Everything in the field is starting to grow: each day the plants look bigger! Still the pick list this week is small as we only were able to plant seeds and starts a few weeks ago. This week we will have:
- Strawberries
- Garlic Scapes
- Pac Choy
- Kale
- Arugula
- Flowers
- Herbs
Garlic Scapes are the tops of the hard neck garlic that we snap off to encourage the plant to focus its energy on growing the bulb. They have a mild garlic flavor and a crunchier texture. You can substitute it for garlic in most recipes. One of the simplest ways to prepare them is to roast them: lay them out on a sheet pan, sprinkle with olive oil and salt, and bake them in a 400 degree oven until they are slightly browned and tender. You can eat them like this or chop them and use them in other recipes. I like to make them into pesto.
Roasted Garlic Pesto (Adapted from Dorie Greenspan, www.doriegreenspan.com)
Makes about 1 cup
10 roasted garlic scapes, chopped
1/3 cup finely grated cheese
1/3 cup roasted almonds
About 1/2 cup olive oil
Sea salt
Put the scapes, 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. If you like the texture, stop; if you'd like it a little thinner, add some more oil. Season with salt.
Loading hay into the barn.
We cut a small field of volunteer hay this Saturday. It has been beautiful weather for the hay to dry. It is already baled and in the barn! Check out our Facebook page for more photos.
Now that most of the crops are planted, the weeding season has begun! We are slowly working our way through the fields, using a combination of tractor cultivation, hoes and our hands. It is very satisfying to see a clean bed when we are done.
We also had 2 calves born this week, a heifer calf to Maude and a bull calf to Ursula. The calves are healthy and strong, and the first time mothers are doing great.
Lastly, I wanted to introduce you to our amazing crew that we have helping us this year.
Jorge, Jay, Regina, and Jose
We look forward to seeing you this Friday!