CSA Newsletter 7-3-2011

Share Contents This Week

  • Garlic scapes
  • Peas – Sugarsnap, Snow
  • Chinese Cabbage
  • Lettuce – Green, Red
  • Arugala
  • Mustard Greens Mix
  • Scallions
  • Cilantro

I know we promised 5-7 items per week, but this time you get 8, because, well, you’re special!

Recipe of the Week

Garlic scapes are as edible as the garlic bulb itself. Sautee them in oil and use in stir fries, soups, or omelettes. You can also make Garlic Scape Pesto, as explained below.

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.

News on the Farm

This week we welcomed our farm dog, Rowe to the family. She is a 9-week old English Shepard bred to herd and protect (not eat) chickens. So far, she has proven her acumen at herding children, nipping at their heels while they try unsuccessfully to outrun her. We hope that next year she will be able to keep pests out of the garden and eliminate the need for electric fencing.

Also new this week, we have installed bicycle tires on the chicken coops so that they will be easier to move. I think I have been overheard in the past saying “This is living hell,” while lifting and guiding the heavy coops to fresh pasture. Cursing no more – the wheels make pasture management a breeze. Additionally, we feel cool using recycled bicycle parts on our farm.

And believe it or not, the weeds are under control. Having a lot of farm time this week means that everything is planted, weeded, and beautifully mulched. We’ll enjoy that while it lasts.

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