csa share – week 24 {october 30}

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

Here’s what’s in the share:

Garlic
Carrots
Chard!
Cauliflower!
Black Futzu Winter Squash – rare Japanese winter squash with golden flesh and a rich hazelnut taste
Rutabaga – roasted, mashed, juiced, or raw, we love rutabagas!
Cabbage – either green (charmant) or purplish savoy (colorsa)
Scarlet Ohno Revival Turnips or Watermelon Radishes
Apples – another unknown variety growing here on the farm, we’re calling them blushed and tasty!
Carving Pumpkins – for folks who didn’t make it out to the pumpkin patch farm event

It’s survey week! With just four more weeks left of the season we want to be sure we hear your thoughts on how things have gone. Did you miss seeing a particular veggie in the share? Were you overwhelmed with produce, or perhaps overwhelmed with seeing a particular vegetable over and over? Was there something you found outstanding this year that we should be sure to bring back? This your chance to let us know what we’re doing well and what you think we can improve on.

There are a few ways to go about filling out and returning the survey!

Grab a paper copy at the pick-up today
Print a copy from your e-mail
Fill it out online here: 2012 CSA Survey

This past Saturday was our last Market day at the Salem Saturday Market. We love seeing folks there each weekend, but we’re excited to have a little extra time at the end of each week to re-group, especially now that the weather’s turned stormy. Luckily, as you all know, the CSA runs through the week of Thanksgiving so we’ll still have plenty of opportunities to get out into the fields with the vegetables.

We have quite a few projects we’re hoping to tackle this winter and we’re anxious to get going on them. Tomorrow Jeff will be meeting with an irrigation consultant and we’re looking forward to getting our well pump running a little more efficiently soon. We’re also looking into some infrastructure purchases, including another greenhouse maybe, or perhaps tractor implements. Having purchased the farm mid-season we’re excited to take some time soon to evaluate what tools might most help us succeed in the coming years.

It’s Halloween week and we hope you have all been enjoying the seasonal fun. We’ll have some extra carving pumpkins at the CSA pick-up for anyone who hasn’t yet carved their jack or for those who need another fix of toasted pumpkin seeds. Traditionally rutabagas were used for carving into jack-o-lanterns in Scotland and Ireland, so you’re in luck that we’ve included one of those this week too.

Enjoy this week’s vegetables!

Your farmers,

Jeff Bramlett and Carri Heisler

Here are a few recipes to get you inspired:

Fellow CSA member Chris A. tipped us off to this rutabaga recipe just in time for rutabaga week!

Rutabaga Gratin

1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 cup raw cashews
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
2 slices rustic bread, torn into small pieces
2 small rutabagas (1 1/2 lb.), peeled and cut into about 1/8-inch-thick slices
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
4 teaspoons chopped fresh marjoram
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Make cashew cream: In a medium bowl, pour boiling water over cashews and let sit until they soften, at least 15 minutes and up to 30. Stir in yeast. Puree mixture in a blender on highest setting until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Season
with salt to taste. Set aside.
Make breadcrumbs: Pulse bread in a food processor until coarsely ground. Set aside. (You should have 1 cup.)
Assemble gratin: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cover bottom of an 8-inch-round baking dish with a single layer of rutabaga slices, overlapping edges and working in a circle. Season with salt, pepper, and
some of the chopped herbs. Add another layer and season with salt, pepper, and herbs. Pour in about 1/3 of cashew cream — enough to cover both layers. Continue until baking dish is full. Pour in remaining
cashew cream. Sprinkle nutmeg over top layer. Toss breadcrumbs with oil in a small bowl. Top gratin with breadcrumbs.
Bake on a rimmed baking sheet until rutabagas are tender when pierced with a sharp knife and breadcrumbs are golden brown, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

From Whole Living, http://www.wholeliving.com/131098/rutabaga-gratin?center=185179&gallery=185167&slide=131098

.
Cauliflower ChowChow

4 cups 1/2″ cauliflower florets (cut from 1 large head)
Kosher salt
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup finely chopped onion
5 1/2 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds
1 1/4 teaspoons (generous) dry mustard
1 1/4 teaspoons (generous) celery seeds

Cook cauliflower florets in a large pot of boiling salted water until just crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Drain cauliflower. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and set aside.

Meanwhile, combine vinegar, onion, sugar, mustard seeds, dry mustard, and celery seeds in a large saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves.

Add cauliflower to saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer mixture and pickling juices to a 1-quart jar. Let cool slightly, cover, and chill. Serve within 1 month.

From Epicurious, via Bon Appetit, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Cauliflower-ChowChow-366690

Swiss Chard Pie

1 onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons oil

1 bunch Swiss Chard

6 eggs

1 cup shredded cheese

1 teaspoon salt

2 pie crusts

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Brown onion and garlic in oil. Trim and chop chard, add to pan, and cook until wilted. Beat eggs in a bowl; mix in cheese, salt, and chard mixture. Pour into pie crusts.

Bake until knife inserted into center comes out clean, 30-40 minutes. Makes 2 pies.

Recipe from the excellent book: From Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide to Cooking Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce, Third Edition