CSA #9

Dear CSA-ers,

This week’s preassembled bag will include: mixed radishes, Lovelock head lettuce, kale bunches, spinach, cucumbers, garlic scapes, Ellianora basil. Custom orders can be placed on the website at https://magneyfarm.locallygrown.net/market

Wow! It got hot, fast! That’s good news for some of our vegetables like summer loving squash, cucumbers, and tomatoes. Others, like our lettuce and greens mixes, will become more challenging. Nonetheless we carry on utilizing the collective knowledge and experience of our team to grow the healthiest vegetables for you and your family. On that note, two of our team members, Hannah and Patrick, will be traveling to Berea, Kentucky this coming weekend to attend a cover crop and high tunnel symposium through the University Kentucky. Likewise, you won’t see Hannah or Patrick at Farmers’ Markets this weekend. Be sure to be extra kind to Caroline and Angela as they are going to be very busy this week managing the farm short staffed. It is our hope that furthering the education of our team will pay off in the quality and sustainability of vegetables we deliver to you.
The big exciting event on our farm this past week was our third-party inspection for the USDA Organic Certification. As you may know, our farm has grown organically since its inception, striving to bring you clean, healthy vegetables grown in an Earth-friendly way. It has been our goal to become certified such that we can use the “USDA Organic” label on our produce. This is an immensely bureaucratic process involving detailed record-keeping, transition experts, and inspections. Though it does not change the way we grow for you, official certification does open many opportunities for us as a growing farm and business. Our inspection on Friday went very well, and we are excited as we near the final steps towards achieving this goal.
Our highlighted vegetable this week is Garlic Scapes! Garlic Scapes are a once a year delicacy produced by our hardneck variety garlics. The term “hardneck” actually refers to the flower stem that grows through the center of the bulb, as opposed to “softnecks” which do not form this flowering structure. The “scape” is the flower’s stem. The flower bud itself should be removed, but the stem is tender and full of garlic goodness. Texturally it’s reminiscent of asparagus and it can be utilized similarly. You will find no shortage of great recipes for scapes online, and for your convenience we’ve included one for Garlic Scape Pesto Fettuccine. Likely, scapes share many of the heart and vascular protective properties that garlic bulbs themselves do, though scapes themselves have been less extensively studied. If nothing else, it’s a seasonal treat that we hope you come to look forward to as much as we do.

Garlic Scape Pesto Fettucine
Ingredients
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 3 garlic scapes
• 1 cup fresh basil
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• 2 pounds fresh fettuccine or one pound dried fettuccine, cooked al dente
• 1/2 cup reserved pasta cooking water
• 2 ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the pine nuts out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast the pine nuts in the oven for about 4 minutes, stopping to stir with a metal spatula about half way through. Keep a close eye on the pine nuts as they can go from toasted to burnt very quickly. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
2. Rinse the garlic scapes and cut off the point end and discard. Chop the garlic scapes into 2 inch pieces.
3. Combine the pine nuts, garlic scapes, basil, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. With the machine running, gradually stream in the olive oil until the mixture is smooth and thick.
4. Use a spatula to transfer the pesto to a bowl. Add the parmesan and mix well. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste, and add an extra drizzle of olive oil if needed.
5. Transfer the cooked pasta to a large serving bowl. Add the pesto, heavy cream and tomatoes to the pasta and toss well. Add reserved pasta cooking water slowly, a splash at a time, as you toss the pasta; this will help to make the sauce creamy and rich; note that you will probably not need to use the entire 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water. Serve with extra grated parmesan.

As always, we thank you so much for your support of our farm! We love hearing from you and seeing your recipes, ideas, and feedback. If you make something awesome with our vegetables, we’d love to see it. Tag us on facebook with “ @Magney Legacy Ridge Farm “ to share. We hope you have a great week!

Sincerely,
The Magney Legacy Ridge Farm Team