Welcome to the 2017 Horn Farm CSA!  This week marks the second of 23 weeks of fresh, local chemical free produce from Horn Farm to your table.  Each week you’ll receive an email with information on what to expect in your upcoming share, recipes, tips on using your share, and stories from the farm.  Community supported agriculture is about more than local produce, it creates connections between individuals, it’s meant to build community, so you’re invited to be involved. If you have a recipe or picture you want to share, a trick you learned, or a question about your CSA produce please let us know at csa@hornfarmcenter.org.  Here’s to a wonderful 2017 CSA season!

The Weekly Share

Here’s what to expect in this week’s share:

• Lettuce Head
• Arugula
• Beets
• Scallions
• Green Garlic
• Garlic Scapes
• Herbs

*Due to the unpredictability of weather, pest problems, and other factors produce in weekly shares are subject to last minute changes.

A Quick Introduction

My name is Debbie McFeinics. My husband and I have been CSA shareholders for the last 5 years, first from Jonathan Darby’s Sterling Farm and now the Horn Farm CSA. Allyson and Jonathan asked if I would be willing to help with the CSA newsletter this year and I am excited to help out.  My adventures in being a CSA shareholder has exposed me to a greater variety of produce and helped me get creative with my cooking but more than that I have met amazing people through being a CSA shareholder. I’ve made friends with my farmers, fellow shareholders, and other volunteers at the farm. As a transplant to the York area it’s been a great way to meet folks and plant my own roots here in the community.  I’m looking forward to getting to meet you all this year and share stories, recipes, and antics along the way.   Join me on social media under the hashtag #HornFarmCSA and we’ll get the sharing started!

What is a garlic scape?

I will never forget seeing my first garlic scape in my first CSA share and thinking, “What the heck is that? And what do I do with it?” So whether garlic scapes are new to you or not let me explain.  Garlic scapes are the shoot that the garlic plant puts out which will turn into a flower if left alone.  If you pick the scape before it flowers it allows the plant to focus its resources on the bulb rather than the flower, besides which the scape itself is edible and delicious.  Scapes taste like garlic but milder so it can be enjoyed raw, otherwise you use it the same way you would use a garlic clove.  I cut them up and throw them in stir-fries, omelets, sauces, and soups, or grill them up and add them to whatever dish you’re making. If a recipe calls for garlic you can use scapes as a replacement but may need to add a bit more to adjust for the milder taste.  

My favorite garlic scape trick though?  Freezing them.  That’s right freeze them and then all year I have wonderful garlic scape flavor to use in any recipe.  Just toss your garlic scapes in a food processor or blender, add some olive oil to make it into a slightly runny paste, pour into an ice cube tray and freeze. Once frozen pop them out and place them in a ziploc bag in your freezer and use as needed.  This same method can be used with fresh herbs. Just make sure to label the bags so you don’t confuse them.