Down to business
Ok, so it's down to business now. Much of the reason I started this blog was to talk about my new business and share my great passion for food. I was very lucky to have parents with a great love for food. They encouraged me to be adventurous and I took full advantage. When I think about my favourite restaurants as a kid, I remember them pretty much all to be ethnic. We lived in the distant Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC, but even in the 70s and 80s there was a fair variety of cuisine to be tasted. On special trips to the city to see a play, we'd always got out to dinner after a matinee. Those days were the best dining experiences. Chinese, Italian, Mexican (Tex Mex but some more authentic), French, Greek, Turkish, Caribbean and South American. sigh... I do miss good ethnic food. Now I just make it myself, if I can source ingredients. But sometimes you just want somebody else to do the work, huh? Nevertheless, it has forced me to experiment more, which is good for business.
For the past 2 years, my husband Steve and I have been running a greenhouse vegetable business at our home Cwrtau Bach Farm (pronounced Coortie Bawc). We've grown mostly tomatoes, peppers, lettuces and salad mixes, herbs, oriental greens and, this year chilies. Starting from scratch with very little knowledge of veg growing, let alone greenhouse growing, has presented a steep learning curve. But we can only do better next year given what we've learned so far. For instance, this next season I will sow my tomato, chili, and pepper seeds in December and January - no later. We did that two years ago and not this last and the results were later fruit and early disease. So, we're learning! We've sold to some local restaurants and shops like Ultracomida and Wisebuys in Narberth, Pembrokeshire and through non-profit local co-op Pembrokeshire Product Direct (online grocery shopping with local producers).
Since my passion for food and cooking outweighs that of gardening, this summer has been the most exciting for me. We launched the first three products of our new line of home made sauces, using our lovely greenhouse crops.
Our "debut" came at the Pembrokeshire County Agricultural Show in August. We were tucked in the Pembrokeshire Product Direct stall next to the Chef Demo area. The traffic wasn't quite as heavy at our end as it was at the other side of the Food Hall. People were just moving like cattle herds there, quite claustrophobic. We were happy not to have cattle herds at our end. But it was a good experience. We reached the conclusion that a show with more of food focus would be better for us. So I don't expect to be there again next year, but you never know!
Our first three products included:
Heavenly Herb Pesto - We sold out of this one! Includes arugula (rocket, as Brits call it), spinach, oregano, parsley, lemon, Parmesan, pine nuts/walnuts,olive oil, sea salt.
Ravenous Red Pepper and Olive Tapenade - This one I can just eat all day long. Roasted red pepper, green olive, parsley, spinach, rocket, garlic, lemon, tomato, onion, sea salt, olive oil.
Marvellous Mexican Sauce - The Mexican market here is just starting to catch on so I'm hoping to tap in with my knowledge of this cuisine. A mild sauce, but tasty, good for the whole family, Tomatoes, roasted red pepper, cumin, chilies, onion, garlic, oregano, sunflower oil.
Since then I've add Chili Cherry Tomato Jam. My first venture into jam making has been well received too. I took my first jars of it to the new Whitland Produce Market in the Memorial Hall in Whitland, Carmarthenshire (first Saturday of each month, if you're in the area!) I sold more of them then anything. So I believe that's a keeper.
Next is two more tomato based sauces: one Mexican inspired, one Italian/American inspired. Last one, for now, is a Chilli Apple Sauce (with mint or sage). More about them when the recipes are finalized.
Our next show is the Harvest Food Festival in Felindre Drefach, Llandysul at the National Wool Museum on the 1st of October. I'll be cooking furiously up until then but I hope to give more updates in the mean time. Until then, happy eating!
For the past 2 years, my husband Steve and I have been running a greenhouse vegetable business at our home Cwrtau Bach Farm (pronounced Coortie Bawc). We've grown mostly tomatoes, peppers, lettuces and salad mixes, herbs, oriental greens and, this year chilies. Starting from scratch with very little knowledge of veg growing, let alone greenhouse growing, has presented a steep learning curve. But we can only do better next year given what we've learned so far. For instance, this next season I will sow my tomato, chili, and pepper seeds in December and January - no later. We did that two years ago and not this last and the results were later fruit and early disease. So, we're learning! We've sold to some local restaurants and shops like Ultracomida and Wisebuys in Narberth, Pembrokeshire and through non-profit local co-op Pembrokeshire Product Direct (online grocery shopping with local producers).
Since my passion for food and cooking outweighs that of gardening, this summer has been the most exciting for me. We launched the first three products of our new line of home made sauces, using our lovely greenhouse crops.
Our "debut" came at the Pembrokeshire County Agricultural Show in August. We were tucked in the Pembrokeshire Product Direct stall next to the Chef Demo area. The traffic wasn't quite as heavy at our end as it was at the other side of the Food Hall. People were just moving like cattle herds there, quite claustrophobic. We were happy not to have cattle herds at our end. But it was a good experience. We reached the conclusion that a show with more of food focus would be better for us. So I don't expect to be there again next year, but you never know!
Our first three products included:
Heavenly Herb Pesto - We sold out of this one! Includes arugula (rocket, as Brits call it), spinach, oregano, parsley, lemon, Parmesan, pine nuts/walnuts,olive oil, sea salt.
Ravenous Red Pepper and Olive Tapenade - This one I can just eat all day long. Roasted red pepper, green olive, parsley, spinach, rocket, garlic, lemon, tomato, onion, sea salt, olive oil.
Marvellous Mexican Sauce - The Mexican market here is just starting to catch on so I'm hoping to tap in with my knowledge of this cuisine. A mild sauce, but tasty, good for the whole family, Tomatoes, roasted red pepper, cumin, chilies, onion, garlic, oregano, sunflower oil.
Since then I've add Chili Cherry Tomato Jam. My first venture into jam making has been well received too. I took my first jars of it to the new Whitland Produce Market in the Memorial Hall in Whitland, Carmarthenshire (first Saturday of each month, if you're in the area!) I sold more of them then anything. So I believe that's a keeper.
Next is two more tomato based sauces: one Mexican inspired, one Italian/American inspired. Last one, for now, is a Chilli Apple Sauce (with mint or sage). More about them when the recipes are finalized.
Our next show is the Harvest Food Festival in Felindre Drefach, Llandysul at the National Wool Museum on the 1st of October. I'll be cooking furiously up until then but I hope to give more updates in the mean time. Until then, happy eating!
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