Seasons in Scotland

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to download the rest of this resource! In the WINTER school garden: What’s in Sow Other January is season? mustard often the coldest cress Jobs month of the year so be Prepare soil parsley (indoors) patient and don’t plant any seeds British Parsnips Add compost if outside. This is a good month to plan conditions allow what you want to grow in the year ahead. On farms, the weather conditions dictate British parsnips are available in Harvest Keep over-wintering that much of the livestock is indoors and the shops for 11 months of the leeks crops protected from only the hardiest of crops will survive year, with the new season crop frost lettuce the frosts and snow. Carrots still in the available from July. Cut autumn raspberry ground need to have a blanket of parsnips Frosts enhance the sweet canes to the ground straw over the top of them to flavour of the root vegetable. swedes insulate them from the Choose crops for the The frost does not damage the frost. year ahead and order crop, but parsnips are often seeds covered with a layer of straw to ensure they can continue to be picked even when the ground is Give your vegetables a good Did you know? frozen. clean but don’t peel them. Milk and dairy foods like cheese and yoghurt Before planting parsnips, Many of the valuable nutrients are good sources of protein, vitamins and in vegetables, like parsnips, are farmers need to ensure the soil Reduce minerals and provide most of our calcium. is free from stones and any just below the skin and peeling This group is particularly important for growing means these are removed. lumps which can lead to forking your children and is essential for healthy teeth and and parsnips which have odd If you do peel them, the bones. shapes. Parsnips are prone to vegetable skins can be roasted disease, so once a crop has been grown waste! in the oven to make healthy Choose reduced or lower fat options where in a field the same field will not be planted crisps or salad toppings – possible and aim to have some milk and dairy with parsnips for 7-10 years. simply add spices and olive oil food every day. and roast in the oven till crispy. Parsnips often require irrigation to ensure the best quality roots are produced. WINTER On the farm: Livestock Seafood Planting & Growing farming is a highly sustainable way Some farmers have sheep that give birth to lambs in Mussel Potato grading takes place – this is where the stored to produce high quality protein for human January. Due to the cold weather, the sheep may be potatoes are sorted into different sizes ready for consumption, and the result is delicious! transport from the cold store to the shop floor. brought indoors to lamb. The sheep that are lambing later in the year are scanned in January to find out how many Mussels are grown on ropes in lochs on the west lambs they are expecting. coast and islands of Scotland. They are then separated into groups so that they can be They are filter feeders and fed the correct amount of food. The indoor areas need take all the food they need to be kept clean and the lambing pens are kept dry and directly from the sea. clean to ensure disease is minimised. Mussels may be eaten With the colder weather this month, extra feed is provided all year round, but to livestock to ensure they stay in peak condition. are at their best from August to April. Cattle are kept indoors and fed silage, turnips and concentrates. They are indoors as there is not enough Winter vegetables are being harvested: beetroot, grass growth in the colder months to sustain cattle diets. swedes, parsnips, leeks and carrots. With livestock indoors, there is the daily task of ensuring the cattle dung from cattle courts is cleared. On the dairy farm, milk is produced year-round, so calving and Farm milking happen throughout the year. Method Pig farming may be done either indoors or outdoors. The two Gently fry the onion and garlic in olive oil for Fact! main stages of pig production are breeding and finishing, these 5 minutes then add the parsnips and apple. When livestock are inside will happen throughout the year. Fry for a further 5 minutes, stirring to prevent browning. farmers work hard to keep the sheds clean to ensure that the Make up the vegetable stock with 600ml boiling water. animals are happy and to 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon clear Add the vegetable stock. Bring reduce the incidence of honey disease. 1 medium onion, peeled to the boil and simmer for 15-20 and chopped 2 tablespoons single minutes until the vegetables are 1 garlic clove, peeled and cream tender. crushed ground black pepper Blend the soup until smooth. Stir in 4 parsnips, chopped the honey and single cream. 1 Bramley apple, chopped Season the soup with black pepper.

Ingredients 1 vegetable stock cube Serve piping hot.

© The Royal Highland Education Trust | The Good Food Learning Resource | 2016 Parsnip & Apple Soup In the WINTER school garden: What’s in Sow Other season? (indoors) broad beans Jobs The temperature can Prepare soil start to rise this month peas Kale Add compost if (depending on where you are in radish conditions allow the country) and some early plantings can take place under cover. This is the chit potatoes Cut autumn month where you can get all your planning raspberries to ground finished and your seeds ordered. Where you Harvest Warm soil ahead of are in Scotland has a big impact on what you sowings with fleece or do and when you do it, and the further north leeks plastic you are, the longer the frosts last. Down lettuce Continue to plant bare- on the farm it’s all about feeding and parsnips rooted fruit trees and keeping the livestock in good condition. swedes bushes

