Tatsoi (Brassica narinosa)
Glebocki Farm
Harvesting: Late May/Early June

|Learn|
An Asian green also known as Spinach mustard, Spoon mustard, or Rosette bok choy.

|Cultivate|
Part of the brassica family, Tatsoi is a unique and easy to grow green. It is suitable for late spring through autumn sowing. Tatsoi grows low to the ground in cooler climates and In warmer weather grows more upright. Before bolting, the plant will begin to flower and the flavor becomes slightly more bitter.

|Taste|
Mild, mustardy flavor. The stalks are juicy and crisp.

|Identify|
Tatsoi has dense, dark green rounded leaves which form a rosette.

|Prepare|
This green can be eaten raw or lightly cooked. Add it to a salad, a risotto or change up your usual egg and toast breakfast-for-dinner go to.

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.

From Plovgh on Vimeo.

Chèvre

Acorn Hill Farm

Harvesting: Early April

|Learn|
Chevre means goat in French. Unlike cows, goats browse rather than graze and eat all sorts of grasses, weeds and shrubbery that influence the flavor of their milk.

|Cultivate|
Generally, cultures are added to the fresh milk as a curdling agent and the curds are allowed to separate from the whey. It can be made into a “bag cheese” or molded for a couple of days or aged in a cheese cave for longer. Salt can then be added to the curd.

|Taste|
The flavor of chevre can totally vary according to the season and what the goats are munching on at the time they are milked. In the early spring the cheese tends to be more mild and become more goaty or gamey in the fall. The chevre Joyce produces with the spring milk is fresh and creamy and is a little tart and grassy.

|Identify|
As with flavor, the texture of chevre tends to vary depending on how it is produced. Some are white and smooth with a consistency similar to cream cheese, some are crumbly, and some are aged and therefore firm and have a more yellowy color. Sometimes they are creafted into a log shape and rolled with fresh herbs or spices.

|Prepare|
An unpretentious, fresh addition to a cheese plate. You can also toss it into a salad, mix it with grains and fresh vegetables or change up your cupcake icing recipe.

|Discover|
Acorn Hill Farm chevre is being served up on cheese plates at Tuffet in Brooklyn. Get yours here.

Mizuna (Brassica rapa nipposinica)
Glebocki Farms
Harvesting: Starting late May

|Learn|
Mizuna has many names including: kyona, Japanese mustard, potherb mustard, California peppergrass, and spider mustard. Whichever you choose, Mizuna stands for “water greens” because it is grown in fields that are shallowly flooded with water. (Food52)

|Cultivate|
Mizuna is a unique mustard green that has been cultivated in Japan for ages, but likely originated in China. The plant produces dozens of pencil thin white stalks with deeply cut, fringed leaves. Mizuna is highly resistant to cold and can be grown extensively during the winter months. It is usually harvested from early to late summer.

|Taste|
LIke a toned down arugula, mizuna has a mild peppery/spicy flavor. It is crisp when eaten fresh.

|Identify|
Even if you’ve never heard of it, you may have already been indirectly introduced to Mizuna as it is often used in mesclun mixes. It comes in green and purple varieites and has narrow stalks with smooth feathery leaves.

|Prepare|
Since we’re rekindling our love for fresh herbs and greens here on the east coast, this seems like a good go-to recipe. If you’re not going the raw route, you can toss it in a stir fry, add it to Nabemono or sauté it. Similar to spinach, when Mizuna is cooked it shrinks to about half its size - so be sure to buy extra.

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

Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis)
Samascott Orchards
Harvested: Late April 2013

|Learn|
Asparagus was used in recipes dating as far back as third-century AD, and many societies identified ways of preserving it for consumption during colder seasons.

|Cultivate|
Asparagus is a perennial and one of the earliest producing spring vegetables. It can be easily grown from the crowns or roots and can take up to 3 to 4 years before a mature plant is established for harvesting - but it can be harvested for years after planting once mature. A fully grown plant can resemble a fern with thin spears. It is unique in that it can tolerate broad temperature variations; it grows in the Imperial Valley of Southern California, where temperatures can reach 115° F, and it grows in Minnesota, where temperatures can plunge to -40° F.* In the northeast they are generally harvested from late March through June.

|Taste|
Aspargus spears should be tender and sweet. This is the best way to tell they are freshly harvested.

|Identify|
There are hundreds of varieties, but often asparagus has smooth stalks with compact crowns and can come in colors like white, green and purple. Spears can range in size based on the time they are harvested.

|Prepare|
Only young asparagus shoots are eaten since once the buds of the plant start to open, the shoots quickly turn woody. Prep is easy: just trim off the bottoms of the spears. Then, enjoy them raw, fried, blanched, or simply roasted. Throwing them on the grill is also encouraged.

|Discover|
You can find Samascott Orchard’s Asparagus this week at Greene Grape Provisions in Brooklyn.

A growing coalition of producers are beginning to sign up around the country to participate in Plovgh routes. If you’re interested in finding out more about how to join up, get in touch with us and we can let you know about routes that are being activated near you. Acorn Hill Farm - Walker Valley, NY

Adirondack Grazers Cooperative - New York/Vermont

Aqua Vita Farms - Sherrill, NY

Black Horse Farm - Athens, NY

Campanelli’s Poultry Farm - Kenoza Lake, NY

Catskill Native Nursery - Kerhonkson, NY

Cowbella - Jefferson, NY

Ferndale Farms - Cannon Falls, MN

Fitzgerald Farms - Kerhonkson, NY

Glebocki Farms - Goshen, NY

Good Fence Farm - Ft. Edward, NY

Hand Picked Farm - Flemington, NJ

Laughing Loon Farm - Northfield, MN

Lucky Dog Farm - Hamden, NY

Oasis Valley Orchard - Overton, NV

Rusty Plough Farm - Ellenville, NY

Samascott Orchards - Kinderhook, NY

Seeds Farm - Northfield, MN

Slow Roots Farm - Kingston, NY

Sprout Creek Farm - Poughkeepsie, 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!

Rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum)
Good Fence Farm
Harvested: Early May 2013

When it comes to rhubarb it seems that people either love it or hate it. It struggles with its self-identity; vegetable or fruit? Sweet or savory? And though this spring has been slow to arrive, pushing the anticipated harvest time back a few weeks, we’re happy to say that time is here.

|Learn|
The Chinese have used rhubarb as a medicinal plant for thousands of years. Its presence in Europe was established when it was imported along the Silk Road. (A historical form of trade we are fans of here at Plovgh.)

|Cultivate|
Rhubarb is a seasonal plant that can grow in many areas. In temperate climates it is one of the first food plants ready to be harvested, usually around April/May in the Northern Hemisphere and October/November in the Southern Hemisphere. Ready-to-harvest, mature rhubarb can be pulled from the plant with a gentle tug. Stalks should not be harvested during the first growing season to allow the plant to become established, and after the first 3 years the harvesting period runs approximately 8-10 weeks long.

|Taste|
Freshly harvested, raw stalks are crisp and have a tart flavor. Red rhubarb varieties such as ‘Valentine’ and ‘Crimson Cherry’ tend to be more tender.

|Identify|
Rhubarb has short, thick roots, large leaves and long, fleshy stalks. The stalks of a rhubarb plant are usually a crimson red, but can vary from deep reds and pinks to pale green.

|Prepare|
Quite often, rhubarb is used in bakes goods such as crisps, pies and tarts. You can also preserve it as jams or by pickling. Or, use it in your new favorite cocktail.
Note: Be sure to only eat the stalks, as the leaves of a rhubarb plant contain poisonous toxins.