June 25, 2020 - This Week's Box Contents, Featuring Zucchini!

Cooking With This Week's Box

Purple Scallions: Boston Lettuce Salad with Buttermilk, Green Onion and Maple Dressing;  Spicy Kale & Coconut Fried Rice

Garlic Scapes: Garlic Scape Beef Satay with Garlic Scape Satay Sauce; Recipes that make the most of Garlic Scapes; Spicy Kale & Coconut Fried Rice; Pasta with Roasted Zucchini & Cilantro Pesto (see below)

Red Oak or Boston Head Lettuce: Boston Lettuce Salad with Buttermilk, Green Onion and Maple Dressing; Burger Lettuce Wraps with Special Sauce; Cheese and Lettuce Sandwich

Rhubarb: Rhubarb Almond Baked Oatmeal; Rhubarb Syrup

Kohlrabi or Salad Cabbage: Life-Changing Crispy Baked Fish Tacos with Cilantro-Lime Slaw; The Simplest Cabbage Slaw

Cilantro: Pasta with Roasted Zucchini & Cilantro Pesto (see below); Life-Changing Crispy Baked Fish Tacos with Cilantro-Lime Slaw

Green Curly Kale: Baked Kale Chips; Spicy Kale & Coconut Fried Rice; Lemon Kale Muffins

Broccoli: Macaroni and Cheese with Broccoli; 20-Minute Teriyaki Chicken and Broccoli; Crunchy Bacon and Broccoli Salad with Creamy Orange Dressing

Green or Italian Zucchini: Pasta with Roasted Zucchini & Cilantro Pesto (see below); Zucchini Butter (see below); A Summer Screaming Zucchini Schmear and 10 Ways It Will Save Your Weeknight Meals

Baby zucchini still with the blossom attached!

It’s official, summer is here and what better way to mark the onset of this season than the arrival of zucchini!  Summer isn’t summer without zucchini which just might be one of the most versatile vegetables we grow!  Zucchini will be with us for quite awhile, we hope, so we’ll be finding creative uses over it in the upcoming weeks.  To kick off the season, I have two recipes to share this week.  The first is for Pasta with Roasted Zucchini & Cilantro Pesto (see below).  When I read this recipe, the flavor combinations and concepts confused me a little bit but also intrigued me.  Italian pasta with a pesto concept—that makes sense.  But the pesto made with cilantro and pumpkin seeds flavored with cumin and topped with cojita cheese—that didn’t seem to go with the Italian flavors theme.  You know what, this is fusion food and it works!  This turned out to be a quite tasty pasta dish.  I added some ground pork to it, but it would be good with or without.  The garnish of the cheese and toasted pumpkin seeds is a nice finishing touch and leftovers are good hot or cold!

The second recipe is for Zucchini Butter (see below).  Now, this isn’t butter in the sense of dairy butter, but rather more along the lines of “butter” as in a spread.  The beauty of this recipe is that it is a great way to utilize larger quantities of zucchini.  The other beauty of zucchini butter is that there are so many different ways to use it!  Spread it on toast or sandwiches, use it on pizza, put it on crackers with a piece of cheese…..etc.  Check out this Food52.com blog article, A Summer Screaming Zucchini Schmear and 10Ways It Will Save Your Weeknight Meals, that is all about this “genius” recipe and how you can put it to use for quick, flavorful meals!

Life-Changing Crispy Baked Fish Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw

This week we’re finishing up the rest of the kohlrabi and starting to harvest salad cabbage!  Salad cabbage differs from storage cabbage.  It is more tender and slightly sweet which makes it fitting for use in raw salads, slaws, etc.  It is still tasty cooked as well, but I generally use it raw.  This week I have to make these Life-Changing Crispy Baked Fish Tacos with Cilantro-Lime Slaw.  We featured this recipe in a previous newsletter and if you are into fish tacos at all, it just might change your life when it comes to homemade fish tacos.

