Top Tips

Stay subscribed to ‘News From the Arch’ – our newsletter! When you join Local Greens, you will receive our weekly customer newsletter direct to your inbox. It has the most up-to-date info for that week’s bag, collection point updates, seasonal recipe ideas, news from our farmers and community, and general fun facts and a good read. Be sure to stay signed-up so you’re always in the know about what’s happening with your bag. You can sign-up right here if need to. Because of GDPR, if you unsubscribe, you will have to manually re-add yourself to the list

Local Greens is a system built on trust. Please always only take the items for the week that you have paid for. Please visit our collection points in a respectful manner.

Please return your bags every week. We sort and clean them at the arch, so they are ready to go back out the following week. This works well when everyone returns bags promptly and keeps single-use plastic out of our system. We really do need them back
every week so this system works. Please set a reminder so you don’t forget to return your bag!

When you collect, please tick off your name on the clipboard. Remember to collect during the designated times for your location on Thursday and Friday to ensure your veggies are at their freshest. We are able to guarantee bags until the end of business on Friday. If you find your name not on that week’s list, please contact us before you take a bag. Please do not take a bag if your name is not on the list. Any account changes should happen by Sunday at 11pm to take effect for that Thursday’s delivery. You’ll receive an automated email every Sunday reminding you
about your order. If you’re happy with it, there’s nothing more for you to do. If you want to make changes, login to your customer account to make any needed adjustments.

Never let a veg stump you again. Our website houses a recipe repository with hundreds of ideas and inspirations for the most common potato and the most unusual green. You can even search by vegetable or fruit name. Check it out at https://www.localgreens.org.uk/recipe

1. Each week, as soon as you get your veg bag home is the best time to go through and clean the contents. This will extend the freshness and life of your fruit and vegetables. Some veggies will have dirt on them or friends from the soil like slugs. Please do wash the veg before you store them or eat them.
2. In hot weather, please do your best to collect your bag as early as possible. Most of our sheds are not climate controlled and heat will spoil the fresh veg more quickly.
3. Quick storage guide - most veggies like to stay cool. Here’s a handy guide on where each will thrive:
   • Onions, potatoes, whole squash, dried garlic – a cool, dry location, out of the fridge
   • Tomatoes – out of the fridge, preferably in their own vessel and away from bananas. Chilling tomatoes ruins their sweetness and texture. They will taste better like this, trust us. Also, use a serrated knife when slicing them to keep the juices in the flesh.
   • Leafy greens – in the fridge in a sealed container or bag
   • Apples, pears – in a fruit bowl
   • Soft fruit - in the fridge. If peaches or stone fruits are not quite ripe, leave them in the fruit bowl for a few days
   • All other veggies – washed and loose in the fridge
   • Soft, leafy herbs, such as parsley, coriander or mint, are best stored in a small glass of water in the fridge, like a bouquet of flowers. Give their stems a little snip before storing and keep any leaves above the water line to prevent spoiling. This method works well for asparagus too.
4. If your lettuce or green leaves appear limp after collection, give them an ice bath and they will regain their perk and crunch.

Make the freezer your best friend: If something is starting to look sad, or you know you won’t be able to use it, rescue it before it’s too late by prepping it for the freezer. You can cut and portion many vegetables, pop them in bags and store them in the freezer for later use. Many veggies will last for months this way, and can be cooked right from frozen. Be sure to label what the item is and the date you froze it, so there are never mystery blocks of ice lurking in your drawers.

Start your own stock: when you have carrot peels, celery leaves, bits of onion or other veg scraps left over from your bag, you have the perfect start to homemade stock. Pile your scraps into a large pot, add desired seasonings, and cover everything with water. Simmer on a low heat for an hour or two, then strain and use the liquid for all of your vegetable stock needs. You can keep a container in the freezer to collect scraps over several weeks until you have enough for a big stock batch, and also freeze the stock once it’s prepared. Consider using an ice cube tray to freeze in single servings too.

Separate leaves and bulbs: at certain times of the year, beetroot, carrots, fennel and other roots will come with their leafy tops intact. When this happens, remove the leaves from the bulbs, as they will drain nutrients from the root and make them go soft more quickly. Store each part separately. Beetroot greens are delicious in a stir-fry and carrot tops can be whizzed into pesto or a tabbouleh. Fennel fronds make a lovely  garnish, or can be steeped in hot water for a digestive tea.

Leftover herbs: If a full bunch of herbs is too much to use before it goes off, try chopping them up into butter for an herby spread. Some herbs will work wonderfully to create infused oil, or can be soaked in a simple syrup to perk up cocktails and beverages. You can also blitz the herb with olive oil and pour into an ice cube try and freeze. You can mix this right into cooking any time of the year. Works wonderfully with wild garlic.

Pickle it: When you need a flavour pick me up, create a simple pickle brine with vinegar, salt, sugar and herbs and spices to your delight. Most vegetables can be pickled or fermented. It will preserve veg for months, and make a cracking sandwich filler, salad topper or snack.

When really in doubt, throw it in a soup, blend it in a smoothie, or roast it with some olive oil and salt. It’s hard to go wrong with any of those methods.