TOMTEN FARM

Garlic Scapes
Beets or Carrots
Lacinato or Russian Kale
Butterhead & Romaine Lettuce Heads
Frisee
Dill

So here begins our 2026 CSA season, thanks for being here, supporting our farm and taking what we give you each week.  Undoubtedly there will be too much of something and not enough of others. We have made some adjustments to our crop plan this year and are growing a bit less, with the hope that we can manage (weed, feed, harvest) what we do grow better; but this will mean that some things may be less available at both our markets and for our CSA. As with all growing seasons, we are a bit beholden to the weather and what it decides to bring us. We try to stay nimble and responsive to what we are given (no rain, too much rain, sky-high humidity, grey skies, intense wind); but there are always lessons learned, so we may have some bumps in the road with slightly reduced crop amounts. This spring for example has brought a drought to our region. We are lucky to have good irrigation systems in place; but regardless, plants need rain and so crop growth can slow or stall especially when coupled with intense wind and wild temperature swings. But this is the spring in Virginia, it is short lived and inconsistent. It is a time to really enjoy all the succulent greens, snap peas, and fresh alliums that appear for a short window. Before we know it, the temperatures will go up and we will be heading straight into summer. So, for now we enjoy less humidity and manageable heat and spring veggies.
As has become the norm, crops are coming on faster and faster each spring. Our main garlic planting is already bulbing and it is garlic scape time, meaning our garlic crop will be harvested for storage in three weeks, a good 4 weeks earlier than when we began farming in the area. This is a significant shift. You will get garlic scapes this week, not sure what a scape is, well when hardneck garlic begins the bulbing process, growing cloves, it pushes up a “scape” in the middle of the plant, which would eventually become the flower bud or seed head. By pulling out the scape, the plant focuses more energy on the bulbing, making for a potentially bigger garlic head. At this immature stage the scape is tender with a little crunch and has a superb garlic flavor without a ton of heat. They will store in a plastic bag for at least 3 weeks and a longish scape will be equivalent to 1-2 cloves of garlic. You can mash them, mince them, or use in bigger pieces for some garlic punch. You will notice no peas or favas, unfortunately the hard frost in mid-April (just a day after 88degree weather) dropped a whole round of flowers, so we are missing a big portion of the plant yield. We are hoping that we will end up getting enough to include in the CSA later in the month; but we must wait and see. We are excited to include either carrots or beets in the share, they are both delicious early spring successions and pair so well with all the greens, whether making a salad, soup, or roasting in the oven. This week’s share will have a lot of cooking and salad greens, we hope you are ready, as they are looking and tasting delicious. This is the earlies frisee crop we have ever had and they have been growing so well, even the deer and bunnies are trying to eat them. As with every May, Lettuce is really superb for a pretty short 6 week window, so we try to think of all the ways to use this delicious, refreshing crop in our daily meals. In The Turkish Cookbook by Musa Dagdeviren, which is so much more than recipes, there is this quote about lettuce, giving a new perspective on the often overlooked crop:

Often, greens are served unadorned, sometimes with only a squeeze of lemon. Lettuce is a good example of this. Lettuce can be eaten on the go as a snack with no accompaniment, or at home it might be simply given a sprinkle of sugar, a drizzle of molasses, or a squeeze of lemon juice.
In my home town of Nizip , Gaziniantep, from early April to early May, growers sell lettuces in big sacks carried by mules. People would shop in bulk for the home and eat lettuces as a snack all through the day. When lettuce was bought in bulk, the seller would not cut off the root. However, if it was to be eaten there and then, the customer would ask for the root to be trimmed. Once the root was cut off, that was it – that lettuce was yours no returns accepted. Even if it was bitter, all you could do was buy another one. The outer leaves of the lettuce would be stripped off and given to the donkeys, sheep, and goats, then the lettuce hearts washed in a common fountain and enjoyed on the spot.
Women long believed that a stroll in a lettuce orchard would purify their souls and give them eternal youth. And not so long ago there were even impromptu street festivals to celebrate the lettuce. Eating lettuce was the purpose of the day, and the unfortunate souls who ended up with the bitter lettuce would be mercilessly teased….All of these rituals affirm the vital role of raw vegetables and greens in Turkish culture.

So enjoy the lettuce while it is refreshing, tender, and crunchy. As before we know it, we will be struggling with the unwanted bitterness, that comes with all the heat. Check out the recipes below and enjoy the share…..Autumn & Brian.

Maroulosalata (Greek Lettuce Salad)

Frisee & Carrot Ribbon Salad with Za’atar-Lemon Vinaigrette

Raw Beet & Dill Salad

Frisée Salad with Poached Eggs and Bacon

Garlic Scape + Mint Pesto Farro Salad with Kale + Chickpeas

Cannellini Bean Kale Soup with Carrots

Sauteed Greens with Olives (Misticanza) from Six Seasons by Joshua McFadden
The key to this dish is to cook it quickly at high heat so that you can taste each green in your mix.
extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (Use 2-3 garlic scapes)
¼ tsp dried chiles flakes
10 cups lightly packed torn mixed greens (such as kale, escarole, turnip greens, beet greens, chard)
kosher salt & black pepper
¼ cup Kalamata olives, pitted & halved
2 Tbls lemon juice
Heat a glug of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring often, until just beginning to brown, about 2 minutes – don’t let it burn! Add the chile flakes and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the greens a handful at a time, tossing until wilted between additions (if you can, start with the tougher greens such as kale or escarole). Season generously with salt and black pepper and cook until all greens are wilted and softened, about 3 minutes more after your last addition.
add the olives and 2 tablespoons lemon juice and toss to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more chile flakes, salt or lemon juice. Finish with a nice drizzle of olive oil.