Green Scapes, White Currants, Summer Solstice
Date: June 17th 2010
What do the solstice and the armistice have in common? The -stice, of course . . . meaning a space, or pause, or stop.
As we approach the Summer Solstice -- when the sun stops its gradual northerly motion, seems to stand still on June 21, and then turns to begin its southerly motion -- the fields and what we harvest from them begin to turn as well. After months of lush leafy greens -- the spring salad greens, pea shoots, arugula, lettuces, cilantro and dill, -- as well as the early radishes, kohlrabi, snow peas, sugar snap peas, and broccoli . . . we turn to the true fruits of summer. Those botanical fruits (from a blossom) include the summer squashes, cucumbers, peppers, beans and more. If you come early, you may see the first of the greenhouse cucumbers this week, and perhaps even the first zucchini from the field.
Even if you don’t get those firsts, be sure to get in on the “lasts” – Teresa’s last strawberries, and Henry’s last garlic scapes of the season – see below, and visit the Food & Farm Notes blog for photos and more recipes.
Two Terra Announcements:1. I’m starting to write for “Zester Daily”--mostly on good food and inspiring farm topics. But I started out with this op-ed–prompted by one too many pseudo-scientific, pseudo-humanitarian, pro-GMO pieces in the Times. It comes with a chance to win a FREE copy of my book and garden tools too, so check it out!2. Come join me, and a stellar line-up of local food folks (Faith’s Farm, Theo Organic Chocolate, Growing Home, Purple Asparagus) this coming Tuesday (June 22- 6:30-8:00) at the Notebaert Nature Museum in Chicago, for ChickChat’s “Food for Thought.” More information at:
Farm Notes: Hot and Muggy
It’s heating up . . . very soon you’ll see the first summer crops – including zucchini from the field. This will be one of our earliest squash harvests ever because we were able to plant them in those unseasonably warm, dry days of April.
Now though, because of the continuing rain (7/10 on Sunday, 7/10 on Monday, and about the same on Tuesday), Henry is behind with both weeding and planting. He still hasn’t been able to get your winter squash and pumpkins planted, for example, and because today and tomorrow are taken up with harvesting for market, we’re hoping the rain will hold off and he’ll be able to get some planting done late Saturday or early Sunday. (There’s a slight chance of rain this Friday and Saturday, but we’re hoping it gives us a miss)
As we near the Summer Solstice it’s light until almost 9 p.m. and so even after Henry drives back home from the Evanston market, he still has 3 or 4 hours that he could work in the fields if he has to . . . like our neighbors the Wettsteins said once during haying season, “God gives us 24 hours a day and sometimes we work 22 of them.”
Henry’s Food Notes: Garlic Scapes
Garlic scapes are a thing of curly beauty, but last week it seemed that most of our customers eyed them with a combination of skepticism and fear, not quite sure if it was a vegetable or a bunch of green octopus tentacles. Or maybe it was the gathering storm clouds that scared everyone off. In any case, we didn’t sell a single bunch, but hope to make up for it this week, which will be the last week for scapes.
Scapes are fun and easy to cook with. I like to chop them into ½ inch pieces and sauté in olive oil, then pour a beaten egg mixture over them, similar to a frittata. Cook until set, and then serve with a liberal garnish of fresh herbs (from Teresa). Add a glass of white wine for a perfect summer appetizer.
Garlic Scape Pesto
1 cup garlic scapes (about 8 or 9 scapes), top flower part removed, cut into ¼-inch slices
1/3 cup walnuts
¾ cup olive oil
¼-1/2 cup grated parmigiano
½ teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste
1 cup garlic scapes (about 8 or 9 scapes), top flower part removed, cut into ¼-inch slices
1/3 cup walnuts
¾ cup olive oil
¼-1/2 cup grated parmigiano
½ teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste
Place scapes and walnuts in the bowl of a food processor and whiz until well combined and somewhat smooth. Slowly drizzle in oil and process. With a rubber spatula, scoop pesto out of bowl and into a mixing bowl. Add parmigiano to taste; add salt and pepper.
