Pick List:
Strawberries - Garlic Scapes - Rhubarb - Cilantro - Lettuce -
Hakurai Turnips - Nasturtium Starts - Scallions - Cucumbers
Truth be told I’ve been sitting at the computer for way too long thinking about what to write about this week… and honestly, my brain is fried. While there is something so special about getting up day after day, at the literal 4:45am-crack-of-dawn to begin berry picking by 5, it is without a doubt starting to take a toll on my mental capacity to think deep thoughts, write this newsletter and have a conversation with literally anyone. The coffee's never quite strong enough… So, I’m going to write in bullet points (because quite frankly, it’s the easiest form of communication) to give you all a breakdown of this week at Edgewater Farm...
It RAINED!!
We are officially deep into strawberry season.
The beloved though hastened rain, gave way for field plantings of lettuce, swiss chard, kale, and other greens
With the rain came the weeds. We’ve all been doing our part cultivating - by hand and by tractor- so we don’t lose any crops this year to clover, purslane, lambsquarter, nettles or any other weeds that can really overtake a field… yes, i just named edible plants- no, we are not trying to grow them for food or profit. If you love wild harvesting, please feel free to stop in at any time and pick all of them- BUT YOU MUST PICK ALL OF THEM FROM EVERY SINGLE FIELD.
PYO (pick your own) Strawberries begins today, Wednesday, June 20th!!
The fields for picking are located at our satellite farm in Cornish NH.
The address to google is: 949 NH Route 12A/ Cornish NH 03745
The hours are 7-noon, 4-7pm (this is to insure that no one passes out in the mid-day heat).
Picking prices:
Picked strawberries under 10#... 3.25/#
Picked strawberries Over 10#... 2.50/#
Picked strawberries Over 50#... 2.10/#
Also noteworthy, it’s a cash or check only operation
and the most noteworthy mention of all, the berries are beautiful and sweet AND PLENTIFUL!
TIPS - TRICKS - RECIPES:
note about Garlic Scapes: Each individual scape is cut from the top of the garlic plant. By Cutting the escape from the plant, the energy it takes to produce that scape (flower) goes back into the plant producing a bigger garlic bulb. As a result, we get good size garlic come harvest time, as well as delicious garlic scapes to hold us over until then. They have a mild garlicky flavor. Chop, saute and add them wherever you might add garlic. Also noteworthy, they make an excellent addition to an early season bouquet. For example, i keep my scapes in a vase with a bit of water on our kitchen table simply because it looks cool.
But For REAL Meal magic, consider making the following:
GARLIC SCAPE PESTO!!
I can not stress enough how insanely good this stuff is. Make a ton! It freezes beautifully. I still have some leftover in my freezer from last season because I’ve been hoarding it for myself- it’s that precious.
Makes: about 1 1/2 cups
1 cup garlic scapes, sliced crosswise
¼ cup pine nuts
½ cup good olive oil
¼ cup Parmesan
Salt and pepper, to taste
Add the scapes and pine nuts to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until everything is broken up a bit. Then turn the processor back on, and with it running, add the oil a little at a time until it's fully incorporated.
Add cheese, pulse, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
This won't brown like basil pesto will, so if you're not using immediately, just store in a container in the fridge. It will last a week.
Your Hakurai Turnips
The internet is full of recipes on roasting these pearly whites in olive oil, or pickling- but honestly, they are SO GOOD on their own. Great in a salad and even better sliced like chips and used as a vehicle to devour your garlic scape pesto.
Your Nasturtium Plant
Plant in FULL SUN. If in a pot, water as needed- If in the ground, water daily for the first week and then pray for rain. The plant produces edible flowers that are spicy and excellent additions to any Summer salads.