Jammin'

This was the week for making strawberry jam.  I always love driving out to Parkman anyway, but coming home with a car load of organic strawberries made this trip better than most. Within a few hours of being picked that morning, these berries were in the jars.

Removing the hulls.

Mashing the berries.

   Cooking.

 Processing to seal the lids.

This week, in addition to organic strawberry jam, we will have arugula, swiss chard, kale, salad mix, lettuce, red and golden beets, cilantro and garlic scapes.  Hope to see you tomorrow!

Garlic Scapes

This is the second and final week that we will have scapes. Garlic scapes are the "flower stalks" of hardneck garlic plants, although they do not produce flowers. These stalks start to appear a month or so after the first leaves. They are usually cut off of the plant, since leaving them on only diverts the plants strength away from forming a plump bulb.

The curls you see are the scapes. One way to enjoy an early taste of summer is to make a pesto. Here is a simple recipe from Dorie Greenspan:

GARLIC SCAPE AND ALMOND PESTO
Makes about 1 cup
10 garlic scapes, finely chopped
1/3 to 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan (to taste and texture)
1/3 cup slivered almonds (you could toast them lightly, if you'd like)
About 1/2 cup olive oil
Sea salt

Put the scapes, 1/3 cup of the cheese, almonds and half the olive oil in the bowl of a food processor (or use a blender or a mortar and pestle).  Whir to chop and blend all the ingredients and then add the remainder of the oil and, if you want, more cheese.  If you like the texture, stop; if you'd like it a little thinner, add some more oil.  Season with salt.

If you're not going to use the pesto immediately, press a piece of plastic against the surface to keep it from oxidizing. The pesto can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of days or packed airtight and frozen for a couple of months, by which time tomatoes should be at their juciest.

You can also saute the scapes in a little olive oil. The following recipe is from Mother Earth News.

2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
8 ounces young garlic scapes, trimmed
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped tomatoes
3/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper or to taste
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1/4 cup grilled haloumi cheese,
cut into very small dice (see note below) 

Heat the oil in a broad sauté pan and add sugar. Stir to caramelize the sugar for about 2 to 3 minutes and add the scapes. Cover and sauté over a medium-high heat for no more than 3 minutes, occasionally shaking the pan to prevent the scapes from scorching. After 3 minutes, add the chopped tomatoes and wine. Stir the pan, then cover and reduce the heat to low; continue cooking 5 to 6 minutes, or until the scapes are tender but not soft. Season, then add the parsley and haloumi, and serve at room temperature.

Serves 6 to 8 as hors d’oeuvres.

Note: Haloumi cheese is a goat and/or sheep cheese made in Cyprus and now widely available in the United States. It can be sliced and grilled, or fried in a skillet, and it doesn’t melt. Haloumi’s salty flavor is a great addition to this recipe, but other salty cheeses such as cheddar or aged chevre can be substituted.

This week at the market we will also have: Swiss chard, Tuscan kale, 3 kinds of lettuce, salad mix, arugula and cilantro.

                                                                           Kale

                                                                     Cilantro

This load of weeds came out of the beet row this morning. The beets are coming along nicely. We should have them at the market next week.

                                                                      Golden beet

Hope to see you Saturday!