The countdown is complete and it’s time to begin the second season of the Pitchfork & Crow CSA!  We’re glad to have you join us for the next six months in eating local, seasonal vegetables.

Here’s what’s in the share:

• Arugula Rapini – great in salad or sautéed in your favorite dish.  See the Eggs, Greens, and Some Beans recipe below.
• Garlic
• Leeks – these leeks are starting to flower.  Peel the scape before braising or grilling for a more tender treat.
• Mushrooms – these wild-crafted ‘shrooms are great rehydrated with wine or broth!
• Onions – these onions want to grow.  Store them in the fridge and eat them soon.
• Prize Choy or Yukina Savoy – Lynne Rossetto Kasper says to chop it up and fold into rice in the last five minutes of cooking for a seductive rice dish.
• Radishes – you know what to do with these, but don’t forget, the greens are also edible steamed fried or simply raw!
• Salad Mix – a mix of four leaf lettuces: two reds, two greens

We welcome you to the first week of the 2011 CSA Season!  We’re excited to begin another fantastic season of sharing local, seasonal vegetables with our friends and neighbors.  This very cold spring has continually reminded us how important the CSA model is to our farm.  Knowing we have members anticipating vegetables has inspired us to work harder than ever to ensure a successful season.  Plus your pre-payments have allowed us to invest in the infrastructure we need as we expand the farm.

This first week, of the next 27 weeks, you’ll see a mix of spring greens, overwintered leeks, and stored alliums including both onions and garlic.  As we push to begin the CSA earlier each year we’ll rely more and more on overwintered and stored crops.  We feel very fortunate to be able to round out these early shares with these items.  These garlic, onions, and leeks were all grown on Grand Island last year as we anticipated these early weeks of this season’s CSA.  The leeks were dug up and transplanted to our new ground last fall.  We’re also including some dried mushrooms we purchased from a friend who wild-harvested them over the winter in the Coast Range Mountains.  We were looking to round out this first share with a bonus item and were lucky enough to buy these before she sold them to the Market of Choice grocery store in Corvallis!

If you’ve been keeping up with us over the winter, you know we’re settling into the new farm down between Albany and Lebanon.  We’ve expanded from just under two acres to 15 acres this year, six of which are available for vegetable production.  We also have two acres of berries and around 300 mature apple, pear, and plum trees!  If the weather cooperates, we’re looking forward to summer and fall shares full of fruit in addition to vegetables.

As we get re-acquainted over the next few weeks, we’ll be giving updates on just exactly what we’ve been up to as we’ve prepared for this season.  We’ve had a busy winter and we can’t wait to share the details with you.  For now, we hope you’re excited about the start of the CSA season and that you enjoy this week’s vegetables!

Your farmers,

Jeff Bramlett and Carri Heisler

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Here are a few recipes to get you inspired:

Eggs, Greens and some Beans

Ingredients

	1	can of butter beans
	2	Tbsp. of freshly chopped tarragon
	2	tsp. of olive oil or tea seed oil
	4	eggs
	2	handfuls of rapini, chopped
	~	salt and pepper to taste

Steps

1. open up can of beans, drain and give a little rinse, drain again
2. heat a small pan with enough water to blanch the rapini, I like to add some salt to the water
3. Meanwhile, heat a small skillet over medium heat with 1 tsp of oil, add the beans and tarragon and saute until warmed through.
4. Fry your eggs however you like them. I prefer mine over easy with a little salt and pepper
5. Add rapini to boiling water and cook for 1-1½ minutes, remove from water and place on plate
6. divide beans, rapini and eggs evenly between two plates and enjoy!
7. Oh, I like mine drizzled with some hot sauce

From Culinate via Quinn Losselyong, http://www.culinate.com/user/teaisfun/recipes/on_the_cheap_eats/eggs_greens_and_some_beans

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Wild Mushroom and Leek Galettes

1 3/4-ounce package dried chanterelle mushrooms
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
1/2 cup minced leek (white and pale green parts only)
1 large shallot, chopped
6 ounces portobello mushrooms, stems and gills removed, caps finely chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
6 tablespoons fresh soft goat cheese (such as Montrachet)
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of 17.3-ounce package), thawed

Place dried chanterelles in small bowl. Pour enough hot water over to cover chanterelles; let stand until softened, about 30 minutes. Drain. Finely chop.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add leek and shallot; sauté 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons butter, then portobellos and chanterelles; sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add wine; simmer until liquid is reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons goat cheese; stir until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in 2 tablespoons parsley. Remove from heat.

Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 375°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out puff pastry sheet on floured surface to 12×12-inch square. Using 4-inch-diameter biscuit cutter or bowl as guide, cut out 4 pastry rounds. Using small cookie cutters, such as those with leaf shape, cut out decorative designs from remaining pastry, if desired. Place rounds on baking sheet, spacing apart. Spread 1 tablespoon goat cheese atop each. Spread mushroom mixture evenly atop each to within 1/2 inch of edge, dividing equally. Turn pastry edges upward slightly to hold topping in place. Place decorative pastry cutouts on baking sheet around galettes.

Bake until pastry is puffed and golden, about 15 minutes for decorative cutouts and 30 minutes for galettes.

Sprinkle galettes with 1 tablespoon parsley. Top with cutouts, if desired.

From Epicurious.com via Bon Appétit, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Wild-Mushroom-and-Leek-Galettes-104079

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Radish Butter

½ pound round red radishes, trimmed, at room temperature
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, completely softened
¼ teaspoon kosher salt, or ½ teaspoon Maldon salt
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground white or black pepper
About 24 thinly sliced rye toast points, toasted slices of French bread, water crackers, 2-inch celery sticks, endive leaves, or romaine heart halves

1. Put the radishes in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the radish is chopped into very fine dice, four or five 3-second pulses.

2. Transfer the contents to a length of cheesecloth or a double thickness of paper towels and wring out the excess liquid.

3. Transfer to a medium bowl and add 4 tablespoons of the butter.

4. With a rubber spatula, cream the radish and butter together, adding more butter 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture comes together in a smooth, pliable mass.

5. Transfer the mixture to a 2-cup ramekin or bowl, sprinkle the salt and pepper over the top, and serve immediately. (The butter will keep, covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

6. Remove it from the refrigerator 15 minutes before serving to let it soften. Sprinkle the salt and freshly ground pepper over the radish butter before serving).

From The Splendid Table, http://www.publicradio.org/columns/splendid-table/recipes/app_radish_butter.html