Early Summer Harvests

Welcome to the first full week of summer and summer garden harvesting. Whether you are picking your own home-grown or supporting New Jersey farmers, now is the time to enjoy fresh, local fruit and produce.

Here in my Pleasantdale garden, I'm eating lettuces, chard, spinach, garlic scapes (more on those below), bush beans, basil, and radishes.

The raspberries are coming in as are strawberries in my hanging pots. The birds have discovered both so I need to net the raspberry patch this week.

Snap peas were a real disappointment this year. The pea vines that normally top my eight-foot-high pea fence only made it to my chin this year. I probably only picked a few scant pints from 50 or so plants. The only explanation I have is that the early hot spell we had withered the vines.

A friend who lives in the Downtown neighborhood reports that her peas met a similar demise: too hot and too early. She told me she's eating romaine lettuce, scallions, Swiss chard, pac choi, raspberries and making basil pesto. She's smartly reseeding basil, dill and cilantro to ensure summer-long harvests.

Two St. Cloud gardeners report similar pesto production and strawberry harvesting, as well as lots of greens from kale, beets, and gourmet baby mesclun.

In addition to my home garden, . The first pick-up last week included a small but delicious assortment of organic lettuce, kale, spinach, snap peas and radishes.

The West Orange Farmer's Market re-opens this Friday with Jersey Fresh fruit, vegetables, flowers, and ready-to-eat items. The market runs every Friday from noon until 6 p.m. in the parking lot adjacent to the library.

Returning to the market this year are Dale Davis from Stony Hill Gardens and George Fetzer of Valley View Farms, according to Denise Esposito, executive director of the Downtown West Orange Alliance.

I called both farms to ask what produce they expect to have for sale this Friday.

Carol Davis at Stony Hill Gardens said she's hoping to bring red and green lettuces, raspberries, broccoli, cauliflower and garlic scapes, as well as South Jersey-grown sweet corn and blueberries.

Marta Martin at Valley View Farms told me that it's been a battle with the wet weather so far this year. "We started summer with four inches of rain," she said.

"We'll be at the market and bring whatever we can from our fields and other Jersey Fresh produce."

That's the truth about gardening: you get what you get and sometimes Mother Nature thwarts your best-laid plans. It's easy to forget that in an age of year-round supermarket availability. That's why I like the practice of eating seasonally as much as possible.

Speaking of eating, garlic scapes are a delightful once-and-done seasonal treat that will be around for another week at most. Scapes are the plant's flower stalk that can be used just like garlic in recipes and salads.

Cutting off the flower stalk keeps the plant's energy focused on bulb production underneath the soil.

If eating garlic scapes isn't to your liking, I suggest buying them anyway to enjoy as a funky, sculptural floral accent.

Scapes are a lovely addition to basil pesto, another early summer staple. Since pesto freezes beautifully, it's a good way to stay ahead of an abundant basil and herb haul.

Here's the pesto recipe I use, modified from the The Best Recipe cookbook.

Summer Pesto
(Makes a generous pint)

3 cloves garlic (omit if using garlic scapes)

2 cups solidly packed fresh basil leaves (or a combination of herbs--basil, parsley, cilantro, garlic scapes cut into 2-inch pieces)

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted

Blend above until smooth in food processor.

Stir in 2 oz. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Season with black pepper and salt, to taste

Cover surface completely with plastic wrap in sealed container in refrigerator to retain vivid green color.

With pesto on the table, that means that local tomatoes and corn are only weeks away. I can hardly wait.

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For more information about the West Orange Farmer's Market, contact Denise Esposito, Downtown West Orange Alliance executive director at (973) 325-4109, downtown@westorange.org or Downtown West Orange. Parking is free. The market accepts NJ WIC & Seniors Farmers' Market Nutrition Programs checks that can be redeemed for fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs grown by local farmers.