For ½ pound short pasta such as penne, add about 2 tablespoons of pesto to cooked pasta and stir until pasta is well coated.
And try this: White Bean and Garlic Scape Dip from NY Times
Teresa’s Fruit & Herb Notes – White Currants lead the Summer Fruit Explosion
Teresa is too busy to write this week – waking up at dawn to spray the tree fruits with the kaolin clay mixture that keeps normal pests (not Japanese beetles) away, and getting to bed late after weeding, mulching, picking and all the other farm chores. The Japanese beetle invasion is once again upon us, and they have already devastated the plums and grapes. Teresa will bring pie cherries up this week if she can get to them before the beetles do.
But she says not to fear, this is the week of the summer fruit explosion, and if you get to her stand early enough, you’ll see gorgeous blueberries, gooseberries (3 kinds), currants (red, black, and white), raspberries (black and red), the last of the strawberries, and maybe those cherries.
In addition, look for all of her fabulous fresh-cut herbs, including 9 kinds of mint (for tea, iced drinks-alcoholic and non-, and for salads and meats) and very lovely bunches of feathery dill.
Also don’t miss the dried herb teas, and the soaps from our little sister Jill’s Red Barn Farm.
See the Food and Farm Blog for some lovely white currant photos and recipes.
WHITE CURRANTS (with pink and golden undertones)
Red grabs our eyes, but the pearly white currants are lovely in everything from salads to desserts. They are a good source of vitamins B and C, and are rich in iron, copper and manganese. Did I mention they are tartly delicious, and used throughout Europe in salads, savory dishes, and desserts.
Here are a few currant ideas and recipes:
- · Saute in butter and mint and spoon over salmon
- · Make a sauce and use over ice cream or pound cake.
- · Put into egg salad with a little curry powder
- · Add to your favorite pancake or muffin recipe
- · Drop some into a glass of white or sparkling wine
Soft fruit sorbet
1lb raspberries
1lb redcurrants
½ cup sugar
1lb redcurrants
½ cup sugar
1. Crush (in a big sealed plastic bag with a rolling pin) and sieve the fruit, then stir in the icing sugar.
2. Pour into an ice cream machine or make granita style by freezing, stirring after an hour, freezing again, stirring etc until it gets the consistency you want.
2. Pour into an ice cream machine or make granita style by freezing, stirring after an hour, freezing again, stirring etc until it gets the consistency you want.
Currant rice pudding
Wash and pick over currants for stems. Then, using any rice pudding recipe, add the currants after fifteen minutes (so the skin hasn’t formed but the milk is warm and the rice is swelling). This gives lovely swirls of fruity flavour through the rice.
Summer Fruits Cobbler with Cornmeal and Buttermilk Topping
Super-simple and delicious!
For the filling:
5 cups fruit – e.g. strawberries, currants, cherries
2 tablespoons kirsch or brandy
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon sifted all purpose flour
For the topping:
¼ cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup sugar
Rounded ¼ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
⅔ cup buttermilk
1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Butter a 2-quart baking dish. Place the cherries in the dish and add the kirsch, sugar, lemon juice, and flour. Carefully mix together with a rubber spatula or a large spoon until the sugar and flour have dissolved into the liquids.
2. Sift together the flours, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. Place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse a few times. Add the butter and pulse to cut in the butter, until the mixture looks like coarse cornmeal. Turn on the food processor and pour in the buttermilk with the machine running. As soon as the dough comes together, stop the machine.
3. Spoon the topping over the cherries by the heaped tablespoon, or use a ¼ cup measure. The cherries should be covered but may peek out here and there. Place the baking dish on a baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is nicely browned and the cherries are bubbling. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to warm before serving. Serve warm (heat in a low oven for 15 minutes if necessary before serving), with whipped cream, crème
fraiche, or vanilla ice cream on the side.
This is from the oral tradition (an Austrian grandmother), so you’ll have to do your best with the amounts.
