Savory Baby Bok Choy

The following recipe sounded so good to me, I made it for a Fourth of July potluck, and got lots of compliments. I actually added more garlic. You can never have too much garlic! –Patty

Bok choy, bunched

You might be surprised at how versatile bok choy can be: use it raw in salads or dip it in hummus, sautee it in a stir-fry, or make it the star of the show, as in this tasty recipe.

3 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 bay leaf
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup white wine
1 lb. baby bok choy, trimmed and sliced in half lengthwise

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat, and cook and stir the garlic and bay leaf until the garlic is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken stock and white wine, and increase heat to a full boil. Cook the sauce, stirring often, until reduced to 1 cup, about 15 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Lay the bok choy halves, cut sides down, into the sauce, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Serve with sauce spooned over bok choy.

We thank allrecipes.com for this recipe. Serves 4.

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Arugula Pesto

arugula

Tasty, peppery arugula, fresh off the farm!

Arugula is peppery, and with raw garlic this makes for a full-flavored, intense sauce that works great on noodles or to spice up a sandwich.

3 cups packed fresh arugula leaves
1/2 cup mild olive oil
1/2 cup raw almonds
4 cloves garlic, peeled
Salt to taste

Toss the arugula into a small pot of boiling water and stir. Cook for ONLY 20 seconds, fish out with a strainer and quickly plunge into ice water. Let sit for a minute, drain, and remove the arugula from the water. Squeeze out the remaining water with your hands. Put the oil, almonds and garlic in a blender with the arugula. Pulse on and off, scraping down the sides of the blender in between blending until a coarse pesto is formed.This should only take a minute. Do not over-mix or the olive oil may turn too bitter. Transfer to a bowl and season with salt to taste. Serve immediately or refrigerate until needed. Will keep several days. Blanching the arugula leaves will keep this pesto a nice green color.

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Strawberry Topping

Strawberries in pints

Here’s an easy, sweet summertime dessert, starring freshly picked strawberries!

1 pint strawberries, cleaned and stemmed
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cut about 1/3 of the strawberries in half. In a saucepan over medium high heat, combine all strawberries, sugar and vanilla.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. In a blender, puree about 1/3 of sauce, then mix back into remainder. Store in refrigerator.

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Fruit Tart

strawberries in pints

Freshly picked strawberries harmonize with several other fruits in this refreshing summertime treat.

3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 cups Nash’s soft white wheat flour
1 (10 ounce) package vanilla or white chips, melted and cooled
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks, undrained
1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced
2 Mandarin or Mineola oranges, separated into sections
2 kiwifruit, peeled and sliced
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Dough for Crust
In a small mixing bowl, cream butter and confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add flour; mix well. Press into an ungreased 11-inch tart pan with removable bottom or 12-inch pizza pan with sides. Bake at 300 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

Filling
In a small mixing bowl, beat melted chips and cream. Add cream cheese and beat until smooth. Spread over crust. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Drain pineapple, reserving 1/2 cup juice; set juice aside. Arrange the pineapple, strawberries, orange sections and kiwi over filling.

Glaze
In a small saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in lemon juice and reserved pineapple juice until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Cool; brush over fruit. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.

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Garlic Scape Vinegar

A handful of garlic scapes in the field

Garlic scapes form curly Q’s of mild garlicky goodness!

Garlic scapes are the “flower stalks” of hardneck garlic plants, although they do not produce flowers. These stalks start to appear a month or so after the first leaves. They are usually cut off of the plant, since leaving them on only diverts the plants strength away from forming a plump bulb. If left on, they eventually form small bulbils that can be planted to grow more garlic, but it takes 2–3 years for them to form large bulbs. Many gardeners simply toss their scapes in the compost, but garlic scapes are both edible and delicious, as are the bulbils.Their flavor is milder, but still distinctly garlic. I brush them with olive oil and put them under the broiler until golden. Keep an eye on them, because they broil very quickly. Then they can be pureed and spread on crackers, or added to fava bean hummus. Here’s another great recipe for homemade garlic-flavored vinegar.

