Weird Veggies

I am firmly of the opinion that sustainable local eating requires more diversity in what is available locally. To that end, I am constantly experimenting with expanding the number of foods in my own backyard. I swear, one of these years I’m going to be successful with okra and melons. Today, however, the exotic food of the week is:

Garlic Scapes!

These are the seed pods of the garlic plant, that must be removed, since we don’t want the plant putting effort into seed. We want it to make us nice bulbs that can be dried to provide us with garlic that didn’t have to be shipped around the world. The scapes themselves turn out to be a nice once-a-year treat. They are best treated not as a seasoning but as a veggie in themselves. I like to cut them into lengths that are about the size of a green bean and use them in stir fries. Mild garlic flavour, crisp crunch, and a rare event. I look forward to Garlic Scape Week!

It is also the week of tiny wild strawberries coming into fruit all over the lawn. We just sit and eat those in the field because it takes far too long to harvest enough to share. Every person for themselves! The toddler is most gratified to sit on the ground covered in strawberry juice. Finally. Summer.