The majority of kale grown in Scotland is a crop for Reduce livestock rather than for human consumption. The kale is fed to sheep over the winter months as it is frost tolerant and a good source of forage. your Use all of the vegetable in your cooking. The only bits to remove Did you know? Kale is an excellent source of vitamins K, A and C waste! are the tops. You can replace salt with herbs, spices, lemon and folate and the kale sold for human consumption juice, garlic or vinegar to season food in in Scotland comes primarily from Lincolnshire. With vegetables like leeks, make cooking. sure you use the whole leek and Kale is a member of the brassica family which not just the white part of the stem includes cabbages and turnips and the leaves can – it is all edible. be harvested from the plants more than once. WINTER On the farm: Seafood Planting & Growing Livestock King and Queen Scallops are dredged from Potato grading takes place – this is where the stored Sheep with lambs will be turned out into the fields and the seabed around the coast of Scotland and are potatoes are sorted into different sizes ready for the last of the early lambers finish. also collected by divers, who obtain a premium for transport from the cold store to the shop floor. their grit-free catch. The sheep that are lambing later in the year are Depending on the weather, some farmers might scanned to find out how many lambs they are Scallops live on the seabed and are filter feeders. start spreading manure. There are strict guidelines expecting. They are then separated into groups so King scallops can take on manure spreading to prevent any manure being that they can be fed the correct amount of food. 4-5 years to reach spread on frozen ground and running into water the minimum size of With the colder weather this month, extra feed is courses. 100mm. provided to livestock to ensure they stay in peak Ploughing begins for crops that will be sown in condition. The peak season for springtime. scallops is September Cattle are kept indoors and fed silage, turnips and through to March. Winter vegetables are being harvested: beetroot, concentrates. swedes, parsnips, leeks, carrots, Brussels sprouts, They are indoors as there is not enough grass growth cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli. in the colder months to sustain cattle diets. With livestock indoors, there is the daily task of ensuring the cattle dung from cattle courts is cleared. Ingredients Whilst sheep are indoors for lambing, the indoor 1 bunch of kale Farm areas need to be kept clean and the lambing pens are 1 tablespoon olive oil Fact! kept dry and clean to ensure disease is minimised. On the dairy farm, milk is produced year-round, so New lambs and calves are Method calving and milking happen throughout the year. Preheat an oven to 175°C. Line a baking tray tagged to ensure traceability with greaseproof paper. throughout their lives. Pig farming may be done either indoors or outdoors. Cut the kale into bite-sized pieces. Remove The two main stages of pig production are breeding the larger, thicker pieces of stem as they will and finishing, these will happen throughout the year. not cook in the short time the crisps are in the oven.

Bake for 3-5 minutes until the edges brown but are not burnt. Half way through cooking take the tray out and turn the kale over to ensure the crisps are crispy but do not burn.

Serve immediately – kale crisps do not store.

© The Royal Highland Education Trust | The Good Food Learning Resource | 2016 In the SPRING school garden: What’s in Sow Harvest season? wheat salads garlic & onions (suit- (if protected) The days are getting longer and the ed to spring planting) leeks temperatures are increasing. Purple Sprouting broad beans chard Don’t be tempted to plant too early leeks as the weather can still turn frosty, peas which will kill your baby plants. With Broccoli longer days there is more sunlight, radish Other resulting in more growth. The spinach Jobs grass starts growing in March in lettuce Dig soil and add warmer areas which means carrots compost if conditions spring is on its way. potatoes allow tomatoes Support peas with pea parsnips sticks

Purple sprouting broccoli comes into season in late February Making a salad? Only add Did you know? to early/mid April and is best dressing to the salad you are Reduce International School Meals Day takes place on when young and tender. eating, then you can keep any the first Thursday of March each year, so why The purple flower heads are what gives this plant spare salad till the following not get involved? your day. its name and all parts of the plant can be eaten. Wilted salad can also be used Steaming or using in stir fries is the best way to waste! in soups and casseroles just use this vegetable as these methods lock in the like spinach. If your lettuce nutrients and help retain the purple colour. looks a bit limp it can be The plant is a member of the brassica family and revived by putting it in iced is grown from a small black seed. water for 30 minutes. SPRING On the farm: Seafood Planting & Growing Livestock Scottish-farmed salmon has protected Cereals (oats, wheat and barley) that were planted March is a busy month with spring lambing and name status (PGI Protected Geographical last autumn/winter may be top dressed (have calving. Indication) which ensures that salmon farmed in fertiliser applied). This provides the nutrients they other countries cannot be passed off as Scottish. require to get growing as the temperature warms up. Scotland is the largest farmed salmon producer Where required, crops are sprayed with fungicides/ in the EU and the fourth pesticides. largest in the world. The fast flowing waters Sheep and cows are often brought indoors to lamb in Scottish lochs and calve respectively, so they can be watched, fed produce a high quality and watered easily before being turned out. product. Some hardy breeds of sheep/cows are lambed/calved outdoors.

On the dairy farm, milk is produced year-round, so Before ploughing, manure may be spread. There are calving and milking happen throughout the year. strict guidelines on manure spreading to prevent any Pig farming may be done either indoors or outdoors. manure being spread on frozen ground and running The two main stages of pig production are breeding into water courses. Ingredients and finishing, these will happen throughout the year. purple sprouting broccoli Ploughing takes place and spring barley, oats and, to rapeseed oil a lesser extent, spring oilseed rape are planted. garlic Potato grading takes place – this is where the stored ginger potatoes are sorted into different sizes ready for Farm transport from the cold store to the shop floor. Fact! Method Winter vegetables (beetroot, swedes, parsnips, leeks If cows are put outside too early Prepare the broccoli by chopping into small, similar size pieces. and carrots) are being harvested and peas and beans they can poach the ground. This are being planted. If the weather is good, fertiliser means their cloven feet break up Heat the pan or wok, add a little rapeseed is spread on fields for silage and on fields due to the ground and a grassy field oil and stir fry the garlic and ginger for 30 take newly lambed sheep in the coming months to seconds before adding the broccoli and turns into a mud bath. stir-frying for a further two minutes. promote grass growth. Add a dressing or soy sauce to taste and serve with rice or noodles.

