Here’s what’s in the share:

• Garlic
  
• Shishito Peppers – remember, we like these best blistered in hot oil and tossed with a little salt.  Mmmm mmmm!
  
• Basil
  
• Eggplant
• Carrots
• Savoy Cabbage
  
• Summer Squash
  
• Cucumbers
  
• Tomatoes
  
• Shelling Beans – a mix of the pole beans from the last two weeks, but this time you’ll want to shell them for the tasty beans inside the pods!
  
• Melons
  
• Asian Pears
  

Thanks to those of you that have joined us in the new Pitchfork & Crow CSA group over on Facebook!  One week in and there’s already been some fun tomato canning questions and answers, recipes suggested, food photos shared, as well as photos from Saturday’s potluck farm event posted.  If you’re on Facebook, and want to see what other folks are up to with their CSA shares, join the group!

 

As with most of our events we took a farm tour and ate a delicious potluck supper.  Jeff broke out the kites during the tour and the wind picked up just enough for spurts of successful kite flying.  Also, given that it’s the height of tomato season, we did up a tomato tasting that included 13 different varieties of slicers for comparison taste tests.  The informal voting put three unique varieties including Gold Medal, Black Prince, and Jaune Flammee at the top of the list.  Almost makes me feel bad for the red globe varieties that were there for comparison.  Perhaps we’ll have to do a separate red tomato tasting in the future.

Someone recently shared a photo depository website with Jeff called Photogrammar.  The photos on the site are part of the New Deal work done during the Great Depression and World War II and were taken between 1935 to 1945.  They include photos of people at work, at home, in towns, on farms that serve to document the work being done to help the farmers hardest hit by the Great Depression.

Searching through the collection for photos from Oregon proved a fascinating look at our state.  I couldn’t help but make comparisons between photos I saw in the collection and photos I’d taken myself on the farm.  The photos above depict what I mean.  Some things like picking pears or pole beans simply never change on a small farm I suppose.

I had the idea to detail our past week through photos from the collection.  We harvested our onions, did a little preserving, weeded and cultivated crops, had a picnic on the farm, did some accounting, irrigated the fields, and harvested for the CSA.  Of course not all of the photos in the collection are as similar as the harvest photos above, but the tasks seem to be the same.  It’s heartening to know we’re doing our part in a long tradition of food growing.

Enjoy the vegetables and we’ll see you next week!

Your farmers,
Jeff Bramlett and Carri Heisler

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Here are a few recipes to get you inspired:

Lamb and Cabbage Stew with Fresh Shell Beans

• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon dried mint, crumbled
• 3/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 3/4 pounds trimmed boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 11/2-inch cubes
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 1 2/3 cups canned crushed tomatoes with added puree
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small cinnamon stick, broken in half
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped peeled carrots
• 1 small green cabbage (about 1 pound), quartered, cored, cut into 1/4-inch slices (about 7 cups)
• Coarse kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
• 1 1/2 cups shelled fresh shell beans (such as cranberry, cannellini, flageolet, or pinto; from about 1 pound unshelled)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Heat small skillet over medium-high heat. Add coriander and caraway seeds to dry skillet; toast until aromatic and slightly darker in color, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes. Finely grind in mortar with pestle or in spice mill. Transfer spice mixture to medium bowl. Add mint, salt, turmeric, crushed red pepper, and 1 tablespoon oil; mix to paste. Add lamb; toss to coat. Cover and chill at least 8 hours or overnight.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in large pot over medium heat. Add lamb mixture and onions; sauté until outside of meat is no longer pink and onions begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, garlic, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf. Bring to simmer. Add carrots, then cabbage; sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper. Add 1 1/2 cups water and 2 tablespoons lemon juice to pot; stir to combine. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until meat and cabbage are tender, stirring occasionally, 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours.

Meanwhile, place fresh beans, if using, in small saucepan. Add pinch of coarse salt and just enough water to cover beans. Simmer uncovered until just tender, 10 to 30 minutes, depending on kind of bean. Drain.

Remove cinnamon stick and bay leaf from stew. Add cooked beans (or canned beans, if using) and remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Simmer 5 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Refrigerate uncovered until cool; cover and keep chilled. Rewarm over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Stir parsley into stew. Divide stew among bowls. Sprinkle with ground cumin.

From Epicurious via Bon Appétit  by Molly Stevens, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Lamb-and-Cabbage-Stew-with-Fresh-Shell-Beans-355233

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Eggplant Parmesan

• 2 1/2 lb medium eggplants (about 3), cut crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick rounds
• 3 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 5 lb plum tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 20 fresh basil leaves, torn in half
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 5 large eggs
• 3 1/2 cups panko * (Japanese bread crumbs)
• 2 oz finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (2/3 cup)
• 1 lb chilled fresh mozzarella (not unsalted), thinly sliced

Toss eggplant with 2 teaspoons salt in a colander set over a bowl, then let drain 30 minutes.

While eggplant drains, cut an X in bottom of each tomato with a sharp paring knife and blanch tomatoes together in a 5-quart pot of boiling water 1 minute. Transfer tomatoes with a slotted spoon to a cutting board and, when cool enough to handle, peel off skin, beginning from scored end, with paring knife.

Coarsely chop tomatoes, then coarsely purée in batches in a blender. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a 5-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then add garlic and sauté, stirring, until golden, about 30 seconds. Add tomato purée, basil, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and red pepper flakes and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 25 to 30 minutes.

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.

Stir together flour, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a shallow bowl. Lightly beat eggs in a second shallow bowl, then stir together panko and 1/3 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano in a third shallow bowl.

Working with 1 slice at a time, dredge eggplant in flour, shaking off excess, then dip in egg, letting excess drip off, and dredge in panko until evenly coated. Transfer eggplant to sheets of wax paper, arranging slices in 1 layer.

Heat remaining 1 1/2 cups oil in a deep 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then fry eggplant 4 slices at a time, turning over once, until golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes per batch. Transfer with tongs to paper towels to drain.

Spread 1 cup tomato sauce in bottom of a rectangular 3 1/2-quart (13- by 11- by 2-inch) baking dish. Arrange about one third of eggplant slices in 1 layer over sauce, overlapping slightly if necessary. Cover eggplant with about one third of remaining sauce (about 11/4 cups) and one third of mozzarella. Continue layering with remaining eggplant, sauce, and mozzarella. Sprinkle top with remaining 1/3 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Bake, uncovered, until cheese is melted and golden and sauce is bubbling, 35 to 40 minutes.

From Epicurious via Gourmet, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Eggplant-Parmesan-109739

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Cabbage and Asian Pear Slaw

• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives, plus more
• 1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds, plus more
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 small green cabbage, shredded
• 1 Asian pear, julienned
• 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced

Mix together buttermilk, mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, 1 tablespoon chives, and 1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds; season with salt and pepper. Toss with cabbage, pear, and onion; season with salt and pepper. Serve slaw topped with more chives and poppy seeds.

From Epicurious via Bon Appétit by Claire Saffitz, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Cabbage-and-Asian-Pear-Slaw-51223660

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