Showing posts with label garlic scape. Show all posts
Showing posts with label garlic scape. Show all posts

Thursday, June 18, 2020

Garlic Scape Herbed Cream Cheese


A fast and flavorful spread for appetizers or snacks, this zesty cream cheese marries fresh herbs with garlic scapes for a Spring treat. Spread this on crackers or tortillas, pipe it into peppers, or dunk a carrot for a fresh from the farm share appetizer.


A fast and flavorful spread for appetizers or snacks, this zesty cream cheese marries fresh herbs with garlic scapes for a Spring treat. Spread this on crackers or tortillas, pipe it into peppers, or dunk a carrot for a fresh from the farm share appetizer.

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To make a more useful website for my fellow farm share eating folks, I periodically ask food bloggers for recipes so I can add their photos (and links back to their sites) to my Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient.
It's mean, rude, poor form, and illegal to take recipes and photos someone else has created and publish them on another website. Want to print off a recipe to hang on your fridge and refer to? Rock on! Here's how to print from my site. Want to copy and paste this post to publish somewhere else? No, you do not have my permission to steal my work. You're most welcome to link to this page instead.

When I was gathering garlic scape recipes I came across this Grilled Crostini with Garlic Scape Cream Cheese and Tomatoes from Kim of Kiss My Smoke. Her recipe reminded me that I hadn't tried making a savory cheese spread using farm share ingredients.



A fast and flavorful spread for appetizers or snacks, this zesty cream cheese marries fresh herbs with garlic scapes for a Spring treat. Spread this on crackers or tortillas, pipe it into peppers, or dunk a carrot for a fresh from the farm share appetizer.


This is not that spread that my kids keep asking me to make--I think I need to use some ricotta and more pepper to make it a bit drier/firm it up, to come closer to Boursin, but much more testing is needed. Rule #3, something to look forward to. 


[What are Rules #1 and #2? Rule #1--you need someone to love. Rule #2--you need something to do. Rule #3--you need something to look forward to. I learned these from my spouse shortly after we met.]


A fast and flavorful spread for appetizers or snacks, this zesty cream cheese marries fresh herbs with garlic scapes for a Spring treat. Spread this on crackers or tortillas, pipe it into peppers, or dunk a carrot for a fresh from the farm share appetizer.


Monday, June 10, 2019

Shrimp and Garlic Scape Scampi

Shrimp seasoned with garlic scape pesto and parsley then tossed in a wine/butter/lemon sauce and served over pasta.  This is local seasonal eating. The high falutin' way.



Photo of shrimp, garlic scape pesto, and parsley in a wine/butter/lemon sauce over pasta.  Seasonal eating. The high falutin' way.



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You're either here because you've got garlic scapes and want ideas for how to use them, or because you're looking for a different twist on the classic Shrimp Scampi. Either way, let's start with a little background info so that we're all on the same page.

What is a garlic scape?


Garlic grows in a bulb--like a tulip--and produces a flower. Unlike tulips, though, you don't want this flower--so you cut off the scapes while the flower part is still a tight bud. That's a garlic scape. Old Farmers [my Dad] say cutting off the bud forces enables the garlic plant to put all its energy into making a larger base or head or bulb. We're all about bigger bulbs of garlic, right?

image of a garlic scape in a garden bed



Since garlic--again like tulips--ripens but once a year there's only one shot to get garlic scapes each year. If you don't grow your own garlic [and here's a DIY post on planting/harvesting/putting up a year's supply of garlic and pesto from one raised bed] you can find scapes at a farmer's market of from a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share. It is rare to find them in a grocery store which is all the more reason to eat locally--they are a versatile veggie!



Image of a cast iron skillet with shrimp, garlic scape pesto, and parsley in a wine/butter/lemon sauce over pasta.



The requisite Food (Blogger) Origination Story


The first time I made Shrimp Scampi was in high school.  In an effort to save money I decided to make my boyfriend our pre-prom dinner at home. [We went to different high schools and attended two proms--though I have no memory of actually going to his prom . . . perhaps we just ate shrimp scampi at my house instead?].

I got the recipe on a piece of lab paper from Miss Tigani, my high school biology teacher. That scrap of paper hasn't been seen in decades, but the basics of scampi--garlic, butter, parsley, lemon, white wine--stayed with me.  I thought the milder taste of garlic scapes would go nicely for my family.
See, while I would love me some garlic shrimp from the white shrimp truck on the North Shore of Oahu, I know that the resulting 3 days of garlic oozing from my pores would not be appreciated by my spouse.  So I'll stay on the mainland and create this instead.