© The Royal Highland Education Trust | The Good Food Learning Resource | 2016 In the SPRING school garden: What’s in Sow Harvest season? wheat salads April is the garlic & onions (suit- spinach month when the ed to spring planting) leeks planting season really gets broad beans final parsnips underway - but look out for late Herbs leeks frosts which can undo all your hard work. If you have a greenhouse make peas Other sure you give the glass a clean so that radish there is plenty light getting in. You can also make use of cold frames and spinach Jobs Prepare seed beds window sills to get some of the more lettuce for sowing, mulch tender crops started. This is the month when livestock that have carrots around plants with compost been indoors for the winter potatoes are turned out. Put in supports for Growing your own tomatoes climbing plants such herbs in school is parsnips as beans and peas easy. Grow carrots under You will be able to harvest these fleece to protect from for use throughout the year and it Reduce carrot fly Did you know? also works out significantly cheaper to We should consume 6-8 glasses of fluids grow your own. your each day. Water is recommended. However, Scotland does have a few commercial Can’t manage all your pizza in water, milk, sugar-free drinks including tea herb growers so look out for the ‘grown in one sitting? Homemade pizza and coffee all count. Scotland’ logo if you opt to buy herbs. waste! freezes well so you can save it for another meal. Leftover mushrooms or meat also make great pizza toppings. SPRING On the farm: Seafood Planting & Growing Livestock Hake is a delicately flavoured white fish species As the threat of frosts may have passed and the As the weather warms up, the grass starts growing that can be used as an alternative to cod and soil warms up, the planting of early and main crop and, towards the end of the month, indoor cattle go haddock. It is popular in fish and chip shops, but potatoes begins. outdoors. a great deal of the catch is exported, particularly April is the month when The sheep that are lambing later in the year are to Spain. Scottish spring arable crops scanned to find out how many lambs they are fishermen are keen to are sown – spring expecting. They are then separated into groups so see more eaten locally. barley and oats that they can be fed the correct amount of food. Indoor (and some lambing is ongoing. April is the start of the lambing spring oilseed Farm season on many upland farms, who need to wait a bit rape). Fact! longer for the warmer weather. Autumn/ Grass only starts growing Cows are now calving indoors and outdoors, weather winter sown when the temperature gets permitting. With livestock indoors, there is the daily crops are top above 5°C. task of ensuring the dung is cleared and clean straw dressed (fertilised) put down. Method and sprayed to help On the dairy farm, milk is produced year-round, so Put the flour and yeast in round on the baking tray. prevent diseases. calving and milking happen throughout the year. Pig the mixing bowl. Add the Heat the oven to 220ºC/ water and oil and mix to a Gas 7. Potato grading takes farming may be done either indoors or outdoors. The soft dough with a wooden place – this is where two main stages of pig production are breeding and spoon. Spread the cooked cherry finishing, these will happen throughout the year. tomatoes over the dough. the stored potatoes Knead the dough until Scatter the garlic over the are sorted into different smooth. Roll it out to a tomatoes, then scatter the sizes ready for transport 20-25cm round, then remaining toppings over place the dough. from the cold store to Ingredients the the shop floor. For the base: a little olive oil, skins lightly cooked in olive Leave the pizza to stand removed if desired oil for 5-10 minutes. Bake The last of the winter vegetables are being 225g strong plain flour for 15-20 minutes 1 garlic clove - peeled 100 - 150g Mozzarella harvested – beetroot, swedes, parsnips, 1 x 7g sachet easy- until the cheese has bake (microfine) yeast and crushed cheese - sliced or torn melted and, when leeks and carrots. Vegetables like peas, lifted with a spatula, 1 tablespoon olive oil 250 - 300g spinach 2 tomatoes - thinly beans and carrots are planted. leaves - stalks sliced you can see that 150ml warm water the pizza base has removed and lightly basil leaves - torn Glasshouse tomatoes see their first harvest For the topping: steamed cooked. at the end of the month. 300g cherry tomatoes ½ red pepper - de- Serve warm, cut into - cooked to a pulp in seeded, chopped and slices.

© The Royal Highland Education Trust | The Good Food Learning Resource | 2016 In the SPRING school garden: What’s in Sow Depending season? radish on where in French beans Other Scotland you are, May is when you start to get the lettuce Potatoes first of this year’s crops. Fast- carrots Jobs growing vegetables like salads and Mulch plants with tomatoes radishes are ready to harvest. If compost and keep you opt for successional planting well-watered then you can have a steady Harvest Keep carrots supply of produce, rather radish covered with than having a glut all fleece to protect at once. broad beans from carrot fly carrots Scotland has the ideal climate for growing potatoes. lettuce and other Potatoes grown for human consumption are called salads ‘ware’ potatoes. As well as growing ware potatoes, we also grow spinach seed potatoes. Scotland produces most of the seed potatoes for Did you know? the UK potato industry and is the leading country in Reduce Starchy foods are an important part of a healthy exporting seed potatoes. Potatoes do not freeze well but diet, and every school lunch should contain at Potatoes are classified according to when they are your you can freeze mashed potato, least one serving of starchy food. harvested. The early potatoes come first, followed so rather than throwing away by the main crop and then the late potatoes. waste! your spuds, make some mash There are many different potato varieties on the and save it for another day. market, developed for different culinary uses. There are waxy, fluffy and smooth potatoes. Waxy new potatoes are ideal for potato salads. SPRING On the farm: Seafood Planting & Growing Livestock Brown Crab are caught in baited pots and Farming is very weather-dependant and some Cattle are turned out to grass and, for some creels all around the Scottish coast and make a farmers will still be planting potatoes if April was a farms, the calving season begins. tasty meal. cold month. There is still lambing going on, particularly on Large male crabs can reach up to 2kg in size. Come the middle/end of May the first cut of silage is upland farms. Crabs grow by moulting their shells and everyone taken from fields. knows that they scuttle along sideways! On the dairy farm, milk is produced year- To make silage the grass is cut, wilted and then round, so calving and milking happen Brown crab is under fermented (pickled) either by wrapping the grass in throughout the year. appreciated in the UK plastic or storing in a pit. and much of the catch Pig farming may be is exported to Spain, The silage pit is topped with black plastic to keep the done either indoors France and Italy. heat in and allow bacteria to start the fermentation or outdoors. The Farm process. two main stages of pig production Fact! May also sees the start of the soft fruit season for fruit are breeding Farmers disinfect their grain grown in polytunnels. and finishing, stores to kill all the bugs these will happen in preparation for the throughout the upcoming harvest. year.

