Summer CSA Week Three | Scape Velocity

Week 3: July 2nd - July 5th

Reminder: please check your name off the list when you pick up your bag - this helps us track how many share members have yet to come through so we can stock the CSA to the best of our ability! Thank you!

“It’s probably the most underrated crop that we grow on the farm.” That’s what I said on Tuesday, as we harvested garlic scapes, snapping them off from the garlic plant and bunching them in the field. My hands still smell like garlic, and I don’t even mind - that’s how deep my appreciation for garlic scapes runs. 

For the uninitiated, garlic scapes are the would-be flower of each bulb of garlic we grow. Each June they emerge from the center of the garlic plant, do a fun little loop-de-loop, and reach for the sky. By harvesting them, we send a signal to the plants to focus their energy on bulking up their cloves and storing energy underground, rather than putting all of their resources into producing a single flower. 

The result is, for one, bigger and better garlic cloves. But the other benefit - perhaps even more important - is that these pre-flower stalks are an absolute delicacy. They have a wonderful garlic flavor with very little spice - perfect for adding color and flavor to a variety of dishes. Use them as the base (or the only) ingredient in a fresh pesto that will knock your socks off, add them to anything you’re cooking for a garlicky kick, or pickle them for a burst of flavor in salads and pastas. And even better: they freeze really well for year-round use.

Garlic is one of the few plants that gives us two distinct harvests in the season - first the scapes and then the bulbs. And scapes are unique to a type of garlic called "hardneck" garlic, which is more robust and can handle Minnesota winters. In warmer climates, garlic doesn't produce scapes - their loss.

After some smaller harvests in the last two weeks, today we finished off our scapes for the season, harvesting all of the remaining scapes from our 2,400 garlic plants. We'll have them in CSA and market for the next two weeks, and then they'll disappear until next year. An ephemeral, adaptable vegetable. 

Beyond the scapes, things on the farm have been reveling in the combination of heat and rain we’ve been getting, and crops are mostly in the process of recovering from the hail storm. We’re hopeful that besides the immediate losses of salad and lettuce, plants will grow through the damage they sustained and yields wont be diminished too significantly - although we're still in the "crossing our fingers" stage. Thanks to everyone who has shared kind words via email, social media, or in the market. We love growing food for this community!

Have a week full of healthy e-scape-ism,

Chris, Ashley, and the 10th Street Farmers

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In Your Share This Week

Cucumber (1-2 half share, 2-3 full share): Crunchy and refreshing, chop up for a salad, add to sandwiches or just eat raw! Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

Garlic Scapes: This loopy fella is the flowering part of a garlic plant - chop it up and use it just like garlic. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

Broccolini: Tasty tender broccoli shoots - eat them leaves and all. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

Choice:

• Carrots: Spring carrots are sweet, crunchy, and oh so addicting! Remove tops and store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

• Beets: These earthy beauties are good in sweet and savory roles alike. Boil, roast, or grate into baked goods! Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

Choice:

• Cauliflower (green-stemmed): This early, green-stemmed cauliflower variety has a looser “curd” than traditional cauliflower, but stems that almost resemble broccoli. Tender and sweet, the whole thing is edible! Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

• Kohlrabi: These alien-like roots are a cousin of radishes and salad turnips - mild and delicious. Peel and eat raw or cooked! Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

• Cabbage: Green cabbage is equally tasty in a fresh cole slaw and roasted in the oven. Versatile, storable, and beautiful. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

Choice: 

• Jalapeño Pepper: Add some zip to whatever you’re cooking up! Not the hottest pepper, but these flavorful and familiar jalapeños serve up plenty of spice! Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

• Cilantro microgreens: Zippy micros to add a little flavor to whatever's on your plate! Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

• Fresh onion: These fresh onions are perfect in any recipe that calls for an onion! Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

• Herb: Parsley, dill, mint, or rosemary!

Choice:

• Farm Mix Salad Mix: A diverse mix of tasty red and green lettuces. Delicious with just olive oil and salt, or dress it up! Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

• Flavor Mix microgreens: Mild and tasty, these make an easy salad on their own or can add some color to any other salad. Try them on eggs or sandwiches – or anything, really! Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

HALF SHARE CHOICE:

• Cherry Tomatoes: The first cherry tomatoes of the year! Store on the counter - never in the fridge!

• Tomatoes: The first slicers of the year! Store on the counter - never in the fridge!

• Eggplant: Tasty and versatile - perfect grilled, or in baba ganoush. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

FULL SHARE CHOICE: 

• Arugula microgreens: Peppery micros add a little punch to pizza, salads, pestos, sandwiches, eggs, and more. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

• Power Greens Micro Mix: Our newest micro mix! A nutrient-dense blend of broccoli, kale, daikon, and bekana sure to power up any dish!

• Salad Turnips: Also called Hakurei Turnips, these fresh-eating turnips are tasty and versatile. Slice them up with hummus, sauté them, roast them in the oven, or even try them on the grill. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

• Radishes: Add to salads or sandwiches for a little extra flavor. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

Kitchen Inspiration

If you’re inspired by scapes, you can’t go wrong with garlic scape pesto - so good! Or use them in some garlic scape hummus. Or if you’re grilling for the fourth of July, why not toss them on the grill? And speaking of BBQ, spice up your plate this weekend with some cucumber quick pickles or a classic cole slaw! YUM.

If you've found a recipe you're loving, please send it our way. We're always looking for new things to cook and share with other members!

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Please remember to bring back your Purple or Blue bag!