csa share – week 26 {november 13}

Welcome to the 26th week of the Pitchfork & Crow CSA!

Here’s what’s in the share:

  • All Blue Potatoes
  • Cauliflower
  • Broccoli
  • Salad Mix – 3 types of lettuce plus ruby streaks mustard and spinach
  • Carrots
  • Cippolini Onions – pronounced chip-oh-lee-knee – great for roasting and caramelizing!
  • Cabbage
  • Hot Peppers – either jalapenos or black Hungarians
  • Butternut Winter Squash
  • Apples – we’ve been keeping our dehydrator humming with apple slices drying.  What’s your favorite way to use up apples?

We’ve been enjoying our weekends since Market finished up at the end of October.  Cutting out that second weekly harvest and Saturday Market day leaves us with just enough time to indulge in some long put-off personal projects like running apples and plums through the dehydrator. Our food preservation this past season was lacking, as we focused on buying the farm and transitioning thereafter.  Luckily we still have fruit in our storage cooler waiting to be processed.

Our seasonal schedule also means we don’t take many breaks from working during the summer.  As our busiest months have slowed with the approach of winter, we find ourselves with a little extra time each week.  This past Saturday we put our to-do list aside and took a full day for a trip to the coast.  We’ve become accustomed to having farm meetings during our commutes between the farm and Salem and our vacation day drive had plenty of farm discussions too.  We debated future vegetable sales outlets, the winter CSA structure, potential infrastructure purchases, and more.  We also got in some beach time, kite flying, brewery visiting, boat viewing, and new raingear purchasing.  That last item I was especially grateful for during today’s CSA harvest.

Perhaps it’s not until November that we can truly appreciate the long hours we’ve been putting in at the farm for the past many months.  We’re happy to be looking at this season from this end and we’re excited for what’s to come for 2013!

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:

Herbed Chicken and Squash

  • 4 bone-in, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 1/2 pounds)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary, divided, plus 4 sprigs for garnish
  • 1 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
  • 1 pound peeled, seeded and cubed butternut squash
  • 2 teaspoons canola or olive oil, divided
  • 3/4 pound cipollini or sweet onions, halved if large
  • 3 teaspoons balsamic vinegar, divided
  • Vegetable oil cooking spray
  • 2 tablespoons apricot preserves
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoons chopped ginger
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
Position rack in lower third of oven; heat oven to 400°F. Season chicken with 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. In a bowl, toss squash with 1 teaspoon oil. In a second bowl, toss onions with 2 teaspoons vinegar and remaining 1 teaspoon oil. Coat a rimmed sheet pan with cooking spray. Place chicken on pan bone side up; spread squash and onion in a single layer around chicken; sprinkle vegetables with remaining 1 tbsp chopped rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; roast 15 minutes. In second bowl, combine preserves, mustard, ginger, garlic and remaining 1 teaspoon vinegar. Flip chicken and brush with apricot-mustard sauce; turn veggies; roast until chicken’s internal temperature reaches 165°F, 10 to 15 minutes more. Divide chicken and veggies among 4 plates; garnish each with a sprig of rosemary.

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Fried Potatoes and Cabbage (aka Bubble and Squeak)

  • 1 lb russet (baking) potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
  • 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter
  • 1 lb Savoy cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Cover potatoes with cold salted water by 1 inch and bring to a boil, then boil, uncovered, until tender when pierced with a sharp knife, about 18 minutes. Drain in a colander.

Heat butter in a 10-inch heavy nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté cabbage with salt and pepper, stirring frequently, until tender, about 5 minutes.

Add potatoes, mashing and stirring them into cabbage while leaving some lumps and pressing to form a cake. Cook, without stirring, until underside is crusty and golden, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

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