Ingredients Method Vegetables like peas, beans and carrots are planted. 4 tablespoons olive oil 4 medium-sized beetroot In a small bowl combine Add the diced cucumber juice of ½ lemon – boiled, cooled, skinned the olive oil with the and beetroot to the potato and diced lemon juice. Add ⅔ of the in the bowl. 1 tablespoon fresh chives chopped chives. Season – chopped ½ cucumber – peeled and Drizzle the dressing over diced with pepper. ground black pepper the mixture and garnish Cut the cooked potatoes with the remaining 400g new potatoes – in half and place in a chopped chives. boiled in their skins and mixing bowl. cooled

© The Royal Highland Education Trust | The Good Food Learning Resource | 2016 In the SUMMER school garden: What’s in Sow Other peas season? Summer is here and we carrots Jobs need to make sure that plants Tender plants started are kept well watered and protected indoors, such as Carrots from diseases. Some carrot farmers trap Harvest French beans, radish carrot flies and spray if they reach certain pumpkins, squash and densities. On a smaller scale in the garden French beans tomatoes should be you can companion plant. This is where you broad beans planted out plant species which do well together like peas Mulch plants with tomatoes and marigolds with one masking There are a number onion compost and keep the smell of the other and helping to deter well-watered pests. Mint works well with carrots, but of carrot producers garlic keep it in a tub otherwise it will in Scotland who grow on carrots Keep carrots covered take over your whole bed. well-drained sandy soils. with fleece to protect spinach Carrot seeds are tiny and are planted from carrot fly early potatoes using precision technology. Once the seedlings start to grow, the main issue is carrot fly which lettuce and other the farmer needs to monitor closely and spray, if salads required. strawberries Did you know? Carrots can be harvested as green tops, which are Eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and young carrots with the leaves still attached, or they vegetables a day. Growing your own is ideal as can be kept in the ground for longer and sold when Reduce your waste! you can eat them immediately, which means they reach full size. Those grown to full size have Grated carrots can be used in they contain more vitamins than food which has the tops removed and the harvested carrots are all sorts of recipes. If you have been stored or transported. Carrot ‘spaghetti’ cleaned before making their way to the consumer. some carrots that need to be can be made with a spiraliser, a colourful Carrots are damaged by frost so those not eaten, grate them, sauté with addition to your dinner plate. harvested before the frost arrives are covered in some raisins and add to your straw (a process called strawing up) to protect porridge. A great start to the them. day! SUMMER On the farm: Seafood Planting & Growing Livestock The main season for the European Lobster runs Silage is taken from fields and some farmers are onto Livestock outside need regular checking. As from June to November, although they are caught their second silage cut. an example, in the warmer months sheep can all year-round. sometimes roll on their backs to scratch and are The soft fruit harvest is underway with strawberries Lobsters are traditionally caught in baited pots unable to get back on their feet. and raspberries being harvested. and creels and can be kept alive in holding tanks Farmers need to check for these sheep and roll until required for market. They are very popular at them back onto their feet before gases build up in Christmas in France. their stomach, which can kill them. Lobsters are blue/ black in colour when Sheep shearing begins. The wool is taken off the caught and take on a sheep and the worst of the dirt and dags (dung) red colouration when are removed before the wool is rolled up and cooked. bagged for later collection. Lambs are separated from their mothers – this is called speaning.

Fertiliser is spread on the fields for silage – either If the weather is good and crops are growing well the dung/slurry or chemical fertiliser which contains pea and bean harvest begins. nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium(K) (NPK).

On the dairy farm, milk is produced year-round, so calving and milking happen throughout the year. Ingredients 2 tbsp Specially Pig farming may be Selected Pork - pulled (you can slow cook Farmers are also harvesting early potatoes. done either indoors your own SSP shoulder or salt and black pepper Farm or outdoors. The ask your butcher) two main stages of 1 lime, juice only & 1 tbsp baby gem lettuce leaves - soy sauce Fact! pig production are one per cup breeding and finishing, For the coleslaw: Dairy cows need to have a these will happen calf to produce milk and so half white cabbage, finely Method throughout the year. chopped Mix all coleslaw ingredients calve throughout the year. 4 carrots, grated together and then place a spoonful of pork onto the 1 red onion, finely sliced lettuce cup, followed by a 175g/6oz mayonnaise spoonful of coleslaw.

Sow Harvest July is the start of peas radish season? the soft fruit season and lettuce French beans you can help your strawberries broad beans by keeping them well watered and protected from birds. Reflective material Soft Fruit peas Other such as old broken CDs make excellent onion bird deterants. Slugs and snails are a Jobs garlic problem that you have to live with, but getting rid of any dead leaves and Mulch plants with carrots compost and keep removing hiding places in the winter spinach well-watered months all helps with this early potatoes come harvest time. Keep carrots covered lettuce and other with fleece to protect salads from carrot fly tomatoes strawberries Did you know? Free sugars should not exceed 5% of total The soft fruit industry in Scotland produces dietary energy intake. For 7-10 year olds this strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, In July, it can be hot in the is no more than 24g per day (6 sugar cubes) blackcurrants and blueberries. Reduce kitchen. and from 11 years upwards that is no more than Try to store your fruit in the 30g per day or 7 sugar cubes. ‘No added sugar’ These may be grown in polytunnels to extend the your fridge and it can last up to 2 or ‘unsweetened’ terms refer to added sugar season of the fruits. The fruits are picked by hand weeks longer. This includes or sweeteners – they may still contain natural which makes it a labour intensive industry. waste! all fruits except bananas and sugars. Strawberries are grown on platforms at waist height pineapple, they are best left in to aid with the picking of the fruit. Naturally occurring sugars in food such as fruit the fruit bowl. Bananas can be and milk are not added, and don’t need to be In polytunnel systems, mobile beehives are brought frozen and made into dairy free reduced: it is food containing added sugars that in to ensure that the flowers in the tunnels are ice cream. Leftover juice and we should keep an eye on. pollinated and fruits are produced. fruit can also be made into low fat ice lollies. SUMMER On the farm: Seafood Planting & Growing Livestock Plaice is a popular flatfish that is easily Farmers make silage. To make silage, the grass is Sheep shearing begins. The wool is taken off the recognised from its green/brown skin and red cut, wilted and then fermented (pickled) either by sheep and the worst of the dirt and dags (dung) are spots, which are brightest when the fish is fresh. wrapping the grass in plastic or storing in a pit. removed before the wool is rolled up and bagged for There is a healthy later collection. The silage pit is topped with black plastic to keep the stock in the North Sea, heat in and allow bacteria to start the fermentation Later born lambs are separated from their mothers from where the fish are process. (called speaning). landed into ports such as Peterhead, which The silage is needed to feed livestock over the winter. Beef cows are calving. is the largest whitefish As the sun shines there is also the window to make On the dairy farm, milk is produced year-round, so port in Europe. hay. calving and milking happen throughout the year.