Boston Lettuce Salad with Buttermilk, Green Onion and Maple Dressing
photo from food52.com

We’re thankful to still have lettuce available, and while we have other vegetables available to use for salads, it’s still nice to enjoy a traditional lettuce salad.  This recipe for Boston Lettuce Salad with Buttermilk, Green Onion and Maple Dressing reminds me of the way my grandma used to prepare fresh lettuce from her garden.  This is a super simple method that will really let the tender, buttery lettuce leaves shine.  Ok, so the other thing we used to make a lot at home in the summer when we had fresh lettuce from the garden was cheese and lettuce sandwiches.  Back then we used processed cheese food slices—don’t judge, I didn’t know any better.  I’d encourage you to use real cheese, good bread and the spread of your choosing—I usually just use a good quality mayonnaise.  Slather it up with the spread, slap a piece or two of cheese on the bread and pile the fresh lettuce leaves as high as you can!  There’s the recipe, but if you need something a bit more formal or would like a visual, check out this YouTube video on how to make a Cheese and Lettuce Sandwich.  Even if you don’t need a tutorial or a recipe, you should check out this video.  It’s pretty funny!

Burger Lettuce Wraps with Special Sauce
photo from thegirlonbloor.com

I’ve been into grilling lately, mostly because it’s quick and easy and it’s so nice to be outside in the evening.  While we’ve been enjoying fresh lettuce on our burgers, you could also use the lettuce to make a Bunless Burger or a Cheeseburger Lettuce Wrap—whatever you want to call it.  Basically substitute the bread for layers of lettuce leaves wrapped around your burger!  There are many different versions, but I like this recipe for Burger Lettuce Wraps with Special Sauce.  My go-to summer salad to serve with burgers, ribs, etc is this recipe for The Simplest Cabbage Slaw.  It is seriously simple and turns out every time!

While you have the grill fired up, you might as well make the Garlic Scape Beef Satay with Garlic Scape Satay Sauce recipe featured in last week’s newsletter.  It’s quite tasty and would be good served with this Crunchy Bacon and Broccoli Salad with Creamy Orange Dressing.  If you’re looking for more ideas for what you can do with garlic scapes, check out this HuffPost article entitled “Recipes that make the most of Garlic Scapes”.  They offer some tasty, creative suggestions!

20-Minute Teriyaki Chicken and Broccoli
photo from tablefortwoblog.com

Another option for using your broccoli is this 20-Minute Teriyaki Chicken and Broccoli.  Serve it with steamed rice for a quick, yet satisfying, easy weeknight meal.  I am still a bit obsessed with putting vegetables in macaroni and cheese ever since I made mac and cheese with ramps and nettles earlier this year.  Mac and cheese with turnips and turnip greens was last week’s creation and this week it could be Macaroni and Cheese with Broccoli!

The kale this week is so beautiful and there are many options for what you can do with it.  On Sunday evenings when we do our weekly field scouting tour it’s kind of fun to take along Baked Kale Chips!  Yes, you might get some green flecks in your teeth….who cares?!  The other recipe I want to make again is this Spicy Kale & Coconut Fried Rice that I tried for the first time last year.  It’s pretty tasty as are these Lemon Kale Muffins that I made last year as well.  Yes, kale in muffins—odd, but I tried them out on our farmers’ market crew last year and they (the muffins that is) all disappeared!

Rhubarb Almond Baked Oatmeal

Ok, we’re rolling into the home stretch and just have one more item remaining in this week’s box.  It’s our last week for rhubarb.  I was searching our recipe archives looking for another recipe and I’m glad I stumbled across this recipe we featured in a previous year for Rhubarb Almond Baked Oatmeal.  This is a great recipe to make in advance and then warm up in the morning for a quick, hot breakfast.  I also noticed several members in our Facebook Group are making tasty rhubarb beverages!  If you want to join this crowd, check out this recipe for Rhubarb Syrup.  This recipe is the base for making adult beverages such as Rhubarb Daiquiris, but you can also use it to make a non-alcoholic fizzy soda type drink.

We did it!  We made our way to the bottom of another glorious box of produce.  Before I sign off for the week, I want to thank the member who posted a link in our Facebook Group to this Vegetable Orchestra!!  Check it out—they’re making music by using all kinds of different vegetables!  I know we have some musical talent in our membership.  Wouldn’t it be cool if we had a Harmony Valley Farm Vegetable Orchestra!?  You provide the talent and I’ll provide the vegetables!  I’m serious.

