Lavendar fields in Sequim, WA. HELLLOOOO Gorgeous!
No weekend is complete without a trip to the neighborhood library
Vintage yellow beads and a homemade card for a friend's birthday.
(beads, estate sale find, $1.00, ribbon and letters leftover from the holiday gift wrapping frenzy and old scrapbooking supplies)
Big sky out on Dungeness Spit and Wildlife Refuge
Stopped by local farm for fresh honey, spotted this old silo
Have a good week!
From the farmer's market to the exotic delights of the Asian grocery store, I felt I'd been there and done that. I was bored. I didn't think anything in the produce section could surprise me anymore.
But then I met these little guys at Bastyr University's Farmer's Market.
They are called garlic scapes.
Garlic and I go WAY back. I use garlic in anything...everything!
I'm SICILIAN for GOD SAKES! Isn't garlic just part of our genetic composition?
How did I miss these sweet little curly qs?
I just had to know more about my new little friends. I quickly paid my friendly farmer and dashed to my computer to learn more about this mystery veggie.
Basically, scapes are the stems of the garlic plant. We typically eat the root or bulb of the plant, but the stem is also quite delish.
Did a bit more reading, and it turns out, garlic has rather a scandalous reputation historically both as a both as a force for good and evil across civilizations.
(WARNING: Much of my casual research comes from Wikipedia--take it all with a grain of salt!)
In the account of Korea's establishment as a nation, gods were said to have given mortal women with bear and tiger temperaments an immortal's black garlic before mating with them. This is a genetically unique, six-clove garlic that was to have given the women supernatural powers and immortality. This garlic is still cultivated in a few mountain areas today. (I checked on eBay and Craigslist...no luck finding it...sorry ladies).
There is an Islamic myth that considers that after Satan left the Garden of Eden, garlic arose in his left footprint and onion in the right.
In Europe, many cultures have used garlic for protection or white magic, perhaps owing to its reputation as a potent preventative medicine. Central European folk beliefs considered garlic a powerful ward against demons, werewolves, and vampires. To ward off vampires, garlic could be worn, hung in windows, or rubbed on chimneys and keyholes. A practice of hanging garlic, lemon and red chilli at the door or in a shop to ward off potential evil, is still very common in India.
In both Hinduism and Jainism, garlic is considered to stimulate and warm the body and to increase one's desires and arousal.
Harvesting garlic, from Tacuinum sanitatis, 15th century.
The irrational fear of garlic is alliumphobia. I definitely understand. Schnuzzling with your special someone after they've eaten an extra large garlic and onion pizza single handedly can be HORRIFYING!
Garlic Scapes can be incorporated into a meal like you would use asparagus. It's not hollow, so don't expect it to be like a green onion. Here are links to a few bloggers and their scape recipes. Enjoy! Try not to get too horny while eating them.
Pan Browned Polenta with Sauteed Braising Greens and Garlic Scapes
http://boulderlocavore.blogspot.com/2011/06/summer-csa-and-pan-browned-polenta-with.html
Flash Sauteed Cherry Tomatoes with Garlic Scapes and Chives
http://foodandstyle.com/2010/07/02/flash-sauteed-cherry-tomatoes-with-garlic-scapes-and-chives/
Garlic Scape Pesto
http://soupbelly.com/2009/07/10/garlic-scape-pesto/
Found this nasty old chair at a Goodwill store this spring.
Faded orange stripes and mystery oil stain (barf) included in the $2.99 price.
The lines of the chair are quite feminine and graceful, the rattan in good shape.
Seat cushion redone using my trusty (and extremely rusty) old staple gun,
and some drop cloths run through the wash a few times to soften.
Spendiest part of the job was the reusable stencil from a great artist, Janna Makaeva from CuttingEdgeStencils.
Janna's stencils are in a class all their own--especially some of the vintage patterns for larger surfaces (like the master bedroom of my dreams).
I'll definitely be buying more of her wares in future.
http://www.etsy.com/people/CuttingEdgeStencils?ref=pr_profile
