"First Saturday" Garden Day and Sauerkraut Processing

Saturday August 2nd is our next "First Saturday" garden day. We will be multi- tasking more than usual this day. Our plans for the day include the usual garden tasks to be led by Bob, as well as a morning of processing sauerkraut led by Valerie and Matt. The sauerkraut processing will be held at the First Presbyterian Church on the Park in Canton. Folks interested in being involved in the kraut project should go directly to the church no later than 9am. Those folks interested in spending the morning in the garden should be here by 9am. We recommend that folks have only one person per family represented at the kraut workshop. We are also advising that the kraut workshop be a child-free activity. Our permission to use the church is contingent on us being efficient and contained within the kitchen. We have harvested somewhere around 300 lbs of early cabbage and are storing it in Birdsfoot's walk-in cooler. Folks attending the kraut workshop should be prepared to bring a clean, food grade 5 gallon pail (available at Cindy's Cake Shop in Canton for a dollar) and $3 for use of the kitchen. If you own a mandolin slicer please bring it along as well.
Because we will be splitting the day between two venues, we won't plan on having a lunch together this day.
Harvest and distribution will go on as usual. If you are attending the kraut workshop in town and your pick-up day is Saturday, you will need to make the necessary arrangements to get your basket.
Please let us know if you plan on attending the kraut workshop
or if you have any questions.

Shepard Family Pickle Recipe

This recipe comes from Lew, it can be adapted for small batches.


"This is a pickle recipe that my mother used to make. She usually forgot to put all of the sugar in them and they turned out quite sour and very HOT. I loved them and they made me perspire on the top of my head. she never put them in jars. The crock was on the dirt floor in the cellar and we ate them over a period of time, taking them directly from the crock."

300 small cucumbers, about 1 and 1/2 inches long
1 Cup salt
Boiling water
1/2 gallon cider vinegar
4 T sugar
4 T salt
4 T dried mustard
1/2 cup whole mixed pickling spice
3 lbs sugar

Scrub cucumbers, rinse well and place in crock, add the cup of salt and enough boiling water to cover. Let stand over night and in the morning drain and wipe each cucumber. Mix sugar, salt & mustard together. Add vinegar and spices( spices may go in loose or tied in cheese cloth). Stir well. add cucumbers. Cover well. For the next 16 days , add 1/2 cup sugar, stirring until dissolved. When all sugar has been added, place pickles in jars, cover with the cold liquid and seal.

Still Life With Shallots

If you haven't already, you will soon be receiving shallots.
These bulbs will need to cure in order to store well.
Tie a handful of shallots around their necks and hang them somewhere dry, OUT of the sun, and well ventillated.
Once cured, the bulbs will keep until next spring.

We will be hanging some here if you need an example.

The garlic will need similar care once we harvest it in early August.
However, garlic does not keep as well as shallots
More on that later.

Ain't no bugs on me

As sometimes happens with brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, kohlrabi, etc) that are grown without pesticides, you may on occasion find a little green caterpillar hiding among florets or under leaves. They spin a little, sticky, weblike thing which makes it hard to simply rinse them out with water. Before cooking to serve, or blanching to freeze, we soak the vegetable in a bowl or sinkful of cold water with salt added. The cabbage worms crawl out and can be easily removed.

First Saturday Garden Day July 5th

Our next "garden day" is this Saturday the 5th. We will be harvesting, staking the tomatoes, weeding, mulching and doing some misc. planting. All of the great food at the last garden day has inspired us to make this lunch a potluck as well.
We will provide the fresh greens and some form of protein. Feel free to use your imagination to fill out the menu.
We know some of you will be out of town for the weekend. Enjoy your travels and we'll see you upon your return.

Abundance

As more and more things start to come in, the vegetable options can spoil us.
In our house we regularly try to use those veggies that are in surplus first, especially if they cannot be put up (preserved). When the garden offers items that can be put up, say like cauliflower, broccoli and green beans, we tend to eat them in moderation because we know how much we'll appreciate them come winter. Kind of like saving the best for last.
Putting a few things in the freezer every week will not only save you from marathon processing sessions, but it will also start to add up in your freezer and most importantly, help efficiently use all that the garden has to offer. Fine tuning your seasonal eating habits takes time and experimentation. The homestead garden planned for year-round eating is less about instant gratification and more about balanced eating throughout the year.

What are these curly green things??

If you picked up today, you've no doubt found 'em. If you are a Saturday pick-up, you're gonna get 'em. What are they and what to do with them?

Garlic scapes are the flower/seed stalk that shoots up from the garlic bulb. They are clipped to allow the plant to put its energy into developing a big bulb.

Here's a few recipe ideas...

Garlic Scape Pesto (from maryjanesfarm.com/SimplyMJ)

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 Tbsp. fresh lime or lemon juice
1/4 lb. scapes
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt to taste

Puree scapes and olive oil in a food processor until smooth. Stir in Parmesan and lime or lemon juice and season to taste. Serve on bread, crackers or pasta.

Fried Scapes (from dakotagarlic.com)
Cut scapes to green bean size and saute them in butter and salt for six to eight minutes. During the last minute of cooking add about 1 tsp. of balsamic vinegar.

Spinach and Scape Frittata (adapted from dakotagarlic.com)

3 Tbsp. olive oil
10 eggs
1 cup (1/2 lb.) chopped raw spinach
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. chopped parsley or basil
1/2 c. finely chopped garlic scapes
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl mix all ingredients except oil and scapes. Heat oil in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet on the stove. Add the scapes and saute until tender on medium heat for about five minutes. Pour egg mixture in skillet with garlic and cook over low for three minutes. Place in oven and bake uncovered for 10 minutes or until top is set. Cut into wedges and serve.

Garlic Scape Soup
(This soup enhances the delicate garlic-asparagus flavor of the scapes. You may use the flower as well.)
3 cups garlic spears, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp thyme leaves or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Sauté the garlic spears and the onion in the olive oil over medium heat until vegetables are soft. Add the thyme at the end. In food processor, pureé the vegetables and add chicken stock as needed to make a smooth paste. In saucepan, heat the vegetable mixture and add the remaining chicken broth. Bring to a simmer and add the cream. Adjust the seasoning. Serves 4.

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