Ok, Chef Andrea signing off for this week.  Enjoy your week of cooking and I’ll see you next time!—Chef Andrea

Vegetable Feature: Zucchini

By Chef Andrea

Zucchini may just be the most versatile and prolific vegetable we grow!  We have two plantings and typically harvest three times a week from mid-June through August and sometimes into September.  Sometimes we have a little gap in between plantings one and two, but settle in folks…we’re in it for the long haul!

We grow two main types of zucchini including the traditional green zucchini and an Italian variety that is lighter green in color and has ribs and stripes on the skin.  Both varieties may be used interchangeably in any recipe calling for zucchini or summer squash.  There is a difference in the varieties though and we encourage you to take a moment to notice the differences throughout the season.  Italian zucchini has a more pronounced flavor and the texture is more firm making it a good option for grilling and other preparations where you need the zucchini to hold its shape.  Zucchini in general is a very mild-flavored vegetable which is part of why it is so versatile.  It pairs well with so many different flavors and is easily adaptable to combinations with other vegetables throughout the entire summer.  Zucchini is most often cooked, but it can be eaten raw as well.  I’ll offer a few suggestions below for how to use raw zucchini.

Zucchini Relish
photo from cravesomethinghealthy.com

The other nice thing about zucchini is there are ways to preserve it so you can enjoy it throughout the year.  One of the easiest things to do is grate or shred raw zucchini, squeeze out the excess moisture and then put the zucchini in a freezer bag and pop it in the freezer.  When I do this I try to portion it into a quantity that is appropriate for making My Special Zucchini Bread or pancake recipes.  When you thaw it, you’ll need to squeeze out the excess moisture, but then it’s ready to use in baked goods, soups, smoothies, stir-fry, etc.  You can also preserve zucchini by making Zucchini Butter (see below), one of this week’s featured recipes.  Once you make a batch you can use it fresh or portion it into containers to freeze.  Zucchini Pickles or Zucchini Relish are other good ways to preserve zucchini.

Zucchini can be sautéed, roasted, grilled and stir-fried.  It may be used to make snack foods, casseroles and gratins, incorporated into lasagna and meatballs, dips, enchiladas, tacos, egg dishes, smoothies, desserts and more.  One day I want to compile a list of 100 ways to use zucchini.  I’m going to start with 20 recipes this week and maybe you can help me uncover 80 more ways/recipes to use zucchini over the course of this season!  Before we get to the list I just want to mention a few things about storage and use.  First of all, zucchini has pretty tender skin so rarely needs to be peeled.  Sometimes larger zucchini may need to be peeled, use your own judgement.  Zucchini is a warm weather vegetable and is best stored at temperatures between 45-55°F.  We have a dedicated cooler for that temperature range, but realize you may not have the perfect storage temperature situation in your home.  So, my recommendation is to keep your zucchini at room temperature and use them within a few days of receiving them.  If you put them in the refrigerator they’ll likely suffer chill injury which will compromise their quality and shorten shelf life.

Ok, lets move on to the list of 20 Different Recipes to use Zucchini!  Have fun and be sure to share your own recipes in our Facebook Group so we can build our list of 100 recipes this year!

20 Different Recipes Using Zucchini!

• 
  

  Creamy Zucchini Smoothie
• 
  

  Parmesan Zucchini Chips 
• 
  

  Raw Zucchini Hummus 
• 
  

  Zucchini Saltimboca
• 
  

  Smoked Paprika Zucchini Hash Breakfast Bowls
• 
  

  Pakistani Zucchini Curry
• 
  

  Greek Zucchini Pie 
• 
  

  5-Minute Chinese Zucchini Salad 
• 
  

  Kung Pao Zucchini 
• 
  

  Indian Spiced Masala Zucchini
• 
  

  Vietnamese Zucchini Noodle Salad 
• 
  

  Zucchini, Corn, Black Bean & Jack Quesadillas
• 
  

  Zucchini & Cheese Drop Biscuits
• 
  

  Savory Zucchini Pie
• 
  

  Zapple Pie (Sweet Zucchini-Apple Pie)
• 
  

  Cheesy Vegetarian Zucchini Enchiladas
• 
  

  Chocolate Chip Zucchini Banana Bread 
• 
  

  Tomato-Zucchini Strata
• 
  

  Zucchini-Blueberry Muffins 
• 
  

  Zucchini Pizza Bites

Pasta with Roasted Zucchini & Cilantro Pesto

Yield:  6 servings

1 ½ pounds zucchini

1 Tbsp plus ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt & Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