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Shrimp, garlic scape pesto, and parsley in a wine/butter/lemon sauce over pasta.  Seasonal eating. The high falutin' way.

Monday, June 5, 2017

Chicken Meatballs with Garlic Scape Pesto

Ground chicken and garlic scape pesto makes a flavorful meatball. Serve this tasty Spring treat over pasta, in a meatball sub, as an appetizer or on a pizza!


photo of a plate of garlic scape chicken meatballs on a bed of creamy noodles


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Garlic scapes are one of the weirder items in the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share box. They are a strange green hook that packs a mild garlic flavor into a curlicue shape, shown below. I think they're one of the best savory ways to kick off a new growing season and I hope to share the love with you.

photo of a garlic scape in the garden with the world's most handsome basset hound in the background


When I get garlic scapes in the farm share they are usually accompanied by loads of greens. Spinach, salad mix, cooking greens . . . all of these are more fragile than the hardy garlic scape. While I need to perform Vegetable Triage to ensure none of the delicate greens go to waste, I can toss a bag of garlic scapes into the crisper and remember it in a week without any problems. Once I've gathered all of the season's scapes, I make a massive batch of Garlic Scape Pesto. You can find my Garlic Scape & Pistachio Pesto recipe here. I freeze this pesto in small amounts to use throughout the year, whenever I want to add a flavor boost to pizza, or muffins, or even meatballs.


garlic scape pesto cubes in vacuum-packed bag ready to be frozen


Monday, May 29, 2017

Garlic Scape Pesto & Ricotta Muffins #MuffinMonday

These savory muffins are flavored with garlic scape pesto & ricotta cheese. They bake up quickly for an easy bread to serve alongside pasta, chicken, or fish.


a plate of savory muffins flavored with garlic scape pesto and ricotta cheese


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Ever make a main dish and think at the last moment, "you know, some hot bread would be great with this"? That's one of the reasons I like muffins--they come together quickly (as in, thrown together while an entree is baking) and usually require just pantry ingredients. Simply pop them into the already hot oven and a few minutes later you've got yourself a hot bread to accompany your meal.  Take that, yeast breads!


These savory muffins are flavored with garlic scape pesto & ricotta cheese. They bake up quickly for an easy bread to serve alongside pasta or chicken.


I envisioned these muffins alongside a plate of lasagna, spaghetti & meatballs, or a crock pot pizza casserole where the pesto-ricotta combination can enhance the entree. They'd be terrific with my Pesto Ricotta Baked Swai recipe or my Chicken Spinach Artichoke Pesto Pasta recipe. When I made them I was just craving a savory quick bread I could slather in buttery spread and snarf down while standing in the kitchen with my wiener dog, Vincent, at my feet catching the crumbs. True story! These muffins assuaged the craving.


pic of a pile of garlic scape pesto and ricotta muffins


I was not interested in having a full pan of muffins to feed a larger group--I just wanted enough for our family--so I filled my muffin cups much fuller than usual. The resulting large muffins took a few more minutes to bake, but Vincent and I didn't mind. This recipe could be stretched into a dozen if you make them smaller than I did.

making garlic scape pesto and ricotta muffins
the wet ingredients


Seasonal eaters will delight in the inclusion of garlic scape pesto in this recipe. If you know what it is and you've got some--go for it. If you're not sure where in the grocery store you'd buy garlic scape pesto, let me give you a Top Tip: it's not there. Use a prepared pesto instead, and check out this Garlic Scape Recipe Round Up to learn more about the wonders of garlic scapes.

Monday, May 8, 2017

Garlic Scape and Goat Cheese Omelette

This vegetarian omelette is stuffed with garlic scapes, parsley, and creamy goat cheese for a fresh Spring flavor using what's growing right now.

image of a plate of garlic scape and goat cheese omelette with grape tomatoes and pancakes
Yes, the tomatoes are local--from my friend's CSA. The pancakes? From the freezer section of the grocery store. 

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Time for a reality check. I find eating locally and seasonally hardest right around now. Loads of produce is in its active growing phase, but there's precious little produce ready to harvest. I've exhausted the Strategic Winter Squash Reserve in the corner of my cold basement. There's a continually replenished supply of empty canning jars coming out of the dishwasher and hanging around the counter, awaiting transport downstairs. I'm starting to see space in the fruit and vegetable freezer, yet I'm sick of using the frozen produce I put up last year.

I want fresh. I want vibrant. I want green!

This vegetarian omelette is stuffed with garlic scapes, parsley, and creamy goat cheese for a fresh Spring flavor using what's growing right now.