To make hay the farmer needs the sun to dry the Pig farming may be done either indoors or outdoors. grass for several days. The two main stages of pig production are breeding and finishing, these will happen throughout the year. The dried grass is then baled and used to feed livestock in the winter. Method Put all the ingredients, Farm Fact! except for the ice cubes and the strawberries Shearing is often carried out by and orange slices for contractors that work around Scotland, decoration, into the moving from south to north with the weather. Ingredients blender. 500g strawberries Shearers can shear several thousand sheep Whizz the ingredients in zest and juice of 1 orange Weather permitting there may be some early every week and often head to Australia the blender until smooth, harvesting of winter barley and oil seed rape. 200g plain yoghurt (not set) then pour into the serving and New Zealand so they can be - chilled glasses. employed throughout the year. The soft fruit season sees strawberries, raspberries 1 tablespoon clear honey With a sharp knife, slit the and other soft fruit being picked. ice cubes (optional) strawberry and orange juice of 1 lemon slices so that they sit on the Peas and potatoes are harvested. rim of each glass. 4 strawberries and 4 orange slices (for Add the ice cubes, if using, decoration) and serve immediately.

© The Royal Highland Education Trust | The Good Food Learning Resource | 2016 In the SUMMER school garden: What’s in Sow Harvest season? With the school holidays, wheat August often has you will only have the end radish some of the warmest of the month to plant. You days but the end of summer French beans could do some windowsill is approaching and we are into Scotch Beef PGI sowing and plan what you broad beans harvest time. We can still continue Beef from animals born and reared might want to get planted planting but consider what you plant peas on assured Scottish farms carries over the winter, garlic for and how long it is going to take to the Scotch Beef PGI (Protected example. onion reach maturity. There is a window Geographical Indication) logo. between August and the end of garlic Scotch Beef PGI is sourced the year for fast growing carrots from farms that meet stringent Other crops. criteria regarding animal welfare, spinach Jobs feeds and natural production main crop potatoes methods. Keep your plants well watered. Add some comfrey lettuce and other A typical Scotch Beef PGI farming system involves juice or worm juice from salads suckler cows (beef breeds farmed to produce beef rather than milk) farmed on low input grassland. the bottom of a wormery (if tomatoes you have one) to your water Did you know? for some extra nutrients to soft fruit Meat is a good source of protein, vitamins and help ensure the plants keep minerals, particularly iron. Non-meat sources of Specially Selected Pork growing. protein include peas, beans, lentils and nuts. Specially Selected Pork is the The iron found in meat is absorbed well by brand representing product the body, and meat has the extra advantage from the Quality Meat Scotland Reduce your waste! of helping with the absorption of iron from Assurance Scheme and Use your freezer effectively and vegetables and cereals. around 95% of pigs in Scotland are covered by store your fresh herbs in there. the scheme. Specially Selected Pork is sourced Chives can be chopped and from farms with the highest levels of animal health basil broken off straight from and welfare and implement modern professional the freezer into the dish you’re farming practices. cooking. SUMMER On the farm: Seafood Planting & Growing Livestock Cod is a very popular species that has suffered Depending on the weather, spring barley and winter Lambs born early in the year are sent to market. from overfishing in the North Sea in the past, wheat are harvested. After harvesting, the ground Some farms start breeding in August. The tups but is now recovering well thanks to careful may be left until the following year to plough or it may (males) are added to the females (ewes). management. North Sea cod is now ready to be ploughed the same year and replanted. undergo Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Beef cows are calving and may be brought assessment as a sustainable stock. Sowing of winter oilseed rape takes place and the indoors. crop will be top dressed (fertilised) to help get the This versatile fish is plants off to a good start before winter sets in. On the dairy farm, milk is excellent cooked in a produced year-round, so Silage continues to be made. Some farmers Farm variety of ways, and calving and milking happen are on their third cut of the year. To make is the second most throughout the year. silage, the grass is cut, wilted and then Fact! popular species (behind fermented (pickled) either by wrapping Winter cereals are planted Pig farming may be done haddock) served in the grass in plastic or storing in a pit. towards the end of the year and either indoors or outdoors. Scottish fish and chip The silage pit is topped with black plastic grow a little before becoming The two main stages of pig shops. to keep the heat in and allow bacteria to dormant for the winter. They production are breeding and start the fermentation process. The silage is then resume growing the finishing, these will happen needed to feed livestock over the winter. next year. throughout the year. As the sun shines, there is also the window to Put the meat, onion, boils and thickens. carrot and garlic into the Continue to heat for a make hay. To make hay the farmer needs the sun to large pan and cook them further minute (whisking dry the grass for several days. The dried grass is then over a medium heat. Stir continuously). Remove baled and used to feed livestock in the winter. For the meat sauce: 200g dried lasagne for about 5 minutes or from the heat. Heat the 500g lean minced Scotch sheets until the meat is no longer oven to 190ºC/Gas mark Harvesting cereal crops gives the farmer two useful Beef (or minced turkey or ground black pepper pink. 5. products: the grain which is stored for feeding animals minced chicken) For the white sauce: Add the tomatoes, tomato Place a layer of meat, and/or the straw (dried plant stems) which is baled 1 large onion - peeled and 50g plain flour purée, oregano and then lasagne sheets and used as bedding in the winter months. finely chopped seasoning. Bring the followed by white sauce 50g butter/spread 1 large carrot - peeled mixture to the boil, reduce into an oven-proof dish. Strawberries, raspberries and other soft fruit are and coarsely grated 600ml milk the heat and simmer for Continue to layer but 30 minutes. finishing with white sauce harvested. Potato grading takes place – this is where 2 garlic cloves - crushed ground black pepper the stored potatoes are sorted into different sizes on top. 1 x 400g can chopped 75g grated Parmesan Make the white sauce by ready for transport from the cold store to the shop tomatoes cheese (or grated putting the milk, butter Sprinkle the sauce with floor. Cheddar cheese) and flour into the small the grated cheese and 3 tablespoons tomato saucepan. Place over a bake for 20 - 25 minutes purée medium heat and whisk until bubbling and golden-

