The summer morn is bright and fresh, the birds are darting by
As if they loved to breast the breeze that sweeps the cool clear sky.
- William C. Bryant
Yes, it’s Summer. I don’t care that it is still only May. My garden is telling me it is Summer. So, this weeks share may still be heavy on greens, but this is because they are fading fast in this Summer-like heat. We can usually plan on lettuce and greens to last at least half-way through June, but I am not expecting that this year. The positive side to this is that some of the vegetables that we don’t expect until mid or late June are farther along. The zucchini are flowering and bearing small fruit, as are the snow peas. Broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower are heading and the peppers already are bearing their first small fruit. If this keeps up, could we actually have that ‘sacred’ first tomato at a Fourth of July picnic? History would tell me no, but Mother Nature moves to her own rhythm.
Garlic Scape Ideas
You can add sliced scapes to any stir fry recipe.
Slice and sprinkle over any pasta, or slice and cook them in almost any sauce recipe.
Great in guacamole and fresh salsa, too.
Chop & add to softened cream cheese.
Add chopped fresh scapes when serving a light garlic soup; can also add them to buttered, french bread floated on the soup. Use them as you would green onions, they’re just better.
Good in salads, on bruschetta, pizza.
Mashed Potatoes with Garlic Scapes
- 2 1/2 lbs. Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” pieces.
- 2 Tablespoons butter (can omit this if on a restricted fat diet/lifestyle)
- 1-2 Tbsp, olive oil
- 1/4 cup finely chopped scapes
- 1/4 cup hot milk (or more)
Cook potatoes until very tender. Drain and return to pot. Over medium high heat, melt butter with olive oil in a small skillet. Add scapes and saute about 5 minutes. Add to potatoes and mash. Gradually add milk while stirring. Season with salt and pepper.
Cutting Celery is an herb that we use in many places where celery flavor is sought after: sauteed with onions as a soup base for instance. It’s leaves can also be used raw in a salad: a classic lettuce salad, a rice or pasta salad, etc. It has a true celery flavor and as long as that flavor doesn’t disrupt the rest of the dish, cutting celery leaves can be used in most places Italian parsley is used
Julia’s Celery Soup
Take a bunch of smallage (soup celery) and wash it. Roughly chop and set aside. Chop 4 stalks of green garlic (including some of the light green part) and sautee briefly in butter or olive oil. Add one cubed raw potato if you like. Add the entire bunch of roughly chopped smallage (cutting celery). Add 4 cups of vegetable or chicken broth. Cook for 15-20 minutes on medium heat. Puree with immersible blender or food processor. Thin with milk if you like. Season to taste with S & P.
Chard-Tomato Peasant Pasta
- 1 bunch Chard, cleaned, stems removed, and very roughly chopped (can be in fairly large pieces)
- Olive oil
- Garlic cloves, peeled and chopped (3?)
- 4-5 medium sized ripe tomatoes, chopped
- Fresh pasta, fresh spaghetti or dried spaghetti
- Splash of white wine or squeeze of lemon
- S & P
**Note: have tongs or other utensil to fish cooked chard out of the water so you can boil the pasta in the same water. Another note: save a little pasta water for the final dish….
Bring one large pot of water to boil, then add a couple of teaspoons of salt. Add chard pieces to the water and cook until blanched, 2 minutes or so. Fish out the chard with tongs or strainer. Add pasta to water to cook if using dried pasta…
Meantime, cook the garlic in the oil in a large saute pan for 1 minute over medium or medium high heat until softening a little, make sure it doesn’t burn. Add blanched chard & chopped tomatoes. Cook for 5-7 minutes. Cook up the pasta now if you’re using fresh pasta.
Now the fun part: toss everything together, with a splash of white wine or lemon juice, and add a little of the pasta water to make everything a tad soupy. Adjust seasoning (add S & P to taste) and EAT!