6.20.2014

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!

6.12.2014

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.
                                                                      Golden beet

Hope to see you Saturday!