12 oz short, twisty shaped pasta

1 pound ground pork (optional)

½ cup white wine (use if you use the pork)

2 garlic scapes

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp lime zest

⅔ cup toasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas), divided

2¼ cups tightly packed cilantro leaves and stems

3 Tbsp lime juice

¾ tsp crushed red chile flakes (or to taste)

¾ cup crumbled cojita or feta cheese, divided

1. 
   

   
   

   Preheat the oven to 375°F.  Cut zucchini into ½ inch cubes.  You should have about 4 cups of cubed zucchini.  Put zucchini in a medium mixing bowl and drizzle with 1 Tbsp olive oil.  Season with salt and black pepper and stir to combine and evenly coat the zucchini with oil.  Add a little more oil if needed.  
2. 
   

   
   

   Roast zucchini for 25-35 minutes or until tender and lightly golden brown.  You’ll need to stir the zucchini about half way through the roasting time.  Once the zucchini is roasted, remove from the oven and hold in a warm place.
3. 
   

   
   

   Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add pasta;  cook until al dente, about 10-12 minutes.  Reserve ½ cup pasta water, then drain.  Set the cooked pasta aside.
4. 
   

   
   

   If you are using pork, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Brown the ground pork until nearly cooked through.  Add the white wine and simmer until it has reduced by ¾ volume.  Remove from heat and set aside until you’re ready to finish the dish.
5. 
   

   
   

   Meanwhile, make the pesto.  Cut the garlic scapes into 1-2 inch pieces and place in a blender or food processor.  Blend briefly to coarsely chop the garlic scapes.  Add ¾ cup olive oil, cumin, lime zest, 1 tsp salt, and ½ cup pepitas.  Blend until smooth.  Add the cilantro and process just until smooth, about 15 seconds.  Pour into a bowl and stir in lime juice, chile flakes, and ½ cup of the cojita or feta cheese.
6. 
   

   
   

   Once all the components are prepared, put the pan with the pork in it back on the stove over medium heat.  If you are not using pork, just put a large saute pan on the stove over medium heat.  Add the zucchini, pasta and cilantro pesto along with a little bit of the pasta cooking liquid.  Stir to combine and fully heat the pasta.  Add additional pasta water as needed for the desired consistency.
7. 
   

   
   

   Taste and adjust the seasoning with additional salt, pepper or lime juice as needed.
8. 
   

   
   

   To serve, portion the pasta into bowls.  Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and toasted pumpkin seeds/pepita.

Recipe adapted from www.sunset.com

Zucchini Butter

photo by James Ransom for food52.com

Yield:  about 2 cups

2 pounds zucchini

¼ cup olive oil or butter

½-¾ cup minced shallots, garlic cloves, scapes or any combination of onions and garlic

Salt and pepper, to taste

1. 
   

   
   

   
   

   Coarsely grate the zucchini.  Let it drain in a colander for 3 to 4 minutes or until you are ready to begin cooking.  To hasten cooking time, squeeze the water out of the zucchini by wringing it in a clean cloth towel.  
2. 
   

   
   

   
   

   In a deep skillet, heat the olive oil/butter.  Saute the onion/garlic briefly.  Add the zucchini and toss.  Cook and stir over medium to medium-high heat until the zucchini reaches a spreadable consistency, about 15 minutes.  If the bottom starts to brown, turn the flame down!  (And scrape those delicious bits into the butter for added flavor—you can splash in a little water to help deglaze the pan.)  The zucchini will slowly caramelize into a nice vegetable jam.  
3. 
   

   
   

   
   

   Enjoy on toast, or as a side dish all summer long!

Recipe adapted slightly from Jennie Cook’s recipe featured as a “Genius Recipe” on Food52.com.

June 18, 2020 - This Week's Box Contents, Featuring Garlic Scapes!

