Pickle Time! Garlic Scapes!

One of the VERY best things about having an "out of control garden (which is how I sometimes describe my 10 acres of insanity) is when I do get it together and pickle, can, dehydrate, freeze or in some way, preserve the amazing, overwhelming, bounty of spring and summer.  Because there is just something primal, and squirrel-like, about surveying a full pantry of fresh healthy food ready for the cold and dreary days of winter.
I have learned (or at least I keep trying to tell myself) that it is best to tackle "preservation" projects bit by by through the summer, preserving the crops as they come on.  Otherwise it can be a bit overwhelming.  But the sooner I can start "putting up the bounty" the better.  And around here, one of the first major preservation projects I get into of the spring/summer is pickling garlic scapes.

 Garlic scapes, which we talk a lot about this time of year, are the seed scapes from hard neck garlic.  They are oddly (and interestingly) shaped with a mild garlic flavor and great texture.  Think asparagus, only garlicky and more curlique.  They are great chopped raw, grilled, baked and pickled.  I really, really like them pickled.  They are crunchy and garlicky and fabulous!  If you keep the scape whole (rather than cut into pieces, which you can also do when pickling) then the scape itself is a work of beauty, a perfect addition on an antipasto plate or, even better, topping off a Bloody Mary!
So how to pickle garlic scapes?  Well they are very easy and if you haven't pickled before they are a great project to start with - it's hard to mess them up really. And...to encourage the pickler in us all, we are having a great deal on 1 lb bags of garlic scapes at the Coupeville and Bayview markets today - just $5 for one lb of scapes! 
 Of course, you need a few recipes so here goes...
A pickled scape posting from a blogger that goes into great detail about pickling scapes with a simple recipe - http://www.canningacrossamerica.com/2011/06/20/garlic-scape-pickle-party/
Or...we are privileged to have received Chef Joe Scott's, of the Oystercatcher in Coupeville, recipe for pickling garlic scapes.

Oystercatcher’s Quick Pickled Garlic Scapes

Courtesy of Joe Scott, Chef at Oystercatcher in Coupeville, WA

·      Garlic scapes, 1 lb, chopped into 1 inch pieces, or left whole with ends trimmed. (If left whole the scapes should be left to pickle for a week before use).

·      Champagne vinegar (or white wine vinegar)

·      Rice Vinegar

·      Dash of salt

·      Sugar to taste

·      Pinch of whole fennel seed

You will need equal parts of the vinegar, how much depends on how much you are going to pickle.  Chop (or trim) scapes and pack clean mason jars.  Boil equal parts of both vinegars, add sugar and salt to taste.  Sugar should balance the acidity of the vinegar.  How sweet – versus tart – you make it is a personal preference depending on how you like your pickles.  When boiling, pour over scapes.  Add a pinch of whole fennel seed.  Seal lid.  These pickles are ready in 4 hours.  If you prefer to keep the scape whole (which gives you a very cool shape on a plate), you should plan to let the pickles sit for at least a week (or more) so they absorb the pickling juices.  By chopping the scapes you provide more surface area to absorb the pickling juices quickly.

 

So happy pickling!  And let me know how they turn out.
And of course...we have much much more to bring to the Coupeville and Bayview farmer's markets today including...
From Willowood Farm:
* Mesclun mix (aka spring mix)
* Head Lettuce
* Arugula bags
* Braising Green bunches
* Japanese Salad Turnips
* Baby Pac Choi
* Raab bunches
* French Breakfast radishes
* Fresh Garlic
* New Potatoes
* Walla Walla Salad Onions
* Peregion Dry Beans
* Kohlrabi
* Basil
* Peregion Dry Beans
From our friends at Prairie Bottom Farm:
* Lettuce Mix
* Spinach
* Baby Beet Bunches
* Chard Bunches
* Green Onions
* Endive
* Cress
* Baby Carrot bunches
From Emmer bags from Ebey Road Farm.
Lots of food today and a beautiful day to boot.  Hope to see you at market!

Garlic scapes! Garlic scapes! Garlic scapes!