Ingredients 1 teaspoon dried oregano Method briskly until the sauce brown.

© The Royal Highland Education Trust | The Good Food Learning Resource | 2016 In the AUTUMN school garden: What’s in Sow Autumn is here and the radish Harvest day length is shortening. season? French beans spinach Keep this in mind when you are carrots planting. Depending on where you are lettuce in Scotland, there is the chance for another Venison leeks harvest. You can let some plants go to seed onions if you want to collect your own (provided they Other are not hybrid plants) and this is when you peas can separate strawberry runners to give Jobs main crop potatoes you some new plants. Harvest time is Prepare soil, add here and farmers are hoping for good compost radish weather to both ripen and dry spinach Protect crops from their crops. frost chard Pot up strawberry lettuce runners There are four species of deer living in Scotland: garlic tomatoes fallow, roe, red and sika. raspberries Deer are farmed, as well as being harvested from wheat Did you know? the wild. Fibre is an important part of our diet and adults should be Deer living in the wild have no natural predators consuming 30g per day. For children, the recommended and so their numbers need to be controlled Reduce intakes are 15g/day for 2-5 year olds, 20g/day for through culling. This culling helps ensure healthy Meat can be an expensive children aged 5-11 and 25g for children aged 11-16. populations and limits the damage the deer cause product so make sure you don’t your through grazing on saplings/trees. waste it. Once you get it home You can increase the fibre in your diet by making some divide it up into portions. Only simple adjustments to your diet, for example replace Venison is a healthy low fat meat and is stocked in waste! keep out what you are going to white bread with brown or wholemeal and replace white all major supermarkets in Scotland. use in the next few days. The pasta with brown pasta. The demand for the product is increasing and at rest can be frozen in portion present any shortfall in meeting the demand is sized pots and taken out as made up through importing venison from New and when required. Zealand. AUTUMN On the farm: Seafood Planting & Growing Livestock Squid is sometimes referred to as an ink fish, Harvesting cereals with a combine harvester is Lambs are sent to market. The breeding season for because of its ability to squirt ink when in danger. ongoing. sheep (tupping) begins on lower ground (tups/rams It has a set of arms or tentacles, just like the don’t go out till November on hill farms as they don’t octopus and cuttlefish. In restaurants, squid is After harvesting, the ground may be left until the want lambs till later in the year). There are many big often served fried as calamari. following year to plough or it may be ploughed the tup sales held, with farmers looking to buy new male same year and replanted. There is an important and growing fishery for stock for the breeding season. squid in Scotland, After ploughing, winter cereals are planted and Beef cows are calving and bulls get put in with the especially in the Moray maybe top dressed (fertilised) to get the seeds off to a cows for early calves next year. firth and along the east good start. coast. Available all On the dairy farm, milk is produced year-round, so After harvesting a cereal crop, the farmer has two year round, it is most calving and milking happen throughout the year. useful products: the grain, which is stored for feed or abundant from March to sold and the straw (dried plant stems) which is baled Pig farming may be done either indoors October. and used as bedding in the winter months. or outdoors. The two main stages of pig production are breeding and finishing, Strawberries raspberries, potatoes and other these will happen throughout vegetables, like carrots, are harvested. the year. September is also the start of the apple harvest. Method Fry the onions in the oil Light the BBQ or heat the and butter over a gentle grill to its hottest setting heat until transparent and and cook the burgers until soft (6 minutes). the mince is browned all the way through. Farm Sprinkle on the salt and sugar and continue Pop the split ciabatta Ingredients cooking, stirring from time buns under the grill to Fact! 400g lean Scotch Beef 3 medium red onions, to time until golden and warm a little. Animal welfare is important to farmers PGI mince peeled and thinly sliced sticky and beginning to and large animal vets are regularly crisp at the edges. Set Load up the buns with a small red onion, finely 25g unsalted butter/ called when animals are ill to make aside. handful of salad leaves, chopped spread sure they are kept in peak condition. a couple of tomato slices, 2 tbsp chopped herbs 2 tbsp olive oil Mix together all the burger a burger and a tangle of The Scottish SPCA also inspect ingredients and season. onions. farms to ensure animal welfare such as parsley, chives, pinch of salt marjoram Mixing them with your standards are being pinch of sugar hands makes it easier. maintained. 4 ciabatta buns, (olive Shape into four burgers To serve: ones are very good) about 10cm in diameter. For caramelised onions: mixed baby salad leaves