Cooking With This Week's Box

Baby Arugula: Icebox Salad; Arugula and Nectarine Salad with Yogurt Dressing

Potato Onions or Green Scallions: Pea Vine Cream Cheese; Fresh Turnip Salad with Curry Vinaigrette; Icebox Salad

Garlic Scapes: Garlic Scape Beef Satay with Garlic Scape Peanut Sauce (see below); Grilled Naan with Garlic Scape Chutney (see below); Garlic Scape Herbed Cream Cheese

Red Oak Head Lettuce: Strawberry and Goat Cheese Fritter Salad with Poppyseed Dressing; Fresh Turnip Salad with Curry Vinaigrette; Icebox Salad

Rhubarb: Rhubarb Poppyseed Dressing; Rhubarb Yogurt Cake

Kohlrabi: Kohlrabi Custard; Kohlrabi Slaw with Cilantro, Jalapeno & Lime

Baby White Turnips: Fresh Turnip Salad with Curry Vinaigrette; Creamy Turnips Grits & Greens

Italian Parsley: Garlic Scape Herbed Cream Cheese; Swiss Chard and Mushroom Galette

Lacinato Kale: White Bean and Kale Quesadillas with Creamy BBQ Dip; Kale Feta Egg Bake

Pea Vine OR Baby Rainbow Chard: Pea Vine Cream Cheese; Swiss Chard and Mushroom Galette

Strawberries: Strawberry and Goat Cheese Fritter Salad with Poppyseed Dressing; Strawberry Basil Foccacia

Chef Andrea roasting A LOT of garlic in the HVF kitchen

This week I want to kick off the Cooking With the Box Article with a huge “Welcome!” to all of our Peak Season vegetable share members who are joining us for the first time this year!  If you’re totally new to HVF and are looking for ways to use all of the items in your CSA box each week, you’re in the right place!  My name is Andrea and I am both a farmer and a professionally trained chef who has worked in restaurants, but also understand what it means to balance making healthy meals at home along with all the other responsibilities life may send our way.  Each week I share ideas for ways you might use the vegetables in your box, including links to recipes.  Sometimes I link to websites and blogs, while other times I share a recipe from our archives.  The goal of this space is to inspire you to find ways to make meals you and your family enjoy while maximizing the use of the vegetables you receive each week!

Lets jump into this week’s box and take a look at the crazy, curly garlic scapes!  If you’re encountering these for the first time, take a minute to read this week’s vegetable feature information below.  I’ve included several more links to recipes and ideas for putting this unique vegetable to use.  I also have two recipes to share with you, perhaps one of these may spark your interest.  The first recipe we’re featuring this week is for Garlic Scape Beef Satay with Garlic Scape Peanut Sauce (see below).  You need to plan ahead to marinate the beef, but aside from that and preheating a grill, this recipe comes together very fast and it’s full of flavor!  In fact, Richard went back for another serving….peanut sauce is also one of his favorites.  The second recipe is for Grilled Naan with Garlic Scape Chutney (see below).  This recipe does involve making a dough, but it’s very easy and fun to make.

Kohlrabi Slaw with Cilantro, Jalapeno & Lime
Photo from feastingathome.com

Last week we featured kohlrabi, another very unique vegetable with an “out of this world” appearance.  Check out last week’s vegetable feature article to learn more about how to use this vegetable.  If you haven’t tried the Kohlrabi Custard recipe featured last week, consider trying it this week.  Several members in our Facebook Group tried it and gave it positive reviews!  In my journey through food blogs over the past week I came across this recipe for Kohlrabi Slaw with Cilantro, Jalapeno & Lime. This is a refreshing salad using lime and orange zest along with the juice to make a light, refreshing citrus dressing.

Speaking of salads, a member in our Facebook Group made a salad using Rhubarb Poppyseed Dressing which led me not only to a recipe for this dressing, but also this Strawberry and Goat Cheese Fritter Salad with Poppyseed Dressing.  Just substitute the Rhubarb Poppyseed dressing for the regular dressing in the recipe.  This is a perfect salad to make with the Red Oak lettuce in this week’s box!

Strawberry Basil Foccacia
Photo from howsweeteats.com

There’s been a lot of activity in our Facebook Group with some awesome pictures, recipes and dialogue!  Another member shared this recipe for Strawberry Basil Foccacia.  I never would have thought to use strawberries to make focaccia, but this looks delicious!  This recipe for Rhubarb Yogurt Cake was also recommended in the group and I think I’m going to have to give it a try as well!  Since it has yogurt in it maybe I can pass it off as “breakfast cake!”