DON'T FORGET TO GET YOUR SLOW FOOD WHIDBEY TICKETS!  Today is the last day to pick up tickets for this great event coming up tomorrow, Sunday June 5th.  A great selection of Whidbey chefs paired with Whidbey farms cooking up a fabulous selection of "tastings" of the best of Whidbey.  Local beer and wine tasting as well!  $30 a person.  We will tickets available for sale at our booths at the Bayview and Coupeville farmer's markets...

And now back to our scheduled topic...
Garlic Scapes!

So, why do we love you, oh garlic scapes?  Let me list the ways:
1.  Because you taste like garlic!
2.  Because you go so well with abundance of greens, greens and more greens which mostly dominate our spring veggie selection and while we love our greens, it's also nice to have something that is not leaf-like.
3.  Because you are great to barbeque!
4.  Because you are a silly, funny shape that we like to wear as jewelry on our wrists and hang from our earlobes (okay, that is a bit dopey.  But hey, when you work in a veggie field all day things can get a bit goofy).
5. Because you are good raw (chopped in salads!), good pureed (garlic scape pesto!), good barbequed, good braised, good pickled!!!

Great teething ring for babies too!

6.  Because the arrival of garlic scapes means soon...garlic!
Really, as far as veggies go there isn't anything NOT to love about garlic scapes.  I suppose, if you aren't fond of garlic perhaps...but really, if you aren't fond of garlic seriously WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?  (Just kidding, mostly...).

In China, my brother (who has spent lots of time living over there, enough to marry a lovely Chinese girl!) says that garlic scapes are considered a seasonal specialty and are one of the few veggies that, relatively speaking, are almost "expensive" in Chinese markets.  That's because the Chinese realize what most American's are just starting to figure out - not only are garlic scapes super-awesome, but...they only get them once a year.  One hard-necked garlic plant makes just one precious garlic scape, and it takes about a year to grow garlic so...get the scapes while they can!

Farmer Georgie, taking a "Scape Break" (notice the dirty fingers...)

Luckily, we grow a nice range of early and later-maturing garlic plants. so our season is as extended as possible on them.  We start picking them in late May (we had a few last weekend) and then we will usually be finished picking them by the first of July.  The other nice thing about garlic scapes is they are one of those veggies (like cabbage) which will store in great shape in your fridge for weeks.  So if you don't eat them right away - don't worry, you've got plenty of time.
We do try and pickle up a batch of them every year because there is nothing as cool as having a winter Anti-pasto plate with a curly, tasty garlic scape on it!  (Or, my husband is rather fond of Bloody Mary's with a pickled garlic scape stirrer!).
 So...hope to see you today at the farmer's markets and we will show you some of our lovely, wonderful, precious garlic scapes!
 Along with scapes, we will be bringing to market today:
From Willowood Farm:
* Garlic Scapes
* Garlic Greens (immature garlic plants, like scallions only garlicky)
* Head Lettuce
* Arugula
* Radishes
* Dry Beans
* Kale
From Prairie Bottom Farm:
* Red Spinach
* Green Spinach
* Herbs
* Stir-fry mix
* Lettuce Mix
From Ebey Road Farm:
* Emmer
Hope to see you at market!
Farmer Georgie
Willowood Farm

Dare we say....Sun?????

We hear a rumor, that the sun might grace us today.  The weatherman says so (and we ALL know how right on he is...).  Plus, as I type this, I look out the window at the morning sky and I see something strangely blue peeking out from breaks in the clouds.

Sun? Sun? Say it is so!
The rainy weather has definitely put a "damper" on a few things around the farm.  Literally.  It's hard to plant when you got fields worthy of a Las Vegas world class mud wrestling extravaganza.  Somehow, however, between momentary "dry" breaks, we were able to get about half of the dry beans planted.  Hopefully the rest, not to mention lentils and garbanzo beans, will go in this next few days.  Along with the wet, it has also been unseasonably cold (we heard we set a new record for the "lowest high temp" last week!), so we've also been worried about those sensitive heat loving crops rotting in the soil.  That's no fun!
The good news with all this wet, cool weather - the greens and cole crops have been LOVING it!  And with that, how about I get right onto the list of all the delightful veggies we will be bringing to the Coupeville and Bayview markets today?????
- Head lettuce, head lettuce, head lettuce!  It keeps getting bigger and better.  Look for loads of butterhead (aka bibb) types at the markets this week.  
- Peas!  They were a big hit last week and so we've picked loads more!  Sweet, tender, edible podded peas.  Great raw or steamed gently and tossed with butter and kosher salt.  Yum!

