A full inspection of our three hives revealed two of the three are thriving, while the third one is gaining ground. We give a report on management of hive beetles and our efforts to help the third hive survive. Along the way, you will hear us talk about a few of the things honeybees pollinate on the farm and one surprising plant they don’t.
Until next time…
Enjoy this repost from 3 years ago. It is just as true today as it was then.
I love butter. Smooth, silky, creamy butter. There is nothing like it to transform pan sauce into a glistening, slightly thick, lip-smackingly rich perfection.
The butter in our house can be found in not one, not two, but three locations.
Softened butter occupies a place of honor on the counter. Kept fresh in a butter keeper, ready to spread at a moment’s notice.
There are packages of butter awaiting use in the refrigerator, stick by glorious stick.
And there is always butter in the freezer. Usually purchased 16 or 20 pounds at a time. Butter stores perfectly well in the freezer. I can’t chance running out.
I preserve herbs in butter, making logs of rich herb butter to freeze. Later sliced and added to everything one can imagine. See how that process works in Making Herb Butter.
Oh, I know what you’re thinking.
“Her arteries are so clogged with all that butter fat, there’s no oxygen to her brain.”
“Bet her blood flows thick as frozen butter.”
“Cholesterol must be off the chart.”
The low-fat movement is surely having a stroke about now.
Yes, I use a lot of butter. Along with all the other full fat ingredients.
I’ve stopped using canola oil, shortening, corn oil, butter substitutes, reduced fat milk and cheese. In my opinion these options are not healthy, whole food. Many are GMO laden or composed of unrecognizable ingredients. These are not the food that my grandparents knew and used. I have stocked my kitchen with organic coconut oil, avocado oil, extra virgin olive oil, full fat milk and cheese.
And butter. Lots and lots of creamy butter.
By the way, my cholesterol is down.
Today you will hear what is coming fresh from the garden both for our kitchen and the 18th Street Farmer’s Market.
If you want to read more about garlic scapes that we discussed, go here.
And congratulations to Alyssa for naming one of our beehives “Cats Eye”. Cowbell for you!
Until next time….
Did you know garlic plants provide much more than just the part that is commonly available in grocery stores? It’s true. There is more to this fragrant plant than what comes in the papery bulb.
What Are Garlic Scapes?
Garlic scapes are the tender end of the shoot in hard neck garlic varieties. As the plant grows in springtime, it sends up a shoot that is tender at first and later turns into a flower with bulbils. Those tiny bits of the flower are also edible, but the scape is the newly forming flower with it’s white end and the first 5-6 inches of tender shoot.
When To Harvest.
When the shoot has a whitish end that looks like a bloom is starting to form, the scape is ready. The green part may be curled back on itself forming a curly que at the very top of the garlic plant. Snap off the shoot approximately 4-6 inches below the tip just as you would asparagus. The plant will snap off at it’s tender point.
How To Use.
Now that you have these spring delicacies, it’s time to use them in the kitchen. Scapes taste like garlic. The flavor is lighter than garlic cloves but still clearly garlic. One option is to dice and stir into any dish where you would normally use garlic. Scapes may be sautéed as is and eaten as a vegetable. You can chop it for a garnish on lettuce salad, use to flavor pasta salad, fry with potatoes or use in any dish where garlic will add a complementary flavor.
As an added bonus, snapping off the scapes will divert the plant’s energy into bulb development. So not only does the gardener get a fresh taste of garlic in the spring, the fall harvest will be improved.
If you grow your own garlic, give scapes a try. If you don’t and are in the Charleston area, stop by the 18th Street Farmer’s Market this Saturday and pick up some from us.
If you enjoyed this post, give us a shout out on any of our social media sites: Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. We love to hear from our followers.
