December was a quiet month at COCA, the winter absence of residential volunteers leaving Caz on his own for the first time since February. Thankfully it is at least a quieter time of year, with a lot of the ground and crops already prepared throughout the autumn. Most of the harvests this month were unfortunately on fairly miserable rainy days, but that didn’t stop the regular crew of members from volunteering for the weekly harvest with a smile. A special mention to David and Brenda, who have consistently lent a hand for harvest throughout the year, come rain or shine.
This month still saw some new veg in the box, with a fresh new crop of salads in the polytunnels ready for harvest. This included plenty of oriental green leaves, which taste fantastic, and for the first time some pak choi. They made for great additions to our bumper Christmas boxes, which included a whole array of fresh veg for Christmas dinner, including brussel sprouts, parsnips, beetroot, onions, carrots, cabbage, potatoes, leeks, kale and chard.
And plans are already a foot for the new year, with a Burns Night party on the horizon for the end of January, to bring together all our members and volunteers for some food and good cheer in the middle of winter.
