Strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa)
Samascott Orchards
Harvesting: Early June

|Learn|
You know all of the seeds on the outside of the fruit? Each of those are actually an ovary of the flower with a seed inside it.

|Cultivate|
Woodland strawberries were first cultivated in the early 17th century. Strawberries grow best on soils that have high organic matter content and high fertility levels. They are a type of runner plant which means they have fast growing stems that grow on the surface of the soil and can develop new plants through their nodes. To maintain the best quality, berries should be harvested often and should be picked with the caps on and with 1/2 inch of stem attached.

|Taste|
Sweet, juicy, fresh.

|Identify|
Strawberries can vary widely in size, shape, color and taste. They typically range in size from small to medium, are redish-white in color with green stems and a sweet aroma.

|Prepare|
Savory: Gazpacho, salsa, salad or sauce.
Sweet: Biscuits, cake, galettes, crumble, ice cream…we could keep going.
Or, just sit on a bench and eat them straight out of the quart.

|Discover|
If you’re in DUMBO, drop by Foragers for a quart from Samascott Orchards or find them on the menu at Rose Water in Park Slope.

Garlic Scapes
Glebocki Farms
Harvesting: Early June

|Learn|
Scapes are the imature stalks that grow from the garlic bulb. Also known as garlic shoots or spears.

|Cultivate|
The garlic plant goes through many iterations. It is planted at the end of the season before winter, hibernates and then begins sprouting in the spring. It is not ready to be harvested until the summer and must then be cured for long term storage. But, in between this period the scapes and young (or spring) garlic are harvested and prepared. Garlic scapes are harvested early in the season so that the garlic bulbs will grow bigger.

|Taste|
Scapes are bright, fresh and can have a milder taste than the cloves.

|Identify|
Thin and loopy, garlic scapes resemble a leafless spear. Mature scapes have 1 or 2 loops and are firm with about 1/4 inch diameter.

|Prepare|
Scapes can be eaten raw or cooked. Braise the whole spear or use is as a BBQ skewer. Chop them up for a frittata, whip up a dip, or a garlicy pesto.

|Discover|
Pick a bunch up at Foragers Market in Brooklyn.

Here are some of the folks sourcing directly from producers who are organizing with Plovgh. If you’re looking for the first of the spring crops or eggs gathered within hours of reaching the city, stop in to find products from some of these farms. Brooklyn Kitchen - Williamsburg, NY

Cleaver Co. - Chelsea, NY

Foragers City Grocer - DUMBO & Chelsea, NY

Greene Grape Provisions - Fort Greene, NY

Pie Corps - Greenpoint, NY

Rose Water Restaurant - Park Slope, NY

foragersnyc:

#foragersnyc #foragesgrocer #plovgh #localfood #spring veggies

This might not look exciting but @plovgh just delivered a lot of local produce to us! We’re really excited to unpack locally grown chives, cipollini onions, red leaf lettuce and potatoes!

I’ll be darned if I get another plastic bin of anonymous spinach that’s a little sopped from its journeys. The more you think about it, the more you want greens that are full of life. And if you want lively greens, they’d better not spend very much time out of the field. 

So, go to Foragers Market, Greene Grape Provisions, and Rose Water this week to find crops that got to the city within hours of leaving the farms. Taste that Thai Basil for me, people.

Hydroponic Lettuce Mix, Thai basil, and sweet basil
Aqua Vita Farms - Sherrill, New York

Free range eggs
Fitzgerald Farms - Kerhonkson, New York

Onions, shallots, cippolinis
Glebocki Farms - Goshen, New York

Grassfed and finished beef brisket

Good Fence Farm - Fort Edward, New York

If you have any questions please get in touch with us at hello@plovgh.com. 

We are SO excited that Foragers Market in DUMBO has joined the Plovgh network. This week, you can find harvest from Fitzgerald Farms and Slow Roots Farm at the shop, including:

Free range eggs - Fitzgerald Farms - Kerhonkson, New York - harvested April 9, 2013

Nicola Gold potatoes - Slow Roots Farm - Kingston, New York - harvested Winter 2012

Look for this little tag and be sure to ask for the Plovgh farms when you stop in!

