Welcome to the 24th week of the Pitchfork & Crow CSA!

Here’s what’s in the share this week:

• Cabbage
• Green Tomatoes – fried green tomatoes anyone?
• Potatoes – fingerlings!
• Green Peppers & Jalapenos – Jeff has been putting jalapenos in vinegar and using the hot sauce on cooked greens
• Mostly Mustards Mix
• Parsley
• Cilantro
• Butternut or Uchi Kuri Winter Squash – two orange, faintly nutty tasting  squash to choose from this week
• Apples
• Sweet Onions – from Persephone Farm!

When we were members of a local CSA, not so long ago, we were the people who had never purchased kale, who weren’t sure what to do with fennel, and got easily overwhelmed with giant cabbages.  We joined the CSA to learn about new vegetables and to attempt to eat more seasonally and we trusted our farmers to provide us with the basics to accomplish those two goals.  In retrospect, those years as CSA members comprised our initial education in farming.  We learned to think about which vegetables are tastiest throughout the year and we learned about the diversity of food that can be grown locally.  Indeed, our experience with the CSA helped us to realize our farming dream and it inspired us to give it try.

Of all the things we learned during those years as CSA members, the one thing that most sticks with me, is Cabbage and Noodles.  I think we rarely made it through an entire giant cabbage before those farmers introduced us to their Cabbage and Noodles recipe.  We discovered sweet fall and winter cabbages cooked to perfection in butter and we learned to eat whole cabbages and love it!  It was a revelation!

As we count down the weeks toward the end of our second season of providing our own CSA program, we’ve begun to evaluate the past year and make plans for the upcoming season.  Of course we’re thinking about the farm and what next season will look like on the ground, but we’re also thinking about the CSA program structure.  We’d love to hear your thoughts on the season.  Please fill out the attached survey and let us know if you’ve had any “cabbage and noodle” moments this year.

Click on the link below to download the survey:

P&C 2011 CSA Survey

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:

Butternut Squash Posole with Green Tomato Pico de Gallo

For the pico de gallo:

• 2 green tomatoes, small dice, about 1 cup
• 1/3 cup red onion, peeled and finely diced
• 1 tablespoon cilantro, minced
• 1 garlic clove, peeled, trimmed and minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced
• 1 1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

For the posole:

• 1 onion, peeled, trimmed and small dice
• 1 poblano pepper, seed, cored and small dice
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled, trimmed and minced
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons coarsely ground Mexican oregano
• 3 tablespoons red chile paste (see step one of the directions))
• 15 oz. can tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cup butternut squash, cubed into 1/2 pieces
• 1 1/2 cup canned white hominy
• 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
• kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

1. To make the chile paste place 3 dried and seeded new mexico peppers and 3 ancho peppers stemmed and seeded into a bowl of hot water. Make sure the peppers stay submerged. They need to soak for at least an hour. Process the chiles in a food processor adding about 2 tablespoons of the soaking liquid. Process till smooth. Pass the paste through a coarse strainer set over a bowl by using a rubber spatula to push it through by rubbing the spatula back and forth. This will to remove any skins and leave you with about 1/3 of a cup of chile paste that will store nicely in the fridge.
2. Place a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add a glug of oil to coat the pan. Add the onions and poblano. Season them with a two finger pinch of salt, some fresh ground pepper and sweat them till soft.
3. Add the garlic, Mexican oregano and the cumin. Saute until it is fragrant then add the chile paste and cook it for a minute before adding the tomato sauce and 1 cup of water. Bring the pot to a boil.
4. Add the squash which will stop the boil. Bring the pot to a boil again and this time reduce the heat to a simmer. Just as the squash is becoming tender add the hominy and cilantro. Stir the pot, taste and adjust the seasoning. When it is hot serve garnished with the salsa.
5. To make the salsa: While the squash is cooking combine combine all the salsa ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir with a spoon. Season with salt and pepper, taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary

From Food52 via thirschfeld, http://www.food52.com/recipes/14654_butternut_squash_posole_with_green_tomato_pico_de_gallo

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Fried Green Tomatoes

• 4 large, firm green tomatoes, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 cup finely ground cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon paprika or pimentón (a Spanish smoked paprika, available at latienda.com)
• 2 eggs
• Vegetable oil

1. Sprinkle the tomato slices with the salt and pepper; set aside.

2. Combine the cornmeal and paprika in a shallow bowl. In another bowl, beat the eggs.

3. Cover the bottom of a heavy skillet with 1/2 inch of oil, then place it over medium-high heat.

4. Coat the tomato slices in the egg, then dredge them in the cornmeal mixture.

5. Fry as many tomatoes as fit comfortably in the pan until nicely browned, about 2 minutes a side.

6. Transfer them to a paper towel-lined platter. Repeat until all the tomatoes are cooked.
From Epicurious.com via Cookie,  http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Fried-Green-Tomatoes-242647

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Sausage With Potato and Cabbage

2 Tbsp. bacon drippings, olive oil, lard, or other fat
2 whole fresh sausages in casings
2 leeks, sliced thin, including much of the green part, or 1 large onion, sliced thin
1 small head cabbage or ½ large head cabbage, shredded
½ tsp. caraway seeds (optional)
½ bunch greens (chard, kale, collards;or mustard, radish, or turnip greens), sliced into ribbons
3 medium potatoes (such as Yukon gold), diced
½ cup hot water or stock, or more as needed
~ Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
½ cup sauerkraut (optional)
~ Sour cream or crème fraîche

1. Heat the bacon drippings, oil, or fat in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the whole sausages and brown on both sides.
2. Add the leeks (or onions) to the pan around the sausage and sauté. When the sausage is cooked through, remove it from the pan and let it cool.
3. Add the shredded cabbage to the pan along with a pinch of salt and the optional caraway seeds. Continue to sauté a few minutes, until the cabbage begins to wilt.
4. Add the greens and stir gently.
5. Add the diced potatoes, another pinch of salt, and the hot water or stock. Cover, reduce the heat somewhat, and steam until potatoes are just tender. Add more water or stock if the pan gets too dry.
6. Slice the sausage into ½-inch-thick pieces and add it back to the pan, stirring to incorporate and heat through. You can also leave the sausage whole or cut it in half.
7. Add plenty of salt and freshly ground pepper. Taste and adjust.
8. Remove from the heat and stir in the optional sauerkraut.
9. Serve in a shallow bowl with a big dollop of sour cream or crème fraîche.

From Culinate from the book Full Moon Feast by Jessica Prentice, http://www.culinate.com/content/1793/Sausage+with+Potatoes+and+Cabbage