2nd Veggie Share

Our 2nd veggie share arrived on our doorstep last night. Full of wonderful things, it kept me busy today. See, rather than cross my fingers that the fresh greens will stay that way, I took the chard and blanched it, so now it can wait in the fridge until I want to saute it with a little olive oil and garlic. Perfect for our family's weekly dinner schedule. I also took the garlic scapes (yay!) and made more pesto, this time adding some of the fresh mint to it. So that's in the fridge, waiting. And I also brewed some minty tea. So, you see, my greens with wilting potential just didn't have the chance, and now they'll wait until I'm ready to prepare them this week. Here are some pictures.

These are the fava beans, before I shucked them (is that what one does with fava beans?).

Still not ready to eat, I blanched these for 30 seconds . . .

. . . and then had to peel off the waxy layer to reveal these succulent little beans. Ready to top a salad, or get tossed with fresh pasta.

Some more pesto - this time with some mint leaves thrown in.

And this is my mint tea brewing, cooling. No, those aren't won-tons in there. Those are the tea bags.

And this is my chard, before blanching -

- and during. Look at how red the water is! Gosh I hope I'm not boiling out all the good nutrients.

But wait - there's more.

Some napa cabbage, some curly garlic scapes tucked in there, red kohlrabi, and white turnips. Aren't they cute?

I'll post more on what I actually MAKE with all these prepped goodies. Can't wait.

Birds, Interrupted

Our robins returned. Every Spring, for many years now, this particular pair of robins comes to our holly tree by our front porch, and nests. Last fall the nest fell apart in the tree, fell to the ground, and we despaired that we might not have our feathered friends back again. But nature is a strong habit, and sure enough, the mother returned to make a brand new nest in the same branches where the old one had been. In mid-April we saw her again and again with her beak full of twigs and grasses, going in and out, and in and out of the holly tree. Their first clutch of eggs hatched, and produced four large fledglings, all of whom were gone around Mother's Day. Then, happily, the mamma and the papa came back for a second go-'round. Another clutch of four eggs!

The photo above was taken on June 6th. And then, on June 16th, the first two chicks.

Then it was all about the feedings.

I stopped my daily photo shoots, because the mamma gave me a fly-by warning. She zipped so close and fast up against me, that her wing forcibly brushed against the back of my neck! That was enough of a warning for me. I let her be after that.

Until today. I wanted to get a shot of the grown chicks before they were to fledge. Here.

I guess I got too close with my camera, because those chicks all jumped out of the nest simultaneously. This was not a calm, planned exit. The parents were screeching and calling out to their babies with such alarm, and the chicks were peeping from their scattered landing points. One was under the tree, another made it over to our neighbors' lawn. The other two were on our front lawn. It was sadness. I was sorry to have rushed them out of their nest. Part of me knows that they were poised to leave anyway. But another part mourns for them, and hopes that our neighborhood cats are too sleepy from the heat to find them at their most vulnerable. But what I really hope, is that the mamma and the papa robin will consider returning next spring.

Celebrating More Than Summer

The last day of school was the perfect day for our family friends to celebrate their oldest's 13th birthday. Happy Birthday Zack! Of course, I offered to bake a special treat for the occasion.

Fauxstess Cupcakes. A regular request among my pals. They are festive, oh-so-special, and filled with childhood memories for us all (not just that creamy marshmallow filling!). Just looking at that ganache icing and those loops takes you back, doesn't it?

Here's a link to the recipe I use. An exact taste match to the real thing. Enjoy!

Summer Anew!

It's been almost a year since I've written anything on this blog. I guess part of my reasoning has been, "How do I follow the last post with a giddy account of a new recipe?" Well, I think it's been long enough.

School is out, another summer stretches out before us, and we have a new thing to include in our summer blog. Our participation in a farm share, where fresh, organic vegetables and fruits are delivered to our front door weekly. We won't really know what we get until it arrives, so it's an edible surprise each week. This week was our first veggie delivery! We had the largest head of green leaf lettuce I've ever seen. Beets, radishes, and scallions will add some zip to our salads. Some chard, and greens were included too. The best part, is we discovered a brand new treasure: garlic scapes. These are the flower and stalk of the garlic plant. They are harvested when the stalk grows in a curl, back on itself. See?

Harvesting the stalk and flower aids the garlic bulb in its efforts to get bigger and bigger, and we'll see those later on in the season. But the scapes are deliciously garlic-y. Almost bitingly so. MyFarmShare, the local CSA we are a part of, provides recipes and tips each week, and I used the recipe below, as they suggested. We LOVE it! My husband is actually upset already that we may not be able to find scapes in the stores when they are out of season. If you can rustle up some garlic scapes, you must try this. Below, you can see the ingredients before they got pulverized in the food processor. Enjoy!

Garlic Scape Pesto

Garlic scapes (approx. 1 cup)
Sea salt (teaspoon)
Very good olive oil (approx. 1/2 cup)
Nuts - walnuts, pine nuts or cashews (1/4 cup)
Parmesan Cheese (two tbl spoons grated)
Basil and/or mint (optional)

1. Cut the garlic scapes into quarter-inch pieces.

2. Place scapes in a food processor or blender with the nuts, salt, herbs and cheese.

3. Blend the mixture as you slowly pour in the olive oil until it whips together easily and forms a puree.

4. Serve over pasta, fish, crusty french bread or add as a garnish to soup. Pesto can be stored for several weeks in the refrigerator and several months in the freezer. Do not heat. Bring to room temperature before serving.