2015 CSA Week 6

Greetings,


Everything should be familiar in this week's shares EXCEPT the garlic scapes. These are beautiful and tasty morsels. See Amanda's description and photos below.

In shares this week...

Item	How to store it	How long will it last?
Swiss Chard	washed & thoroughly dried or unwashed, in fridge, sealed in container or plastic bag	1-2 weeks
Kale	washed & thoroughly dried or unwashed, in fridge, sealed in container or plastic bag	1-2 weeks
Summer Squash and Zucchini	unwashed in fridge	1-2 weeks
Bell Peppers	washed or unwashed in fridge	1-2 weeks
Cucumbers	washed or unwashed in fridge	1-2 weeks
Garlic Scapes	washed or unwashed in fridge	1-2 weeks
Tomatoes	room temperature	several days

I really enjoyed the tomatoes from last week. I chop them into salads and pasta, then made big slices for sandwiches. Heaven!

 

From Amanda...

Garlic - a primer
In the spring and early summer, our garlic plants send up lots of long leaves and a thin shoot with a few interesting loops and a little knot called a "scape."  It is essentially the "flower" of the garlic plant although it doesn't actually look like a flower.

Finley dissected one in the field and exclaimed - "Look, there are garlic babies inside!"  

We clip these thin, curly shoots and scapes for two reasons: 1) they are delicious! and 2) it allows the plant to direct energy into the roots for a better harvest of garlic bulbs in the fall.  You can think of these as you might green onions - thin, tender versions of the familiar bulb.  Grill or sautee them as you might any other green vegetable and serve them as a flavorful side alone or mixed with other veggies.  If you're not a huge garlic fan and you'd prefer to use them as an accent rather than a main ingredient, chop and sautee them and add them into a salad, hummus, or pesto or create your own herbed butter.  The good news is, you can't go wrong. Enjoy!

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We express special thanks to Dr. Tara Horn for this beautiful shot of bok choy sauteed in sesame oil, soy sauce, and garlic.  We LOVE seeing the creative ways our CSA members enjoy products from the farm and this lovely photo and simple recipe delighted us.  Thank you Dr. Tara Horn!

 Have a great (and nutritious) week!
~Nancy