Welcome to the 12th week of the Pitchfork & Crow CSA!

Here’s what’s in the share:

• Summer Squash
• Broccoli
• Snap Beans – first of the season green, yellow, and purple beans!
• Garlic
• Cilantro
  
• Green Peppers – green sweet peppers – no heat this week
• Beets
• Savoy Cabbage
• Cucumbers – Lemon, picklers, and slicing cukes all around
  
• Salad Mix
  
• Tomatoes – an heirloom slicer and either more slicers or cherries
  

It must be mid-summer because the share has grown in size over the last couple of weeks and it’s overflowing with summer squash, cucumbers, and tomatoes.  For us it feels like we’re making up for those smaller shares in the early season and we hope you welcome the bounty we’re able to offer this time of year.  Eating seasonally in the NW means waiting out the winter months for the colors and tastes of heat-loving summer produce.

This may be the time in the season when you begin to get overwhelmed with the veggies you’re taking home each week.  We’ve heard from folks passing up on cabbages or salad mix at the pick-up, suggesting they’ve already got some in their fridge they need to use up.  In these instances we suggest thinking ahead to the fall and winter when the tastes of summer are no longer available.  Canning, freezing, and dehydrating excess produce this season can provide you with a steady supply of tasty meals all through the winter.

If you’ve already filled your pantry shelves, or you don’t have the time to preserve extra veggies this week, our alternative suggestion is to play “the vegetable fairy”.  Find a friend, neighbor, or co-worker and share the bounty!  Pass along a whole cabbage or a few cucumbers to help other folks enjoy this season’s amazing veggies.

We’ve been busy out at the farm thinking ahead to the winter season.  We’re hoping to have a winter CSA program this year and have been diligently transplanting out our overwintering crops in hopes of filling future winter shares.  We’ll be sure to keep you updated on our plans once we’ve nailed them down but we’re excited to think about sharing veggies with you for a longer season.

Enjoy this week’s vegetables!

Here are a few recipes to get you inspired:

Sweet Sweetback’s Salad with Roasted Beet Vinaigrette

4 medium beets, scrubbed, tops trimmed, root tails left intact
Coarse sea salt
4 tablespoons plus 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon agave nectar
Freshly ground white pepper
3 large bunches arugula, trimmed and roughly chopped (6 to 7 cups) (try this over salad mix too)
1 1/2 cups Candied Walnuts

Combine the beets, 3 quarts cold water, and 1 teaspoon salt in a medium pot over high heat. Boil uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the beets are easily pierced with a knife. Drain. Peel the beets by holding them under cold running water and rubbing their skins off with your fingers or a clean towel.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Trim the tails off the bottom of the beets. Reserve two of them for the vinaigrette and compost the others. Cut the beets into 1/4-inch dice. In a medium bowl, toss the diced beets with 4 teaspoons of the olive oil. Transfer them to a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes to ensure even cooking. Remove the beets from the oven, transfer them back into the bowl just used, and toss with 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar. Return to the baking sheet and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Set them aside to cool.

In a blender, combine the reserved roasted beet tails with the remaining red wine vinegar, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon agave nectar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and white pepper to taste. Blend while slowly pouring in 4 tablespoons of olive oil. If needed, add more salt to taste.

Place the arugula pieces in a large serving bowl, add the roasted beets on top, and add the candied walnuts on top of that. Immediately before serving, toss well with just enough of the vinaigrette to coat.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Vegan Soul Kitchen: Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African-American Cuisine, Bryant Terry

Also available here: http://civileats.com/2009/04/14/sweet-sweetback%E2%80%99s-salad-with-roasted-beet-vinaigrette/

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Lemon Cucumber and Pesto Recipe

About 3-4 medium lemon cucumbers
2 cups fresh Italian basil leaves and stems
1/2 cup olive oil
1 clove crushed garlic
1 teaspoon sea salt
fresh ground black pepper
3 Tablespoons fresh, grated parmesan cheese

1. Slice or chop cucumbers.

2. In food processor: combine basil leaves, olive oil, garlic, sea salt, black pepper and parmesan cheese. Blend ingredients till combined well.

3. Dress over cucumbers.

4. In Mortar, crush basil leaves and garlic till. Scoop up basil/garlic combo and place in bowl. Add salt, pepper, olive oil and cheese.

From White on Rice Couple, http://www.whiteonricecouple.com/gardening/lemon-cucumbers-with-pesto/

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Cold Pack Refrigerator Dilly Beans

Pack into one sterilized wide-mouth quart jar:
2 cups blanched green beans, trimmed in length to fit completely in the jar without sticking out the top
1/2 white onion, sliced thin
2 sprigs fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

For the brine:
3/4 cup white vinegar
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Combine all brine ingredients in a medium covered saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Pour cooled brine over beans. Tighten lid and place jar in the fridge for at least two days before eating.

From Edible Seattle, http://edibleseattle.com/recipes/dilly-beans.htm