Text 1: Keeping the camp kitchen stocked, by Bethan Price

An original contemporary online article.

At the end of term, I helped cook for a school camp in a field outside Cwmderi. We had no fridge, so we kept vegetables in a shaded store room on the north side of the dining hut. Wooden slats under the crates let air move around them. The potatoes and carrots stayed in good condition for most of the week.

We collected fresh vegetables from the nearby farm twice during the camp rather than bringing everything on the first day. Lettuce was harder to manage. We wrapped it in a clean, damp cloth and used it early in the week, but a few leaves still wilted before we could serve them. We checked the crates each morning and removed any damaged vegetables.

Text 2: A stallholder’s notes on summer produce, by Idris Morgan

An original contemporary magazine feature.

On warm days at the market, I set my vegetable stall beneath a canvas awning. It keeps direct sun off the produce, and I place leafy vegetables in shallow trays with a little cool water at the bottom. I bring the trays out in small batches, topping them up as customers buy the vegetables, rather than leaving the whole day’s stock on display.

Some produce needs a different approach. Potatoes keep best in a dark, dry crate behind the stall, while lettuce is sold first because it loses its crispness sooner. At closing time I check what remains and set aside anything bruised before it affects the rest.