Scapes, Strawberries, Stories

Whenever I'm visiting with an old friend or getting to know a new one, I usually find that it's in the old-fashioned sharing of stories that our real connections are forged. And in other people's stories I sometimes recognize my own joys and struggles in life, giving me the wonderful feeling that not only do we have something in common but - huge relief! - I'm not alone in it all. Recently I've begun to realize something else about story-telling: when I tell my own story to someone, I'm also telling the story to myself.

It might be assumed that I would already know what my story was, and it's true I've met a number of people who are blessedly conscious in that way, but sadly I am not one of them. Not yet, anyway. For many years, I have told my stories to others but never truly listened to them myself. This habit is to my detriment, for sure. Lately though, my ears have perked up, perhaps because for a while now I've been telling the same story about my life to everyone I talk with. It's not a particularly uplifting story as stories go, and once I finally started hearing myself, really hearing the negative story that I always seem to tell, I decided that certain things have got to change.

Most of the changes won't happen right away, but the first thing I can change is my attitude about where I am now. Giving thanks is a big part of that. So is trying to take the long view, the high-altitude view, or any view but the one I usually have - the down-in-the-trenches view. Better to not take the rear view, either - looking backward hasn't done me much good, that's for sure. So there's a change in perspective that I want to effect. And then there will be changes in situation, actual changes in my reality. Of course changes inevitably happen, whether we do anything or not, but I hope to find the energy, creativity and strength to ensure that those changes will be the ones to help me have a better story to tell. More on that to come.



Need to be like the beaver and get busy



For now, it's officially the start of summer! And that is a change I've been waiting for all year. Welcome strawberries, welcome beans, welcome squash (hot East Coast temps lately, yikes). Best of all, welcome garlic scapes! Scapes are the tops of garlic when it flowers, and growers cut them off this time of year to help the bulbs develop fully beneath the ground. Besides my huge love of garlic flavor in general, it's the aesthetic beauty of curly, unruly scapes that speaks to my heart. Their very short season - usually just a couple of weeks overlapping strawberry season - forces me to wait patiently each year. I'll always remember the farmstand we stopped at a few years ago on the way home from a windy day at Crane Beach, MA. They were selling little bundles of scapes and offering samples of two dips made with them. I took the scapes and the dip recipes home with me and promptly fell in love.  



Sculptural garlic scapes



White Bean Dip

I like to serve this dip with whole wheat pita bread, toasted whole

in the toaster oven and then broken into rough pieces.

• In a food processor, blend: 1/3 cup sliced scapes, 1 T lemon juice, 1/2 t sea salt, 1/8 t pepper
• Add and pulse 1 can cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
• Add and pulse 1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
• Add and pulse 2 T water
• Add a little more lemon juice or salt if it needs it. Process until the dip is smooth, but not runny. If you leave it in the fridge overnight it will thicken up a bit.

White Bean Dip w/Pita Crisps

Garlic Top Pesto

This is not only great over pasta, but also on crackers and as a dip for crudites.

• Pulse until smooth: 1/4 c extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 c unsalted peanuts
• Add and pulse 1/3 lb coarsely chopped scapes
• Add and pulse 1/4 c finely grated parmesan, adding a little extra olive oil if needed. Check for salt.

And now on to what most people think is the star of the early summer season, strawberries! This shortcake made a brief appearance before disappearing into our tummies...the recipe came from here.

We ate nearly the entire shortcake - 2 weeks later, I think I still feel full.

And what would a warm summer day be without refreshments? Ever since we picked nearly 20 pounds of strawberries at a local organic farm a few weeks ago, I've been eyeing the bags of them stacked up in our freezer and contemplating the possibilities. Strawberry shortcake, yes. Strawberry waffles, yes. Strawberry daiquiries, now we're talking! No official recipe for these, I just filled the blender about halfway up with frozen berries, added a couple jiggers of rum, a few spoonfuls of sugar, and enough water to make it all blend up nicely. So, so good...



Summer Strawberry Bliss!!!