The Great (E)Scape

garlic scapes!

Happy Independence Day, Folks!

It actually feels like the 4th of July out here in Port Angeles--the sun is shining, the grill is fired up, potato salad is in the fridge, and I may be wearing cutoff jean shorts! Woot!

Justin and I started the day by taking our recently acquired mountain bikes to the Miller Peninsula (the chunk of land between Sequim Bay and Discovery Bay). Although the trail was a bit more technical than I am ready for (i.e. I had to get off and walk my bike 50% of the ride), we traversed through the forest to a beautiful edge of the Olympic Peninsula with a view of Protection Island and what we think was a playful whale.


After a quick trip to Port Townsend for some fiddle tunes festival and some Elevated Ice Cream, we are home with the grill ablaze.



Justin's cookin' up some spring Chinook salmon from Neah Bay and I attempted to recreate some of my mom's awesome potato salad to go with it. We were lacking some key ingredients like dill pickles and enough potatoes, so the end result is more of a kitchen sink version. I held true to her mustard dressing, but added a few extras from our garden--GARLIC SCAPES.

Yup, its time to trim off the scapes in order to refocus the garlic's final growth push towards its underground head. Personally, I love the taste of fresh scapes--garlick-y and crisp. My friend has pickled them with great success, but I have just been throwing them into salads, scrambles, stir-frys and such. Today, they went into the kitchen sink potato salad.

Happy 4th!

Kitchen Sink Potato Salad
adapted from Betty Lou's World Famous Potato Salad

salad:
7-8 soft (rotting) potatoes (boiled, sliced, and peeled)
1 large beet (boiled, sliced, and peeled)
2 carrots (sliced)
4 stalks of celery (chopped)
5 garlic scapes (chopped)
1/4 c. sunflower seeds
1/4 c. chopped parsley
3 hard-boiled egges (chopped)

dressing:
1/2 c. mayo
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 c. Dijon mustard
salt, pepper, and paprika to taste

1. Mix salad ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Mix dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
3. Combine the two with a spatula.
4. Refrigerate until cool.
5. Enjoy outdoors in the sunshine.