This week some boxes will receive pea vine and others will receive Swiss chard.  If you get the pea vine, I invite you to join me in my obsession with Pea Vine Cream Cheese. This year’s obsession actually struck me this past Sunday and I made a double batch.  I added some fresh dill which was quite nice.  You could also add parsley, basil or cilantro if you like.  We’ve been using it on tortillas stuffed with chopped lettuce, radishes, turnips and kohlrabi.  Richard likes a little meat, so we added some cooked bacon bits as well.  My next cream cheese recipe to try is Garlic Scape Herbed Cream Cheese using the garlic scapes and Italian parsley in this week’s box.  Of course you could also use dill if you have that remaining from last week or really any other fresh herb you have access to.  Put it on your morning bagel, use it to make a wrap, or spread it on crackers for a little afternoon snack.

Swiss Chard and Mushroom Galette
Photo by Christina Holmes for bonappetit.com

If you receive the Swiss chard instead of the pea vine, check out this recipe for Swiss Chard and Mushroom Galette.  I love galettes because they are easy to make and I like the rustic feel of them.  This recipe calls for lots of fresh parsley along with the chard, mushrooms and fresh ricotta.  This is a good brunch item or would be good for dinner along with a salad such as this Arugula and Nectarine Salad with Yogurt Dressing.

This is our last week for the sweet little baby white turnips.   I highly recommend trying the recipe for Creamy Turnips Grits & Greens that was featured in last year’s newsletter.  Even if you aren’t a hot sauce person, make the hot sauce vinaigrette that you drizzle on just before serving.  It’s so delicious!  If you want to go with a raw concept, check out this recipe for Fresh Turnip Salad with Curry Vinaigrette.  This recipe was created by Chef Boni who worked at the farm one summer.   There’s one more salad recipe I wanted to share here this week.  Actually a member shared this recipe for Icebox Salad in the Facebook Group last week.  Growing up back in Indiana we had a less healthy version of this type of salad called “7-Layer Salad” that was a frequent flyer at church potlucks.  All we had in Indiana was shipped in iceberg lettuce, so I trust that this recipe will be much better than anything I’ve ever had from the past!  If you don’t have the radishes, sugar snap peas and cucumbers the recipe calls for, substitute chunks of kohlrabi and diced baby white turnips instead.  This recipe calls for romaine lettuce as the base.  You can use the red oak or any other head lettuce you have.  In fact, you could also mix in some of the baby arugula.  Basically, use the recipe as the base and make it work for what you have in your refrigerator!

Smashed White Bean and Kale Quesadillas
with Creamy BBQ Dip
Photo from runningtothekitchen.com

We’re getting close to the bottom of the box, and I just realized I almost missed the lacinato kale!  This is my favorite kind of kale, which is part of why it’s the first kale we’re sending your way this year.  Actually the entire kale and collard field looks beautiful right now.  Last year a member shared this recipe for Smashed White Bean and Kale Quesadillas with Creamy BBQ Dip.  Quesadillas are one of those versatile things to make using whatever vegetables are in season.  On this same blog there is a simple recipe for Kale Feta Egg Bake that you can make in individual ramekins.  If you prep the kale portion of the recipe in advance, you can bake the egg into the dish in only 12-15 minutes.  Perfect for a vegetable-centric breakfast with little time commitment!

Ok, I think that’s a wrap for this week.  Have a great week and remember, have fun cooking and never be intimidated by a vegetable!---Chef Andrea