Prepare a pastry with two ounces sugar, four ounces butter and six ounces flour, a few drops of lemon juice and line a buttered and floured rectangular flan tin with this. Bake 'blind'.
When baked, but still hot, cover thickly with red-currants, sprinkle with a little sugar.
Whisk two egg whites until stiff, whisk in two ounces caster sugar, fold in another two ounces sugar. Pile whipped egg white over redcurrants.
Bake in cool oven until meringue top has set .Cut into slices when cool ( will be a bit runny when warm). Serve with cream.
Prepare a pastry with two ounces sugar, four ounces butter and six ounces flour, a few drops of lemon juice and line a buttered and floured rectangular flan tin with this. Bake 'blind'.
When baked, but still hot, cover thickly with red-currants, sprinkle with a little sugar.
Whisk two egg whites until stiff, whisk in two ounces caster sugar, fold in another two ounces sugar. Pile whipped egg white over redcurrants.
Bake in cool oven until meringue top has set .Cut into slices when cool ( will be a bit runny when warm). Serve with cream.
Berry Fruit Meringue - Meringata di Frutti di Bosco
Berries and cream make this tasty summer meringue pie. It looks beautiful, and if you have some experience with a pastry bag, is easy to do.
· 4 egg whites
· 2/3 cup granulated sugar
· 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, of the kind without vanilla added
· 1 cup whipping cream
· 1/2 pound fresh raspberries
· 1/4 pound strawberries, hulled
· 1/4 pound black currants
Combine the granulated sugar and a cup and a quarter of the powdered sugar. Add half the mixture to the egg whites, and beat them to very firm peaks with an electric mixer. When the sugar/whites mixture is firm and shiny, slowly beat in the remaining mixed sugars.
While you are doing this, heat your oven to 212 F (100 C). Also, take a cookie pan and line it with oven parchment.
Fill a pastry bag with a smooth nozzle with the meringue mixture, and use it to make two 8-inch (20 cm) diameter disks, and one 1-inch wide ring that is 8 inches in diameter; dot the ring with dots of meringue (if you switch to a star-shaped nozzle you will obtain a pretty decorative effect). Cook the meringue in the oven, leaving the door partially open, for three hours.
While the meringue is cooking, see to the filling: Blend half the raspberries. Beat the cream with the remaining sugar, and when it is soft and fluffy incorporate the blended berries.
Put one of the disks on a serving dish and spread a third of the cream over it, dotting it with the fruit, especially around the edges. Set the second ring over the first, spread another third of the cream over it, and dot it with more of the fruit. Put the ring atop the disks, put the remaining fruit in the center, and use a pastry bag to add the ring the fruit with the remaining cream.
Chill the meringue in the refrigerator until serves.
While you are doing this, heat your oven to 212 F (100 C). Also, take a cookie pan and line it with oven parchment.
Fill a pastry bag with a smooth nozzle with the meringue mixture, and use it to make two 8-inch (20 cm) diameter disks, and one 1-inch wide ring that is 8 inches in diameter; dot the ring with dots of meringue (if you switch to a star-shaped nozzle you will obtain a pretty decorative effect). Cook the meringue in the oven, leaving the door partially open, for three hours.
While the meringue is cooking, see to the filling: Blend half the raspberries. Beat the cream with the remaining sugar, and when it is soft and fluffy incorporate the blended berries.
Put one of the disks on a serving dish and spread a third of the cream over it, dotting it with the fruit, especially around the edges. Set the second ring over the first, spread another third of the cream over it, and dot it with more of the fruit. Put the ring atop the disks, put the remaining fruit in the center, and use a pastry bag to add the ring the fruit with the remaining cream.
Chill the meringue in the refrigerator until serves.
Thanks and bon appetit from all of us at Henry's Farm.
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Food and Farm Notes: A weekly peek at what's happening on Henry's Farm and what's coming to market, and what to do with it (with a side helping of poetry, science, philosophy, and what have you) For more information: http://www.terrabrockman.com/Henrys_Farm/welcometohenry%27s.html
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