Enter this simple meal. Since we get local eggs year round from the farmer's market, an omelette is a great Go To entree no matter the time of day. It's a simple matter of popping out to the garden to pick some parsley and a garlic scape which adds a bit of crunch, color, and flavor to the filling. I finished it off with a bit of creamy goat cheese because--magical markdown stickers, yo.


pic showing a garlic scape and goat cheese omelette served with local grape tomatoes and a stack of flapjacks


What's a garlic scape, you ask? I'm glad to enlighten--it's the flowering portion of a head of garlic. Happily for all involved (as someone who's been growing her annual garlic supply for about a decade, I'll be both a producer and a consumer here) we producers and consumers of garlic would rather have a fat garlic bulb than another pretty allium flower in the garden bed. So we cut off the twisty flower stalk and guess what happens? The plant puts its energy into growing a bigger bulb. This is truly a win-win situation--we get mild garlic flavored scapes now, and more garlic to harvest later. Farmers can sell both the scapes and the harvested garlic. How awesome is that?

Friday, March 25, 2016

Deep Dish Pizza with Artichokes, Kalamata Olives, and Garlic Scape Pesto

This pizza is layered with mozzarella cheese, marinated artichoke hearts, and kalamata olives tucked under an Italian sausage blanket spread with garlic scape pesto.

This pizza is layered with mozzarella cheese, marinated artichoke hearts, kalamata olives tucked under an Italian sausage blanket spread with garlic scape pesto.

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I'm working on refining my "elevator speech", a way to describe what it is I do to people I meet.

In the 30 second version, I'll touch on the flavor of a freshly picked tomato or strawberry vs their store bought counterparts and comment that it's easy to choose to eat locally for the flavor. In the longer version, I'll bring up garlic scapes--one of the more unusual, you've never seen this before therefore it must be locally grown, items in a Spring farm share basket. I specify Spring because, even though you'll only find garlic scapes right after they are harvested in the early part of the growing season--you can put up garlic scapes to enjoy year round.

I'll be giving a talk about local eating at my neighborhood community center in May, and I'm hoping for a couple of garlic scapes to harvest as props. Conveniently I missed a few bulbs of garlic when I harvested last June, and those older established bulbs have a jump on the garlic I planted last October so it's possible I'll have my 'visual aids'. If you're puzzled by what a garlic scape is--it's just what would be the flowering portion of garlic. You can see some gorgeous shots of a scape here on my Garlic Scape Recipe Round Up. I plant my garlic cloves, just like my daddy plants daffodils, in the Fall. Instead of enjoying the pretty flowers, though, I cut off the curly scape while the blossom is still a tight bud, and pulverize those stems for their mild garlic flavor.  With no energy needed to go for a showy floral display, the resulting garlic bulb is bigger--my end goal.

Now, I'll rave about garlic scapes to anyone who will listen, but the way I love them most is in pesto. I will freeze scoops of pesto (I make it thick so it stays in a clump when freezing) for up to a year. Initially I'm hoarding my garlic scape pesto stash, but this time of year I'm seeing the garlic pop up (and sharing it on my Instagram feed) and knowing that scape season is approaching so I can be free and easy with my stash.


This pizza is layered with mozzarella cheese, marinated artichoke hearts, kalamata olives tucked under an Italian sausage blanket spread with garlic scape pesto.



This ^^ is all to say that, in this pizza, I used some of my garlic scape pesto as the sauce. If you don't have a stash in your freezer, use any pesto you feel like using. It will be delicious because you made it with love, and that's what matters the most, right?

Monday, June 29, 2015

Grilled Zucchini with Feta

Tender chunks of zucchini grilled and tossed with feta cheese for a simple side dish to accompany a variety of meals.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/06/grilled-zucchini-with-feta.html


Let's talk about volunteering. I come from volunteers (my extended family calendar even had a theme one year about how we all volunteer). My daughter volunteers with the gardening program of the local historical society and my son volunteers at the library. My spouse volunteers at community clean ups and when someone is deployed. I volunteer on the base, at the school, and in the community.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/06/grilled-zucchini-with-feta.html



Volunteering is a value for our family. It boosts our community and ourselves. 


In the garden, squash plants volunteer. They come from our compost. They come from Halloween pumpkins, nibbled by squirrels. They grow in the front yard flower bed, in landscaped areas of the back yard, and in the middle of the patio.


http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/06/grilled-zucchini-with-feta.html

The thing about volunteers is that we need to feel valued. We need to feel our efforts are making a difference in the community, and we want validation for the work we have done.

