Welcome to the 2nd week of the Pitchfork & Crow Summer CSA! Here’s what’s in the share:

• Onion Scapes – These are the immature flower stalks of overwintered onions.  Grilled or sauteed, they’ll add flavor to any dish.
  
• Head Lettuce – A trio of original lettuce varieties from Wild Garden Seeds in Philomath, Ore this week.  Red-Earred Butterheart Butterhead for everyone and then choose between Mayan Jaguar Romaine and Blushed Butter Oak Butterhead for your second head.
  
• Carrots
• Chives
  
• Fava Beans – Ahh, the amazingness that is fava bean season.  Although they take a little extra prep time, the buttery beans are worth the effort!  No time for shelling?  Try grilling the whole pod.
• Pink Beauty Radishes
  
• Hakurei Salad Turnips – We love these raw, but we’ve heard surprisingly good reviews of roasting them too!
  
• Chard
  
• Snap Peas
  
• Kohlrabi
  
• Strawberries – Double the strawberries this week, double the yum!
  

We hope everyone had a fantastic first week with the CSA and that you’re ready for more vegetables!  We’ve seen some amazing meals posted in the P&C CSA Member Facebook group over the last week and are looking forward to seeing what you cook up with this week’s share.

Each winter we keep busy with projects around the farm and the every other week harvests for the Winter CSA.  We begin sowing some seeds and doing small plantings in February and the work steadily increases through March and April.  Then May arrives, and with it the full force of farming in spring.  As the day lengths grow and the sun sets ever later, the To Do list also lengthens.  May is a blur of sowing seeds, transplanting, irrigating, weeding, and harvesting.  And now here’s June, which from experience is much like May, but warmer.

So this past week after the excitement of the first Summer CSA days, we’ve endeavored to mark things off the To Do list.  We trellised the tomatoes.  We weeded the beans and potatoes and celery and celeriac and kale and peppers.  We hilled the potatoes.  We trellised the peas.  We sowed the pole beans.  We prepped ground for sweet potatoes.  And we transplanted the melons and winter squash.  Whew!

That photo up above is from a few weeks back, taken by my mom, and shows our new transplanting set-up.  For folks who weren’t following us over the winter, we purchased a new tractor and water-wheel transplanter last fall.  We began using the combo this spring and though we’re still getting used to a few quirks, it’s been a fairly amazing advancement.  As you can see the tractor pulls the transplanter.  Water from the tank on top of the transplanter drains into a wheel below the tank that moves along the bed and punches holes at the set spacing (6 inches, 1 ft, 2 ft etc) effectively creating perfectly spaced muddy holes to plant transplants into.  The plants are happy to get water, and sometimes organic fertilizer, right away and our backs are happy not to be bending over for hours getting plants in the ground.  Win-win!

Again, if you haven’t been keeping up during the winter months, you may not know we added some pigs to the farm!  In April we bought four Old Spot/Duroc cross weaner pigs and have been watching them steadily grow into teenagers over the last couple of months.  We’ve trained them to hot wire fencing and they’ve been extremely well behaved thus far.  The only escape we’ve experienced was during a fence move when one pig crossed through a hot fence into an area that was no longer fenced in.  I think he was as shocked as we were and after a few seconds of staring each other down he braved the hot fence a second time to re-join the other pigs.

As you might imagine, it’s been quite the adventure this spring on the farm.  Between new animal chores and the familiar vegetable chores we’ve been certainly keeping busy.  Now to get a few more things marked off that To Do list.

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:

Shrimp and Fava Beans

• 1 cup kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
• 3 pounds whole fava pods, about 1 1/2 cups beans after shelling
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup fruity white wine
• 1 or 2 radishes, thinly sliced
• Flat-leaf parsley leaves for garnish

Set a large pot on the stove. Put in 1 gallon water and 1 cup kosher salt. Bring to a boil. Ready a large bowl of ice water.

Tear open the fava pods and remove the beans, discarding the outer pods. Place the beans in the boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. When cooled, remove the outer hull of each bean and place the shelled beans in a bowl, discarding the hulls. Set aside.

Place the butter and the shrimp in a wide skillet and set on the stove. Turn the heat to the lowest setting and stir as the butter melts and the shrimp begin to cook. Season with salt and pepper and add lemon juice and white wine. As the temperature rises, keep a close eye on the shrimp, stirring frequently. Remove with a slotted spoon when the shrimp are pink and slightly curled. Set aside.

Add the peeled favas to the pan and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook until the favas are heated all the way through, then taste for seasoning and adjust. Be sure to taste both the beans and the liquid. Add the radishes to the pan and turn off the heat. Return the shrimp to the pan and toss to combine. Divide the shrimp and fava mixture with the juice among 4 bowls, and garnish with parsley. Serve immediately.

From Epicurious via Root to Leaf by Steven Satterfield, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/shrimp-and-fava-beans-56389505

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Romaine Salad with Chives and Blue Cheese

• 1 large head of romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 bunch fresh chives, cut into 1 1/2-inch-long pieces
• 1 cup crumbled blue cheese

Place lettuce in large bowl. Whisk oil, lemon juice, shallot, and mustard in small bowl to blend. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in chives. Drizzle dressing over lettuce and toss to coat. Sprinkle cheese over and serve.

From Epicurious via Bon Appétit, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/romaine-salad-with-chives-and-blue-cheese-106303

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Shaved Kohlrabi with Apple and Hazelnuts

• 1/2 cup blanched hazelnuts
• 2 medium kohlrabi (about 2 pounds total), peeled, thinly sliced on a mandoline
• 1 tart apple (such as Pink Lady or Crispin), peeled, cored, thinly sliced on a mandoline
• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or white balsamic vinegar
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup torn fresh mint leaves, plus more for serving
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 ounces Pecorino di Fossa or Parmesan, shaved (about 1/4 cup)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Toast hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, 10–12 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop.

Toss kohlrabi, apple, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vinegar in a medium bowl; season with salt. Add 1/2 cup mint and gently toss to just combine.

Toss toasted hazelnuts and oil in a small bowl to coat; season with salt.

Divide kohlrabi salad among plates and top with seasoned hazelnuts, Pecorino, and more mint.

DO AHEAD: Hazelnuts can be toasted 1 day ahead; store airtight at room temperature.

From Epicurious via Bon Appétit by Ignacio Mattos, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/shaved-kohlrabi-with-apple-and-hazelnuts-51214700

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