It’s Farmers Market Season!
You’ve battled the bitter cold of a truly terrible winter and now you deserve to enjoy some much needed perks! Summer is on it’s way and with it comes longer days, sunny skies, and fresh produce. Farmers markets, urban farms, and community supported agriculture (CSA) are a fantastic way to take advantage of the wide variety of fruits and vegetables available this season.
Most local farmers markets are held on weekends starting in mid-June and continue through the fall. Here you will find fresh produce and, depending on the market, artisanal cheeses, local meats, and even handmade crafts. If you want to play a part in harvesting your produce, many urban farms allow you to pick your food right out of the ground. For food delivered straight to your door, you can join a CSA where you will receive a box of assorted produce weekly or bi-weekly. For more information, see the blog post I wrote on my own CSA experience here.
Go to LocalHarvest.com to find a farmers market, urban farm, or CSA program in your area.
What are garlic scapes?
If you were wondering about those green swirly vegetables in the picture above, they are garlic scapes. Scapes are the tops of garlic and are usually cut off before the garlic is sold. They show up in many farmers markets and CSAs, but many people discard them because they do not know what they are or what to do with them. There is no need to fear this unknown food. Here are three recipes that showcase the flavoring power of scapes:
Garlic Scape Pesto
This tasty pesto can be served over whole wheat spaghetti, spread on crusty bread, or eaten with spiralized zucchini noodles. You can learn how to spiralize vegetables without a spiralizer here.
Scape Hummus
This flavorful hummus is easier to blend because you don’t have to worry about large chunks of garlic being left behind by the food processor. For an even creamier hummus, try white cannellini beans instead of garbanzo beans.
Summer Rolls
Rice paper rolls filled with scapes and vegetables make a light and tasty warm weather snack. For added protein, include tofu or shredded chicken in your rolls.
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