Monday, June 8, 2015

Grilled Green Beans with Garlic Scape Pesto and Parm (side dish and appetizer)

 Fresh green beans, grilled until nicely browned, tossed with a garlic scape pesto dressing and buried under a dusting of Parmesan cheese. Use the leftovers for an appetizer wrapped in salami.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/06/grilled-green-beans-with-garlic-scape.html

I have been all up in my grill for the past two months. Ever since my spouse assembled the monster, the grill became an never-ending source of inspiration for side dishes and planned overs aka repurposed leftovers. Now that I type it out, my farm share box is often the same sort of inspiration, albeit perishable inspiration.
I started a Grill Life List with a slip of paper, documenting all of the vegetables and meats I've grilled so far. Then I misplaced the slip of paper. I'm switching to notebooks. Speaking of, although I have not tried this system, I know a few folks who use it and it looks cool: Bullet Journal.
http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/06/grilled-green-beans-with-garlic-scape.html

Today's recipe was made in that window of time after I've used up all the winter farm share stores, emptied the freezer of bulk frozen vegetables [Garlic Scape Pesto and Green Tomato Bacon Jam remain at the ready] and have to actually shop for vegetables in the store until the farm share starts. I asked my spouse what veggies he felt like eating and he wanted green beans. Green beans can give me something to work with, are good blog fodder, so I picked up a massive bag of the tender fresh ones at Costco.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/06/grilled-green-beans-with-garlic-scape.html

I'm sharing this recipe both as YET ANOTHER NUDGE to make and freeze garlic scape pesto [my previous nudge is Grilled Garlic Scape Pesto Smashed Potatoes] but also because it fits in with my summer eating plan [more about that in the future when I have space to sit and write]. In a nutshell, though, when you're cooking, cook extra to use on nights when you don't have time/it's too hot to cook. This is not rocket science. I mean, I can come up with plenty of reasons not to cook--it's too hot, too rainy, I get home too late, I'm out of ______ (insert name of key ingredient). This reminds me of Matt Scott's Nike commercial. Point is, when I do cook I may as well cook as many things as I can, and figure out ways to use them later.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/06/grilled-green-beans-with-garlic-scape.html

After enjoying these beans as a side dish I turned the leftovers into a savory appetizer. I wrapped 3 to 4 beans in a slice of thin salami and served the bundles alongside other leftover vegetables, cheese, and crackers. The pairing of crunchy grilled green beans with salty salami is a good one, and way too easy to make.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/06/grilled-green-beans-with-garlic-scape.html


For more recipes using green beans, please see my Green Bean Recipes Collection. For more recipes using garlic scapes, please see my Garlic Scape Recipes Collection. These are part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient. You can find more vegetable appetizers on my Pinterest board, Awesome Veggie Apps and Snacks. Want to know how to Use This Blog? Click here.

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Grilled Garlic Scape Pesto Smashed Potatoes

Crispy grilled potatoes smashed and seasoned with garlic scape pesto.

Subtitle:  Yet Another Reason Why You Should Put Up Garlic Scape Pesto This Year

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/05/grilled-garlic-scape-pesto-smashed.html

I will shamelessly admit that this post is a Call to Action. I want you to find garlic scapes (if it's not too late in your neck of the woods) and make pesto with them. Make lots and lots of pesto, then freeze some of it because pesto lasts a long time and can be enjoyed in so many ways.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/05/grilled-garlic-scape-pesto-smashed.html

Here is my garlic scape pesto (GSP) recipe, using pistachios, parsley and basil for that whole Green on Green action, but use the recipe that appeals to you the most. There are many pesto options in my Garlic Scape Recipe Round Up and on my Garlic Scapes Pinterest Board. If you get enough scapes, you could try them all!

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/05/grilled-garlic-scape-pesto-smashed.html

I use a bit less olive oil in my recipe so the result is a thicker pesto, easy to scoop (Amazon affiliate link to my scoop) onto a tray to freeze. [I prefer not to use my ice cube trays since I use them to make ice and never have enough ice in the summer.] I often whisk thawed scoops of GSP with additional oil before using, like I did in today's recipe.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/05/grilled-garlic-scape-pesto-smashed.html

The first time I heard about smashed potatoes was while skimming through a Pioneer Woman cookbook in the bookstore. I failed at my first attempt to make them [I was too vigorous with my smashing] but they still tasted good. I tried them again on our old grill, but when your grill is optimized for portability and powered by a creme brûlée torch-sized can of propane, you learn not to expect much. The third time was the charm for these spuds--I didn't crash too vigorously and the grill was big enough, and hot enough [and gosh darn it, people like it] to make this concept work.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/05/grilled-garlic-scape-pesto-smashed.html
These were rounds 3 and 4 for the grill--I'd already grilled green beans and zucchini for later use.
My daughter filled up a 3 quart saucepan with potatoes because I know that no matter how they are prepared, my family loves potatoes. I only grilled what would fit on my grill sheet because I didn't want overcrowding, and because we can always find a use for cooked & cooled potatoes. [In this case, some went onto a pizza, some went into a spinach and potato quesadilla, and some were fried up with onions and eggs for breakfast.]