© The Royal Highland Education Trust | The Good Food Learning Resource | 2016 In the AUTUMN school garden: What’s in Sow peas season? The soil you plant your broad beans Harvest crops in plays a vital role in French beans hardy winter lettuce ensuring a good yield come harvest Scotch Lamb carrots time. Take the time to identify the type of green manure Scotch Lamb PGI (Protected soil you are growing in. October is a great leeks Geographical Indication) is a month to incorporate compost for next year’s versatile meat from roasts Other peas crops. Farmers will be ploughing their fields to steaks, casseroles main crop potatoes whilst you will be digging over with a garden and kebabs. spade, but adding the extra organic matter Jobs radish Protect crops from that compost provides makes all the Lamb is available frost spinach difference to the structure of your soil all year round, but as well as the nutrients available since Scotch Lamb Mulch bare soil chard for plant growth. PGI is a natural Order strawberry lettuce product, it is seasonal. runners tomatoes Scotch Lamb PGI is most Prepare soil and add plentiful between August and compost raspberries April. Spring and late season lambs are equally delicious but Did you know? you will notice a difference in There are many ways in which food can be taste between the 2 seasons. Reduce prepared. Frying adds extra fat, so use minimal Spring lamb comes from the oil and opt for rapeseed oil or olive oil rather lambs born in the spring time and is available to buy A top tip for revamping your your than butter or lard. Grilling, baking, poaching come autumn time. Spring lamb has a subtle taste leftover meat is to turn it into or microwaving are good methods of cooking and rosy colour. waste! patties – add potato and which don’t add any extra fat to your meal. shape, coat with egg, flour and Darker meat comes form late season lamb which is breadcrumbs – and fry in a little available from January through until the end of April. rapeseed oil. There may also be variation in colour and flavour depending on the breed of lamb. Late season lamb goes well with winter produce like root vegetables. AUTUMN On the farm: Seafood Planting & Growing Livestock Razor Clams are gathered by hand from the Harvesting cereals with a combine harvester is The tupping (sheep) sandy seabed where they live. ongoing. and bulling (cows) These shellfish are between 10 – 20cm in length seasons are well under way. After harvesting the ground may be left until the and make a delicious meal when steamed open. Bull sales take place, which following year to plough or it may be ploughed the involves preparing stock for sale They are largely unappreciated in the UK except same year and replanted. as breeders look to purchase new bulls for the in specialist seafood restaurants, but are in The ground is ploughed, seeded and fertilised to get breeding season. great demand for export the seeds off to a good start. Depending on the weather, cows may be brought to France, Spain and After harvest, the farmer stores the grain and the indoors to prevent them damaging the grass and soil. Italy. Beef cows and calves are weaned (separated). straw (dried plant stems) is baled and used as They are also popular bedding in the winter months. On the dairy farm, milk is produced year-round, so with the Chinese Harvest strawberries, raspberries and other soft fruit. calving and milking happen throughout the year. community.

Potatoes and other vegetables, like carrots, are Pig farming may be done either indoors or outdoors. harvested. The two main stages of pig production are breeding and finishing, these will happen throughout the year. Apple harvest is ongoing.

Potato grading takes place – this Method Put the golden onions in Cut or fold a sheet of filo is where the stored a pan. Add the garlic and pastry into a rectangle potatoes are sorted chillies. Slowly fry for 2 8 - 10cm wide. Brush with into different minutes. a little oil. Place a dessert spoon of the filling at the sizes ready Ingredients Add the spices and fry end of the strip closest to for transport Farm for 5 - 6 minutes on a low you. Fold over in triangles from the 1 pack filo pastry 200g Scotch Lamb PGI heat. Add the lamb and sealing the end with oil. mince cook, stirring until lightly cold store 2 onions - chopped and Fact! fried until golden 100ml water browned. Place on a baking sheet. to the shop Repeat until pastry and After ploughing, the soil is 2 garlic cloves - peeled 200g garden peas - fresh Add the peas and water. floor. filling are used up. Brush cultivated further to break the and crushed or frozen Cook for 15 minutes until each samosa with oil. soil down into a fine seed bed 2 chillies - chopped 2 tablespoons fresh the mixture is fairly dry. Bake for 10 - 20 minutes coriander - chopped Leave to cool. Add the until golden-brown. before planting seeds. 1 teaspoon each of chopped coriander. ground cumin, coriander, 2 tablespoons rapeseed turmeric and garam oil Heat the oven to 200ºC / masala Gas 6.

Sow Anything garlic season? you are planting in broad beans the soil now needs to be able Other to survive over the winter months. strawberry runners The idea of winter planting is to get the Jobs seed off to a head start for the following Apples Dig soil and, if year. However, if there is a lot of winter rain, Harvest conditions allow, plant seeds may start to rot and/or be eaten by lettuce (if protected) fruit pests. This means it is a good idea to plant leeks Cut autumn raspberry both winter and spring seeds. Farmers canes to ground level follow a similar model having winter carrots and spring varieties of the main Collect leaves to make cereals - wheat and spinach leaf compost barley.

Keep the skins on your apples Scotland is not known for commercially producing as they contain fibre. Bruised apples, however there are a number of small apples do not need to be Did you know? orchards scattered throughout Scotland and many fruit trees are found in gardens and grounds. Reduce thrown out. Simply cut out the When fruit is juiced or blended, sugars are bruised section and use the released from the cells of the fruit which can The majority of apples produced in the UK come your rest of the apple. cause damage to teeth. This is why you should from fruit farms in Hereford and Kent. Don’t forget to keep your try to limit fruit juice to mealtimes. Once the apples are harvested, those not sold waste! bananas separate from other immediately are kept in storage and released into fruit. Bananas make other fruit the market over time. ripen quicker, which can be This means it is possible to eat British apples for great in the case of an avocado most of the year. but not if you want to keep your apples fresh. AUTUMN On the farm: Seafood Planting & Growing Livestock Mackerel is a highly valuable pelagic fish that Potato grading takes place – this is where the stored Livestock is brought in for the winter where required. is caught by a fleet of just 26 large vessels in potatoes are sorted into different sizes ready for Scotland. With livestock indoors, there are the daily tasks of transport from the cold store to the shop floor. cleaning and feeding. There are two key seasons for mackerel: January – February and June – November. The tupping (breeding) season begins for sheep on Mackerel are oil-rich higher ground, where later lambing helps to avoid bad fish, and one of the weather. highest in Omega 3, On the dairy farm, milk is produced year-round, so which is also known as calving and milking happen throughout the year. ‘super fish oil’.

