First, a huge heartfelt thank you to everyone who braved last Saturday’s rain and wind to come out to the market and stop by our booth. Days like that remind us how much your support truly means. We show up every single Saturday, heat wave or monsoon, and knowing you do too makes it all worthwhile.
Now, on to some very exciting news that many of you have been waiting for all spring.
Garlic Scapes Are Here and the Season Is Short
We had our first harvest of garlic scapes last Friday and they are as good as ever. Garlic scapes are the curly green shoots that grow up from hardneck garlic before the bulb fully matures. They have a fresh, mellow garlic flavor and are wonderful roasted, grilled, sautéed, or blended into pesto. We will have them available by the bunch this Saturday while they last.
We cannot stress this enough: do not wait on these. The garlic scape season is one of the shortest of the year, and once they are gone, they are gone until next spring. We aim to have scapes for four weeks but with the recent heatwave and ongoing drought the scapes are all popping up a little faster than previous years.
Fresh Garlic Scape Pesto by the Container
This week we are also bringing our garlic scape pesto, made fresh on Friday evening using our own garlic scapes along with olive oil, parmesan cheese, spinach, walnuts, kosher salt, and black pepper. That is it, no fillers. It has become one of the most beloved things we make, and it is easy to see why. It goes beautifully with pasta, sandwiches, pizza, seafood, poultry, or anything that needs a garlicky punch. No preservatives, so keep it refrigerated or pop it in the freezer to enjoy later in the season when garlic scapes are long gone.
This Week’s Special: Pesto con Papas Quesadilla
We love garlic scapes so much that during their short season we want them everywhere. This Saturday’s special is our Pesto con Papas Quesadilla: our garlic scape pesto spread over a flour tortilla, topped with a blend of cheeses and roasted potatoes, folded in half, cut into fours, and garnished with pico de gallo. If you have never tasted our garlic scapes or our pesto, this is the perfect way to try them for breakfast or lunch.
Take-Home Frozen Meal: Chicken Enchiladas
This Saturday’s ready-to-heat frozen meal is a crowd pleaser: shredded chicken wrapped in corn tortillas, covered in a mild red sauce with a touch of heat, and topped with a blend of cheeses. Take it home, pop it in the fridge or freezer, and heat it up in the microwave or oven whenever you are ready. Designed to serve one, but hearty enough for two with a side dish.
New This Week: Melon Seedlings
Summer is almost here and we are marking the occasion with our first melon seedlings of the season, all certified organic and ready to go in the ground now. This Saturday we are bringing three certified organic varieties: Anne Arundel Melon, Arachne Melon, and Blacktail Mountain Watermelon. All in 3-inch fiber pots at $5.00 each, ready to go straight in the ground. You can order ahead at quarter-acre.com/shop for Saturday pickup
Anne Arundel Melon is a true Maryland heirloom with deep local roots, grown in Anne Arundel County as early as 1731. Large oval fruits ranging from 4 to 9 lbs with coarsely netted skin that turns golden yellow when ripe. A wonderful piece of regional food history to grow in your own garden.
Arachne Melon is a prolific muskmelon that delivers firm, mildly sweet orange flesh with just the right amount of musk. Expect 3 to 4 fruits per plant, making it a reliable and rewarding choice for the home garden.
Blacktail Mountain Watermelon is a standout open-pollinated variety with striking dark green, almost black skin and faint stripes. Fruits run 8 to 12 lbs with orange-red flesh that is sweet, juicy, and wonderfully crunchy. A real showstopper at the summer table.
Life on the Farm Right Now
While all of this is happening at the market, the field work continues at full pace. Our field currently has 750 feet of cherry tomatoes, 50 feet of tomatillos, and 100 feet of heirloom tomatoes in the ground. We still have many more feet to plant, but we will get there. It is that beautiful, exhausting time of year when everything is happening at once and the days never quite feel long enough. Here on our Eastern Shore of Maryland farm in Caroline County, this is the time of year when the work and the reward start to feel very close together.
Order Online for Market Pickup
The garlic scapes and pesto will go fast, so we strongly encourage ordering ahead this week. Place your order at quarter-acre.com/shop and pick it up right at our booth. Pre-orders must be placed by Thursday, May 28th at 8pm. We cannot wait to see you this Saturday, 8am to 12pm, rain or shine!