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/05/grilled-garlic-scape-pesto-smashed.html

For other recipes using Garlic Scapes, please see my Garlic & Garlic Scapes Recipe Collection, part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient. I've got a Pinterest board of Garlic Scape Recipes here, and a Round Up of 28+ Food Blogger Recipes Using Garlic Scapes here.

Friday, May 1, 2015

Chicken Pizza with Strawberry Salsa and Garlic Scape Pesto

Strawberry salsa-tossed chicken layered with cheeses on a garlic scape pesto-sauced pizza crust. A pizza recipe straight out of my edible back yard (exceptions chicken, peppers, and cheese).

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/05/chicken-pizza-with-strawberry-salsa-and.html

I was thinking about starting a "What is Edible in the Yard This Week" sidebar column, but then I looked around the yard and realized that the chickweed growing up between the bricks on the patio is about it. [FYI, chickweed tastes bright and lemony, if you're wondering, and Robert Barker snacked on it for me. But he snacks on everything.]

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/05/chicken-pizza-with-strawberry-salsa-and.html

Sure, the garlic is growing well, the raspberry canes have leafed out, and the peach tree bloomed beautifully. Burgeoning piles of mint, rosemary, and thyme are spreading out in the sun. The sugar snap peas, chard, strawberries, and parsley have begun to grow. I've even spotted volunteer pumpkins [or mutant squash] and cilantro sprouting their first true leaves.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/05/chicken-pizza-with-strawberry-salsa-and.html

Despite the lack of current edible items in our garden, the pizza I'm sharing today shows how I put up food when it's ripe and then eat it year round. Strawberry salsa and garlic scape pesto came right from my little back yard, and I open jars/thaw cubes when I want some Spring flavors. With a stove and a freezer [and a food processor or blender is nice as well--and power too, since I'm blogging from the library because a transformer blew and our power is out] eating pizza like this is well within reach for you, too.

Seeing an albino squirrel in the back yard [photo by my lightning-reflexed spouse] I'm feeling the absence of the composting pigs this Spring. After nearly 5 years with them, my spouse finds himself plucking dandelions before he remembers there are no pigs to wheek their pleasure at the treat.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/05/chicken-pizza-with-strawberry-salsa-and.html

PSA:  If you're in the market for another family member, consider rescuing a pair of guinea pigs. Keep their large cage in a common area [ours lived in a corner of the living room atop the dog crate] and these social creatures will not only brighten your day and let you know when it's dinner time, they'll eat up any unwanted Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share produce. [Thus I termed them the 'composting pigs', as guinea pig poop is perfectly fine for your compost bin.] I'm glad of my worm bin to take up the slack, but the worms aren't very interactive. Not like our beloved pigs. [Will we get more? Not at this time. For me, 3 dogs are plenty of animals to care for.]

For other recipes using garlic scapes or garlic scape pesto, please see my Garlic/ Garlic Scape Recipes Collection. For other recipes using strawberries, please see my Strawberry Recipes Collection. These are part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient. I even have a Visual Pizza Recipe Index, because I have a thing for indices.
I've pinned more garlic scape recipes to my Garlic Scapes Pinterest board and more pizzas to my Friday Night Pizza Night Pinterest board. Wanna know how to Use This Blog? Click here.

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Heirloom Tomato and Garlic Scape Pesto Tart {Get to Know a Farmer}

Heirloom tomatoes and marinated mozzarella balls snuggled under a blanket of garlic scape pesto and more mozzarella make a rich savory tart--or delightful breakfast.

Heirloom Tomato and Garlic Scape Pesto Tart {Get to Know a Farmer} | Farm Fresh Feasts

If you read one of those 13 Farmers Market Secrets Savvy Shoppers Share type articles, one of the tips is invariably "get to know a farmer".  Joining a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share is a terrific way to get to know a farmer.  For the duration of the growing season you'll have the opportunity to visit with the folks who grow your food.  This "get to know a farmer" stuff can pay off deliciously [and for me the payoff is usually locally grown tomatoes].

