csa share – week 13 {august 14}

Welcome to the 13th week of the Pitchfork & Crow CSA!

Here’s what’s in the share:

  • Summer Squash
  • New Potatoes
  • Green Beans
  • Young Sweet Onions
  • Dill
  • Shishito Peppers – sweet, very mild heat Japanese take on Spain’s padrone peppers.  Check out the recipe below for a quick blister with sea salt!
  • Carrots
  • Cucumbers – lemon cukes this week
  • Salad Mix
  • Tomatoes – cherries for everyone!
  • Peaches – non-organic peaches we u-picked at Rick Johnson Farms in Keizer

August is really flying by!  Perhaps because the early summer days were so mild, I’m a little amazed to find that it’s the middle of August already.  However, that also means it’s time for another on-farm potluck!  We’re inviting all CSA members out to the farm Sunday evening for good food and a mid-summer check-in on your vegetables.

We’re also inviting you to head out earlier to lend a hand with our potato harvest.  This kid-friendly event should be fun and productive, especially if you like to dig in the dirt!  If you’re not a fan of dirt, but you love the vegetables they’re grown in, we’d love to see you later in the day for farm tours and potluck goodness!

Further potluck details can be found here: August 19th CSA Potluck

The summer produce is really taking off at the farm now that the heat has arrived.  Anyone looking for cucumbers to pickle or relish?  We now have enough to fill bulk orders.  The price will be $15/pound over ten pounds.  Shoot us an e-mail if you’re interested and we’ll arrange the details.

Finally, I wanted to mention a little about the peaches we’re including in this week’s share.  We went out to Rick Johnson Farms north of Keizer on Saturday evening and u-picked them for you.  The variety is Sun Crest, which is listed on the Slow Food Ark of Taste.  We want to be clear that these are not organic and they were sprayed 20 days ago.  Peaches are a tough crop to grow without some spraying, but we think they’re pretty delicious anyhow.  The peach orchard out there is heavenly right now with the scent of peach hanging in the air and the filtered light through the heavily laden peach trees.  We had a blast picking these for you and hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

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:

Blistered Shishito Peppers

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 cups whole shishito peppers or Padrón chiles
  • Flaky sea salt

Preparation

  • Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet or other heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Cook peppers, turning occasionally, until they begin to blister on all sides. Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately.

From bon appetit via Marissa Lippert, http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2011/12/blistered-shishito-peppers

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Maple Roasted Peaches with Coconut Whipped Cream

Yields 4 servings

Maple Roasted Peaches
4 fresh peaches, cut in half and pitted
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, plus extra for drizzling
Pinch of cardamom

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).

Brush top of each peach with maple syrup and roast for 20-30 minutes, or until peaches are fork tender.

Coconut Whipped Cream
14 ounces (414 ml) full-fat coconut milk
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

At least 8 hours before roasting the peaches (preferably overnight), chill the coconut milk in the refrigerator, taking care not to disturb or shake the container. The coconut milk will separate (which is what we want). Once cold, skim the white coconut milk off the top and place into a medium mixing bowl, taking care not to include any of the clear coconut milk. You may save the clear coconut milk for another purpose (such as smoothie making). Beat in the powdered sugar and continue whipping the coconut milk on high for 5-7 minutes while it increases in volume and gets soft peaks.

Place in the refrigerator until peaches are ready (the whipped coconut milk will keep for a couple days).

To serve, dust peaches with cardamom, drizzle on a little more maple syrup, and serve with a side of coconut whipped cream.

From Pastry Affair, http://www.pastryaffair.com/blog/maple-roasted-peaches-with-coconut-whipped-cream.html

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Tomato Freezer Jam

1 quart cherry tomatoes
2/3 cup cane sugar
1 lemon (juice and strips of peel)
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
sea salt and cracked black pepper (to taste)

Halve all the tomatoes and place them in a large stockpot. Add sugar, lemon juice and peel, red pepper, salt, and pepper. Set pot on stove on on medium-low heat. Stir often. Let it cook for 1-2 hours until reduced by half and at a thick consistency. Let it cool before spooning into freezer jars. Keeps for about 2 weeks in the fridge, much longer in the freezer. (Makes about 3 cups.)

From The Chubby Vegetarian, http://chubbyvegetarian.blogspot.com/2012/08/simple-tomato-freezer-jam.html