- Garlic scapes!  We had these a few weeks ago via our first "early" varieties.  Now we starting into the main crop.  If you have never had garlic scapes before, they are wicked cool!  Think asparagus texture but garlicky taste.  Really cool barbecued, braised or even pickled!
- Garlic!  That's right, we said garlic!  This is true "green garlic" which means I pulled it straight from the field yesterday and it has not had a chance to cure.  Which means incredibly juicy, sweet and even mild! 
- Kale - several flavors today and ever so sweet!
- Baby pac choi bunches.  Always a favorite.
- Scallions
- Red Giant mustard bunches
And a few more surprises...
From our pals over at Prairie Bottom Farm
- Red and green spinach
- Arugula
- Lettuce and mesclun mix
- Chard bunches
- Kale bunches
- Walla Walla Onion bunches (yummy!)
And more!
Hope to see you at market, on this (fingers-crossed) beautiful sunny day to be!
Farmer Georgie, eternally optimistic because that's what it takes to farm...
Willowood Farm of Ebey's Prairie

Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain!

"Oh, the weather outside is frightful, and Farmer Georgie is feeling delightful...
Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain."
Yes folks, 30 some days of record no rainfall and farmers start getting a little crazy. Tourists might like all that sunshine, but farmers, ESPECIALLY PAC NW FARMERS, well we count on a few grey and wet days, at least in the spring! Hearing that rain start last night was beautiful music to my ears! It's still not enough, and I've got sprinklers going 24-7 in the bean patch (about 1/3 of my crop didn't come up, just sitting in the soil where I planted, waiting for a little moisture!). But it's a start!
So, we'll hope for a nice sunny and pleasant day for market tomorrow, but if it is raining???? We won't too sad and rain, or shine, we'll be out selling food no matter what because its picked, packed and ready to go!
So coming tomorrow, rain or shine to the Bayview and Coupeville farmer's markets -
Willowood Farm
- MIXED NEW POTATOES!!!! These are the true new taters (i.e., so tender, their skin is not cured). Amazingly sweet.
- Head lettuce (some more huge ones, and the first of some gorgeous new plantings)
- Broccoli
- Swiss Chard
- Kale - several kinds
- Salad Turnips - red and white
- Chioggia beet thinnings
- Huge kohlrabi
- Walla Walla Salad Onions
- Red torpedo onions with greens
- Fresh turban type garlic
- Garlic scapes (see recipe below)
- Green spinach bunches

From Prairie Bottom Farm
- Red beets w/ greens
- Carrot bunches
- Bulb fennel
- Green onions
- Some peas!
- Head lettuce
- Red Chard
- And more that I'm forgetting...

Also, I wanted to list the pickled garlic scape recipe, courtesy of Chef Joe Scott at the Oystercatcher in Coupeville. Everyone RAVES about this recipe so here goes (and we are offering a great quantity deal on scapes tomorrow!):



Quick Garlic Scape Pickles
• Garlic scapes, however many you want to pickle, chopped into 1 inch pieces
• Champagne vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
• Rice Vinegar
• Dash of salt
• Sugar to taste
• Pinch of whole fennel seed
You will need equal parts of the vinegar, how much depends on how much you are going to pickle. Chop garlic and pack clean mason jars. Boil equal parts of both vinegars, add sugar and salt to taste. Sugar should balance the acidity of the vinegar. How sweet – versus tart – you make it is a personal preference depending on how you like your pickles. When boiling, pour over scapes. Add a pinch of whole fennel seed. Seal lid. These pickles are ready in 4 hours. If you prefer to keep the scape whole (which gives you a very cool shape on a plate), you should plan to let the pickles sit for at least a week (or more) so they absorb the pickling juices. By chopping the scapes you provide more surface area to absorb the pickling juices quickly.





-