There is nothing better than a locally grown tomato.

Tomatoes have seasons.  Some get off to a quick start like cherry tomatoes and early varieties. Some take their sweet time growing and setting out fruit, to the point that you think they'll never amount to anything, but once they get going they're unstoppable 'til frost.* Some suffer setbacks early on--like nibbling from varmints--yet recover to become a big bushy productive plant.  They are a lot like kids, now that I think on it.
I'm talking about tomatoes, and getting to know your farmers, today for the simple reason that this recipe happened, last November, because I got to know our farmers. See, my spouse spent last tomato season in Afghanistan. He missed out on eating fresh tomatoes and our daily lives [not in that order]. Sure, they fed him from May to November. But he always returns from deployments super skinny so I'm always frantically cleaning planning menus with all his favorite foods when I know he's heading home.

It was with this mindset that I asked our farmers in early November if they had a spare tomato. I'd canned all the ones from my garden, and we'd had oh, easily 12+ weeks of various ripe tomato varieties in the farm share. I'm sure most folks were more enthused about the prospect of a sweet potato. But I wanted to make my spouse a tomato sandwich, so I emailed our farmers with the request.  You may, if you love local tomatoes, understand the sheer delight when my newly-returned spouse and I went to pick up our farm share and Farmer Josh disappeared for a moment then returned with not one but 4 gorgeous heirloom tomatoes.  Swoon! In addition to that sandwich I had enough for this tart--double points for a rich tart that's one of my spouse's favorite tomato dishes.

Get to know a farmer.  It's so worth it.

Friday, June 6, 2014

Roasted Garlic & Pesto Buttermilk Pizza Dough--on Fathers and Gardening

A tender wheaty buttermilk pizza dough flavored with homegrown roasted garlic and prepared pesto

a slice of cheese pizza made with roasted garlic and pesto pizza dough


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Part 1:  An Old Farmer's Advice on Gardening

My dad was a guerrilla gardener before it was hip. [Is it uncool to say hip? Is it uncool to say uncool?] If Johnny Appleseed was known for planting apple trees, then Freddy Daffodilbulb would be my dad's nickname.  It's kind of unwieldy, though, so I'll stick with Dad.  My dad has stealthily--or blatantly--planted daffodil bulbs from Delaware to Ohio.  That's a pretty cool legacy.

When I was a little kid, my parents worked to turn our suburban backyard into an edible landscape.  [Homesteaders before that was cool, too.] The old small inground pool was filled in and turned into a bed for rhubarb, herbs, and bulbs.  I remember being pretty little and getting to use a hammer (!) to break up the concrete patio which became a strawberry patch.  It seemed like every year the amount of grass got smaller and the land in food production enlarged. We had cherry and apple trees in addition to that strawberry patch, and 2 areas of vegetables. **

Monday, May 12, 2014

28 Recipes Using Garlic Scapes {Recipe Round Up}

Got garlic scapes? Need inspiration? Here's a round up of more than 30 recipes, from appetizers to main dishes to side dishes, using that mild seasonal treat the garlic scape.


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One of the reasons I started this blog was to provide practical support for local eating.  

Eating locally means you're eating foods in season--when they taste the best! It also means you're introduced to new foods. At the start of the farmer's market and CSA season these funny looking garlic scapes are many folks' first experience with a new food.


I'm so pleased with this Garlic Scape Recipe Round Up! Right here in one a single place I've gathered more than 28 recipes using this wonderfully versatile and locally available plant part.

Pin this for later!


Got garlic scapes? Need inspiration? Here's a round up of more than 30 recipes, from appetizers to main dishes to side dishes, using that mild seasonal treat the garlic scape.


The garlic scape is indeed a plant part! Like I use unwanted onion skins and celery leaves in my frugal freezer Soup Stock Packs, while saving the main part of the vegetable to use/eat directly, the scape is the {unwanted} flowering portion of the garlic bulb. After cutting off the scapes and using them in one of the dishes below, you'll still harvest the Main Attraction, the garlic bulb, a few weeks later.  How cool is that?



This amazing photo of a garlic scape is from Stephanie of Garden Therapy
This amazing photo is from Stephanie of Garden Therapy



My fellow food bloggers and I share what you can fix if you have scapes from your garden (it's easy to grow your own garlic), your Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share, or your farmer's market. Garlic scapes are ready to harvest all at once, only once a year, so it's a good idea to have a mess of ideas in your toolkit so you can plan ahead in the kitchen.