“With Thanksgiving fast approaching and stomachs growling for some homecookin’, we made a special trip upstate to talk turkey with Farmer Ryan of Fitzgerald Farms who provided Plovgh members with fresh birds this holiday season. 

After the two-and-a-half hour drive, we arrived at High Falls Co-Op where Ryan works four days a week when not tending to his poultry. He greeted us downstairs among the spices and shelves, and brought us out to his truck where the turkeys were kept cool.

“Turkeys are a big investment,” he told us as he loaded the plump birds into our car. While chickens typically need eight weeks to mature, turkeys require five and a half months. This holiday has been a long time coming for Ryan and his fellow farmers, and lucky for him, he sold over 500 turkeys this year.

Ryan grew up around chickens and is vehemently a poultry-over-produce kind of guy. “After seeing the work that went into growing vegetables, I thought it was too hard,” he confessed. Well, that’s alright with us – his fresh eggs and birds convince us that he made the right choice.

Once the coolers were filled to brim with turkeys, he wished us a “Happy Thanksgiving” and we were off for the city; Over the river and through the woods to bring you a fresh alternative this turkey day.”

We’re offering up a more lively tradition this Thanksgiving with turkeys from Fitzgerald Farms in Upstate New York.
 
The turkeys, plucked just two days before delivery, are farm raised in an open-air environment and sustain a diet of all-natural and hormone-free feed from Connecticut Feed Co-Op. By the time of harvest, the birds will weigh a plump 15 pounds and can feed 10 to 12 hungry guests.
 
The farm is taking turkey orders on Plovgh through Friday, November 16. The birds will be delivered on Tuesday, November 20 – just in time to start that extra slow roast. Pickups can be made between 5 and 8pm at either Dandelion Wine in Greenpoint or Plovgh HQ in East Williamsburg.

In the last two weeks there has been an incredible number of self-organized efforts that have emerged to bring support to some of the communities hit hardest by Hurricane Sandy.  Plovgh too felt the urgency to jump in and help in a way that we best know how - connecting farms and people.

We held our first Plovgh volunteer day last Sunday in the home kitchen of the Rose Water chefs, and coordinated produce donations from some of our farm friends. (A big thank you to Brooklyn Grange and North Fork Egg Farm for their contributions!)  We had over forty people volunteer their time, and more folks are continuing to reach out and ask how they can help.

That was just the beginning of the stories that began to unfold. 

A friend wrote to us that he had meet someone named Chris Dalton owner of Dalton’s Seaside Grill while out volunteering in the Rockaways and told us how they had a buffet set up out back of the restaurant and were feeding volunteers and locals.  The food had been cooked elsewhere and delivered and they were heating it up on a sterno to feed people throughout the day.  Did we know of anyone making prepared food in bulk that could help out?  We put them in touch with Food Not Bombs and the next day meals were being delivered out to Dalton’s to feed the community.

This week Kassy at Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership wrote to us that their farm stand had been canceled due to the Nor’easter that blew through yesterday and told us that they had produce they wanted to donate. And then this happened:

Not only was a farmer able to salvage the crops that had been harvested for the farm stand, but the volunteers at Occupy Sandy were able to get more food for their kitchens and continue cooking meals.

It’s super exciting to witness these connections and the collaborations that they spark which ultimately result in people getting fed. If you want to get involved check out these opportunities to volunteer or drop us a line.

We’re once again mobilizing and soon we’ll be adding new distribution points in more neighborhoods.  To make sure your neighborhood is on the ballot, nominate it below and get a Plovgh Pickup Point started near you.  If you don’t see your neighborhood on the list simply add it and click “Ask”.  The sooner a neighborhood gets to critical mass, the sooner they can connect with Plovgh producers.  Give them your support to get food from farms!

Nominate your neighborhood