p i c k l i s t
POTTED ROSEMARY - POTTED NASTURTIUM - BIG BEAUTIFUL BASIL - GARLIC SCAPES - BEET GREENS - CHIVES - RHUBARB - RADISH - STRAWBERRIES
FARM NOTES:
Welcome back CSA friends and fam, old and new! While I am so jazzed to get this party started, I got to be honest with yall, the fields are not ready for big harvests. Prepping for this week really feels like a game in “make a little something out of nothing.” The past month has been an absolute mess with many people getting sick (covid), and said people taking very necessary time away from the farm. Therefore there was a big delay in crop planting/seeding because as it turns out Ray, Garnet, Strong, Pam, Claire and I (the ones on field crew that escaped the vid) can not seed, prep fields, and plant by ourselves. We were down 6 farmers out of 12 on field crew. OOOOPH! What a Spring!
Thus we are totally leaning into our perennial, over-wintered crops and greenhouse plants to pick and eat this week. In particular, I am depending on this spectacular potted rosemary and glorious rhubarb to distract you from noticing the lack of lettuce and the missing cucumber. Oh and please allow me to distract you once more and reintroduce you to an old friend: the beet green.
Back when Anne and Pooh started this farm (48 years ago when dinosaurs roamed the earth) beet greens were the fan favorite. Anne reports, “we used to sell bushels and bushels of beet greens in the beginning.” This is kind of hard to believe with kale, and spinach taking center stage in more recent years. Pooh continues, “Literally. A normal day at the stand in the 80’s would be 3 to 5 bushels of bundled beet greens and the same with red radish. Days prior to arugula, greens and salad mixes.”
To really drive this point home about beet greens, the timeless classic, when George (Edgewater’s beloved 91 year old tractor driver) inquired about CSA this week, there was an obvious pep in his step when he found out beet greens made the list.
Also, Sarah was pumped, and she was born an old soul :)
Personally it’s hard to lean into the beet green when I’ve been spoiled by arugula and baby greens, BUT, these beets greens are beautiful and perfect and tender and are going to make you forget you ever tried kale (maybe?).
Another extremely important note about the beet green before we move into recipes: beet greens are the predecessor to the beet.
Lastly, hello strawberry season, let’s dig in!
PRO-TIPS:
Rosemary rhubarb jam
from edible new hampshire
https://ediblenewhampshire.ediblecommunities.com/recipes/rosemary-rhubarb-jam
JENNY’S NOTE: This jam is my actual fave. This recipe also includes notes for canning- but if you rather eat immediately, then cool and refrigerate for all your Summer toast and crackers. Also, when you fall in love with this jam and finish your own supply, please know that our kitchen makes and stocks this jam in the cooler at the farmstand to sell all Summer long (or until it runs out).
RECIPE: In a large-sized, non-iodized pot combine rhubarb, sugar, rosemary, and lemon juice. Stir to make sure sugar coats everything. Set aside for 30 to 45 minutes.
Heat pot over low-medium heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 7 to 10 minutes, until rhubarb has broken down.
Boil for an additional 2 minutes. Add lemon zest, and remove rosemary.
To process in a hot water bath:
Ladle jam into hot sterilized jars leaving approx. ¼ inch headspace.
Wipe rims, apply lids and rings (finger tight).
Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.
Remove jars from the canner, let cool atop a folded towel on the counter for 12-24 hours.
ALRIGHT LET’S GET INTO THOSE GARLIC SCAPES:
What are they? For you fresh CSA babes, the garlic scape might be a mystery crop, but let me tell you there is magic in those green twisty wands. Garlic scapes grow out of the garlic plant. They are the eventual flower that the garlic would naturally produce. However, we cut them back in order to make a more robust garlic bulb. Plants use a ton of energy to make flowers. When you cut back your flowers, or prune your trees, it might feel disheartening at first (if you know you know). For example, in my own garden, I go through each of the early blossoms and snip back the flowers. We try to do this in our cut flower field as well. This encourages all that good energy that goes into producing flowers to be redirected into the foliage of the plants and its roots, encouraging a stronger, more productive plant over the growing season. However, unlike pruning your tomato plants or apple trees, we get to eat the ‘cut back’ flower right now. For all you medicinal foodies, there are real benefits to eating garlic scapes: immune system support, reduce inflammation, vitamin C, antioxidant properties, etc. The garlic scape is a more mild garlic that can be chopped fresh, fried on the pan, grilled with olive oil & salt (SOOOOO GOOOQOOOOD YOU HAVE TO TRY IT) or pestoed. To move through and enjoy lots of garlic scapes all year long, make a ton of pesto, and freeze!
GARLIC SCAPE PESTO: YIELD About 1 cup recipe from the NYTimes
JENNY’S NOTE: No real measurements here, everything is to taste.
The star of this pesto is the garlic plant’s under-appreciated second offering: the fleeting garlic scape. The ingredients are straightforward except for the substitution of sunflower seeds for pine nuts. The seeds are a fraction of the cost and do the job just as well. A food processor is a must for this recipe. For pesto, ingredient order matters. Start with the scapes and process for about 30 seconds. Add the seeds until they are broken down and mixed well with the scapes. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula for wandering bits. Next, pour in the olive oil. If you have Parmesan cheese in chunks, add it now, but if it is grated, wait until the scapes and seeds smooth out. If you’re serving right away, add the basil and lemon juice. If not, hold back on the basil for now — otherwise the pesto will lose its vibrant color. Add generously to cooked spaghetti or spread on crusty bread.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup garlic scapes, sliced crosswise (about 10 to 12 scapes)
¼ cup raw sunflower seeds
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
½ cup basil leaves
Juice of one lemon
PREPARATION
Place the garlic scapes in a food processor and pulse for 30 seconds.
Add the sunflower seeds and pulse for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the olive oil and process on high for 15 seconds.
Add the Parmesan cheese and pulse until the ingredients are combined.
Add the basil and lemon juice, and process until reaching the desired consistency.
Add salt to taste and serve immediately.
BEET GREENS:
Eat fresh- chopped like a salad, dressed with your favorite dressing and topped with stinky, salty cheese (feta, blue cheese, etc…)
Or cooked into anything where greens get cooked (eggs/ spaghetti/ curry/ etc…)
RADISHES:
SLICE IN HALF, SMEAR WITH BUTTER, SPRINKLE WITH SALT… DEVOUR
STRAWBERRIES:
needs no recipe, you know what to do.