It's been tough this week for the staff to keep working when we want to be shouting and yelling and marching the streets. Remarkably, the betrayal of humanity has not (yet) made the plants stop growing. The least we can do is bring food to the rest of you, hoping that you're marching in our place or resisting in your own way, and hope these vegetables are a balm for our dear community. I certainly felt that relief on Sunday, watching so many of you enjoying the strawberries and beautiful weather with one another.
Announcements
We're shifting our delivery to Dupont an hour earlier today so that you can get your vegetables and return home before the curfew. We'll be there from 4:30pm-6:30pm. If you need us to stay later, send me a text. The other pick-ups will remain the same.
In our last e-mail to you, we announced that we were finally able to offer u-pick strawberries. It was a mammoth job getting that organized so quickly and keeping everyone coming at a steady pace. It went well, and I was glad that everyone seemed to leave with smiles and plenty of berries. If you have photos of those smiles and berries, send them to us! As of this morning, the fields have been picked pretty clean. My hope is that we'll have enough on Thursday and this weekend to accommodate any of the CSA members who have not yet had a chance to u-pick. U-pickers MUST sign up. The link to do so along with the rules are in our last e-mail. The supply is tight so make sure you check your phone before you come in case we need to adjust your reservation. We are NOT yet permitting members to u-pick a second time, but we'll alert you if we do.
One of our volunteers, Daniel Carson, died last week. Daniel and his wife, Connie, volunteered with us a few hours each Wednesday helping wash and prep your shares (last year, when we were able to take volunteers). Connie inspired us with her patience and devotion to her husband--Daniel had dementia and required a great deal of attention, but she did not allow anyone to deny his continued integrity as a whole human being that deserved respect and care. And Daniel inspired us with his constant positive attitude and good humor. We are sad to lose such a kind soul, and I'm sorry I didn't catch a photo of that smile of his so I could show you.
This week's share
1 hearty handful garlic scapes
1 bunch onion scallions (also known as green onions or bunching onions)
1 cucumber or zucchini
Root medley: turnps, radishes and beets
A bag of lettuce heads (about a quarter pound, mostly green romaine)
Choose: a bag of tat soi or spicy mix (this week's spicy mix is SPICY--most of the leaves are mild but a few have a knockout wasabi flavor)
Choose: a bag of kale or collards
What are garlic scapes and how do you use them?
Garlic scapes are the flower bud of the garlic plant. We remove them to encourage the plants to put more energy into making large garlic bulbs. We pass them to you because they're delicious!
Chop them roughly and add to stir fry.
Chop them roughly, put them in a blender or food processor with olive oil, salt, parmesan and toasted pine nuts or walnuts to make a pesto that's so good you'll forget why you used to use basil.
Need garlic in a recipe? Use finely-chopped scapes! The flavor mellows significantly when cooked, so you might wish to use more than you would have if they were garlic cloves.
Find your favorite green goddess dressing recipe (or any dressing) and add garlic scapes.
Grill them.
Pizza topping, of course!
Recipe: Grits and Greens
Use whichever greens happen to come home in your bag. The recipe was a little long to include in the e-mail, so I'm linking to it here.
Stay strong friends--we need you!
Carrie Vaughn and the rest of the Clagett Farm Team
