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

Here’s what’s in the share:

• Garlic
• White Onions
• Cauliflower
• Broccoli 
• Purple Carrots
• Hakurei Turnips or Shunkyo Long Pink Radishes
• Italian Frying Sweet Peppers
  
• Yacon – Meaning “Water Root” in the Inca language, these Andean tubers are thought by some to be like an underground pear in taste and texture.   We suggest eating them raw, chopped or shredded into salads.  Note that they’re rich in inulin, which can be difficult for some folks to digest.  
  
• Brussels Sprouts
  
• Apples
• Sweet Dumpling Winter Squash – sweet, tender, orange flesh similar to delicata
  
• “Man Salad” – Usually known as “Cookin’ Greens” at our market booth, our friend Rob at Persephone farm likes to call it by this manly name. We’ve been to several winter potlucks at Persephone and Elanor always makes a large salad with a mix of chicories and kale just like this. If you have leftover beets, you can cook them, let them cool, and add small beet slices to your “man salad.” The sweetness is a nice contrast to the slight bitterness of the chicories. The purple carrots, radishes or turnips, and yacon would also add a nice touch to  this salad. If that doesn’t strike you as appetizing, try sauteing these winter greens in some butter and onions. Yum!

Many thanks to the folks who have filled out the CSA Survey.  We love reading the feedback and value your opinion.  As we’ve said before, this CSA-model wouldn’t work without you and it’s very helpful to hear your thoughts.  If you haven’t done so, we’d appreciate you taking a few minutes to read through the survey and let us know what you think of the CSA.  Thanks!

We’ve been socked in the last couple of days.  The fog provides a dreamy quality to the work of the day and limits sight to the next field over or less.  It is strange when the day goes by and the fog never really lifts though.

We took a drive with some friends into the hills on Sunday, up above the haze, and were rewarded with clear views to the west.  The hills across the valley appeared as islands in the fog and I couldn’t help but wonder where the farm was down there in the mist.

I went on a field walk this past week to survey what we still have growing out there.  We’re projecting for the final CSA shares for this season, and thinking ahead to the first shares of the Winter CSA, and needed a solid inventory.  I was pleasantly surprised by the good germination and root sizes in the winter carrot patch.

The variety above is called Indigo Winter and is purple with a white center core.  You can see they cleaned up nicely from the photo on left showing carrots just pulled from the ground to the washed bunches on the right.  Unfortunately when I searched around I discovered this variety has been discontinued so we’ll have to find a new variety to take its place next season.

The inventory suggests we have enough of some items to offer a bulk Holiday Harvest to CSA members who would like to stock up for Thanksgiving or to help ease the transition with the end of the CSA season approaching.  Please keep an eye out for this week’s email for Holiday Harvest details.

Enjoy the vegetables!

Your farmers,
Jeff Bramlett and Carri Heisler
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Here are a few recipes to get you inspired:

Pot pie is a go-to comfort food around here.  We had one this past week with broccoli, cauliflower, onions, potatoes, and carrots mixed in.  The recipe below is a good place to start, but I suggest trying combinations that use more veggies.  And of course, homemade pie crust always make a pie better.

Turkey & Broccoli Pot Pies

• 1 frozen puff pastry sheet (half of 17.3-ounce package), thawed

• 1 14- to 16-ounce turkey thigh, skinned, boned, diced
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
• 1 cup small broccoli florets
• 3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups canned low-salt chicken broth