Escape to Scapes

Our little two week "Escape" to the East Coast

has come to an end (more about our travels on a future post).

The trailer has been cleaned out,

the laundry dumped on the laundry room floor

The food refrigerated and the stuff hauled out.

There is much to do but the garden, which grew by leaps and bounds, along with the weeds,

was calling out to me.

The garlic scapes need to be pinched off - now what to do with them all!?

I think the dishes and laundry will wait while I make some Pesto out of these beauties ....

Thankfully I had all the ingredients needed:

5 or 6 garlic scapes (bulb removed) coarsely chopped (approx. 1 Cup)

Several sprigs of Dill - coarsely chopped

6 - 8 Basil leaves - coarsely chopped

Zest and juice from 1/2 a lemon

1/2 Cup of Pine Nuts - toasted and cooled

3/4 Cup grated Parmesan cheese

3/4 Cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

Place all the ingredients except the Olive Oil and the pine nuts into a food processor

or blender (I used my Vitamix blender).

Pulse till chopped and fully incorporated.

Slowly add the Olive Oil while the food processor is running until the Pesto is finely chopped and thickened.

Now add the Pine nuts and pulse to slightly chop the nuts.

Taste to see if more seasoning is needed.

Store in airtight containers and freeze.

To store in fridge - pour a thin layer of Olive Oil over top and it will keep

for several weeks.

Another idea is to freeze the Pesto in an ice cube tray.

When frozen remove and store frozen "cubes" in a freezer bag.

It turned out great - oh, I wish you could smell this - so yummy!

Now for a cup of tea in my beautiful new piece of pottery.

Yep, the dishes and laundry will just have to wait.

There might be garlic scape Pesto pasta to go with some bbq chicken for supper tonight?

My new Wendy Johnston Pottery Tea Cup - Hopewell Cape, New Brunswick
http:/wendyjohnstonpottery.com

Till next time ........ what are some of your favourite Pesto recipes?

This Old Barn ...

... witnessed some family love!

The Gerber family picnic,

which is typically held the first Sunday in June,

gathered in this old barn.

It's a big group and the weather was calling for rain 

so the barn floor was swept (as clean as possible).

Crown jars were stuffed with flowers plucked from the farm

beds, which are in full bloom.

Irises along the rail fence.

Peonies on the walkway.

Peeking poppies amongst the weeds.

There were lots to choose from

The weather held, the wind blew all the bugs away,

and the family arrived.

Oh, and did I mention the food?

I failed to take adequate pictures of this feast - it was amazing!

Even a wide angle lens may not have captured all the food.

The dessert table included at least 8 pies, still warm brownies, fresh fruit, rice krispie squares (of course), etc. etc.

I kept going back to the salads and yummy sandwiches.

It was a feast in true Gerber fashion.

Definitely worth lining up for!

The children patiently waited for the grown-ups to finish eating.

The wagon was lined with fresh cut hay bales

and quilts and blankets were ready to be spread onto the bales for seating!

As soon as the farmer made his move, the children clambered onto

the wagon and found their places to sit.

A conversation overheard ...

Q "Who's going to drive the tractor?"

A "Probably somebody who works here!"

Off they went ... as parents and grand parents cell phones "clicked"

Soon everyone settled in to enjoy the rest of the afternoon and be entertained with some lively music.

Dare I say - there was even a wee bit of barn dancing!!
You know who you are.

Yep, this old barn saw some family love on this day!!!

Till next time - ever thankful for barns and family picnics.