garlic scapes logo
Dear Common Thread CSA Members,
 
You can find out what the vegetables for the week are by going to our "What's In" page on our website and checking out the PYO page on our website.   We will be updating this page sometime Monday night even if we don't manage to get the CSA email out until Tuesday, so if you would like a heads up before the email comes out, you can always check the website.
 
It was a muddy, muddy week last week with daily rain, so our crew now knows what it is like to have platform shoes made out of mud.  A solid week of rain at this time of year really sets the planting and cultivation back (we can't work the ground when it's wet) so we are scrambling to catch up before the next round of rain comes. 

We are having a hard time finding time to get some critical weeding done, especially our carrots, parsnips, and some kale and cabbages.  We would love help.  If you've been thinking of volunteering, now would be a great time and very much appreciated!  Before we came here, we ran a community farm for a nonprofit in Poughkeepsie  where most of our shares were working shares.  We found a lot of people really enjoyed their time on the farm, often not anticipating how rewarding it would be until they gave it a try...you might like it too!  We are open to volunteers Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 7:30 and noon, and on Saturdays between 9 am and noon.  Please email us or give us a call at 882-0086 if you plan to come so we can plan for it.
 
This week: Garlic Scapes!  This are the stalks of the garlic flower that needs to be removed from the garlic plant so that the bulbs will size up.  Fortunately, they are also very tasty, like a mild garlic scallion.  They can be diced small and used as a garnish raw, or cut up and added to stir fries.  They can also be used to make a garlic scape pesto to be eaten with pasta, on crackers, or in sandwiches.  
 
Garlic Farm Legacy Scape Pesto Recipe

1 cup (or less) freshly grated Parmesan cheese or other sharp Italian cheese 

1-2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice, adjusted to taste 
1/4 pound roughly chopped scapes 
1/2 cup olive oil 
salt to taste 
Puree scapes, olive oil, and juice in a blender or food processor until nearly smooth. (You can make a smooth paste if you prefer, but most people like a little texture in the pesto.) Gently stir in the cheese or gingerly pulse the cheese into the mixture; take it easy as you mix in the cheese to avoid making the pesto gummy by overblending. Taste and then adjust juice and salt to taste.

Store in the refrigerator to use within two or three days; freeze for longer storage.

 

We still have scallions this week.  We'll continue to have them in smaller quantities throughout the season, but soon we'll have mini-onions, and then early onions, so their place of prominence at the beginning of the season is almost over. Scallions are great as a garnish, and they also work well as a substitute for onions in stirfries, soups, casseroles, etc.  Our apprentice Sarah said she stir-fried half a bunch with two heads of broccoli and it was very tasty.

  

We use the stalks as well as the crown of broccoli.  We peel the hard outer layer off the stalk and then dice the remaining stalk and cook with the rest of the broccoli. Here is our favorite recipe for broccoli and bok choi:

 

Beef, Broccoli, and Bok Choi

Ingredients:

  • 1 Bok choi, 1-2 stalks of broccoli, and 2 carrots
  • Garlic, 2 cloves (or try garlic scapes instead)
  • Ginger (marble sized piece)
  • Stew beef (1 lb package)
  • Oil (toasted sesame oil is good for some of the oil)
  • Soy sauce or tamari
  • Honey
  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Corn starch, 2 Tb

1. Uniformly slice a mix of carrots, broccoli and bok choi (separating the leaves from the stems).

2.  In a large heavy pan, sauté some garlic and ginger in olive oil.

3.  Add stew beef (which is easy to find locally raised and grass fed) sliced thin and brown, then remove from the pan.

4.   Add a little more oil (toasted sesame oil is nice at this point), and sauté vegetables starting with the carrots, adding the broccoli and bok choi stems aiming to have all the vegetables cooked al dente at the same time.

5.  When the vegetables are cooked, add the beef back.

6.  Add soy sauce, honey, and apple cider vinegar to taste and simmer for a few minutes

7.  Add 2 Tbsp of corn starch dissolved in a half cup of water, and the bok choi leaves.

8.  Put the lid on and turn down the heat until the leaves are cooked and the corn  starch has thickened the base.

9.  Serve over rice

 

Yours in the field,
Wendy and Asher