We’ve spent a lot of time in the last few weeks picking garlic scapes. The scapes are the flower buds. When we pick them off, the garlic plant puts more energy into growing a larger bulb. As an added bonus, this harvester/photographer’s laundry room smells like an Italian restaurant. Photo by Carrie Vaughn.
│ Announcements │ This Week’s Share │ U-Pick │ Recipe │ Coming Soon │
Announcements:
We have removed the mask requirement for vaccinated individuals. If you decide not to wear one, please be extra cautious about maintaining a wide distance between you and other CSA members. Each pickup site has distinct stations (different tables at Dupont and Annapolis; four bench sections at the farm). Please do not step into a station if someone is already there. And if you would like to pause to chat, please step away from the pickup area so others can carry on picking up their share.
Saturday June 19 1:00–4:00 PM
12 ct bag $12
24 ct bag $20
60 ct bag $45
Pick up at Clagett Farm
11904 Old Marlboro Pike
Upper Marlboro, Maryland
If you’re having as much fun watching and listening to cicadas as we are, you might like to download the Cicada Safari app. You can learn more about the insects and upload photos that will help local scientists understand the distribution of the 3 (!) species of 17-year periodic cicadas. Yay, citizen science!
We will be taking one week off from harvest at the end of this month, so you will not be getting shares Wednesday June 30, Thursday July 1, or Saturday July 3.
This Week’s Share:
Green Is Still the Theme
Summer squash (The term “summer squash” includes squashes we pick when the skins and seeds are young and tender, such as zucchini and yellow squash. In the fall, we hope to give you winter squash, which includes things like butternut, spaghetti, acorn, and kubocha squashes.)
Various greens (kale, collards, bok choi, lettuce, chard)
Green onions
Garlic scapes (A lot; possibly even all you want. And remember, you can push them to the back of your fridge and store them so long that we have no idea if it’s possible for them to go bad.)
Green beans (Not getting enough in your share? Pick your own! We mean that in a loving way, but we’re also a little exasperated with this particular chore.)
Kohlrabi, French breakfast radishes, and purple-top turnips (I know we said you’d get kohlrabi last week, but this week we really mean it.)
Possibly a few beets
U-Pick:
Strawberries Still Going Strong
Current CSA shareholders should have received an email with a U-Pick map last Friday. If you’d like one but didn’t get it, reply to this email.
In the fields:
Strawberries (any time, any day, no sign up required; don’t let these gems go to waste!)
Kale and collards
Beans (it’s hard for us to keep up with the beans, so you’ll help us a lot by picking them)
In our herb garden behind the washing station:
Anise hyssop (licorice flavor; makes a nice tea)
Basil (Genovese)
Cutting celery (adds celery flavor to stews and salads)
Cilantro
Dill
Garlic chives
Onion chives
Lemon balm
Mint
Oregano
Sage (with edible flowers)
Sorrel
Thyme
CSA shareholders are always welcome to pick any flowers on the farm. We’re getting a nice flush of lilies right now.
Growing wild on the farm:
Mulberries
Serviceberries
All CSA shareholders may U-Pick any week, as often as you’d like, any daylight hours. CSA shareholders include anyone in the household of the person who paid for the share and any household that split the payment of the share with you.
Recipes:
Turns Out That Collards Are Delicious
I cooked all four of the following recipes (in one meal!) to compare them and loved them all. Some call for collards, others for kale. I find that the two can be used interchangeably, so I used collards in all of them. Also, whenever the recipe called for garlic, I substituted one scape per clove. The garlic flavor in scapes is a little more delicate than in cloves, so you don’t need to cook them as long. Push the chopped scapes around in hot oil for a minute to infuse the flavor into the oil, and that should be enough before you add the other ingredients.
Citrus Collards by chef/activist Bryant Terry. This one was my favorite of the four. I added orange zest because it was in the photo (but not the recipe), and it seemed helpful. And if I did it again, I might add fewer raisins.
Collards Pesto. I’m obviously a big fan of pesto, especially with garlic scapes. What I liked about this pesto variation is that it stays so green because there’s no basil threatening to oxidize and turn black. Also, the peanut flavor is fun and unexpected but not too strong.
Collards with Miso Butter. I climbed on the miso paste bandwagon during the pandemic and never looked back. Caramelizing it was quick and yummy. I had a hard time incorporating it with so much butter, but it still tasted delicious. If you don’t eat butter, try it with olive oil. The butter here is just a flavor carrier—the miso/mirin/vinegar combo is the star of the show.
Collards and Goat Cheese by Alice Waters. If you’re looking for local cheese from pasture-raised animals, goat cheese is the easiest and cheapest to find. I like its strong, bright flavor, which is highlighted in this very simple recipe.
This is not a recipe but a quick hint for freezing greens, which I’m including here since they’re on U-Pick and you might want to stock up! Plus, most of the recipes above call for blanching greens in boiling water, so you might as well blanch some extra for the freezer while you have the water boiling.
Coming Soon:
Our Crystal Ball Says…
Strawberries will stay on the U-Pick list for several more weeks.
Cucumbers begin week 7?
Garlic scapes, one more week
Green onions several more weeks
Kohlrabi, two more weeks
Kale, collards, and chard continue until July
Beets next week
Thank you for being our SHAREHOLDERs!
CLAGETT FARM
Wednesdays, 3:00-7:00 P.M.
Saturdays, 1:00-4:00 P.M.
DUPONT CIRCLE DC
Wednesdays, 5:00-7:00 P.M.
ANNAPOLIS
Thursdays, 4:00-6:00 P.M.