I've broken down the recipes by category [because cataloging recipes seems to be something I like to do on this blog]. I've got pestos, starters, sides and mains.  There are garlic scape recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  There are gluten free and vegan recipes using garlic scapes.  There are recipes for stove top, oven, microwave, and grill.


For even more recipes using garlic scapes, please see my Garlic and Garlic Scape Recipes Collection. It's part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient, a resource for folks like me eating from the farm share, the farmer's market, the garden, the neighbor's garden, and great deals on ugly produce at the grocery store.


I'm sharing more recipes on my Pinterest boards, follow me there. If you like a good peek behind the scenes like I do, follow me on Instagram. Need a good read? I'm sharing articles of interest on my Facebook page, follow me there. Want to know How to Use This Blog?



My favorite way to use garlic scapes is to put up a mess of Garlic Scape Pistachio Pesto. I freeze it into small cubes and use it year round in salad dressings, Chicken Garlic Scape Meatballs, pizza sauces, Herbed Garlic Scape Cream Cheese Spread/Dip, my Cheesy Garlic Scape Pesto Flatbread, Grilled Garlic Scape Pesto Smashed Potatoes, Shrimp and Garlic Scape Pesto Scampi, and this hummus. I've got a quick video how I make it, and you can find the Garlic Scape Pistachio Pesto recipe specifics here.

image of a bowl of garlic scape pistachio pesto hummus


Pin my Garlic Scape Pistachio Pesto recipe here!




While there is no single garlic scape pesto recipe, my favorite is my Garlic Scape Pistachio Pesto recipe. While arranging all the links these bloggers have thoughtfully provided for me, I found a wide variety of pesto recipes.  Each recipe below is different--using a variety of leaves, a variety of nuts, but always using the mild garlic scape.  I thought I knew all there was about putting up pesto, but there's a wealth of information, tips, and tricks in these posts.


collage of 9 images of garlic scape pesto recipes, part of the garlic scape recipe round up Kalyn's Chard and Garlic Scape Pesto Susan's Garlic Scape Pesto Donalyn's Garlic Scape Pesto Brandy's Garlic Scape Pesto Kalyn's Garlic Scape Pesto Stephanie's Garlic Scape Pesto Alejandra's Garlic Scape Pesto Sheri's Garlic Scape Pesto Beth's Garlic Scape and Swiss Chard Pesto Image Map


The Starters category covers appetizers, dips, and soups. When the weather is warm I like to eat lighter, and having appetizers for a Dip Dinner keeps my kitchen cool and my family happy. Dip dinners with a big plate of whatever's handy from the farm share makes it a fun way to eat a lot of vegetables.


collage of 6 images of appetizer recipes using garlic scapes, part of the garlic scape recipe round up Creamy Green Garlic Soup Garlic Scape Marinated Roasted Red Peppers Garlic Scape Dip Garlic Scape Soup Edamame & Garlic Scape Hummus Garlic Scape Pistachio Pesto Hummus Image Map


One of my goals this year is to increase the number of side dish recipes on this blog--here are some ideas for all of us to use this summer.  I'm currently inspired to try Sarah's Garlic Scape Vinaigrette in a pasta salad or as a marinade for grilled vegetables. For more inspiration check these recipes out:


collage of 4 images of side dishes using garlic scapes, part of the garlic scape recipe round up Garlic Scape Pesto with Soba Noodles Black Quinoa Salad with Garlic Scape Pesto and Dried Cherries Grilled Garlic Scapes with Sea Salt Sauteed Garlic Scapes Image Map


The Main Dishes with Garlic Scapes category covers breakfast dishes through dinner meals.  I remember touring a garlic farm in Japan where there was garlic wine (I was pregnant and didn't taste it though the spouse said it was . . . interesting) but I don't recall a garlic dessert.  I'm glad.


collage of images of main dishes using garlic scapes, part of the garlic scape recipe round up Red Lentils and Garlic Scapes Early Summer Pizza with Garlic Scape Pesto and Morels Slow Eggs Garlic Scape Carbonara Paella Hash Shrimp and Garlic Scape Scampi Indian Vegetable Curry with Coconut Milk and Yogurt Garlic Scape and Spinach Frittata Cheesy Garlic Scape Flatbread Image Map

In addition to these Clickable Collages [I learned how thanks to Anyonita's tutorial] I've also added a Garlic Scape Recipes board on Pinterest, where I've pinned each post and will continue adding as I find more recipes using garlic scapes throughout the internet.  If you missed my many calls for garlic scape recipes and would like me to pin yours to my board, please feel free to leave the link in the comments and I'll add to the post. Thanks!



