Full Shares: Broccoli, Cauliflower, Salad Mix, Arugula, Carrots, Romaine, and Garlic Scapes

Partial Shares; Broccoli, Cauliflower, Salad Mix, Carrots, and Garlic Scapes

Hello CSA members!

It’s funny to think that back to the end of May, when I was hesitant to plant cover crops because I was concerned it would be too late and too dry for them to germinate. But I’ve learned that lesson before, and I went ahead and planted. And, Boy, was that concern misplaced. This June has been wet! The farm is a lush green jungle, and the cover crops that got seeded look really good. I’ll take it any day over hot and dry.

Right now we are in peak broccoli and cauliflower harvest…and what goes better with these than some garlic scapes to chop up and add to the pan! For those unfamiliar with scapes, you eat the tender portion of it starting at the thick end of it all the way up to the Taj Majal dome looking part…anything above that tends to be a bit fibrous. What is a garlic scape, you ask? It’s the shoot that every hard neck garlic plant sends up this time of year….we pick them off to concentrate the plants energy back down to the bulb. So yes, it’s still garlic, just not the bulb portion that you are used to.

At some point, however, some warm days would be greatly appreciated by our warm season crops like potatoes, corn, squash, tomatoes, and peppers. The weather around here can turn on a time, and July is right around the corner. As I say that, I can’t believe June is over already!

As our valley fills up with visitors from out of state, there is an increased concern regarding the spread of Covid 19. And rightly so, as it appears Montana’s cases are ticking up each day. Given that very few people we encounter are wearing masks these days, we’ve decided to help limit contact a bit by pre-bagging the CSA shares again much like we did in the earlier weeks. Not only does this limit contact, but it should also speed up CSA pickup as we will not need to unload every item out of the box. It will be very interesting to see how the next chapter of pandemic unfolds…

If the scapes still have you concerned, here are seven simple ideas on how to best use them. I can recommend them grilled, but more often than not, I just cut them into 2 inch pieces and saute them in my cast iron pan to season whatever I’m cooking…which this time of year includes about one entire broccoli head each meal. Broccoli, garlic, olive oil, and sea salt…that’s a hard to beat combination.

Well, stay dry out there, and we’ll see you at CSA pickup. It sounds like Whitefish may get rearranged a bit, but just look for our truck and you’ll find us.

Todd