers that when ripe, may be yellow, orange or red. This means green peppers are typically less sweet and a little more bitter than other colours. Red and yellow peppers taste best when only lightly cooked, or eaten raw - green peppers have a more robust flavour that withstands longer cooking times. Although closely related to chili peppers, bell peppers (the most common variety in the UK) are not hot. Peppers can be added to a range of meals and are found in cuisine all over the world. They can be gently fried in oil either sliced, diced or whole/halves. Peppers can also be stuffed and roasted or baked, for 40-60mins in a medium hot oven.
Note: Green peppers have twice the vitamin C of citrus fruits by weight, and red peppers have three times that of green peppers.

Jerusalem Artichokes

AKA: Sunchoke, Sunroot or Topinambur (Helianthus tuberosus)
Season: Winter
Cooking Tips: The Jerusalem artichoke has no real link with Jerusalem, and isn't related to other artichokes. It has an appearance similar to a knobbly pink-skinned ginger root and a sweet, nutty flavour, similar to water chestnuts. Like potatoes, Jerusalem artichoke can be served with or without the skin (simply scrub clean and leave it on for maximum nutritional benefit). Cook as you would potatoes; roasted, sautéd, baked, boiled or steamed. If peeling or cutting, drop pieces into water with a squeeze of lemon juice to prevent discolouration. Unlike potatoes, Jerusalem artichoke can also be eaten raw, for example in salads or coleslaw, or lightly stir-fried.
Note: Jerusalem artichokes are a good source of vitamin C, phosphorus, potassium and iron. They are also very rich in inulin, a carbohydrate linked with good intestinal health due to its prebiotic (bacteria promoting) properties. However, these substances can cause flatulence.

Kohl Rabi

AKA: Kohlrabi (Brassica oleracea - Gongylodes Group)
Season: All year
Cooking Tips: Kohl Rabi can be eaten cooked or raw and do not have to be peeled, though many people do prefer to. When grated, it is an excellent addition to salads or non-traditional coleslaw (with radish, chopped parsley, green onion, and a dressing of your choice).
Khol rabi can be steamed whole (25-30 minutes) or thinly sliced or cubed (5-10 minutes). Thin slices can be coated in oil, lemon juice and herbs and lightly fried while sliced or cubed kohl rabi can be added to soups, stews or a mixed vegetable stir-fry.
Notes:The word kohlrabi comes from the German kohl (cabbage) and rabi (turnip).

Leeks

AKA: (Allium ampeloprasum)
Season: Summer and Winter varieties
Cooking Tips: The edible portions of the leek are the white onion base and light green stalk. The onion-like layers form around a core which can be eaten in young plants, but may become woody and generally unusable in older plants. Leeks can be eaten raw in salads, doing especially well when they are the prime ingredient, as well as cooked as part of or accompanying a main meal. Leeks can be fried (5-10 mins in oil), sautéed (ideal with fennel and garnish with fresh lemon juice and thyme), baked (cover sliced leeks with cheese or a white sauce, in an oven-proof dish, and bake for 30-40 mins in a medium hot oven) or roasted (30 mins in a hot oven).

Lettuce

AKA: (Lactuca sativa)
Season: All Year
Cooking Tips: There are many varieties of lettuce, and all are typically eaten cold and raw in salads, often being the primary constituent. In Oriental cooking, lettuce leaves and stems are eaten cooked and can be made into soup.
Note: Lettuce is fat free and low in calories. It is a valuable source of vitamin A and folic acid.

Melons

AKA: (Cucumis melo)
Season:
Cooking Tips:

Mint

AKA:
Season:
Cooking Tips:

Mixed Herbs

AKA:
Season:
Contains: Rosemary, Sage and Thyme
Cooking Tips:

Mooli Radish

AKA:
Season:
Cooking Tips:

Mushrooms

AKA:
Season:
Cooking Tips:

Onions

AKA:
Season:
Cooking Tips:

Oregano

AKA:
Season:
Cooking Tips:

Parsley

AKA:
Season:
Cooking Tips:

Parsnips

AKA:
Season:
Cooking Tips:

Potatoes

AKA:
Season:
Cooking Tips:

Pumpkins

AKA:
Season:
Cooking Tips:

Purple Sprouting Broccoli

AKA:
Season:
Cooking Tips:

Radishes

AKA:
Season:
Cooking Tips:

Red Cabbage

AKA: Brassica oleracea
Season: Winter
Cooking Tips: Cabbage can be eaten raw (typically in this slices or shredded in salads or coleslaw or pickled in vinegar) or cooked in stews or soups. Boiling cabbage takes 15-20 mins (or until soft) in slightly salted water and releases sugars causing cabbage's characteristic aroma.
Red Cabbage is often served pickled or boiled with apple for a delicious meal accompaniment.
Note: Cabbage is an excellent source of Vitamin C.