Vegetable Feature: Garlic Scapes

By Chef Andrea

This week we’re featuring one of the craziest, curliest vegetables we grow…Garlic Scapes!  One thing I absolutely love about vegetables is how unique they can be, and garlic scapes are definitely unique.  So lets start with the basics like “What the heck is a garlic scape?!”  There are two main types of garlic—softneck and hardneck.  We grow hardneck garlic and the way this type propagates itself in nature is by producing this scape which grows up from the center of the garlic plant.  It starts out straight, but the more it emerges it starts to form a curl.  You’ll notice a little bulb that is lighter in color at the tapered end of the scape.  This is actually called a bulbil.  If you want to do something fun, cut it open and see what it looks like on the inside.  If our garlic were growing wild in nature, these bulbils would drop down to the ground and plant themselves thereby propagating a new plant.  We’re cultivating garlic, so we plant a clove of garlic from a full sized bulb and use that as a means of growing the plant.  Since we don’t need the scape to produce another crop, we go through the field and cut them off the plant so the plant can focus its energy into producing a nice sized bulb instead of a scape.  We used to throw them on the ground, but after a market customer asked us to save some for her so she could make garlic scape pickles, we realized we were losing something valuable!  Many years ago we did an experiment and planted the bubils.  The first year they formed a single ball of garlic.  We planted that and the next year we actually got bulbs with divided cloves of garlic!

Garlic Scape Herbed Cream Cheese
Photo from farmfreshfeasts.com

Ok, so what do you do with this crazy vegetable?  Well the basic answer is “Use chopped garlic scapes anywhere you would use a clove of garlic.”  Yes, you can do that, but you can also do so many other fun things with them.  The flavor of garlic scapes is very mild in comparison to green garlic or a clove of garlic.  They are very tender, so you don’t need to peel them.  You might see a milky, white residue on the scapes which is garlic juice the plant exudes when the scape is cut.  Just give them a quick washing and they’re ready to use.  Sometimes the tapered end can get a little tough, so you might want to cut that part beyond the bulbil off.  You should keep them in the refrigerator, although if you want to put the cut end in a vase or glass of water and enjoy their beauty as a centerpiece at room temperature for a day or two until you’re ready to use them, they’ll do just fine.

There are some basic go-to ways to use garlic scapes and if you’re not sure where to start, start with one of these ideas.  Pesto—you just can’t go wrong with making garlic scape pesto.  There are many different versions you can make, so take your pick and dive in.  Check out FarmFreshFeasts.com where you’ll find 28 Recipes Using Garlic Scapes, including NINE different links to recipes for versions of garlic scape pesto!

Pickled Garlic Scapes

Pickled Garlic Scapes is another popular way to use and preserve scapes.  You’ll find a simple recipe for these in our recipe archives on our website.  You can keep a jar of these in the refrigerator for up to 8 months and use them as a condiment with tacos or anywhere you need a pungent, tangy pickle to brighten up a meal.  Using garlic scapes in dressings and dips is another easy way to capture their flavor, such as a creamy Yogurt Garlic Scape Dressing that you can drizzle over a lettuce salad or use to make a creamy kohlrabi slaw.  Garlic Scape Herbed Cream Cheese is another delicious way to use this vegetable along with any herb you have, be it dill, cilantro, parsley, basil, etc.  Put it on your morning bagel, use it to make a wrap, or spread it on crackers for a little afternoon snack.

Garlic Scape Green Gazpacho
Photo from veggieobsession.com

I pushed myself to research a little further to see what else I could find and stumbled on a couple more ideas.  Check out this article entitled “Recipes That Make the Most of Garlic Scapes” at HuffPost.com.  The author includes links to 20 interesting recipes for garlic scapes including the two recipes we’re featuring this week!  There are some other good ones highlighted in this article such as Bacon Wrapped Garlic Scapes and Garlic Scape Green Gazpacho.  I also want to mention that you can also use garlic scapes as an actual vegetable as opposed to just a seasoning.  Garlic scapes are delicious tossed or brushed with oil and grilled or roasted, then served with a little sprinkle of salt and a squeeze of lemon.  I also like to cut them into bite sized pieces and cook them any way you would cook a green bean or asparagus.  They also make a flavorful base for a creamy pureed soup and are a nice addition to pasta sauce.

Ok, I’ve done my best to convey to you how awesome and versatile this vegetable can be!  We’ll only have them for a few weeks so have fun and if you can’t eat them all right now, make an extra batch of pesto and freeze it or make a jar of garlic scape pickles so you can enjoy this fresh, delicious garlic flavor in the deep of winter!

