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.

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.

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.

Ramps (Allium tricoccum)

Lucky Dog Farm

Harvested: May 2013

The ramp, also known as the wild leek, is the alliums’ herald of spring. It is a fleeting introduction to a new season and a foraged onion that has the ability to throw people into a frenzy.

Wild ramps have close ties with the folklore of the central Appalachian Mountains. In the region, they have long celebrated spring with the arrival of the ramp, believing it to have great power as a tonic used to ward off the ailments of winter.

Ramps are members of the lily family and a perennial plant. They grow in groups strongly rooted just beneath the surface of the soil. They don’t take well to traditional farming, but grow wildly as far north as Quebec, as far south as Georgia, and as far west as Oklahoma.

Ramps have a peppery taste and a pungent aroma that is a mix of onions and garlic.

Ramps have broad, smooth, light green leaves, often with deep purple or burgundy tints on the lower stems, and a scallion-like stalk and bulb. Both the white lower leaf stalks and the broad green leaves are edible.

Ramps can be sauteed, grilled, baked, pureed or pickled. We like ours sauteed with butter, chopped and served with eggs.

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’d like to extend a hearty welcome to Mark, who drives his first Plovgh route today, connecting farms’ harvest with New York City. We met Mark through Slow Food NYC and we’re excited to fuel the movement of harvest from source to city. 

Transporter’s name: Mark Jaffe, The Fresh Connection

Homebase: New York City

Years in operation: 1

What do you do? The Fresh Connection is an NYC-based company that provides transportation and logistics services for food producers who are independent, artisanal, and environmentally and economically sustainable. 

Why did you start this business? What’s unique or compelling about how you operate? Through talking to people and through my own previous experience in the local and sustainable food world I saw that the groundwork has been laid in New York City for a strong local food system with many small- to mid-size farmers producing high quality product and customers eager to receive these goods. There are also many groups and individuals working to build networks for the local food system. However, these networks often do not fully address the needs and challenges of actually transporting product from Point A to Point B (emphasis added). I started The Fresh Connection with the aim of creating an efficient model for product delivery in and around NYC and providing the local food system with an affordable transportation and delivery service.

The Fresh Connection is unique in that we combine practical knowledge of the food distribution industry and the logistics surrounding it with an ideological belief that we must create a food system that supports independent producers whose products are environmentally and economically sustainable, with an emphasis on locally produced goods. We offer a flexible model and are not looking to simply replicate the traditional distributor model but to help in creating a new distribution system that addresses the needs of a local and sustainable food system.

Say hello to Mark when you see him along his route. This kind of collaboration is the beginning of the change we want to see. To get your farm on one of the Plovgh routes, or to order from the farms on Plovgh, get in touch here!

Our third pick for this weekend’s offerings comes from Saucy by Nature. Made from local fresh fruits and vegetables, this season’s flavors include Spicy Pumpkin Ginger (seen above), Tomato Apple Chutney, Spiced Tomato Ketchup, Cider Braised Onion, and Cranberry Pear Topping. Whether you’re in the mood for something sweet, savory, or spicy — they’ve got you(r food) covered.

Order your sauces now on Plovgh through Saturday evening and then pick your order up at the Second Annual Slow Food Show at Jimmy’s no. 43 on Sunday between 1:00 and 5:00pm. Say hello to the Plovgh crew and check out the various delicious offerings from other Slow Food NYC partners. See you there!

[Photo via A Camera in the Kitchen]

Prepare your cereal bowls for a new offering on Plovgh from Granola Lab. Invented by the scientists in the Brooklyn-based laboratory, their granola experiments are the perfect mix of sweet and savory. The current small-batch flavors include “Activation Energy” (coffee, chocolate & hazelnut), “Cranberry-Cashew Compound” (cranberries, cashews & cloves), “Elemental Formula” (maple, pecans & orange), “Get Gingersnapping” (spicy ginger, molasses & sultana raisins), and “Tamarind Fusion” (tamarind, walnuts & dried bananas).

Order your granola now on Plovgh through Saturday evening and then pick your order up at the Second Annual Slow Food Show at Jimmy’s no. 43 on Sunday between 1:00 and 5:00pm. Say hello to the Plovgh crew and check out the various delicious offerings from other Slow Food NYC partners. See you there!