Red Peppers

Red Russian Kale

AKA:
Season: Winter: September-March
Cooking Tips: Kale freezes well and actually tastes sweeter and tastier after being exposed to a frost. Tender shoots can provide an intense addition to salads, particularly when combined with other such strongly-flavored ingredients such as dry-roasted peanuts or tamari-roasted almonds. Kale can also be added to soups and stews and the flavour can be enhances with garlic, olive oil, fresh lemon juice, cinnamon, caraway seeds, or toasted pine nuts.
Traditional ways to prepare kale call for long boiling, about 40 minutes, until it is very soft. However, kale can also be boiled quickly, for about 5 to 8 minutes, until it is just slightly crunchy. Kale can also be sauted in oil with onions and garlic for about five minutes (after boiling for 5 minutes to enhance its flavor).
Notes: All kales are a good source of iron, calcium, vitamin C, Folic Acid, vitamin K and Carotenoids (which provide vitamin A).

Rhubarb

AKA:
Season:
Cooking Tips:

Rocket

AKA:
Season:
Cooking Tips:

Runner Beans

AKA:
Season:
Cooking Tips:

Salad Leaves

AKA:
Season: Winter: December-March
Contains: A mix of lettuce and other salad leaves
Cooking Tips:

Shallots

AKA:
Season:
Cooking Tips:

Snap Peas

AKA:
Season:
Cooking Tips:

Spinach

AKA:
Season:
Cooking Tips:

Spinach (leaf beet)

AKA:
Season:
Cooking Tips:

Spring Greens

AKA:
Season:
Cooking Tips:

Spring Onions

AKA:
Season:
Cooking Tips:

Sprouted Grains

AKA:
Season:
Contains:
Cooking Tips:

Strawberries

AKA:
Season:
Cooking Tips:

Summer Squash

AKA: Custard Squash, Pattypan Squash, Scallop Squash or Yellow Sunburst Squash (Cucurbita Pepo)
Season: Summer: July-August
Cooking Tips: Smaller squash can be steamed or braised and served as part of a vegetable dish, having a slightly sweet, nutty flavor. Larger squash are great for stuffing; the top can be sliced off, the flesh scooped out and replaced with various meats, vegetables, onions, cheese, or other ingredients and baked.
Notes: Pattypan is a good source of magnesium, niacin, and vitamins A and C. One cup contains approximately 20 to 30 calories and no fat

Swedes

AKA:
Season:
Cooking Tips:

Sweet Corn

AKA:
Season:
Cooking Tips:

Tomatoes

AKA:
Season:
Cooking Tips:

Turnips

AKA:
Season:
Cooking Tips:

White Cabbage

AKA:
Season: Winter
Cooking Tips: Cabbage can be eaten raw (typically in this slices or shredded in salads or coleslaw or pickled in vinegar) or cooked in stews or soups. Boiling cabbage takes 15-20 mins (or until soft) in slightly salted water and releases sugars causing cabbage's characteristic aroma.
White Cabbage is the most common variety used in coleslaw and the German dish, Sauerkraut. To accompany a main meal, boil and served with black pepper and butter
Note: Cabbage is an excellent source of Vitamin C.

Winter Squash

AKA:
Season:
Cooking Tips:

25/07/2008
This weeks organic vegetable box contains:

Last Updated
23rd July 2008
1	Potatoes (Milva)
2	Carrots
3	Green Onions
4	Lettuce
5	Spinach
6	Snap Peas
7	Courgettes or Summer Squash
9	Tomatoes
10	Beetroot or Cucumber
-------------------------------
Mini boxes will have a selection of the above vegetables but not all. Make up crops may vary from the list !
-------------------------------
NB: Due to availabilty box contents may vary
-------------------------------
Useful Links:
Shillingord Recipes or veg-box recipes