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Local Food Journey

Early June Field Notes + Recipe for Garlic Scape Pesto

Posted by Kim Tait on 06/08 at 06:59 AM

Early June Fields. Photo Credit Katy Cleary.

Very well watered would best describe the condition in the fields. Thankfully we have most of the newly planted summer crops on raised beds, which keep the plants up and out of the saturated earth. The black plastic we use to cover the raised beds keeps the soil temperature a bit warmer, the weeds at bay, and the moisture in—all good things if you are a heat loving tomato, pepper, or eggplant.

We had to shallow till the asparagus last week because the thistle came on with a vengeance—but we hope to have it back in the Community Harvest (CSA) share next week. The high tunnels are going strong and we get to enjoy the first fresh basil of the season from them this week. And we should be harvesting cucumbers and summer squash out of them before too long.

The fall crops have been seeded in the greenhouse and will be starting that magical journey from seed to plant over the next seven weeks. All in all, we are off to a good start and the crops are looking to be abundant for the weeks and months ahead.

Scapes are the shoots that grow out of the ground from hard-neck varieties of garlic. When they’re young and tender, they look like curly green stalks with tightly closed buds on top. Farmers and gardeners harvest them at this time of year so that they won’t drain nutrients from the garlic bulbs that will be dug up in a couple of months, plump and glorious and ready for drying. Scapes are vegetable, aromatic, and even herb all in one. If you get some from your CSA, happen upon a giant pile of them at the farmers’ market, or snip them from your garden, grab a handful and give this favorite scape pesto recipe a try.

Garlic Scape Pesto

6 garlic scapes, chopped
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Asiago cheese
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup pine nuts
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Place the garlic scapes, Parmesan cheese, Asiago cheese, lemon juice, and pine nuts in the bowl of a food processor. Drizzle the olive oil over the mixture. Blend until the pesto is a brilliant green color and smooth in texture. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over pasta or spread onto grilled bread.