Tuesday, June 28, 2011

CSA Harvest! And, a visit to Doe Bay

The end of June is bringing more and more produce of substance to the garden... strawberries, beets, artichokes, the first peas.  I ate a tender young carrot the other day.  Here's what today's harvest looked like:

1/2 lb. salad greens
1 bunch kale
1 bunch beets - finally sized up after a few thinning harvests
1/2 lb. broccoli sideshoots (tender stems that grow after cutting the crown)
1 bunch garlic scapes
1 pint Seascape strawberries

Garlic scapes are the attempt at flowers that hardneck garlic makes mid-summer.  Snapping off the green stem means energy is not diverted from the bulb up into seed production.  Lucky for us, these tasty green stalks are fantastic when drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper, and grilled.  I also will pickle these whole; the consistency and texture are somewhat similar to a bean or asparagus.  The scapes have a mild garlic flavor and can also be stir-fried whole or in cut diagonal pieces.  A unique, one-time crop!

In the afternoon I took a field trip with my helper Serena and our 4-year-old friend to the east side of the island to deliver broccoli and a few pounds of scapes to Doe Bay Cafe.  This restaurant is supported by an amazing on-site garden and also serves local produce from various farms around the island.  Their commitment to local agriculture is strong and the food is awesome; a few weeks back I ate one of those meals that makes you think, "This will be remembered as one of the best ever."  I am glad to contribute to that continued awesomeness.
  
A mile up the road lives one of my dear friends and farming inspirations, George of Orcas Farm.  I always love visiting this farm.  George's use of interplanting and cover crops is just incredible, the beds are beautifully formed and maintained, and his produce is lovely.  At the end of the day we drove home quiet and tired, bellies full of berries and waiting for the rain.

2 comments:

  1. I love that last image with the berries and rain. ALSO: TINA. I am OBSESSED with garlic scapes. I think they're my favorite part of early summer. Maybe tied with asparagus.

    ReplyDelete
  2. P.S. Do you like shmears? If so, I have this favorite: whiz together a couple cups of freshly shelled peas (maybe blanch them for a minute or two first), a handful of basil, some parmesan cheese, as many roasted garlic scapes as you want and a little olive oil. Whiz 'um all together and eat the shmear on anything. It's like CRACK!

    ReplyDelete