Pig farming may be done either indoors or outdoors. The two main stages of pig production are breeding and finishing, these will happen throughout the year. Method Harvesting of vegetables like carrots, turnips, swedes, Heat the oven to 200ºC/ Gas 6. Place the flour, cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Farm butter and caster sugar in a mixing bowl. Cut Fact! and rub in the butter until Seasonal work is available in Scotland the mixture resembles year-round, but the busiest time of year breadcrumbs. is between May and September. This is Peel, core and thinly when soft fruits like strawberries and slice the apples and raspberries need to be picked. Broccoli, layer in a 1.8 litre oven- carrots, tomatoes and potatoes may proof dish along with the also require seasonal workers for blackberries. hand picking and sorting. Ingredients Sprinkle the crumble 200g plain flour mixture evenly over the 100g butter apples and blackberries. Sprinkle with demerara 75g caster sugar sugar. 600g cooking apples Vegetable harvesting may involve machines and/or Bake for 45 minutes until 150g blackberries manual labour. golden-brown and the 25g demerara sugar apples are soft.

© The Royal Highland Education Trust | The Good Food Learning Resource | 2016 In the WINTER school garden: What’s in Sow Indoor season? mustard planting can cress (indoors) Other still work and the hardy winter vegetables can still be Jobs harvested. Over winter, the frost plays Leeks Harvest Dig soil if conditions an important role in breaking down the leeks allow soil and plays a part in killing off soil borne chard diseases. Farmers often leave a ‘stubble’ Plant fruit of plants such as cereal crop roots on the fields over winter to prevent soil being Cut autumn raspberry washed away by any winter rains. This canes to ground level also helps farm birds by providing Collect leaves to make a source of food over the leaf compost winter.

Leeks are grown in Scotland and are in season from November through to April. Did you know? The seeds are either sown directly into the soil or Two portions of fish should be consumed each propagated indoors and planted out as small plants. week, of which one portion should be an oily They have a long growing season but are tolerant Reduce Harvest only what you need fish (a good source of omega 3). The top five of frosts so can be harvested throughout the winter. from the garden and leave the species consumed are mackerel, prawns, The leek is very versatile and can be eaten raw in your rest in the ground. Make sure haddock, cod and monkfish but there are many salads, fried, or made into delicious hot dishes such you harvest all your vegetables more species to choose from. waste! that will be damaged by the as soups and stews. frost, in good time. Successional sowing of vegetables helps ensure a year round supply. WINTER On the farm: Seafood Planting & Growing Livestock Farmed Scottish Trout are grown in fresh Potato grading takes place – this is where the stored Livestock is brought in for the winter where required water and are considerably smaller than sea potatoes are sorted into different sizes ready for and beef herds are calving. water trout. transport from the cold store to the shop floor. With livestock indoors there are the daily tasks of This fish is high in Omega 3 and vitamin D and Harvesting of vegetables like carrots, turnips, swedes, cleaning and feeding. is growing in popularity cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels sprouts takes place as an export product – The tupping (breeding) season begins for sheep on now. particularly when it is higher ground where later lambing helps to avoid bad sea-grown. Vegetable harvesting may involve machines and/or weather. It has a light pink flesh manual labour. The sheep that are lambing early in the year are and a delicate flavour. scanned to find out how many lambs they are expecting.

They are then separated into groups so that they can be fed the correct amount of food.

Those carrying more than one lamb will require a different diet to those expecting a single lamb. Ingredients 2 teaspoons sunflower oil On the dairy farm, milk is 400g potatoes - peeled, Farm Fact! produced year-round, so boiled and mashed Method calving and milking happen 200g smoked un-dyed Pour the sunflower oil into Divide the mixture into The winter months provide the haddock - skinned, the frying pan and add the 8 even-sized pieces throughout the year. opportunity for farmers to undertake steamed and flaked sliced leeks. Cook over a and shape into rounds medium heat until soft but approximately 2cm thick. machinery maintenance. There is a 100g mushy peas - Pig farming may be done not brown. drained requirement for skilled mechanics to ensure either indoors or outdoors. Dip each fishcake into the equipment is kept in good working order. The two main stages of pig 1 leek - thinly sliced Heat the oven to 200ºC/ beaten egg and coat in Gas 6. In a mixing bowl, breadcrumbs. 2 teaspoons mint jelly This covers a wide range of equipment production are breeding and combine the mashed from onboard computers through to finishing, these will happen 25g fresh breadcrumbs potato, flaked fish, cooled Place on a greased baking tray and bake for maintaining feeding wagons. throughout the year. 75g breadcrumbs - dried leeks, peas, mint jelly, 15 minutes until golden- slowly in the oven 25g fresh breadcrumbs and pepper. Using a brown. 1 egg - beaten fork, thoroughly mix the black pepper ingredients.

RHET aims to provide the opportunity for every child in Scotland to learn about food, farming and the countryside and to create a wider understanding of the environmental, economic and social realities of rural Scotland.

This is achieved through providing farm visits for schools, classroom speaker talks by volunteer farmers, providing free educational resource materials for schools, teacher training opportunities and delivering the Royal Highland Show education programme.

www.rhet.org.uk

Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) undertakes a wide range of health and education work which aims to communicate the important role of red meat in a healthy diet. This includes many school activities such as free healthy eating sessions, cooking demonstrations and the QMS Meat Voucher Scheme.

www.qmscotland.co.uk

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