June 13: Full circles, fuller bouquets
Every week there are new crops and more jobs, which means we are currently in the process of looking for some extra seasonal help (if ya know anyone!). That being said, we had incredible timing this past Tuesday, where we had the pleasure of welcoming cooks and servers from the Terrace Restaurant at Mission Hill for a farm tour. Hosting them at the farm was a real ‘full-circle’ moment for Carlos to reflect on…
a note from Carlos
“When I was an intern at Mission Hill in 2008, we had a “ farm day” that I remember to this day. The idea was to give the cooks and service staff a sense of where the food was coming from and who was producing it. The connection lasted all season as the produce would roll in the door, and we would process it into sauces, purées, custards and whatever other forms we could think of, with a deeper understanding of the ingredients and the full journey of the final dish.
This time, I was on the other side of that equation, sharing with the team members at Mission Hill about my farm and the produce I grow; offering them samples of different herbs they may or may not have heard of, and hopefully giving them memorable moments to reflect on while they’re back in the kitchen, doing what they do best!”
When it rains, it scapes!
In other news, it’s garlic scape season! If you are a farmer or follow any farm/garden content online then you are seeing scape-content left right and centre. When it rains, it scapes! If you haven’t encountered the word and are super confused by this paragraph, here’s a quick rundown: garlic scapes are the flower that grow out the top of the garlic stalk, often in a whimsical curly manner. It’s generally considered good garlic practice to pop the scapes off the garlic plant as it encourages growth to the bulb as opposed to creating the flower. It’s also efficient because garlic scapes are quite tasty and prolong your season of garlick-y flavours!
If you get them early, while they are still tender, they have a mild garlic flavour and are great to cook. Think zesty green bean or heftier green onion! According to the first page of Google (the most experienced chef, I’m sure), 4-6 scapes are equal to 1 clove of garlic in a recipe. We’ve begun the scape harvest this week and are starting to add them to our own cooking. We will have some at the market if you want to try something new or simply continue to take advantage of every crop at its prime, appreciating it for its singularity across the diverse flavours of the seasons.
Market day!
We will be back at the Saturday market this week with some new offerings of early cukes and strawberries, as well as some “herb bouquets”. These bouquets are a delightful mix of dill, sage, parsley, oregano and lemon thyme… the mingling scents a surefire way to give you a diversity of inspiration in the kitchen!
See you soon :)
-OKHP Crew