1-2 whole garlic scapes, about 12″ in length
Note: Add more garlic scapes for more flavor
1 cup light vinegar, like white wine or rice vinegar
Glass container with non-metal cap or cover

Sterilize bottle and cap, in boiling water or dishwasher. Dry thoroughly.

Wash garlic scapes and allow to dry. Cut into lengths so that the scape can be completely submerged. Do not allow any scape to be exposed.

Roll the scapes gently with a rolling pin, to release more flavor.

Place the scape pieces in the sterilized container and cover completely with vinegar. Cover with lid, cap or cork.

Store in the refrigerator, or other cool, dark place. Check the level of the vinegar in 24 hours and add more if the level has dropped at all.

Soak for 2 weeks. Take out original scape pieces (chopsticks work!), and replace with fresh ones for decoration if you want. Will keep for 2-4 months.

Watch for changes in color, smell, or cloudiness in the bottle and discard if there is a question. Store in the fridge.

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Strawberry Shortcake for a Party

Strawberry shortcake at the strawberry social

If you’re planning a party during strawberry season, strawberry shortcake should definitely be on your menu!

This shortcake recipe was a big hit at our annual Farm Share member social in the strawberry patch! The shortcake is made entirely with Nash’s flour and is nutty and delicious. It makes enough shortcake for about 50 people. We thank one of the farm’s best bakers, Margie Diffner, for this recipe.

Variation: You could also reduce the sugar and add a few savory ingredients like thyme and cheese for a hearty breakfast biscuit!

10 1/2 c Nash’s hard red wheat flour or soft white wheat flour, sifted
2 1/4 cups organic cane sugar
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon baking powder
4 teaspoons salt
1 cup cold butter unsalted
4 1/2 cups half-and-half

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in half-and-half until just moistened.

Drop by scant 1/4 cupfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at about 400° for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks.

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Fava Bean Hummus

fava beans

In this hummus variation, fava beans take center stage to make a tasty spread or veggie dip.

1 cup fava beans (removed from pods and blanched and peeled)
1 bunch garlic scapes, roasted
4 tablespoons olive oil
Lemon juice to taste (optional)
Salt to taste
Basil to taste (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Place garlic scapes on a cookie sheet with a little bit of oil and roast for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let them cool down.

Once scapes are cool, place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse till combined. If you use a blender, you may need more oil to make the consistency smooth. You can also add a sprig or two of basil as you blend for extra flavor.

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Sauteed Pea Shoots

Pea Shoots

Pea shoots are tender greens with a sweet taste like peas.

Rinse about 4 cups of fresh pea shoots thoroughly with cool water.

Finely chop a whole garlic shoot.

Heat one tsp. of olive oil over medium heat and add pea shoots and chopped garlic. Stir-fry for 30 seconds.

Add 1/4 tsp. of salt and 2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar and continue to saute over medium heat for one minute until wilted. Remove from frying pan and serve.

Tips

Pea shoots are fragile. Don’t leave the stove, as they cook very quickly.

Store pea shoots and tendrils in the refrigerator until you’re ready to cook them. Pea shoots and tendrils may also be eaten raw in a salad.

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Strawberries in Balsamic Vinegar

Strawberries in pints

Strawberry shortcake isn’t the only thing you can make with this summer’s fresh strawberries — create this fun and surprising dessert in minutes.

Fresh strawberries, washed, hulled or unhulled, and dried
1/2 cup good-quality, aged balsamic vinegar
1 cup powdered (confectioners) sugar

Place strawberries, balsamic vinegar, and powdered sugar in separate bowls.

To serve, let each guest dip a strawberry into the  balsamic vinegar and then into the powdered sugar. Watch your surprised guests’ faces as they eat their strawberries.

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Strawberry-Avocado Salsa

Strawberries in the field

Make a sweet, summery salsa using strawberries!

1 cup finely chopped strawberries
1/4 cup finely chopped peeled avocado
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon grated lime rind
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons finely chopped seeded jalapeño pepper
1/4 teaspoon sugar

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl; toss gently. Serve immediately.

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