Traveling to farmer’s markets is an excellent way to support small, local farms while getting fresh, in-season produce. The bigger the farmer’s market, the larger the variety of fruits and vegetables available. But traveling to markets is not always feasible for everyone. Other ways to achieve the same results are signing up for CSA programs or shopping at local farm stands.
Residents of Warren can buy all their grocery needs at Long Lane Farm, situated near one end of the Warren Bike Path, close to the border of Massachusetts. The farm stand is operated by an honor system, usually open during farming season from April to December. The farm’s weekly newsletter will alert shoppers to the stand’s seasonal opening and close, its hours, and the produce available to buy each week.
The farm, a five-acre property in Warren, is run by couple Devin and Camille Abdel-Nabi. Camille began “farming in 2013 at Little River Farm, which she managed until 2022. After years of supporting Camille in her farming dream, Devin decided to quit her office job and become a farmer in 2021 after they acquired their dream property and farmhouse in Warren in 2020,” according to the couple’s bio. The result was Long Lane Farm. Established in 2023, their goal was to “create a farm that can support a family and provide abundant produce to the surrounding community.” They grow their produce in three high tunnels (productive year-round), and a micro-green nursery. Everything is farmed via organic and no-till methods, which means that the produce is chemical- and GMO-free, and the soil is healthier – it can better withstand drought, heavy rains, diseases, and pests, and it retains more organic matter, which is better for fertility and higher produce yields.
On Sunday, the farm stand was filled with vegetables: zucchini, hot peppers, salad greens like kale and Swiss chard, rhubarb, onions, beets, radishes, carrots, cucumbers, and garlic scapes. The summer harvest season is in full swing, and even more produce – like tomatoes – will be available in the coming weeks. “Our vegetables are harvested the day before the customer receives them so that they are extra fresh and have a long shelf life,” the couple explains.
With so many options, it can be difficult to choose what to buy, let alone what to create with the fresh goods. For cooking ideas, customers can look to Long Lane Farm’s blog.
An unfamiliar produce choice at the farm stand is garlic scapes. Garlic scapes are the stem and the yet-to-have-bloomed flower of a hardneck garlic bulb. Unharvested, the flower bud would bloom into a purple blossom. Scapes are edible, with a mild garlicky flavor, and they are usually harvested as a by-product to garlic bulbs; harvesting the scapes stops the plant from putting energy into growing the flower, and transfers that extra energy back into growing the garlic bulb. June is often when scapes will be ready to harvest, and for Long Lane Farm, scapes are “the harbinger of the many garlic bulbs that we will be harvesting around the fourth of July.” Some ways to use garlic scapes, the couple recommends, is to pan fry, pickle, roast them, or add them to hummus. One of the most popular ways is to use garlic scapes to make pesto. On their blog, they have a recipe for garlic scape pesto from The New York Times.
Fresh pesto is a delicious way to make an Italian-inspired meal. I drew inspiration from The New York Times’ recipe as well as a garlic scape pesto recipe from Vanilla And Bean to make a summery, garlicky, bright garlic scape pesto sauce. I recommend serving it over homemade gnocchi, but any type of pasta that does well to catch sauce – like spiral rotini – does just as well. To use more of the farm fresh produce, and to have an elevated, multi-course Italian-inspired meal, I used radishes from the farm to create a refreshing antipasto: watermelon, radish, and mint salad with a honey mint dressing. For the salad recipe, I was inspired by Jam Jar Kitchen and Love and Lemons. Refreshing, bright, and with a little bit of a bite, this antipasto and primo is an easy way to elevate a quick weeknight meal.
Watermelon, Radish, and Mint Salad with Honey Mint Dressing Recipe:
For the salad base:
5 c. watermelon, cubed
6 radishes
1/3 c. crumbled feta cheese
1 avocado
1 jalapeño
¼ c. torn mint leaves
For the dressing:
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp lime juice
½ Tbsp honey
Pinch of sea salt
¼ c. mint leaves
Homemade Garlic Scape Pesto Gnocchi Recipe:
2 lbs. white potato (about 3 medium potatoes)
2 c. flour, plus more for work surfaces
1 large egg, room temperature
Pinch of salt
For the garlic scape pesto sauce:
1 c. garlic scapes (10-12 scapes)
1/3 c. pine nuts
½ c. fresh basil leaves
½ c. olive oil
1/3 c. parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Start by cooking the potatoes so they can be made into gnocchi. Boil the potatoes, skin on, for about 25 minutes. To check if they are done, pierce them with a fork; if it sinks into the potato easily and there is no resistance pulling the fork out, the potatoes are cooked perfectly. Drain, and let cool.
- In the meantime, prepare the salad. Cube about five cups of seedless watermelon and one avocado. Place them in a large bowl. Then, using a mandoline or a sharp knife, thinly slice radishes into disks. Deseed the jalapeño and cut it into thin disks. Combine everything into the bowl. Then, roughly tear the mint leaves and crumble the feta cheese over everything. Give the salad a quick toss, then refrigerate.
- Next, make the salad sauce. In a mason jar or bowl, combine olive oil, lime juice, honey, and sea salt. Finely chop the mint leaves and add it to the mixture. Shake or whisk well, and refrigerate until ready to use.
- After the potatoes have cooled enough to handle but are still warm, peel the skins off. Pass the potato through a potato ricer, or mash with a fork in a large bowl. Form a well in the bowl, and add the egg, salt, and about half of the flour. Start whisking the mixture together with a fork, and as it combines into a sticky dough, slowly add more flour and knead the dough by hand.
- Continue kneading and adding flour until the sticky mixture becomes a smooth ball. Then, on a floured work surface, divide the dough into four parts and roll each part out into a long “snake,” about one inch wide. Using a knife or a pastry cutter, cut the snake into little “pillows,” slightly longer than they are wide. Take each gnocchi and, using the back of a fork, press your thumb down into the center and roll it off the fork – this will create a “well” in the pasta to soak up sauce. Set the gnocchi aside for now.
- Boil water for the gnocchi, and in the meantime, make the pesto sauce. Trim the garlic scapes just below the bulb and wrap the stems into the bowl of a food processor. Add pine nuts, basil leaves, parmesan, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Pulse the mixture until it begins to break down, scraping the sides as you go. Slowly add olive oil to the mixture and process it until it becomes a thick sauce. Set aside.
- Boil the gnocchi. The pasta will float to the top when it is fully cooked – about three to five minutes. Reserve one cup of the pasta water, then drain the gnocchi.
- Add a dash of the pasta water to the bottom of a large serving bowl. Then, add the pesto sauce and stir well; this will make the pesto more “saucy” and easier to spread. Add the gnocchi to the bowl and toss until all of the pieces are fully coated with sauce.
- Bring out the salad and salad dressing from the refrigerator. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until well combined. Serve everything and enjoy immediately.
Note: For a zero-waste cooking opportunity and to add more greens to the watermelon, radish, and mint salad, consider washing, sautéing, and then mixing in the leafy radish tops. They will add a subtle peppery flavor to the dish.