Harvest of the Day

It is July and definitely summer here  in Southern Ontario.  A few days ago, I harvested from some of my herbal plants, for different purposes, as shown in the photo above. From left, clockwise:

1) Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) is one of the first herbs I started in my garden; once sowed, the noble flowers appear in late spring, and when they dry out, the plant re-seeds for a reliable crop the next year.  I harvested some for iced tea, and to have some seed in reserve.

2) English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), as every summer, I cut fresh spikes to keep in small vases in the house, and save dried buds for cooking or potpourri bundles.

3) Onion Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) became known to me when I first arrived in Canada in the late 1980s, but nowadays, they are popular in Mexico and are called cebollines. Their young green leaves are usually the first to emerge in the spring in my garden, and are delicious over potatoes, eggs, and salads, as well as their edible pretty little purple flowers that emerge about a month later. In this case, the flowers are already drying, and while trimming the plants, I kept some flower stems for their seed (a couple of black speckles may be seen in the photo.)

4) Genovese Basil (Ocimum basilicum, sweet basil) is known as albahaca in Spanish, used in Mexico in Italian dishes and to condiment stews and meat preparations. When the young plants develop a few true leaves, the tips are pinched to promote side growth, becoming the first basil harvest of the season, as seen in the photo above. 

5) Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) is a tender perennial. I buy a potted plant in the spring, and then bring it inside in the fall; this is the first year for me that a rosemary plant has survived over the winter, and now it is back outside.  We have had some sudden temperature changes and the plant got a little stressed, so i trimmed the damaged tips, to prevent future shortcomings. These are still good to add to roasts or soup.

6) Garlic Scapes (Allium sativum, var. ophioscorodon – hardneck “Music” variety) bolt in late spring, and they must be removed from the plant before the buds open, so the plants may concentrate in growing their bulbs underground. The scapes have a pungent garlic-like flavour, and the texture of asparagus; they may be sauteed and eaten as a side dish, or the most popular application, made into garlic scape pesto. In the photo above, I show only a few scapes, but the whole harvest consisted of thirty four stems from my planted crop, plus I almost went off with the fairies trimming over one hundred more from volunteers that sprouted in a neglected part at the back of my garden. The whole harvest allowed me to process and prepare five cups of my homemade garlic scape pesto:

We usually eat one jar right away, on top of pasta cooked al dente, and tons of Romano cheese and hot pepper flakes; I give some to friends, and I freeze one or two jars for a taste of summer in the cold months. This sauce is also great with fish or chicken, and one time I even used it for Yucatan style enchiladas (papatzules) .

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