Broccoli, Garlic Scape and Strawberries

Harvesting in the rain is quite an exhilarating experience. It's much easier to stay indoors, but when work needs to be done you gotta get out there! A brief hail storm on Sunday damaged exposed chard leaves (darn it!) and had us running around covering and recovering everything. Despite all this rain, notably a 100 year record, we did manage to harvest some beautiful vegetables.

Adorning the table this week from our farm you'll find: summer squash, chard, radishes, lettuce, scapes, garlic, red spring onions, salad greens, green onions. From the coastal climes: English Peas, Strawberries, snap peas, artichokes, kale and fava beans.

Recipes: Garlic Scapes

GARLIC SCAPE PESTO

1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

3 Tbsp fresh lime or lemon juice

1/4 lb scapes

1/2 cup olive oil

salt to taste

Puree scapes and olive oil in a food processor until smooth. Stir in Parmesan and lime or lemon juice and season to taste. Serve on bread, crackers or pasta.

Adapted from Mary Jane Butters

What the heck is a garlic scape?

This was my question to Christine last week as she handed me a bag of curly garlic scapes. We were both in a rush so there was only time for this quick explanation: flower stalk thing of a garlic plant- delightfully tasty. I was left to experiment on my own all week and am here to enthusiastically report that garlic scapes are fantastic!

First I finely chopped them into eggs much like I do with green garlic and the results were similarly wonderful. The tips of the scapes are little bulb-like seed pods that I found a bit tough so I used them as garnish. In fact the whimsical shape of scapes inspires the visual imagination and you may find yourself wanting to embellish everything you cook with them. Their mild flavor makes it quite possible to munch on them raw in whole stalk form, so why not?

You can also add scapes to salads, soups, vegetable stir frys, and just about anything you might be inclined to pair with garlic. A goggle search uncovered several pesto recipes that I have yet to try but that sound divine.

Apparently we are quite fortunate to have this short seasoned treat at all. Scapes are found only on hardneck varieties, not the softneck varieties that most California farmers grow. The stalk is removed to encourage bulb growth and until recently scapes mostly landed in compost piles. Thanks to Christine and Eric's love and knowledge of garlic, we get to play with this sublimely delicious plant in our kitchens.

Kathryn Lukas, owner of Farmhouse Culture

FAVA BEANS RECIPE HINTS:

Try grilling Fava Beans for a unique and healthy twist to your BBQ menu.
Lightly fry fresh beans in a little olive oil and a light touch of savory thyme or sage.
Create a delicious Fava Bean, Asparagus and Arugula salad with shaved parmesan.
Try a sauté of fresh Fava Beans, onions, and Fennel. Fava Beans also go great with their springtime partner, the Artichoke.
A favorite, traditional Italian appetizer is peeled, cooked Fava Beans sprinkled with olive oil and salt, along with salami, prosciutto and slices of pecorino cheese.

PLANT SALE:

May is planting time!

We have plenty of seedlings of all types (tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, cucumbers and squash) as well as seeds.

Compost is available through Brice Station between Murphys and Avery. You must call ahead: Stuart Mast 768-7262.

If you enjoy sowing your own seeds, now is the time to start all your summer crops. We have a wonderful array of vegetable varieties to choose from: lemon cucumbers, dill, Cherokee purple tomatoes to lettuce, basil and beans.

The store will be stocked with gardening supplies as well, covers, hoops, irrigation tape and deer fencing. Eric will be available on Thursdays to answer your questions.

Outer Aisle FOODS & GOODS "Essentials for the 21st Century". Our mission is to facilitate a speedy transition to a sustainable economy by offering the essential tools, ingredients and knowledge to prepare us for the 21st century.

Behind the scenes of Outer Aisle is Taylor Mountain Gardens. Located just around the corner on Main Street in Douglas Flat, our nearly two acre "beyond organic" farm produces a large variety of seasonal vegetables including these seasonal highlights: summer heirloom tomatoes, fall cauliflower, winter carrots and spring potatoes to name just a few!

OuterAisle FOODS operates a year round CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program. We distribute the highest quality, local, seasonal and regional produce and products to members all over Calaveras and Tuolumne Counties. We only purchase product from farms and producers who are committed to ecologically sustainable practices and go beyond the National "Organic" standards.