Welcome to the 3^rd week of the Pitchfork & Crow CSA!

Here’s what’s in the share:

• Spinach & Arugula Mix –for fresh eating or light cooking
  
• Butterhead Lettuce
• Spring Onions & Scapes –spring alliums!  use as substitutes for onions and scallions
  
• Storage Onion
• Beet Greens – add to your salad raw or saute and use as you would chard
• Salad Mix 
• Popcorn – we’re told you can pop this corn in the microwave in a paper bag, but here’s a recipe for making popcorn on the stove in case that’s your thing.
• Celery – intensely flavored bunches of celery from Sunbow Farm in Corvallis
• Pea Sprouts – sprouts from Spectrum Light Organics Farm in Crabtree

Although we are finally experiencing a little seasonal weather, the vegetables in the field are not as quick to grow as we might like.  We’re bringing you another greens-laden share and the next few weeks will probably be similar.  This is where we’re tempted to remind folks that joining the CSA means truly sharing in the harvest, however slim or bounteous it may be.  But you already knew that, which is why we love our members!  As we search for items to round out the share we’re reminded that other farms are in similar situations, with little to no extra produce available.  The tiny apples and pears that are beginning to size up on the trees and the abundance of blossoms on the berries give us hope that the season will progress and before too long we will be overwhelmed with fruit and vegetables alike!

Some of you may have read on our blog or in our weekly market e-mail about our fun and practical purchase of a small cultivating tractor this past week.  You can see photos of it here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/heisler/sets/72157616980844487/.  As I’d mentioned previously this tractor won’t replace the one we currently rent for working ground to plant into and for mowing.  Instead we’ll use the “new” 1947 Farmall Cub mostly for weeding and hilling potatoes.  We had it out in the field for the first time yesterday, putting it to use marking beds.  This helps us maintain a standard planting width between rows and will help when we’re using the tractor to weed later on.  We’re still on the lookout for a 40-50hp tractor that will ultimately replace the one we continue to rent at the farm now.

This year has meant many infrastructure upgrades like this new tractor, which is partly due to us moving and consolidating farm activities at the farm and partly due to the farm growing by so many acres.  For instance, in the past we’ve used the smallish greenhouse in our shady backyard for growing our starts prior to transporting them to the farm and transplanting them into the field.  We’ve been able to upgrade the whole process this year and we’re excited to not only have the starts growing in a propagation house on the farm, but the new house is much larger and has a fantastic automatic watering system designed by Jeff.  It’s actually hard to remember not having a fully functional on-farm propagation house now.

Each infrastructure upgrade we make is aimed at efficiency and acquiring the tools we need to successfully farm 15 acres.  We are constantly re-evaluating the needs of the farm and attempting to efficiently use our time and resources.  This week we’re just happy for a break in the rain long enough to truly catch up on our backlog of planting.  We’ve begun clearing out the field houses of spring crops and Jeff’s already transplanted the first four beds of tomatoes!  And yes, the field houses are just another of the infrastructure upgrades we couldn’t imagine not having this year.

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:

Harry’s Italian Celery Based Sauce Over Noodles

– Celery: one large Sunbow bunch. Chop into thin slices.

– Walla Walla Onion or Greek Red Onion . Chop into slices

– Mushrooms :  I used a cup chopped Shitake, more if you like

– Olive Oil : up to 1/4 cup. Whatever it takes to saute

– Bread Crumbs or fresh ground flax

– Sea Salt, Pepper to taste. Use fresh ground black pepper.

– One Bunch fresh Thyme. Strip and use leaves only. Add about 1/2 way through saute process.

– Olives: both Kalamara and Green Olives sliced in half and added right at the end of the saute process.

If not saucy enough add a small amount of water.

Serve hot over noodles. It was also great the next day as a cold noodle salad.

From Sunbow Farm via Harry MacCormack – farmer,

 

Beet Greens with Yogurt

1 lb. beet greens, trimmed and washed

1 large clove garlic, peeled

1 tsp. lemon juice

½ cup Greek yogurt

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1 small red onion, chopped, approximately

1 cup ~ Salt

Stir together miso and 2 tablespoon butter.

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Salt the water generously and boil the greens until tender. Drain and shock the greens in ice water, then drain again.
2. Pound the garlic to a paste in a mortar. Add the lemon juice and let sit 5 minutes. Stir in the yogurt.
3. Heat half the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the greens and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and transfer to a serving platter; set skillet aside. Spoon the yogurt like a sauce over the hot greens.
4. Heat the remaining butter in the same skillet and cook the onions over high heat, stirring, until brown and crisp at the edges. Season with salt and spoon the onions over the yogurt.

From Culinate via the book The Glorious Foods of Greece by Diane Kochilas, http://www.culinate.com/books/collections/all_books/the_glorious_foods_of_greece/beet_greens_with_yogurt

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Butter Lettuce and Spinach with Citrus and Avocado

Salad

	1	head butter, limestone, or Bibb lettuce
	1	small bunch young spinach leaves
	2	ruby grapefruit
	2	avocadoes

Dressing

	4	tsp. sherry vinegar
	2	tsp. raspberry or other fruit vinegar
	1	shallot, finely diced
	¼	tsp. salt
	6 to 7	Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
	1	tsp. mint, finely chopped
	2	tsp. chives, finely sliced
	~	Black pepper or Szechuan peppercorns

1. Separate the leaves of the lettuce and remove the spinach stems. Discard any leaves that are bruised or yellow, wash the greens (wash the spinach in two changes of water), and dry them in a spinner.
2. If the spinach leaves are small, leave them whole. If they are large, layer several leaves together, roll them up, and slice them into wide or narrow ribbons. Place them loosely in a kitchen towel and refrigerate until needed.
3. Use a very sharp knife to peel the grapefruit. Slice a piece off the top and the bottom of each, then work down the sides, removing the white pith as well as the peel. Holding the grapefruit over a bowl to catch the juice, cut each section loose from its membrane and turn it into the bowl. (Later you can drink the juice.)
4. Peel the avocadoes, slice them in half, and remove the seeds. Lay the halves cut sides down and slice them crosswise at an angle.
5. Combine the vinegars, shallot, and salt in a bowl. Whisk in the oil. Taste, and adjust the balance of vinegar and oil if necessary. Stir in the mint and chives.
6. Pour the juice off the grapefruit sections, combine the grapefruit with the avocado slices, and dress them both carefully with some of the vinaigrette. Toss the greens with the rest of the vinaigrette and lay them on salad plates. Set the grapefruit and avocado slices in and among the leaves. Add a grinding of black pepper (or roasted Szechuan pepper) and serve.

From Culinate via the book The Greens Cookbook  by Deborah Madison, http://www.culinate.com/books/collections/all_books/The+Greens+Cookbook/Butter+Lettuce+and+Spinach+with+Citrus+and+Avocado

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Wilted Mixed Greens

• 1 1/2 pound mixed tender or baby greens such as young chard, kale, mustard greens, spinach, beet greens, dandelion, and arugula, coarse stems discarded and leaves coarsely chopped (20 cups)
• 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Cook greens in a 6- to 8-quart pot of , uncovered, until wilted and tender, about 3 minutes. Drain greens in a colander, then immediately plunge into a large bowl of very cold water to stop cooking. Once cooled, drain in colander, tossing occasionally, 1 hour.

Just before serving, whisk together vinegar, salt, and oil in a bowl until combined well. Add greens and toss to coat.

Cooks’ note: Greens can be cooked and drained (but not dressed) 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.

From Epicurious.com via Gourmet, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Wilted-Mixed-Greens-108083