Welcome to the 3rd week of the Pitchfork & Crow Winter CSA!

Here’s what’s in the share:

• Peter Wilcox Potatoes
  
• Spinach
  
• Fennel
  
• Celeriac
  
• Leeks
• Green Cabbage
  
• Delicata Winter Squash
  
• Black Futzu Winter Squash
• Dried Apples – We grew ‘em and then we dried ‘em!
  
• Calypso Dry Beans – These are from our friends at Lonesome Whistle.

Happy New Year from Pitchfork & Crow!  We’re looking forward to seeing what 2013 has in store.  I’m pretty sure it’s going to be a good one.

This time of year is big for us.  In addition to the holidays, Jeff and I note the anniversary of the night we met on New Year’s Eve and then two days  later I (Carri) get to celebrate my birthday on January 2nd.  Yep, last night we officially passed the 12 year mark!  A dozen years of living, laughing, and generally enjoying each other’s company.  It’s hard to believe we’ve been hanging out together for 12 years!  Who were those kids back in 2001?

This year we decided to shake things up a bit and I put in my notice at the day job.  Last Friday I turned in my security badge and laptop, left my cubicle behind for the last time, and officially became a full-time farmer!  It’s been a transition five years in the making and after nearly 9 years in that position I was ready to say goodbye.  Jeff is looking forward to the help in the fields, I’m looking forward to being outside working in the dirt, and we’re both excited to spend more time together!

We’re about to jump into crop planning for 2013.  We’re usually wrapping it up right about now, but with the ending of the day job we decided to wait until we could both focus 100%.  In the meantime Jeff has been working on removing the two acres of unproductive berries/weed seed bank in the middle of the farm.  He’s nearly finished dragging out the triple lengths of 250′ long  wire for each of the 40 rows.  Next up is removing the 500 posts remaining.  Having an extra 2 acres for crop rotation is going to be fantastic!  Although it will be some time before any crops are planted into that ground, it gives us hope for the future.

Back in Alabama, where Jeff hails from originally, folks are filling up on collard greens and black-eyed peas for good luck today.  We’d hoped to at least get you some greens in today’s share, but our collards just aren’t at their prime.  Instead we bring you cabbage and calypso beans!  Perhaps that combo can be the NW version of a New Year’s Day good luck meal.  Anyhow, we hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and are ready for 2013!

Enjoy the vegetables and we’ll see you in two weeks!

Your farmers,

Jeff Bramlett and Carri Heisler

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Here are a few recipes to get you inspired:

Calypso Beans with Ginger and Black Mustard Seed

• 2 cups dried calypso or anasazi beans, rinsed
• 1 onion
• 1 inch ginger
• 5 cloves garlic
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil such as grape seed
• 15 ounces coconut milk (1 can)
• 2.5 cups water, or more as needed
• plenty of salt

For the tarka

• 2 tablespoons ghee or butter
• 1 inch ginger
• 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1. To prepare the beans, peel and finely mince the ginger and garlic cloves (this can be done in a mini food processor). Heat the oil and saute the onion until glassy. Add the ginger and garlic and saute for a couple of minutes. Add the spices and cook another minute, until fragrant. Add the coconut milk, water and dried beans. Cook at a low simmer on the stove top or on low in a slow cooker. Make sure that the beans stay submerged in liquid, which may require adding additional water on the stove top, and stir occasionally (or swirl in the slow cooker, to avoid opening frequently). Cook until the beans are soft to the bite, which will happen when their colors mellow, with the brown lightening and the white turning more beige. The cooking time will depend on the dryness of the beans. In my slow cooker, my beans were tender after 4 hours. When they are soft, salt them generously.
2. When you are just about ready to serve the beans, prepare the tarka. Peel and mice the ginger. In a small skillet, heat the ghee or butter until bubbling, and then add the ginger. Let it cook for a few minutes until glassy, then add the mustard seeds. When the seeds start to pop and sizzle, stir the mixture into the beans. Enjoy.

From Food52, via Fairmount_market, http://food52.com/recipes/10472_calypso_beans_with_ginger_and_black_mustard_seeds

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Mashed Celeriac with Truffle Oil and Deep-Fried Apple Bits

(click thru the link below for more celeriac info and recipes!)