KOHLRABI AND GARLIC SCAPES-- INTRIGUING, BEAUTIFUL... AND DELICIOUS! PEAS ARE IN!

So, when I walked into the farm store, there was Jenny munching on some GARLIC SCAPE PESTO... "Try some!" she said enthusiastically.  "It's a Jennie creation!" (different Jennie, the gourmet cook/catering neighbor we mentioned last post).  If you are not familiar with the "scape", fear not.  While the hardy bulb is maturing below the grounds surface, this citron green tender stalk curls into the air above.  The taste is divine--a little mellower than the bulb itself.  It can STAND ALONE with a little olive oil and sea salt atop a fresh mozzarella pizza or sauté in brown butter with your favorite fresh veggie--corn is exquisite.  Go wild with these fun green curls and let us know what you use them in!

JENNY OFFERING UP "SCAPES"

Neighbor Jennie's Scape Pesto and Hummus--Come Try Some

THE SCAPES SO FINE

Here's another "INTRIGUING" veggie--the KOHLRABI!

It was once a European favorite and is having a happy comeback in veggie popularity.  Just look at it--E.T. is calling for it I'm certain.  In case you are not familiar with this gem, it is a member of the brassica oleracea (cabbage) family--German origin meaning "cabbage turnip"/kohl as in cole slaw, rübe for turnip.   It is mild, delicately sweet, crisp and moist.  Jenny cut a wedge for me--mmmm, it had me.  Here is a recipe to try, but don't feel "locked in" to make cole slaw--I've found recipes to roast it, make kohlrabi curry, pickles... your options are many!

KOHLRABI SLAW

1/4 cup cream
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon good mustard
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Salt & pepper to taste - go easy here
Fresh mint, chopped1 pound fresh kohlrabi, trimmed, peeled, grated or cut into batons with a Benriner
2 apples, peeled, grated or cut into batons (try to keep equivalent volumes of kohlrabi:apple)

carrots (optional)

Whisk cream into light pillows - this takes a minute or so, no need to get out a mixer. Stir in remaining dressing ingredients, the kohlrabi and apple. Serve immediately. 

Many herbs for your summer dishes--TARRAGON  in your chicken salad, BASIL with your fresh tomatoes...

What more can we say??  A favorite at the store!
Blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes, drain, chop, then sauté with olive oil, garlic, add some red pepper flakes... voila!
Or, my grandmother's way--simply blanch and serve with red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, and maybe a dot of butter.

RHUBARB, STRAWBERRY CRISP perhaps with Tony from Buckfield's HONEY!

For some reason, this, more than any other garden crop symbolizes summer to me.  My grandmother and I would pull them and eat them on our way to the kitchen, then a bowl would sit out (usually with ice cold water) so we could munch on them anytime of day.
THE NAME?  Yes, I was curious too!  This is what I found:

"... a French Web site called Jardins des Pareillas suggests that after a day’s gardening in the hot sun, or after a dinner rich in cheese, you need a breakfast that will eliminate wastes and toxins for better liver and gallbladder function. The site’s recommendation: radishes. And if I were to eat a radish for breakfast, the French Breakfast would be the one."  (Wash. Post /The Garden Primer)

Ate on my way out of the Farm Store driveway!

Also fresh this week--PEAS, PEAS, zucchini, summer squash, chinese broccoli, tomatoes (many varieties)... and more!
THANKS for your interest in our news at the Farm!  Stop by soon.