Garlic Scape Beef Satay with Garlic Scape Satay Sauce

Yield:  6 skewers

Skewers:

16-20 ounces tender cut of beef, cut into evenly sized 1-1 ½ inch cubes (eg, tenderloin, Sirloin or Sirloin Tip) 

3 garlic scapes

½ inch piece fresh ginger, peeled

1 lime, juiced

½ cup chopped cilantro leaves and stems

10 mint leaves 

3 Thai basil or basil leaves (optional)

¼ cup soy sauce

3 Tbsp sesame oil

1. Cut the scapes into smaller pieces and roughly chop the ginger.  Put both in a blender or food processor and coarsely chop.  Add the lime juice, cilantro, mint and basil leaves and the soy sauce.  Blend until a paste forms.  Scrape down the sides of the blender.  With the blender running, drizzle in the sesame oil and blend until smooth.  Pour the marinade into a zipper plastic bag or a glass container and add the beef cubes.  Mix the marinade and the beef well.  Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
2. When ready to cook, heat the grill or a grill pan to high heat.  Thread the beef onto skewer sticks.  Grill the skewers until the beef is cooked to desired doneness.  Serve with the Garlic Scape Satay Sauce.

Garlic Scape Satay Sauce:

2 garlic scapes

¾ cup creamy peanut butter

¼ cup coconut milk or cream

1-2 Tbsp water

1 ½ Tbsp fresh lime juice

1 ½ Tbsp soy sauce

1 ½ tsp Tbsp fish sauce

1-2 tsp Hot sauce or chili garlic sauce, to taste

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

2 tsp honey

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

¼ cup fresh chopped cilantro

1. Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2. Cut the scapes into small pieces and place in a blender.  Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.  Adjust the consistency of the sauce by adding more water to thin it if necessary.  Adjust seasoning with additional salt, pepper, lime juice, etc.  Serve at room temperature with garlic scape beef satay skewers.

Recipe adapted from www.Food52.com.

Grilled Naan with Garlic Scape Chutney

photo from feastingathome.com

Yield:  10 pieces

Dough:

5 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more as needed

3 tsp baking powder

1 Tbsp kosher salt

1 tsp sugar

½ cup plain yogurt

1 large egg

¼ cup olive oil and more for brushing

1 ½ cup water

Garlic Scape Chutney: 

¾ cup chopped garlic scapes

½ cup fresh mint, packed

½ cup roasted almonds

½ tsp kosher salt

½ tsp black pepper

½ jalapeño pepper (optional if you want a little kick)

1 Tbsp lime juice 

⅓ cup olive oil

1 cup melty cheese, such as mozzarella or queso fresco (optional) 

Olive oil or Melted butter for brushing

1. Make the dough: Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.  In a medium bowl, whisk the yogurt, egg and 1 ½ cups of lukewarm water and the oil.  Pour the yogurt mixture into the flour mixture and mix on low speed until a soft, sticky dough starts to clump around the hook, about 5 minutes.  If the dough seems too wet, add more flour, 1 tsp at a time. (Note, if you do not have a stand mixer, just mix by hand.)
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment and dust lightly with flour.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 10 equal pieces.  Form each piece into a ball and arrange them on the baking sheet.  Lightly brush the dough with oil, cover with plastic, and let sit 1 hour before shaping.
3. Make the chutney: Place all the chutney ingredients (garlic scapes through ⅓ cup olive oil) in a food processor and pulse until uniformly granular.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll a dough ball into a 5-inch circle.  Spread 1 Tbsp of the chutney in the center, leaving a ½-inch border.  Sprinkle 1 Tbsp of cheese over the chutney.  Gather the borders to form a pouch pinching it to seal in the filling.  Turn the pouch pinched side down and, using very light pressure, roll it into a 6-inch circle.  Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Layer rolled out naan with parchment until ready to grill.
5. Prepare a medium charcoal or gas grill fire and wipe grates with a lightly oiled paper towel.  Grill the breads in batches pinched side down, covered, until they puff up and the undersides brown lightly in places, 2 to 3 minutes.  Turn over and cook the other side, covered, until grill marks form and the breads are cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes.  Just before taking them off the grill, turn the breads pinched side down and brush lightly with butter or olive oil.  Serve warm.
6. These are best, right off the grill but leftovers can be refrigerated and saved for another time.  Just place them in a toaster or warm oven before serving.

Recipe sourced from www.feastingathome.com