Rosaceae.... The Family of Rose

This Week's Harvest:
Garlic Scapes
Strawberries
Cabbage
Lettuce
Kale
Spinach
A Basil Seedling



Always, I read or hear these little proverbs about the patient gardener. There is a side of me that understands this intellectually. But for me, gardening is not so much an experience of being patient as it is a reality check in getting sidetracked. I don't think of myself as a patient person. Inside me, most days, there is this little monster yelling "hurry the F*CK up" to everyone and about everything. So, when I took a moment to put my head up this week and noticed all my roses blooming, I realized I had been sidetracked for the last few years waiting for them. I LOVE them, their wildness, their aroma, and the way they teach me. They are saying..."hey girl, put your head up when you cross that dooryard and take a moment to soak us in". While I was busy, they settled in, put on some height, and now its showtime.





When the peonies bloomed I wondered if there could be anything more lovely....and then the roses came. It's like that all summer.


Elbow deep in strawberry picking means we spend a great deal of time conversing about all that could be done with berries. Each meal includes a something with berries....ice cream, shortcake, sliced with freshly made yogurt, sliced with cream, slice with peaches, sliced with lettuce. We freeze an abundance for winter eating. My favorite is warm in the field, so ripe they won't last in the carton, so I might as well eat them.

Garlic scapes treat us to a delicious, fresh, green garlic treat. The scape is the flowering part of the garlic bulb. If left alone, it would flower with a bloom that looks like a tiny garlic bulb. By cutting the flowering part off, we allow the garlic bulb to grow larger by re-directing the energy away  from flowering and towards bulb and root growth. Everything in nature is eager to reproduce. It is the first order of business for living things. And a great deal of developmental energy is directed towards this. While we are able to store the garlic bulb easily through winter, the scape is a summer treat. That being said, I have successfully made garlic scape pesto with some scapes, olive oil, salt and lemon juice in the foo processor and frozen it for later use. If you have a vampire problem, you might also consider wearing the scapes as bracelets.

And those seedlings we keep sending home with you.....plant them! Both the Sungold and the basil will live in a container. Pick the basil as needed to top your fresh-from-the-oven pizza. The Sungold will provide the perfect snack as you stroll past each day, offering a few newly ripened fruits each day.

(This week's cabbage in the field)

 (uncovering the kale)

(100 bunches please!)

Finally, with a great excitement (and a few tears from this mom), this week we send Emma off for a summer adventure in Belgium. She's headed to Brussels to study French, eat mussels, and visit some dear friends. We'll miss her, but are eagerly awaiting her travel tales and the growth that comes from a great adventure. If only I could be 16 and headed to Europe.....good thing those roses are blooming!



Blessings on the meal-
Stacy