Since I'm still finding links I'd been squirreling away, let's make this 28+ recipes! :)


photo of garlic scapes on a blue checkered cloth, one of the recipes from the garlic scape recipe round up
Susan's Fresh Primer: Green Garlic and Garlic Scapes



photo of garlic scape pesto pizza with feta and gruyere, one of the recipes from the garlic scape recipe round up
Casey's Feta and Gruyere Pizza



image of garlic scape powder, one of the recipes from the garlic scape recipe round up
Lindsey's Garlic Scape Powder



image of pickled garlic scapes, one of the recipes from the garlic scape recipe round up
Lindsey's Pickled Garlic Scapes





Friday, May 9, 2014

Garlic Scape Pesto Cheesy Flatbread Pizza (Pizza Night!)

Mild garlic flavor from the garlic scape pesto, plus plenty of shredded cheeses, makes a Cheesy Garlic Scape Flatbread--a seasonal treat that can be enjoyed year round thanks to your freezer.

Mild garlic flavor from the garlic scape pesto, plus plenty of shredded cheeses, makes a Cheesy Garlic Scape Flatbread--a seasonal treat that can be enjoyed year round thanks to your freezer



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I want to talk about making pizzas at home, and share a way you can keep it innovative.
Having a stash of pizza topping options in the fridge and freezer keeps our weekly pizza nights interesting.  It's super simple to throw some leftover protein (chicken, ham, ground beef--links to some of my pizza posts) onto a meat-containing pizza.

It's a breeze to add fresh vegetables (peppers, spinach, or mushrooms--more links to suggested recipes) and/or preserved vegetables for a vegetarian pizza.

I store a lot of pizza cheese in the freezer [NOT always a good idea to use in a pizza], have a vat of feta standing by, and sometimes you don't even need cheese [this would be the place where I'd link to the Beef and Broccoli Pizza if it had been posted].


Mild garlic flavor from the garlic scape pesto, plus plenty of shredded cheeses, makes a Cheesy Garlic Scape Flatbread--a seasonal treat that can be enjoyed year round thanks to your freezer.


It takes some time to build up that pizza topping stash, but it's worth it.  Preparing a batch as each vegetable hits peak season means that I'm not constantly slaving away in the kitchen [it only seems like that in August-September with the tomato canning, though, like childbirth, I'd do it again] yet I get to enjoy a wide variety of homemade, locally grown sauces on our pizzas throughout the year.

I don't want to tell you what to do want to subliminally brainwash you to consider trying to put up one pizza topping in your freezer this summer. Here's some suggestions, in order of when they're ripe and ready throughout the season--all of these store well in the freezer.

Think about it and get back to me.  In the meantime, here's one way you could use your bounty: pizza.

Mild garlic flavor from the garlic scape pesto, plus plenty of shredded cheeses, makes a Cheesy Garlic Scape Flatbread--a seasonal treat that can be enjoyed year round thanks to your freezer.



I'm not sure if regular readers noticed, but it's turning into Garlic Scape Week around here. I'm preparing a Garlic Scape Recipe Round Up for my next post and wanted to include some of the ways I feed my family garlic scapes from our garden and the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share.  [In order to include my recipes in the round up, I kinda needed to post them first.]




Mild garlic flavor from the garlic scape pesto, plus plenty of shredded cheeses, makes a Cheesy Garlic Scape Flatbread--a seasonal treat that can be enjoyed year round thanks to your freezer.


I started off by sharing how I put up my scapes in the form of pesto, combined with a variety of leaves (I'm partial to parsley and basil) as well as an assortment of nuts (I'm partial to pistachio and sunflower seeds).  I use this pesto in all sorts of things, from Hummus to Shrimp Scampi and now, because it's a Friday and my family likes our Friday Night Pizza Nights, on a pizza.


Mild garlic flavor from the garlic scape pesto, plus plenty of shredded cheeses, makes a Cheesy Garlic Scape Flatbread--a seasonal treat that can be enjoyed year round thanks to your freezer


I made two pizzas using this Garlic Scape and Pistachio pesto:  a plain cheese one and a more involved Sun-dried Tomato, Artichoke, and Olive with Fresh Mozzarella pie.  Since I was making a number of pizzas, I told the kids to go ahead and eat the cheese one while it was hot.  By the time I joined them they'd nearly demolished it and my son told me "this tastes just like cheesy garlic flatbread". Well, now I don't have to come up with a creative title--thanks!