Earliest Garden Treats

Gardens are starting to offer fresh food. My sister has been eating asparagus nearly every day for a few weeks now. Every year I think they'll eventually get tired of it and some will come my way, but it's time to give up that plan and plant my own.
There are a lot of other spring veggies we look forward to as well. Spinach is one of the first to come in, and spring, or snow peas. Today we're talking about rhubarb, stawberry, and garlic scapes. Here are some slightly different recipes instead of the usual jelly, shortcake, and.... compost (for the scapes).
They're only here for a short time, so be sure and eat some of the fleeting and delicious spring fruits and vegetables.
Double Crunch Bumbleberry Crisp

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 cuprolled oats
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp each cinnamon and nutmeg
1/2 cup butter, melted

SAUCE:
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 cup cold water
1 tsp grated orange rind

FILLING:
1 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb
1 cup sliced strawberries
1 cup sliced peeled apples
1 cup blueberries

Procedure:
Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamom, and nutmeg. Stir in butter.
Press 1/2 of the mixture into a greased 9" square cake pan.
In small saucepan combine sugar and cornstarch.
Whisk in water and rind until smooth.
Bring to boil, reduce heat to med-low and cook 5 min or until thickened and clear, whisking constantly.
Toss together fruit.
Arrange over base.
Pour sauce over top.
Sprinkle with remaining flour mixture.
Bake in a 350F oven 50-60 min or until fruit is tender and topping is golden.
Serve warm.
Makes 8 servings; per serving: 380 calories, 4 g protein, 13 g fat, 65 g carbs.
from www.rhubarbinfo.com
Strawberry Salsa

1 c coursely chopped strawberries
1 T orange juice
1 t orange zest
1 green onion, finely chopped
1 t Dijon mustard
2 T dried currants
2 T red wine vinegar
Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Chill and serve with grilled fish or chicken.
Garlic Scape Pesto

1 c garlic scapes (8 or 9), top flowery part removed, cut into 1/4" slices
1/3 c walnuts
3/4 c olive oil
1/4 - 12 C grated parmesan cheese
1/2 t salt
black pepper to taste
Place scapes and nuts into food processor and process until well combined and somewhat smooth. Add oil in a drizzle until well blended. Scoop pesto from processor to mixing bowl and add parmesan to taste. Add salt and pepper.
Use 1/4 to 1/3 cup pesto to one pound of pasta.